What I Wish I Knew BEFORE Buying Lights for YouTube Videos
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- čas přidán 21. 07. 2024
- I've been trying to get the best lighting for CZcams videos for the last couple years and it has been a frustrating road. When I watch lighting videos on CZcams I get really excited, but when I buy them my videos look like trash.
What gives?!
Today I want to share these tips I learned on lighting my CZcams videos in hopes they will help save you the time and frustration I went through over the years.
#lightingforyoutube
0:00 Quest for better lighting
1:22 My realization
3:09 Why lighting reviews suck
4:25 How to achieve nice color
5:48 Set realistic expectations - Zábava
Great video! While it's great to learn from the Gerald Undone's and Potato Jet's of the camera\content creators world I appreciate the perspective from someone figuring this stuff out like I am as well.
Thanks for the comment. I was a little nervous how this video would be received so I really appreciate the support.
This is the best video I've seen on the topic, I too struggled for years! - I got an X-T3, tried to film at the office, but the fluorescents in the office didn't match the daylight Godox ML60 I bought, so everything looked yucky green. I tried to turn those off, but the amount of light you need to try to light a big room, wasn't going to happen. So then I decided to incorporate daylight, but then my 35mm F2 lens had awful focus breathing so it looked horrible coupled with Fuji's terrible autofocus and pulsing (not to mention overheating). My biggest takeaway was I should've just gone with Sony full frame way earlier: no IBIS wobbling on wide lenses like on Canon (and Fuji), no auto focus issues like on older Panasonics anyway (and Fuji), those small sensor cameras are just a dead end, etc, etc.
You sound like me, having to learn the hard way. lol. It really is the best way to learn but unfortunately takes time where we could have been actually, you know, creating content instead of tinkering with ugly unusable footage!
Great review! You hit the nail on the head with this video. This is one of those things that are NOT being talked about by most other CZcamsrs, yet its the primary reason their videos look so much better, despite the fact they are trying to put emphasis on other things, i.e. this light or that light. It’s reallyl about the sensor size. And if I could add something about light (having a photographic background… A large light source very close to the subject, just off camera, will yield the best results.
Well thanks so much for saying, I really appreciate that. I had to learn the hard way, and that seems to be resonating with others. I want to get good but don't have the ability to take courses or schooling on this stuff at the moment... and when you learn on your own, sometimes you miss things. I'm learning a lot from my comments though, so that's awesome!
And I absolutely agree with you. A giant soft light with a big ol' sensor just looks so good. I want a bigger softbox, I'm not gonna lie...
This was exactly the comparison I was looking for. Thank you very much for making this important video. Best of luck with your channel.
Thanks for the great comment and the support, I really appreciate it. 👊
Thanks, that was really helpful! I am trying to go from cellphone filming to using my Canon 90d, and the equipment and settings and techniques are all very overwhelming. Thanks for keeping things simple and to the point, and you're right, nobody is saying this in their reviews!
I'm glad you found this video. And thanks! I know right, I think about this often still... I can't even believe how people recommend lights without this in mind.
Just curious, what lens are you using with that camera? You should be able to make things look pretty good with a reasonably priced lens.
That’s worrying 😂😂😂 as I just bragged to you about my r7 … really finding your videos, helpful and interesting. Only issue I have at home is my space is very limited. I have literally a corner of a room not even a room.
Haha no, the r7 is awesome!! Id rock it! You can get reasonable priced lenses as well that are really wide and let I'm a lot of light. It'll look super Sharp. How often shooting rooms with no external light and the window is closed so in that case maybe the r7 might not do as well as the r6 but... If you have natural light in your space then it'll be more than fine. You wouldn't even notice an upgrade. Daylight is that powerful!
I really thank God that I found this video..perhaps this channel
Really appreciate the comment 👊 glad you found it too!
This is so helpful! Thank you so much:) Never heard this take on the lighting issue
Thanks! Glad you found the video 👊
Another great video.... and even greater purpose don't want others breaking their face in this hard path of learning gear....
I also bought gear based on YT reviews... some worked, some didn't. Sometimes we learn the easy way, sometimes the hard way...
Well... let's keep moving forward learning... and looking forward for your light reviews...
See ya.
Nothing feels worse than buying gear then being disappointed because it doesn't work like you think it should. Hopefully this helps some. Like you said sometimes the yt reviews set our expectations properly and sometimes they don't. Thanks for watching!
