How to choose film soft light lamp?

In stage performances and film/television shoots, a soft light is a lighting fixture that is utilized to illuminate and produce specific lighting effects. It is generally classified into several types, such as LED soft lights, three-color lights, and halogen/quartz lights.

Due to the advantages of small size, high intensity, and low energy consumption, LED soft lights have become the most extensively employed and ideal LED light source for promotion, thanks to the advancements in LED technology.

The thermal dissipation capability of an LED soft light

The ability of an LED soft light to dissipate heat is crucial. In operation, LED soft lights generate significant amounts of heat, which can severely decrease their lifespan if not dissipated promptly.

Different brands of LED soft lights used in film and television have varying heat dissipation methods. For instance, SUNNYXIAO's Caster LED soft light incorporates several heat dissipation methods. These include an aluminum alloy body with multiple heat dissipation holes on its surface, a top and bottom honeycomb mesh convection structure for heat dissipation, and an optimized circuit design that provides multiple heat dissipation solutions, ensuring the safety of the lighting.

LED soft light with adjustable color temperature

When purchasing the soft LED light panel for film and television, it is important to understand whether they have a single or dual color temperature and whether color filters can be installed. Most LED soft lights for film and television currently have dual color temperature, and the choice of color temperature should be based on individual shooting needs. For product and interview photography, a 5400K cool color temperature can be selected. For films that require a warm and romantic atmosphere, such as wedding photography, a 3400K warm color temperature can be easily switched and mastered with dual color temperature capabilities.

Color Rendering Index (CRI) of LED soft light

In the past, one of the main criticisms of LED soft lights for film and television was their low color rendering index (CRI). Nevertheless, LED technology has continued to evolve, and nowadays, the CRI of LED light beads typically reaches CRI≥90. This means that well-known film and television soft light brands can now incorporate more advanced full-spectrum LED light beads, providing not only high brightness but also higher CRI compared to other soft lights in the same class.

Power supply mode of LED soft light

To ensure the right purchase of a film and television soft light, it's crucial to consider its power supply mode. Most film and television LED soft lights nowadays support both DC power input and external lithium battery power supply.

Using DC power is ideal for indoor shootings, while outdoor shootings can benefit from an external lithium battery power supply. However, some soft lights are exclusively intended for indoor use and cannot support lithium battery power, which makes outdoor shooting without a DC power supply impossible. Therefore, having a clear understanding of power supply options is crucial when making a purchase.

Can LED soft lights be compatible with multiple accessories?

Film and television soft lights need to meet different shooting needs, which requires the use of different photography accessories. Therefore, when purchasing LED soft lights, it is important to choose lights that can be compatible with more accessories. For example, the SUNNYXIAO Caster portable LED light panels for film and television can not only install color filters and diffusers, but also various detachable accessories such as barn doors, grid softboxes, and softbox diffusers.