how much of a difference with quality lights

Im planning to get a housing soon for my canon HF G10. Right now im leaning toward the L&M. But as far as the lights go is it worth getting the higher end lights like the Keldan's? Would i see much of a difference between say Sola 1200's or even 4000's and the keldan luna cri? Im trying to figure out here if its worth the difference in price?

I have the L&M 2000x, absolutely love them.

Depends on what your use is. CRI only matters if you can see the difference, and many times it takes the uninitiated a vectorscope to see the difference. I'd say if HID lights, which were the rage earlier, made many people happy just a few years back, then LED CRI of 70-80+ will do the same.

I suggest you read my primer on video lights to understand some of the concepts as I think you have CRI and lumens mixed up.

For wide angle, even 12k lumens may not be enough sometimes, depending on the distance from the lens.

Drew,

Yes, too many are overemphasizing lumens as the be all/ end all. Just not true. However, a CRI rating of 70-80 is not really very good as color rendering at that low level is not much. A good CRI for a light would be a rating of 90+. One also must consider that a low powered light can have a good CRI rating but still not do much for the footage. Therefore, a light should have a kelvin of between 5,000-6,000 with a high Ra of 90+ and then you have a decent light.

When I was using the Keldan's which have a diffused spread of 90º, there were other divers in the water with the Solas( with a 60º spread) and one with the higher end Green Force lights. The Keldan not only had a cleaner light but had a much wider spread and further throw, which created a considerably larger stage to shoot from.

Steve

PS. Gates will soon be coming out with their new lights as well.

im not really worried about lumens. im just wondering will there be a noticeable difference between lights like the keldans or the new gates with cheaper lights like the sola's or maybe something from nocturnal. a difference that would justify the added cost. especially considering the camera is not super high end. or would high end lights like that be lost on a newb with canon hf g10.

PS. Gates will soon be coming out with their new lights as well.

I actually think they are out, they are on the Gates website and also on Backscatters with prices. I have seen a couple of pictures of guys using them also.

Sulfur,

It isn't easy making a recommendation for an inexpensive light. Any light worth having is costly. I haven't used them underwater, but I am sure that the Gates light will be top notch and you pay for that quality. Nocturnal Lights is the distributer for Keldan but they do have their own lights which are pretty darn good and not too costly.

Steve

im not really worried about lumens. im just wondering will there be a noticeable difference between lights like the keldans or the new gates with cheaper lights like the sola's or maybe something from nocturnal. a difference that would justify the added cost. especially considering the camera is not super high end. or would high end lights like that be lost on a newb with canon hf g10.

I think you answered yourself right there. Many people have enjoyed HID lights, which has about the same/lower CRI as the cheaper LED systems, for years. If you are not a professional shooting for broadcast, or want that sort of quality, then it's really not an issue. Buy what you can afford. High CRI is always nice but only at the correct color temp. Remember distance to subject underwater plays a part in how the light works. If you are just a hobbyist doing videos for fun, and the budget is limited, go with what you can comfortably afford and upgrade later if you feel it's inadequate.

i think for me it makes sense to start off on something cheaper more low end simply because if i jumped right into a high end light id have nothing to compare to. and i maybe the canon hf g10 might not be able to pick up on the subtle differences in color.

and i maybe the canon hf g10 might not be able to pick up on the subtle differences in color.

Oh the camera will pick up the difference, the point is whether you do or even care about the difference that counts.

Many times, buying (not having it given to you for a review/ gift etc) the top of the line gear is less abut functionality than something psychological. It's like Ferrari owners. Only a small percentage of owners even bother to learn how to drive it llike a sports car and an even smaller % actually can drive it well.

Darn I used a car analogy!

i cant drive but i want the ferrari!!!!. sooo which light is the ferrari???? heh i was actually leaning towards the solas cause of price but i dont like the fact that you cant remove the battery. of course the removable batteries in the gates and the keldans are quite large and quite expensive. so not sure if it would be feasible to travel with an additional set anyways.

i cant drive but i want the ferrari!!!!. sooo which light is the ferrari???? heh i was actually leaning towards the solas cause of price but i dont like the fact that you cant remove the battery. of course the removable batteries in the gates and the keldans are quite large and quite expensive. so not sure if it would be feasible to travel with an additional set anyways.

You should also consider the new fisheye Aquavolt 5000. Its available in beginning of august: http://www.fisheye-jp.com/english/products...5000/index.html

Lasse

was just looking pretty hard at the gates vl8. the price seemed pretty good. But wow are they heavy. 3.1 lbs.

but I bet they are sturdy,

was just looking pretty hard at the gates vl8. the price seemed pretty good. But wow are they heavy. 3.1 lbs.

But neutral underwater.

Some of the lights out there are 1 pound negative or more. Having a light that negative sitting out extended on arms can't be easy to shoot with.

well decided to go with the gates vl8. hopefully will have them soon and have a chance to try them out before my trip in november. would still like to see a review on them to see how they stack up to the competition.

I saw those new gates lights in action a while back, very nice lights! Very powerful and nice wide beam. I want them too

I saw those new gates lights in action a while back, very nice lights! Very powerful and nice wide beam. I want them too

were they the vl8's or the wl24's you saw?

the 24s, one of my guests had a demo set. Really bright!

i posted some clips using this setup with t he gates VL-8's. it got moved to the editing,posting, and sharing forum. the lights are bright but they dont go very far at all. really dont see anything until your witin a few feet of target. didnt get a chance to try them at night.