Cheap LED Light (Neewer VS Bestlight)

Iko128 · Sep 21, 2015

Hello everyone,

I'm in need of a set of cheap and portable lights for a night outdoor shoot, that I would also like to use as a practicle solution for other small productions.
I've done some research and I've found two products that look similar to me, at least for the number of LEDs. The first one is the Neewer CN 216 and the second one is the BestLight 216 LED.
Have you heard of them?

I think that the Neewer is the most popular choice and also looks a bit more reliable, while the BestLight is a bit cheaper but I don't know if it's worth the risk.
Would you be able to tell me which one is the best one?
And lastly, if I get a couple of these LED lights would I be able to light a scene outdoor in complete darkness using them as a fill and a back light? I don't want it to be too bright, I just want to give some highlights.

Thank you in advance!

wyogirl · Sep 21, 2015

Neewer is one of the more reliable cheapo brands.... I have some of their products and haven't had any trouble. They are by no means high quality though.

As for what you want to do.... I am in doubt that this is what you need.... However, a more detailed description of what you are trying to accomplish would be helpful.

WayneF · Sep 21, 2015

Iko128 said:
And lastly, if I get a couple of these LED lights would I be able to light a scene outdoor in complete darkness using them as a fill and a back light? I don't want it to be too bright, I just want to give some highlights.

Light up the outdoors?

The Neewer spec says 13 watts. This would roughly compare to a 13 watt CFL bulb. The BestLight says 24 watts. The LEDs are a few times more efficient then incandescent bulbs. They might output 60 to 100 lumens per watt. I dunno, call it 80, so that's 13x80 = 1040 lumens and 24x80 = 1920 lumens (if the watts are correct).

One regular 100 watt incandescent light bulb can do about 1600 lumens. Which does help video cameras a bit, but it's near nothing for still cameras.

Any little flash could give you noticeably more light useful for a photo.

The LED might be twice more "efficient" than a flash (lumens from watts), but a flash instantly discharges the energy previously stored in a large capacitor, a tremendous energy. The LED simply just runs continuously from a steady voltage. Shutter speed decimates continuous light. A 1/100 second shutter sees 1/100 of the energy that 1 second shutter would see. But the flash is faster than the shutter, independent of shutter speed, so 100% of the energy is seen.

Iko128 · Sep 22, 2015

Thank you for your answers.

I'm aware they're not quality and professional products, but considering that I'm still a student I would like to get something cheap that can do the work and possibly be used in many different ways and scenarios.

I would like to buy a set of lights (for now, only two) to light up the actors, giving some basic highlights.
Specifically, the scene that I would like to film now is for a country band music video. The musicians would stay in front of a big bonfire that would work as a main source of light. Considering that this kind of light is very unstable, I would put one of these LED in front of the musicians as a fill, with a red filter on to emulate the colours of the fire. Lastly, I would put the second LED behind and above the musicians to emulate the light from the moon and give a nice halo around the musicians.
This is what I'm trying to do now but, again, I would like to purchase a product that it's versatile and that can do the job in most situations.

Are these LED lights able to do it?
Should I opt for a more reliable brand and pick the Neewer, even if the BestLight is apparently more powerful?

Thank you again!

wyogirl · Sep 22, 2015

I doubt it will be powerful enough. In fact, I can almost guarantee it won't be enough light.

Iko128 · Sep 28, 2015

Really?
I've read a few comments and reviews on the product (Neewer) and they say it's meant to be used in night scenes...

What should I use it for then?

wyogirl · Sep 28, 2015

continuous lighting is meant for video not stills. Your shutter speed will be too fast to capture enough light. You need flash heads or studio strobes.