Anyone tried the AOI RGBlue video light?

http://www.backscatter.com/sku/aoi-system01.lasso

I plan to use the lights for shooting video with my T2i (mostly 10-17 FE) and GoPro.

I am trying to decide between the Sola 2000 Flood and the AOI RGBlue System01. I assume the Sola 2000 would be the "safe" choice, but the RGBlue appears to have some advantages: wider beam, more even light, replaceable battery pack. Disadvantages: A little larger, a little heavier.

Thanks for any advice/information.

Doug

http://www.backscatter.com/sku/aoi-system01.lasso

 

 

I plan to use the lights for shooting video with my T2i (mostly 10-17 FE) and GoPro.

 

I am trying to decide between the Sola 2000 Flood and the AOI RGBlue System01. I assume the Sola 2000 would be the "safe" choice, but the RGBlue appears to have some advantages: wider beam, more even light, replaceable battery pack. Disadvantages: A little larger, a little heavier.

 

Thanks for any advice/information.

 

Doug

 

Yesterday I had the opportunity to compare side by side RGBlue and Sola 2000 at the shop.

The RGBlue has a superb build. And it seems to have a wider and more pleasant beam.

The downside (IMHO) is the same of the Sola: On/Off and power selection buttons are on the top side of the body.

I had the Sola 2000 and while on land it seems to be a good choice I found it PITA underwater. If you have your lights on medium length arms is a little bit awkward to use. Moreover the Sola have battery indicator (again on top) with a led color scale Of course underwater you cannot distinguish orange from green so it's pretty useless.

On RGBlue you control power and On/Off pressing two metallic buttons on the upper side. I think it will be more awkward than Sola.

Imho best place for switch and power indicators is the back of the light.

I don't know if you had the opportunity to check them side by side in your hands. eventually I will shot some photo at the shop this afternoon.

Bye

Edit: to tun On/Off thhe light you have to press two buttons simultaneously

Thanks for the quick reply. No one here locally has these lights so I have not had the opportunity to feel, touch, lick, etc the AOI lights.

Are there any video lights in this class (price/size) that you would recommend?

Thanks.

Doug

The downside (IMHO) is the same of the Sola: On/Off and power selection buttons are on the top side of the body.

XIT 404 came up with a solution to that.

You still won't be able to see the battery monitor lights.

This thing is interesting. It is all mechanical. The red button moves a cable that moves a 'lever' with two magnets in it that fits over the Sola light.

You install it with the sola light OFF. The sola light 'button' stays in the off position. The magnets move in the XIT 404 release thing and that's how you can control the light.

Have not tried it myself underwater, just in the showroom.

 

XIT 404 came up with a solution to that.

 

 

You still won't be able to see the battery monitor lights.

 

This thing is interesting. It is all mechanical. The red button moves a cable that moves a 'lever' with two magnets in it that fits over the Sola light.

 

You install it with the sola light OFF. The sola light 'button' stays in the off position. The magnets move in the XIT 404 release thing and that's how you can control the light.

 

Have not tried it myself underwater, just in the showroom.

Interesting.

Reading the RGBlue site it seems that exist a remote fiber optic command for them.

There is a remote for my Aquavolt3500 as well but I never sawn it.

Here we are.

Some phot shot yestarday at the shop comparing Sola 2000 and RGBlue. I confirm you that RGBlue beam is softer and wider that Sola 2000.

They have a quite complicate electronic switch. From what I understood, oce you turn on them pressing two button at the same time, the lights perform some check and then is ready. You can turn it on at the maxim power with one putton or you can have a continuos power regulation.

Anyway they have neary the same dimension as Sola 2000.

I forgot t write that the light has a threaded bezel like camera lenses to mount a condensing lens.

That thread eventually can be used to mount standard lens filter.

http://www.rgblue.jp/en/products/system01/

Manual in Japanese and English

http://www.rgblue.jp/en/downloads/pdf/system01.pdf

Thanks for all the info! Very helpful.

