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Light for wildlife hd slr video


eduardo_barrento

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<p>Eduardo, can you describe a typical scenario where you might use such a light? </p>

<p>Is it for night use, or under extremely low light conditions? </p>

<p>Generally speaking power requirement would be the primary issue. It'd be much easier to offer suggestions if you can be more specific. </p>

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<p>I am new to that kind of scenario... I want to make some videos with a river otter in almost complete darkness, like the one on the photo: <a href="http://www.barrento.com/2011/07/30/lontra-lutra-lutra/">http://www.barrento.com/2011/07/30/lontra-lutra-lutra/</a> here I used a flash Canon 580EX, the subject was about 8 to 10 meters away; now I want a continuos light to use with a 300mm f/2.8 in a Canon 7D... the lights I saw when I googled, are LEDs that are not power enough (I think...)</p>
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<p>I can think of a few problems in actual use, but here's a potential light source to start:<br>

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sunforce-Million-Candlepower-Rechargeable-Spotlight/dp/B000VHF3JK">http://www.amazon.com/Sunforce-Million-Candlepower-Rechargeable-Spotlight/dp/B000VHF3JK</a></p>

<p>These light are typically 12V rechargeable and there are quite a number of available models and sizes to suit your need. </p>

<p>The problem I see is tracking of the light and camera (especially a DSLR). You would have to customize it somehow so the light and camera pans together. </p>

<p>Something that comes to mind is an inverted mount on a plate - put a plate across the tripod head where the camera would normally be seated, then hang the light and camera from either side of the plate. </p>

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<p>Eduardo, there are a few lights in this link that might give you some ideas. In particular are the 12V ATV spot light which you can power from a separate 12V car starter pack. <br>

<a href="http://www.nativeoutdoors.com/cyclops.html">http://www.nativeoutdoors.com/cyclops.html</a></p>

<p>I think those barn door spot lights used in studios will be too fragile for outdoor use, then there's the power issue. </p>

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<p>How about something from Lowel? they make everything from 100-watt units that mount on top of the camera to 1,000 watt units that can either go on the camera (a little top heavy) or on a stand. I think their Omni Light or D Light has a long-throw reflector available for shooting at longer distances. Search for them at <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com">www.bhphotovideo.com</a> You can run them off a generator or with a big AC invertor from a car battery. They also have 12V bulbs available (at least in some wattages). On a real video camera, there would be a place to mount a light. Doing this with a DSLR may not be as convenient. One thing to watch out for with hot lights outside is rain. I saw a documentary years ago where the filmakers showed how they had lit something at night to shoot, then it rained and all it took was a single raindrop hitting the hot glass to shatter every one of their bulbs one after the other.</p>
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<p>Eduardo:</p>

<p>Ten meters is quite a long throw (damn inverse-square law!), requiring either a lensed (e.g., Fresnel, PAR, etc.) incandescent instrument (e.g., Arri 650W Fresnel), an inexpensive PAR 64 (750W), or a ridiculously expensive HMI (e.g., about $4,000 for a K5600 400W Joker). The good thing about HMIs, is that they're pretty weather-resistant (we use them in the rain all the time). However, all of these lights draw a ton of current, and will exhaust a car battery/inverter set-up pretty quickly.</p>

<p>The trick is to place your light sources much closer to your subject. If you can place your sources within a few feet of your shooting area, you can get by with fluorescents (KinoFlos or Home Depot-bought worklights), or high-Wattage LEDs such as a LitePanel 1' x 1' (expensive!). The good thing about a LitePanel (or, similar, off-brand, LED panel light) is that it will run for hours using an Anton-Bauer brick-style battery (about $400). However, the practical working distance from a 1' x 1' LitePanel will still be limited to only a few feet. For fluorescents, KinoFlo Diva 400s are pretty bright, but pretty expensive, and won't strike off of most inverters (haven't tried a pure-sive wave inverter such as the Paul C. Buff Vagabond Mini--if that works with a Diva, that may be a pretty slick system). Duh, I own a Kino and a Vagabond--let me give it a try!</p>

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<p>Eduardo said:</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Thank you Ralph, very clear :)</p>

</blockquote>

<p>You're welcome!</p>

<p>The most economical tungsten solution would be a PAR64. They're very inexpensive, and take PAR-style globes (which look similar to car headlights), with varying degrees of beam-spread. The narrows can throw light pretty damned far. And, actually an inverter/car battery set-up might power a 750-Watt globe for quite a while. Using the power law, you can convert Watts to amps, and then amps, to amp-hours. Then you could calculate the estimated hours of battery life, given a certain Wattage, and compare with amp-hour ratings on sealed-lead acid (SLA) type batteries (e.g., car batteries). However, just beware that there is a lot of inefficiency in the AC-DC power conversion, so you lose some energy there. SLAs are heavy, and not very portable, but they're pretty affordable, and could last several hours, depending on ambient temperature, and inverter efficiency.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Have you (or someone here) experience about infrared?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Yes, that's another option which I mentioned in another thread. I've been looking for high-output, AC-powered IR light sources myself, to use to light my front and backyards to better illuminate those areas for the night-vision capable security cameras I have installed around my home. Haven't really found any suitable candidates yet. Best bets are likely on EBay and Amazon. Perhaps a sportsmans'-type site (stuff for hunters) may have something, or a specialty CCTV/security camera supplier somewhere might have something.</p>

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<p>Thank You once more, Ralph! I think the PAR64 with a car battery could be a good solution. I will check this one. I dont know nothing about that matter, but I think it will give enough power for my proposes. Battery life is not a big issue too, because I only want to make small shorted time clips at a time.</p>
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