Zylight

9/5/08

11:51 AM

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in the field

Joe McManus

May 2008

Gear & Now

CAMERA SUPPORT
Wedding & Feature Filmmaker
Ryan Bodie of Studio 26 Click Clack Jack

on the Set of

LED Lights

SHOOTOUT

-------

Using Apple TV

as a Sales Tool

TUTORIALS

Color Isolation in After Effects Creating Logos with Shaped Text
This article is reprinted with permission from EventDV magazine, May, 2008. Online, a division of Information Today, Inc.
LED Lights Shootout: Sony HVL-LBP Versus Zylight Z90
The Sony HVL-LBP (far left) sits high off the camera on its built-in camera-shoe mount. The Z90 (near left) has no built-in mount, but it can be thread-mounted to a wide variety of connectors.
he latest LED lights are taking the video world by storm, and promises of bright lights with very low battery drain have many of us excited. Ive spent some time on recent shoots with two of the most popular choices, the Sony HVL-LBP and the Zylight Z90. The Sony light retails for around $500 at most popular professional video retailers, and the Zylight costs $875 directly from the manufacturer. This is a big difference, with almost $400 separating the two lights. There are some truly innovative features in the Zylight, and whether those features interest you or not will go a long way toward determining if this light is worth the extra cost.
IN THIS CORNER: THE SONY HVL-LBP The main advantage of the Sony HVL-LBP, from my perspective, is the fact that it uses Sonys L series Infolithium batteries. If you are using a Sony camera such as the FX1 or Z1U, you already have batteries that will work with this unit, as well as the charger required. The lithium batteries used by this unit are lightweight and will power the light for a very long time, up to 3 hours at full brightness. In fact, I have yet to drain a full battery using this light.
The light is designed to be attached to the accessory shoe of your camera, and Ive found it one of the easiest lights to attach and remove, thanks to the larger-than-average release dial at the base of the light. At just over 14 ounces (without battery), it tends to make the camera a little top-heavy, especially with lighter cameras such as the FX1, but there is a definite advantage to not having any cables running from the light to a battery belt. The light performs well up close, especially within a 10" range, but drops off significantly after that. To combat this problem, there is a built-in condenser filter that intensifies the beam, although I found that this did not work well in the widescreen format and produced a look that reminded me more of an extremely bright flashlight. The unit is outdoor-balanced at 5600k, which causes a noticeable blue tint in indoor applications. I experimented with color gels in an attempt to change the color temperature of the light, but I wasnt satisfied with how they significantly cut down the brightness. Since we are usually running two
Heres the Sony HVL-LBP with its attached NP-F970 battery. Note the side-mounted controls including dimmer, power, and battery-level indicator.

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in the

Spotlight
Anton/Bauer www.antonbauer.com Sony Electronics www.sonystyle.com Zylight www.zylight.com
light in one area and tungsten in another. With the Zylights adjustable color temperature, I always find a setting I like, without adding gels. Speaking of gels, the Z90 has another cool feature that can enhance your footage. By simply pressing a button, you get full access to The Z90s rear controls: Note the two preset buttons for Daylight and Tungsten on the left-hand side and the hue colored lighting effects. Want to toss a blue light dial at the top, which changes the color of the light in gel mode, and the color temperature of the light in the manual setting mode. onto some dance footage? No need for a colored gel; you just turn the dial until you get the color youre looking for. While I admit that many people may not use this feature, its kind of fun to cameras, it definitely did not match the color temperature of experiment with, and it means you dont have to bring an any of our other lights, and it seriously messed up the color entire gel kit with you. balance any time the Sony light came together with If you have more than one Z90, you can take advantage another light on the same object or person. This caused of Zylink, which allows you to link several lights problems for us on several occasions, and it was also together and control them all wirelessly with one control. noticed by the photographer. I wasnt able to test this feature since I only have one light, but there are videos of Zylink in action on the manIN THE OTHER CORNER: THE ZYLIGHT Z90 ufacturers website (www.zylight.com), and it looks I first became aware of Zylight when the Z90 won an pretty impressive. innovation award by the 4EVER Group at NAB 2007. An optional accessory adapter allows you to add barn The Z90 is a huge improvement over the previously doors or a softbox. I opted for the barn doors when ordering released (and still available) Z50. Not only is it four times brighter than the Z50, but it draws the same amount of power. Youll find the controls on the rear of the light. You can select between daylight and tungsten using the two preset buttons. Our lighting kit also includes an Anton/Bauer ElightZ and a Frezzi mini-sun gun. Since we are always shooting two or more cameras, its important to us that our LED light matches the color temperature of whatever other lights we are using. The amazing thing about the Z90 and the main reason I love this light so much is that you can change the color temperature by simply moving a dial from 2500k all the way up to 9000k. I have found that in the field, you never quite know what other light sources you will This image was shot with the Z90 in color gel mode. The color is easily changed by turning the hue dial, and the intensity is controlled with the dimmer. come into contact withsometimes natural

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mine, and since the light is a little strong when viewed from the front, I plan to add the softbox in the future. At 16 ounces, its heavier than the Sony light, but the weight is distributed differently, so it doesnt quite feel or look as awkward sitting on a smaller camera. For battery power, you have a few options. I opted for a lightweight IDX Endura series battery belt, but there is also a D-Tap option for those who want to use Anton/Bauer batteries, and you can also buy a lithium battery directly from the manufacturer. What I really like about the Endura battery system is that you can stack another battery on the back of the one you are using in order to increase your runtime, although I must admit I havent had to do this with this light yet. Im simply amazed how much more battery life I can get out of these LED lights.
The easy-to-read display lets you tune the Z90 to just the right color temperature.
OTHER COMPARISONS Both the Sony and the Zylight have an excellent spread, which is perfect for widescreen applications. Since switching to HDV, I had found that some of my old lights werent performing well, especially in wide shots when shooting in 16:9. That simply isnt a problem with either of these lights, with the exception of the Sony operating with the condenser filter attached, but the solution to that is simple: Dont use the condenser. In order to give a proper comparison, I included images shot with my ElightZ, an Anton/Bauer 10 W halogen light. AND THE WINNER IS The Zylight Z90 and its smaller cousin, the Z50, are becoming very popular in the broadcast industry, even showing up at the Super Bowl, and its easy to see why. But the real question you are probably asking yourself is whether its worth the price of nearly two Sony lights to get the added features of the Z90. From what I have experienced, it certainly is. The Sony would be a lot more attractive if it were calibrated to indoor light, but to me it didnt seem worth the extra postproduction color correction problems that it creates. If youre thinking of moving to LED lighting, the adaptability and sturdy construction of the Z90 make it a clear winner.
Heres a bowl of fruit in a dark room with no other light sources besides the on-camera lights tested. The white balance is set to automatic. Note the bluish tint from the Sony light. The Zylight was manually set to 3800k and more closely resembles the result from the Anton/Bauer halogen light.
Joe McManus (joe@fvpro.com) is co-founder of Future Vision Productions, an award-winning

wedding and event videography outfit based in London, Ontario. He is the founder and president of the Ontario Professional Videographers Association (OPVA), and he was named to the 2005 EVENTDV 25. Comments? Email us at eventdv@infotoday.com, or check the masthead for other ways to contact us.

Zylight LLC

L ED Li gh ti ng I ns tru me nts

LED Lighting by Zylight

Switchable Daylight or Tungsten Variable Color Temp. 2500K-9000K Full Color Output Color Correction Full Wireless Control Multiple Powering
PO Box 54 Chelmsford, MA 01824 978.244.0011 ph 978.244.0023 fax

Options No Gels No Bulbs

www.zylight.com

Compact & Durable