Backpack Live Shot Lighting

[D-S-N-Gshooter]

I am looking for a lighting option to use with our TVU Backpacks. I have looked at the Bescor LED-95DK2 which looks like a viable option, I am just concerned there is not a lot of throw with them. So what are some of you using when operating these backpacks for lighting, when a normal power source is not an option?

 

[The Thing on The Sticks]

It depends on what and how you are working. I like to use a silk to block direct sun and use either a pair of Draecast led panels or if it is really bright the nillas but it really depends... I will use a firebrand to light something if the shoot/situation warrants it. Are you with a local station? Are you looking for something for daylight, night time, etc... Do you usually have power are you looking for an all battery option? If so what kind of batteries are you currently using because that may effect your choices?

 

[Necktie Boy]

Most backpack "live" shots are moving. Yea, it does sound sound strange. Most stations use the ability to move around freely of the backpack.

Without having an extra body to carry a light, you are left using the on-camera light.
There is no real way of getting around, using another light, if you are roaming.

For better lighting, you would need another body to carry and point the light. At the local station level, they are not going to pay for a PA.

 

[The Thing on The Sticks]

Most backpack "live" shots are moving. Yea, it does sound sound strange. Most stations use the ability to move around freely of the backpack.

Without having an extra body to carry a light, you are left using the on-camera light.
There is no real way of getting around, using another light, if you are roaming.

For better lighting, you would need another body to carry and point the light. At the local station level, they are not going to pay for a PA.

wow have not seen that monstrosity yet. Usually here they just drop the transmuter pack where they want it and in most cases drop a led light powered off a brick or whatever camera battery they use.

 

[D-S-N-Gshooter]

We are a small market local station using mostly the smaller P2 cameras. I am looking for something that is self contained and battery operated to light shots after the sun goes down. In a lot of smaller markets (where truck operators are limited) the backpack is taking the place of the truck therefore you lose the ability to have power. So with that said one option is have is the kit I listed above. My only issue with that model and all LED in general is the lack of throw that the light has compared to an incandescent. So any solutions that you may have would help greatly.

 

[Teddy]

Time to bring back battery belts?

 

[Necktie Boy]

Geoff,

Yea, in my market, it means you wear the backpack and wonder around for the live shot. No cable to trip over. LOL I don't think I have seen anyone not carrying the backpack. Even for a static shot, the cameraman wears the backpack. For those shots, you would think they would have a C-stand to keep the pack off their back and off the ground? Off the ground means better transmitting.

DSN,

As for battery lights, the LED has taken over since they use little power. Some LED's don't have a long throw. It depends how much money the station is willing to spend? I have Flolights, and I am happy with the quality of light and all metal build. The 128 and 256 are small, powered by a small camera battery, and easy to carry with light stands.

You can go with 1x1 LED styled lights, but the cost goes up, and use a large brick battery.

In another thread about field lighting, some were using inverters, connected to the car's battery to power wattage Tungsten lights. You do have to be careful of the wattage of the light and inverter. Not to mention, killing the car battery.

AB Top lights and Frezzi light(Frezzi on a stick) can be put on a light stand with an external battery or battery belt. The throw isn't bad, and cost is low if the station has them, but not using them.

Hope that helps!

 

[code20photog]

Most stations use the ability to move around freely of the backpack.

Most small market stations are doing it to save $$ on live vans. Friend is a producer at a 140-ish station, they replaced 3 live vans with Dejeros and KIA's they got a big discount on from a local dealership, only keeping one van that gets use probably once a month.

 

[The Thing on The Sticks]

Geoff,

Yea, in my market, it means you wear the backpack and wonder around for the live shot. No cable to trip over. LOL I don't think I have seen anyone not carrying the backpack. Even for a static shot, the cameraman wears the backpack. For those shots, you would think they would have a C-stand to keep the pack off their back and off the ground? Off the ground means better transmitting.

DSN,

As for battery lights, the LED has taken over since they use little power. Some LED's don't have a long throw. It depends how much money the station is willing to spend? I have Flolights, and I am happy with the quality of light and all metal build. The 128 and 256 are small, powered by a small camera battery, and easy to carry with light stands.

You can go with 1x1 LED styled lights, but the cost goes up, and use a large brick battery.

In another thread about field lighting, some were using inverters, connected to the car's battery to power wattage Tungsten lights. You do have to be careful of the wattage of the light and inverter. Not to mention, killing the car battery.

AB Top lights and Frezzi light(Frezzi on a stick) can be put on a light stand with an external battery or battery belt. The throw isn't bad, and cost is low if the station has them, but not using them.

Hope that helps!

I could be wrong but I had thought you were not supposed to wear/hold those things when they were transmitting, due to the increased output vs a normal cell phone. I might have downlode a manual now..when I get a slow couple of days that is.

 

[Lensmith]

Well the company seems to believe it's safe to wear while transmitting since they often use images like this to sell their product.

It should be easy enough to figure out.

All you need to do is get a little RF meter and see what the levels are.

Of course...a consumer reporter I worked with did a whole series on RF exposure.
We went all over the place, power lines, different business situations, metal detectors at security check points, recording the RF levels.

It was really eye opening to see how high those levels were at some locations and, with some minor investigation, discover those levels were obviously over the government "safe" standards...which no one wanted the employees to know.

Feeling proud of how the series was working out...it dawned on us to do the same around the tv station. Engineering department and even just average hallways in the tv station building. Those levels were even higher than anything we found anywhere else!!!!

Guess what happened when we mentioned that to the powers that be?

You got it! The series never saw air and we were told to NEVER take readings like that again around the building because all we were doing was fear mongering! The assured us there was nothing to worry about and even though we used two different RF meters to verify results, those numbers don't really mean there's any danger.