This was eye-opening for me. Great points and video.
Thanks! Really appreciate it 👊
Nice….I had no idea. Thanks a bunch, great info!
Thanks for watching! Really appreciate your comment too :)
About to watch this video but wanted to note that you had a fantastic segway at the end of your S-LOG video to send viewers to this video! Literally clicked the video on the endscreen faster than lightning (I just bought two light panels the other day so hopefully I didn't make a mistake 😅)
Another awesome honest review! So helpful, straightforward, and not misleading like a lot of videos. Thank you!
Oh thank you for saying. I'm working on it! It's tough to have a content strategy that always works like this... but it's nice when it comes together and actually helps the viewers out in their own journeys. Glad you found the video.
This is one of my favourite videos because I think it brings people back to reality a bit. Watching pro's who know how to work their cameras review products doesn't always reflect reality. For example, I just bought the new DJI Pocket 3, and while it's cool... it's NOT as awesome as I expected because I'm not using it as well as the pros who are reviewing it are. Really appreciate your comments. I love chatting this stuff.
What a life saver...thanks..
I wasn't joking when I said I wished I knew it sooner lol. Thanks for watching and the support, really appreciate it!
Great video. I think this is really important information for people starting out. I knew that a full frame sensor would perform better in low light, but I never thought about it in the context of setting up a studio. The comparisons between the S21 were dramatic. Love what you're doing with the channel, that Sony 35/1.8 looks really good!
You know, I had uploaded the video without that comparison but I removed it and re-shot it with those b-roll shots because I thought it was needed to tell the story. YOU mentioning it really made me feel glad I made the extra effort to get those shots, so thanks for saying that! It can be exhausting trying to get the video to do and say everything you want, positive comments like yours have a HUGE impact. Appreciate the support and yeah I've been happy with the lens! I can only imagine what using a f1.2 would be like!! One day :)
Great work!!! You just made me come to the conclusion that i'll Invest in an A7IV instead of the FX30.
Thank you for the comment! Ohh that's exciting. I really haven't been disappointed at all with the Sony a7iv. I thought I would be (not sure why) but it's just great! What lens are you going to get first?
I have the A7IV because of the versatility for photo and video. And i have bought the fx30 especially for video because the A7IV after 1hour of 4K recording needs to cool down if you don’t have air condition at home.
The new apsc censor for the fx30 is way better in low light than the previous generation and will be enough for youtube studio with low light condition.
Of course if you have only the money for one body for video and photo, the A7IV is the best out there.
Don't discount the ZV-E1 in your research. I initially too chose the A7 IV but after looking more into it decided the ZV-E1 is the better camera for me. A7S III in a body smaller than a compact APS-C, it's incredible!
Great video ❤
Thank you for saying, I really appreciate it! Do you own any lights, anything good? I'm always looking for those good value lights.
Solid advice! I've definitely overlooked that fact myself and have been probably more focused on the bokeh element. Makes me wonder if the 12mm f2 lens I just bought (in transit) is going to bring in enough light on my ZV-E10 or I should have just emptied my wallet on a f1.4. Great video and hope the algorithm gods grants you views and subs!
Haha, awww thanks! And sorry if I made you second guess your recent purchase (lol). Our house is really dark (for b-roll shots) AND my main studio area I blacked out so I could completely control the lighting... I'm not sure if you do anything similar but you might not need as much light as I do. My a6400 and the Sigma 16mm worked fairly well in those environments.
That 12mm sounds like a fun focal length though! Also do you have a decent key light for when you need it?
@@thesahdstudio I have limited space over here for a studio setup so I'm doing my shooting at my PC desk (everything mounted on boom arms). That does mean I'm using my 27" monitors as a makeshift lighting - still playing around with it but the idea here is: full screen MS Paint white background, f.lux to control lighting temperature. If it's not quite up to scratch I'll give a mounted dedicated keylight a go. Yep, the 12mm should be a good focal length for shooting in tighter space, the kit lens with the ZV-E10 is "quite average" (16mm f3.5) and definitely needed to be replaced.
@@dsshowandtell995 I got a chance to check out your vids, you got a new sub too!
Oh yeaahh that sounds like a nice janky setup, I love it! Do you set a custom white balance for your shot? What ISO do you shoot in (just curious). I DO think for your shot the extra stop of light would be pretty significant... not sure how bad it would break the budget. Are there lots of used lenses around?