I have tried out the RG Blue

the 2200 lumen is on-die lumen and not the actual effective lumen so it is a tiny bit less at full power. Nice LED light. One of the warmest I seen since the Keldan which some videographers like as the colour spectrum is like sunlight. CRI is not bad. up in the 80s like those found in CRI Keldan. Most interesting thing is the LED array is a single spot (large one) meaning they are not separated in a spaced out array. The resulting light is even and without cross interference. One way to check this is hold the light close to your hand and cast a shadow about a meter away. You see just one shadow. With LED arrays you get multiple shadows. RG blue could be used with a suitable condenser lens to reduce the beam. I ahve made one using a filter ring and it produces a nice even spot. Since the spot is concentrated you need less power. Or you get higher lumen level if you turn to full. Good for macro work. In most of my diving sites here in Singapore or else where with poor vis. narrow spot beam for close up or macro video is the only way.

The ability to change battery is a big plus. The two buttons are fiddly to use but it is fairly logical once you used it.

cheers

David

What kind of battery life are you getting? Is it really only 35 minutes at full burn? I'm also wondering how these lights would compare to the new fix neo dx lights...

http://www.fisheye-jp.com/english/products/light/fe_neo/index.html

The only dealer I see around here selling them is reef - they list the 1200 on their site

I am the SE Asia dealer at this side of the pond. The Fix Neo DX light is colder almost bluish white.

Both RG Blue and Fix Neo could use spare battery modules. Yes full burn usually limits the burn time.

Best is to use condenser lens for narrower beam and setting at lower and max out only when needed. At half setting RG blue last about an hour.

Testing the Fix Neo next.

Sorry about the shameless self promotion.

regards

David

My AOI RGBlues arrived early this week. I hope to try them out this weekend. The mounts I need to place them between the strobe arms were backordered so I will have to swap out the strobes to test the video lights.

The Fix Neo DX light is colder almost bluish white.

This is good info to know! I was really excited about the RGBlue because of the color temp. I actually figured the neo dx would be a colder color, but I hadn't seen any info to confirm that. I know fisheye has a set of flip down color filters, including a red filter, that is supposed to work with the neo. I wonder if that would work to warm up the beam enough to take the harshness out.

Best is to use condenser lens for narrower beam and setting at lower and max out only when needed. At half setting RG blue last about an hour.

This is a really good idea! I just wish the battery life was a little better. It seems like the neo gets 20-30 mins longer at any given brightness level, which is why I started having some interest in those lights in the 1st place. If they had a way to make the battery last longer in the RGBlue, I think it would be game over - I really like where they are headed with their technology in that light

Testing the Fix Neo next.

Looking forward to your report!

Trowing a stone in the pond...

Do you think it's really so important the color temp?

I have a couple of Aquavolt3500. They are pretty bluish but my camera does a realy good job with AWB or even MWB.

Eventually I adjust colors in post.

I mean that from my little experience for wide shots, CRI value is overestimated. CRI values are very important in air but in real conditions i.e. water (with different kind of saltwater and freshwater) a distance of a couple of meters makes CRI value useless.

Of course for macro shots things are different but once you have the ability to regulate light intensity, I find that AWB/MWB works really well. (I have a vidDSRL, maybe camcorders are different)

Just my 2c.

Its a big pond. The reason for warmer colour temperature and not to be confused with CRI or colour fidelity is perception. Warmer color temp helps me to perceives the subject and foreground in a way like using sunlight at really shadow depth- plus balancing a sunlit scene is easier. It is highly subjective. Not that noticeable and usually only when really powerful lights fill the shadows. Hence the saying the you can never bring enough lighting. Shooting video raw these days makes balancing percieved colour easier. In fact it does not really matter as raw records much more information then AVCHD and even 422. As long as the exposure is correct and no clipping of the highlights and the shadows. In another post I discussed about HDR and ETTR. ETTR is something I am experimenting for video. I really like the way it helps to get the most details in the highlights in digital stills. It is another technique and I will not discuss it here. Back to lights. Personally what I look for in lights especially LED is colour fidelity. Not all LED is made and give out the same color spectrum. In fact in the same production LED batch the colour rendering can vary. So absolutely matching LEDs is really just the 10% yield in a manufactured batch. CRI in the 90s is even more difficult to manufacture and strict electronic ballast is needed. One of the reason why RG Blue do not provide longer burn time is the power draw. The analogy is like a comparing a match with a gas hub. You get more heat from a gas hub. So more power is needed to get all the colour and a good balanced spectrum. Cooler colour light does not draw as much power but there is always sacrifice. Not saying the Fix neo or other LED lights are in that category but the CRI for lots of lights are in the 70s. Bigger battery will help longer burn time. One of the reason why Keldan Luna 4 is big and the Luna 8 bigger still. I think RG Blue may be looking into larger capacity battery. BTW putting a colour filter does not provide more CRI. If the LED has missing lines in the spectrum then even recording in raw the colour is interpolated in post production. For Internet okay for TV network okay. Not cinema stuff. I am over simplifying this of course. There is also colour absorption downwards and sideways. I'll leave that in another post. cheers

I completely agree with you.

