New LED light panel setup for video

Chaos_Canyon Wednesday, 1/13/2021

As you may or may not know, the canyon is set into the side of my small garden shed and so space is at a premium. As soon as we got out of lockdown the first thing I did was to upgrade my lighting from the cobbled together collection I had and got myself two softboxes with 4 bulbs in each (at about 135W each) and they have been great but they are so big in the shed that I kept hitting my head on them and they are a bit of a pain to work around (see photo 1) so I've been looking for a decent LED light panel and yesterday I found a great one.

The peak of the roof is about 2.3m so the bottom of the softbox sits at about 175cm and I'm 183cm tall (6ft) and I can't angle it down and have it over the track as the roof is even lower there and they would literally be touching the track :)

I have tried a number of different light panels, flood lights etc and they either strobe really badly during slomotion video or they are a lot duller than the current lights so I'd need to add a bunch of them - meaning more power cords and plugs needed.

Then yesterday I came across the Yongnuo YN900. I've used Youngnuo flashes for photography for years so I trusted the brand and the panel I found has a 6000 lumen output (according to the box) and I gotta say it was right!

Here's the panel now nicely hidden up into the rafters and well away from my head height

The light comes with a remote, barn doors, lightstand mount and 2 different diffusers. Here's a look at the light on the track - it makes it like daylight!

And here's a side by side comparison with the softbox on the left and the new panel on the right - the colour temps are different but I'll be swapping the other softbox for another panel so that will fix that issue

The light and the power adapter (it doesn't come with one as it can also run on camera batteries if needed) cost me $330NZD, which is about what I paid for each softbox. The softboxes worked great and I still like them but I've had enough of hitting my head so will be swapping them out. However I'm going to keep the softboxes as well in the hope that I can get another permanent space where I could rig up some more tracks that I want to make instead of trying to cram them all into my one space lol.

Anyway, I'll update with any progress or feedback on the lights as I go.


Discussion

What's the mounting like?  We have radiant heat in our ceilings, so we can't attach anything up top.  does it have a clamp that would support a vertical pipe hang?


  • They come with a standard light stand fitting (angle bracket with a tube and a screw know into the side to lock onto the pipe) but mine is literally shoved onto the end of a piece of 1/4" pipe that is just stuck between the rafters and the roof and it's fine. You could easily make a better mount for it if you wanted though, something more permanent and professional looking :) — Chaos_Canyon
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redlinederby 1/13/21
Site manager

Nice! Wish I had room and budget for the nicer lights. I have the average softbox lights and they work great but my basement ceiling is too low to have them be above the track. I have yet to find anything that looks the size I need while staying within a reasonable price range.

We used those barn door lights all over the place when I worked at news station...they're great but pricey. You'll certainly reap the rewards, though, as light is the difference maker.


  • I have a bunch of PAR cans and 6"x9" ERS lights from a theatre company that went under last year, but my apartment circuit breakers can't handle the power draw. — GenX_VintageRacing
  • Yongnuo do some other less powerful versions so depending on your requirements and other light in the room you might be fine, and they're cheaper. With the amount of videos I'm doing it was a worthwhile investment for me. Not to mention means I'm not constantly smacking my head on the lights lol. Already makes the shed feel bigger having that clear space. — Chaos_Canyon
  • Another issue I have is that I'm on a shelf track that's only 12" deep from the wall, so I only need to light a long strip rather than a 4x8 table. It's a weird dimension for overhead. — redlinederby

Nice informantional post. Being 6ft does cause a lot of problems. When I get any diorama skills whatsoever and I want them to show up well this will be a great help. Thanks. :)

Nice! My softboxes are on stands and I'm short at 66-inches. So tomorrow I am ordering mounts to mount them above and get those stands out of my way and clear up some space.


  • Ceiling mounted lights are the way to go :) — Chaos_Canyon
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