@@thesahdstudio white balance set to 4500k. ISO I now set at 800, though the last few videos I've posted I was using an ND filter in an attempt to reduce the reflection in my glasses so I believe ISO might have been whack (it's a new camera and I'm pretty new to it all so I'm really just experimenting atm). I'll give the new lens a shot once it comes in as I also want to be sure 12mm is the right focal length for me. That way I can narrow the lens choice down to the much beloved Sigma 16mm F1.4 or the Viltrox 13mm F1.4
I didn't know what you were going to say at the start of the video so the information was a little surprising. I have also started dabbling into CZcams video making. I made a video too with a lot of light and my a7Siii but I was shooting with my apsc wide angle zoom lens. I guess that was the mistake even after using the second native iso of a7Siii I wasn't happy with the exposure. I would have to get a full frame wide angle zoom now.
That's interesting. To be honest I don't have enough experience using aps-c lenses on full-frame cameras to really comment on that. But I will say "a lot of light" is subjective. Was it harsh light? Was it soft light? That camera even with an aps-c lens should be able to make it look pretty good, but it depends on how separated you are from your background etc..
But yeah with THAT camera having a nice full-frame lens, oh baby that would be awesome! If you post a video be sure to send it my way so I can check it out!
@@thesahdstudio Yeah, my first video pretty much looked the same as your second video 😀. I didnt have a nice background light to provide 3d depth. The major issue with using an apsc lens on a7Siii is that it only gives you like 2.5 megapixel which is too less even if you are shooting at dual native iso. You are correct about the lights I didn't have my main light so was using two cheap lights and they didn't give the best colors.
I am very glad that I am able to interact with someone like you who is a little better in this skill but closer to my level. I will definitely send you my better videos which I will shoot on the same 35mm f1.8 g which you are using.
@@kapilesh14 Ohhh yeah the a7siii only has a 12mp sensor right, so like you are saying if you crop in on that it's not much at all. That's so interesting! Well I can't wait to see what you do once you get your new lens. That will be so fun learning and tinkering, trying to get a nice shot
And I'm glad to be chatting with you too! I don't have anyone in my life I can talk about this stuff with, my wife just rolls her eyes every time I talk about cameras lol!
Extremely useful. You get great results! I am curious: do you find any difference in color saturation from 1080p versus 4K? (I use a Lumix G4 with Sigma 16mm 1.4 )
To be honest I haven't noticed but I haven't really experimented with that either. Does the G4 offer different picture profiles? I WILL say that lately as I've switched to almost exclusively shooting in log, I am able to get way more saturation... as long as there is enough light. With a full-frame sensor and a super wide open lens it's a little easier than with a cropped sensor, but that is where the saturation amount becomes really noticeable. Is your autofocus usable in 4k? If I were you I would probably just shoot in 1080p then upscale to 4K. Maybe I will create a test on this soon... thanks for the idea lol
@@thesahdstudio Thanks for your response - my G4 has five picture profiles. Shooting in log makes sense for I want to achieve (I am still in a sharp learning curve). I am doing talking-head presentations so I don’t need auto-focus once I have manually set the focus. Shooting in 1080p makes sense at this point. The beautiful results you achieve is where I want to go.
Great video, man! Can you make a video showing us your current light setup (and gear , lens and stuffs)? I´d be very useful! Thanks
I actually did a studio tour at the beginning of the year on my other channel. I have since moved and changed things around although I haven't really upgraded my gear. Check that out here if you'd like: czcams.com/video/ox1apPG1cFE/video.html
@@thesahdstudioI watched the video! Very cool. Thanks for your help, I really appreciate it. Greetings from Brazil.
@@gilcarvalhopro1249 👊awesome! Do you just use your cameras for hobby or for business? And Hello from Vancouver Island!! 🤙🏻
I have a CZcams channel, @gilcarvalho, and I I'm always trying to improve the quality of my videos. I use a Sony A7C with 24mm f 2.8 Sony G lens (not the GM version). As for lights I have the Godox SL 60w and viltrox 116T led. I'd like ti get the same "look" you have in your channel. Your help will be very important. 😀 Thanks
@@gilcarvalhopro1249 Nice job with your channel! I think your videos look really good.
