We use a plethora of lighting tools on the day of a wedding… one tool that we’ve found to be the most reasonably priced and has the best throw (for running off of AA batteries) is the R-50 LED Video Light Panel by LCD4Video.com.

The R-50 is most closely compared to the popular Litepanels Micro LED light. We ran a few tests and found that the R-50 has a much better throw than the Litepanels Micro. The only thing we wish was better was the dimming switch on the R-50. The Litepanels Micro has a finer tuning dimmer – but if you have time and the right stuff, you can achieve the look you’re going for with the right filter.

The R-50 sells for $189.99 which is a little more than $100 cheaper than the Litepanels – and that’s probably what makes us most excited. It runs on 4 AA batteries on full blast for over an hour… but once it’s done – it is done. You’ll need to make sure to have plenty of batteries (regular or rechargeable) if you will be shooting for an extended amount of time where you need additional light. Because we are turning the light on and off throughout a reception, it’s pretty standard that we don’t go through more than four that we put in the light at the beginning of the day.

The other thing that is totally rad about this thing is that it’s LED… if left on in your camera bag or sock drawer should not burn anything because of the heat-free LED technology… TOTALLY different than the Sony HVL-20’s that are extremely popular in our industry – these things will burn your soft little fingers if you’re not careful.

If there is an update to this model, we’d like to see a more fine tuning capability as well as a little more rugged design. I like the light-weightiness of both the R-50 and the Litepanels Micro, but I wish they both felt a little more rugged… it’s just a personal preference.

Here are some of the test pics we took while using  it.  Click on the images to enlarge and get the specs:

You’ll also notice in the pics that the Litepanels Micro is warmer than the R-50… this is easily solved with some minor color balance tweaking or with a gel.

Overall – for $189 and some change – there is no better option that we’ve found that can produce a nice soft fill light in LED-style.

There are some other great lighting alternatives on the LCD4Video site… be sure to check them out!

We have been trying to find the right gearbag to meet our needs for a long long time!  I can honestly tell you that we currently have 9 different gear bags and/or cases in our studio’s storage closet. We just couldn’t seem to get the right combination!

About 6 months ago our very good friend Troy, a rep for several different sporting good/apparel lines, said he wanted us to try out a few camera backpacks and give him some feedback.  We agreed, and, to be honest again, let them sit for about 2 months without a test!

One day as I was getting gear packed for a wedding I decided to give them a shot, and LAWDY, why did I wait this long?  All I can say is “WOW” these backpacks are amazing!!! Their backpack-ness made for easier carrying versus traditional gear bags and the extra compartments and pockets were of greatest use!

Before we started using these bags we had 1 big and awkward bag for each camera. In each bag, we packed a camera, batteries, tapes, sharpie, audio, etc…but by the end of the night, each bag was such a mess and the contents were mixed between one bag and the other, causing us to waste more time sorting items out before the next shoot.

Here are the OGIO backpacks that have changed our lives:

The ATIBA Mini backpack is our audio gear bag.   We know all the audio is in this bag and it gets put back in this bag exclusively (It is really nice having all the audio in this one bag!!!)

The TY Video backpack holds both of our Canon XH-A1 cameras, our Canon HV-30 camera, batteries, tapes, and tripod plates, laptop, and external hard drive. Both cameras fit very nicely inside the bag with room at the top for the Canon HV-30, a shotgun mic, and a Canon VL-Li II video light.  One of the features I LOVE is that there are 2 pockets on one side that I can use for tapes. I put the blank tapes in the bottom pocket and the used tapes in the top pocket. I put batteries in the pocket on the other side.

If you are shooting with the Canon 5D Mark II or Canon 7D, you can very easily fit 2 bodies and an array of lens inside.

Having these backpacks has made it easier for us to transport our gear on the run.  It has also freed up our hands to carry additional gear, reducing the amount of trips to and from the car. The best part about these bags, though, is that with all the compartments, they don’t get all out of sorts like the other gearbags we have tried.  Literally, I save about an hour each week not having clean up and re-organize gear for the next shoot!

Jennifer Moon
Northernlight Filmworks