Makes you wonder why other countries around the world have laws making sure cell phone makers have clear warnings about exposure, just like cigarettes do here in the US, but there are no warnings for cell phone customers here.

No...I am not surprised...but I don't think I'd be strapping a liveU on my back either.

 

[The Thing on The Sticks]

it brings to mind a story I heard from an old time station engineer who had gotten out of the business. He told me that at least back then he could go back in the racks for a few hrs to work.... then when he came out he could take a multi meter to his skin and actually pick up current due to the RF bath he had taken. For some reason I never had cause to doubt the story and still don't.

 

[Paul Anderegg]

I do daily/nightly live shots with a TVU and a small Sony X70 HandyCam.....don't laugh, the picture quality exceeds that of my station issued HM790. I use a Neewer CN304. LOTS of light, has a quick slide off CTO so you can shoot 3200k (whites at 3800k) or match white streetlights or LED scene lighting. The light is not only bright, it is wide angle enough to cover my lenses field of view with a wide angle adapter, plus it takes cheap $10 eBay Sony NP-F series batteries. Can also take a 12v power source or 8 AA batteries. For $60, I couldn't be happier. Put a Manfroto aluminum LCD shoe mount on it, still light enough to not upset my wrist holding the handycam.

Paul

 

[newz]

Portable Lights

We use Ikan lights. They run on Anton Bauer batteries (or most mounts). They adjust from 3000-5200 and have dimmers. They work great. About $600 with the battery plate.

By the way, the LiveU's we got came with tags that said "do not wear" while in use.

 

[Ben Longden]

So, how many 4G transmitters are in the LiveU?

 

[Land Rover]

Well the company seems to believe it's safe to wear while transmitting since they often use images like this to sell their product.

I like how the pulled the small shotgun mic off the camera to give her something to hold.

"What do I do about the XLR connector?"
"That? Just wrap it up in your hand."

 

[satpimp]

We are using Nila Zaila lights for our Battery operated backpack nonsense. Very nice compact and so far robust light. Our trucks have the Varsa model. Great results. We find a lot of movement tends to get smearing type artifacts with the bonded cell units since the amount of bandwidth is a moving target. Great tool when used smartly. Albatross when it's deployed poorly. Our housecats are still figuring it out.

 

[The Thing on The Sticks]

We are using Nila Zaila lights for our Battery operated backpack nonsense. Very nice compact and so far robust light. Our trucks have the Varsa model. Great results. We find a lot of movement tends to get smearing type artifacts with the bonded cell units since the amount of bandwidth is a moving target. Great tool when used smartly. Albatross when it's deployed poorly. Our housecats are still figuring it out.

I have been very happy with my Varsa units I do wish their kit case was a different dimension but great units just the same.

 

[canuckcam]

I like how the pulled the small shotgun mic off the camera to give her something to hold.

"What do I do about the XLR connector?"
"That? Just wrap it up in your hand."

LMAO .. it's a wireless mic now!

... in all seriousness, each cellular aircard outputs an average of 0.6watts (Sierra Wireless MC7700 is fairly popular, specs are 1.2 max (850MHz) down to 0.2 (700MHz). Multiply that by however many you have transmitting at one time. This is not even accounting for the ERP of the antenna design.

A microwave transmitter is around 5 watts although the dish does focus the energy. Some stations have/had some small COFDM digital microwave transmitters. The Link Research 1500 outputs up to 250mw with a side-saddle amplifier to boost output up to 2.5 watts.

X-rays and gamma rays that do change DNA structure are a lot more powerful than the transmitters we use (even if you stand in front of the satellite dish) and very far off the microwave spectrum. The concern for microwave spectrum is heating - as we all know what microwave ovens are used for.

So the real issue then at microwaves is the absorption rate of the human body. The ICNIRP (I had to look that up too) prescribes a set guideline of absorption rate of which I have no idea but if I remember correctly was told by Link that even at 2.5 watts, the rate is at most in the hundredths of the international occupational limit.

Still, with all that info, I put our Streambox on the floor or chair beside me when I'm using it. Because, at the end of the day, if there ARE any long term effects, I'M the one suffering from it and no amount of monetary damage award is going to change that.


TL;DR
Studies haven't shown any ill effects from long-term exposure to using cellular phones. But I still put our Streambox away from my camera when I'm using it.

-----

Oh yeah, back on topic... we use a Lumahawk LED light. It's from a generic supplier in China and rebranded by a number of companies. Other than the standard slightly green-cast output from LEDs, it's fine for the vast majority of live hits you'll do. Throw one on a small lighting stand with a small sandbag in the trunk and you've got a backlight or keylight in 30 seconds with a dial from 3200 to 5600k.

 

[Lensmith]

For what it's worth...I've had success using negative green gel on some lesser LED lights.

 

[Run&Gun]

For what it's worth...I've had success using negative green gel on some lesser LED lights.

I just purchased two Litepanel Astra's. Hardly what you would consider "lesser LED lights", BUT (at least in daylight mode), you need to put an 1/8th minus green over them, especially if you are using them with their legacy fixtures, to match them(I have a daylight 1x1 and 5-6 Sola ENG's). Disappointing, but maybe that's the price you have to pay for the LED tech they are using now to produce a bi-color panel that has four times the output(claimed) of their legacy single color panels.*


*This isn't scientific, just observations and quick testing done by eye and using a demo unit next to my existing legacy 1x1 daylight panel. My panels are supposed to be here tomorrow and I can see how everything actually matches up on-camera. And the output of the new panel IS demonstrably brighter than the old one's though. I can't say definitively that it is 4x brighter, but I'd say the claim is very plausible based on initial observations.