There are a couple big differences right off the bat... I am shooting in 10 bit color which the a7c cannot do and I AM using a G-master lens and shoot wide open at f1.4.
You can't really substitute those thing, do you know what I mean? I had to do a LOT of begging to my wife to convince her to let me get them, but now that I have them, I couldn't use anything else.
Every time I put my f2.8 zoom lens on for a vlog outside it looks fine, but when I come indoors I can't wait to get it off my camera and put the G-master on.
I hope that helps. I wish I had a cheaper solution lol!
And I will do a studio tour soon! We just moved in and I am still moving things around!!
Hoi,nice video..I must ask is it the FF or Bucause APS-C have 8 bit sensor?Now that APS-C have 10 bit is the footage from APS-C still have bad footage?
Maybe a test?I have a FX30 and ZV-E10 and I am a noob with color grading.I am trying to learn color grading but if it's true what you said I am gonna sell my FX30 and buy a Full Frame.I buy FX30 Bucause it's a cinema camera
Its the full-frame my friend, not the 8 bit. Sadly. I'm sorry 🤣. I hope this realization doesn't cost you THOUSANDS of dollars like it did me... lol
hey bro i like ur content more than other youtuber , u r awsome , love from bangladesh
What a nice thing to say! Thanks dude :) You made my day!
@@thesahdstudio i find ur post only 15 days ago , you are underrated master , you and your daughter make some fun thats unique , go ahed , we will support u 😍
@@samsussalehin7540 You rock! Thanks for the support. I still have a lot to learn myself but am doing my best. Can't wait to keep going! What are you working on, do you have a camera? Are you making videos?
Please share if so!
@@thesahdstudio master , i m a student of BSC in CSE , i have sony a74 and , latest gen pc whith gpu 3080 , accually i m not a professional bt i want to create something , want to teach everybody computer science and technology , flimmaking (camera ,lighting , audio ) , i learn from youtube about this and still learning , bt i m an introvert so its so difficult for me to work on camera with talking , bt i m trying . i m learning 4 years for content creation , i viewed every top class teacher and reviers , accually learn from them many things , bt after i m thinking that accually they dont give honest opinion, they make money from this , right , than i found some small creator bt acctually omg they are master (tech notice , enam alamin,jorish hermans,mehran hadad, the SAHD studio, Benn Tk) are my reccomendations fom me and all . u gays make me happy for acctual review .thanks man
@@thesahdstudio also i like peter mckinnon, LTT, Gamer nexus , gerald undone , cullen kelly , Curtis Judd
Great video, would be more fantastic if all the lights and setup is explained in detail.
Thanks! And good idea. I'd like to do that in the near future for sure.
@@thesahdstudio Thanks, a detailed video on your light setup would be helpful 👍
what hoodie / sweater is that? i want that in tan / brown lol
Usually I know the answer, but this was just some gem I found thrifting! lol. No name but super comfy👊
I got 3 huge 45 watt lights and it gives me a ton of light, for only 200 EUR! They even came with stands and soft boxes. It looks nowhere near as nice as your studio though, but I'm sure I'll get there.
Haha that's awesome! It's so fun getting new lights and tinkering around with them... what a difference it makes! Plus I LOVE finding a deal. Can't wait to see what you can do with them!
I saw in my notifications you replied to my comment but I don't see it here. There's a chance CZcams sent it to spam (unless you deleted it). So, since I can't see it I can't respond :(
@@thesahdstudio Yeah the comment was suddenly gone, very weird! I saw it disappear.
Anyhow, I wrote that me and my wife are starting a new channel together. Combined we have about 1.5k subs with mostly unedited videos (pressing record & upload), so we're trying to combine our efforts and get some edited clips out.
It has been pretty intensive. Filming took hours, editing took hours, eventually hired someone to edit it (I mentioned the platform, maybe that's why it was considered spam) and he did a really good job. I think we spent about 10 hours total per video.
We can't wait to get our first videos online! I'm not expecting many views (like, 10 or so, hah) but I'm sure we'll figure it out at some point or have fun trying.
@@gamebuster800 Very exciting! Good luck to you both. I created a couple videos awhile back that might help you. I have an internet marketing background and try to use that with my videos to help others grow their channels...