I'm not confusing CRI and color temp. I was oversemplifying it (too much).

What I saying is that 6 ft / 2 m of water absorbs light spectrum not in a uniform way hence even a 90 CRI lights will not give you a uniform color.

Things are even more complicated by the different type of water yo have.In such respect air is a far more uniform element.

Most of the light brands try to squeeze lumen from led as much as possible. for a a given led the cool bins (>5000K) are the most powerful but they have the lowest CRI.

Bye

Perhaps we are talking about the same subject in parallel. One is light intensity and the other colour fidelity. Having something that pumps out daylight really helps me to see what I am lighting in front of me and the light I want is sunlight color. Not totally to do what the camera sees. Well for my camera anyway. IMHO more importantly is decision on what to lit. For reefs only really possible 2m in front of you. For subjects only the subject. Back ground is another considerations. I actually never MWB anymore. Well only if I use camera with color information baked in and then compressed. For raw it is a lot easier to decide. Totally agreed on the site conditions and also the equipment you bring with you. More lumen does not always goes in your favor. For example in poor vis. A smaller light with adjustable beam is probably more controllable. I like more lumen no doubt about it in some situations. I am also fussy in that I want to see the light rendering possible right in front of me....hence the higher CRI is what I prefer.

Cheers

David

Perfect

Out of curiosity, which camera/lights combo do you have or do you use most?

All the major brands. Well all the consumer ones. I sell them. As industry member I have to be careful. Lots of tip toeing required....I have used them all extensively.

Favorite camera to play with at the moment is the 5D MIII and 50D because of the ML hack and they produce stunning results.

Camera for work will depend on production. Usually red Epic and sometimes the Alexa. With the Sony F55 now available more client want to use that too.

Lighting varies. The director and DOP decides. Pool shoot usually with Arri Max 18k and dinos....thats all for work of course. Rented. Top side lighting provide light for the pool for simulating the sun UW. In water no UW light needed. Some DOPs don't like LEDs as the light is not diffused enough.

Just for fun I use the Panasonic GH2 with the Driftwood firmware a few years. I sold that camera recently. Now just the 5D and 50D with the BMDC on the way. Shooting raw is really the way to go. In the sea I take Sola 4000. about six of them. The light has good beam and colour okay. warmish. Battery charge is the achillies heel. So need to bring some spare lights. Recently I used the Keldan CRI and flux. Actually I couldn't tell the difference in colour temp between the two until I test it with a colour chart and shoot with the 36MP D800 and enlarge the slate. Side by side you can tell at 100 crop. For normal shoot the Flux is great for power. I also have the Aqua volt. Funny looking battery and was stopped once by airport check point. Probably thought I was carrying a nuclear bomb detonator. The light pumps out humongous amount of light. Almost as much as Gates VL 24. I am waiting to see what they come up with next.

I also make my own UW lighting panels with topside LV DC supply. Its an array of daylight LEDs of a 1 foot by 3 feet panel for even lighting. These are great for shooting UW models and products. I don't do all of it myself of course. I work with lots of talented people.

So I really have no favorites. They are just tools.

I (sort of) got to try the new RGBlue video lights on Saturday. Unfortunately it was a poor environment for video light testing (3kt current drift dive, so so vis, I was flag boy, 3-4' seas on surface meant it was a continuous jerking from the flag). I had the video lights on max stepped power (1800 lumens) for about 40 minutes and the status LCD light was magenta at the end, so I don't know sure how much long the lights would have lasted.

Functionally the lights worked fine but I didn't really get any usable video footage.

The Nauticam YS mounts for the Nauticam 'shackle' clamp shipped from Backscatter last Friday so once they arrive I will be able to mount both the video lights and the S&S strobes (right now it's one or the other).

I will update once I get to perform a real test with the video lights.