I never used to be a fan of videographers who flipped the high beams on when filming a wedding. I can remember being at a friend's wedding and being very aware of the videographer's location at all times.
One of the best compliments Little Guy Productions gets is the statement "we didn't even know you were there." We pride ourselves on not being the center of attention, and carefully filming without you noticing.
That being said, as we move into the brave new world of High Definition shooting, I had to break down and pick up some lights for the Panasonic HVX and the Panasonic HMC-150.
From my trusty friends at B&H Photo Video, here's what I picked up.
For the HVX I went with the VariZoom S-2010P Dimmable On Camera Light. The "P" in the light's name stands for "Panasonic" meaning there's a battery adapter that will work with your pre-existing Panasonic Battery. Very handy if you've got a couple of extra batts lying
around.
The VariZoom S-2010P costs $319.99 and has a 40 Watt output at 5600K. The description on the B&H site says the light comes with 4 barn doors, but we beg to differ. There are two legitimate barn doors and two "fake barn doors". We're assuming that the filters can be used as the remaining two barn doors, but then you can't use your filters.
The TorchLED is a bitchin' little light; it came fully charged and ready to roll with three "sippy cup looking" filters that attach at the front of the light. Its internal battery charges through DC, and it boasts 150 minutes of continuous lighting capabilities. Price Tag: $219.95 plus an additional $14.95 you're going to have to plop down for the shoe mount adapter, because it doesn't come standard with one.
The TorchLED emits the equivalent of a 50 Watt Light.
Both the Varizoom and the TorchLED are pretty light, which will make going hand held during the reception a little less stressful on the shoulder and back.
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So we just filmed our first wedding of 2011 using the VariZoom S-2010P and the TorchLED and I'd have to say I'm pretty impressed with how the lights turned out. After testing them out with my wife/co-shooter, we initially were worried that they'd be way too bright and obnoxious.
But after the lights went down and the DJ started his light show, it almost didn't matter that we had lights on the camera. The HVX and the HMC-150 seemed to blend into the background, and after looking at the footage, I didn't see the dreaded "Cover your eyes and get that camera out of my face" shot that I was so worried about.
Battery life for both was fine. The "filters" for the TorchLED were a little awkward to install "on the go", but were fine in the end.
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