It's a two part video so I will leave the first video here and if you find it useful I highly recommend to watch them both. I hate to see people work hard without getting results because they didn't take the time to figure this advice out first: czcams.com/video/2zMQqgNh91A/video.html
Ok, your comparison at 3:40, were your settings the same?
I believe I tried to keep everything standard as far as any types of picture profiles went, as well as auto everything (e.g auto iso / white balance etc). Hope that helps!
How does this how sooo low of views😵💫 I wish I knew this when I started doing my videos.
Thanks for saying! I know right, I wish I knew it too. It's tough when you're a small creator and you've got an important thing to say lol... CZcams doesn't push the video you know? Anyway, glad you found it 👊
@@thesahdstudio I do know the struggle. It’s tough. A lot of my subscribes come from my TikTok lives I do and my CZcams is linked. Keep it up though, very Quality work! Entertaining and informational content!
@asmrl0ading thanks dude, you too! 👊
i just your fan
became
Yeah thanks for watching!!! Appreciate it
LED panels are the worst. Bought 3 that are rated 3000 LUX/1m but they're too weak and need to use 2. I would say start with COB lights, always, and maybe get a very strong LED panel of fabric-like one for very tight spaces.
Right?!? I guess the problem is when starting out people often don't have much money yet they want to get SOMETHING they can afford... so they watch a video on a cheap LED and buy it, then are bummed when it sucks. It's funny how you end up losing money in the long run buying cheap gear. I do agree with you. Did you end up getting a cob light? If so what kind, and what kind of softbox etc?
@@thesahdstudio I bought like a set of 3x GVM 1200D LED panels. While they have good quality light they're often too weak to break through modest diffusion while using f/2.8 zoom lens. Maybe I should go for Sony FE 35mm f/1.8 later but kinda think f/2.8 is the sweet spot. Bought the Amaran COB 60x which are brighter and much better quality but mainly for extreme ~7x (with extension tubes) macro filming mounter inches away from the 1-2mm biting midge while mounted on camera and filming in 4K@120fps 10bit 4:2:2 at 1/250s shutter and f/8-16. Still had to push to 2nd base ISO of HLG3 of 2,000.
Next planning to get Sokani (AKA SUTEFOTO) 100x 100w for wildlife videography at night with probably a 26v V-Mount battery. Planning to get Nanlite FS300B 300w bi-color COB light as well which is very cheap at only $400!
@@Bo_Hazem Haha you just said a number of things I don't understand. It's a bit above my head at the moment (biting midge?!). That's awesome. It sounds like you are having fun and that's important. I haven't played around with focal length TOO much yet on a full-frame camera but I'm not sure I'd want to go any less than f1.8 for low light shooting. We'll see though, that might change once I start getting more experience with other lenses.
I'd love to see some night wildlife shots, please share if you have any! Were those old drone shots shot at 60fps? They look buttery!
@The SAHD Studio Thanks! It's a documentary film about Dhofari biting midges that I started filming since last August and still waiting for some clips from UK! Been planning for it since 2 years as the subject is extremely small at approximately 1.5mm! Yeah maybe I was a bit too specific there but I should share all the details when I start posting videos from my studio which will start mostly empty! Maybe by next month.
Here is my tiny production company, me and my wife for now, which I only post complete jobs there. Something might catch your eyes:
czcams.com/users/iGRAproductions
Subbed so we may grow together!😜And yes, those old drone shots were in 60fps.
@@Bo_Hazem Oh how cool! Yeah there's some neat looking shots. I can't wait to see what you do next! You might as well post those videos of your studio starting from scratch that would be awesome... and you never know what happens from posting vids right?
I am not sure about all this man...
Full frame talking head F2.8 at most
APSC eqv talking head F1.6-f2 at most
You get more light in on apsc, while keeping your head in focus, balancing your need for higher ISO and larger sensor.
What do you mean "Full frame talking head F2.8 at most"? I personally don't ever use f2.8 in my studio for talking head. A Prime lens with a f1.4 is just an absolute delight to use not only for Bokeh but to get as much light as possible in low light areas. This is personal preference of course but f1.4 is WAY easier to look good in low light.
That conversation aside, I think the point of the video is still solid. If MKHD uses a Red Camera while reviewing a cheap light, the light will look SO much better with that camera than someone reviewing that same light with an iPhone. This video is a cautionary tale reminding people to be mindful of watching lighting reviews is all. Your mileage might vary depending on your camera vs. the one the reviewer has.