John Emery

I'm sort of enjoying the chat, but it doesn't really seem to be heading anywhere, and I prefer investing my time doing something more productive... You love your tungsten lights? Great! Give August McCue your recommendation for a "basic kit", but keep in mind he might want to shoot outdoors too (I personally shoot 60% indoors/ 40% outdoors), so include things like generators and so, and it would be great if you also let us know how you work around issues like recording audio with them. It looks like you know your stuff, so I honestly think something like that would be a lot more interesting for this blog.
I'll just repeat my opinion... and this is coming from someone that's got way more experience with tungsten lights than LEDs:
The days of... hiding cables/ endless sauna sessions/ wearing gloves all the time (I love my fingers)/ having someone at the fusebox (No Tupp, this was just a joke... some people will get it)/ using generators... are over. Yes, I'll still use tungsten lights when they're needed (the best lights for the job thing), but I'll slowly replace them all if I can, and after all the movement we've seen this NAB it looks like the industry will too.

Tungsten vs LED... umm, like always it depends on workflows... cableless mobility and low heat are the big ones for me (my tungsten lights are rotting in the cupboard). LED cri is up there now, and running something like an Aputure 120T on a V-lock battery makes a lot of sense to me. The days of... hiding cables/ endless sauna sessions/ wearing gloves all the time/ having someone at the fusebox/ using generators... are over, and I don't miss them at all. Higher price seems like the only true "Con" for the latest LEDs, but I think they worth every penny. That's my two cents.

For your consideration...
 
 

For your consideration...
 
 

For your consideration...
 
 

Low light is looking good... 

From 4.6K by https://www.facebook.com/thedreamersnl/
 



I recommend going to their FB page... the compression from these copies looks quite bad.

Now this looks interesting... 

It's 5500K (just double checked). 

I suppose you can use it as a reference, but I've never done it myself. I mainly trust my eyes when it comes to color... I just compare it to natural light (all my big lights are 5500k), or use my good old Canon dslr as a reference, and I do a skin tone test (my biggest obsession... skin tones). My older Yongnuo YN600 is clearly off, with a strong magenta cast. Now I use the Aputures as a reference (they all match perfectly), and when I bought the Excelvans I did a side by side comparison... and their light looks identical too. But like I wrote before, the problem is the warm filters, they don't match. So I'll just buy warm gels for both lights.

Hi Dustin, I bought the YN 600 (partly because of that same video), but it has a huge flaw no one talks about enough... its fan is very noisy! A dealbreaker for interviews! That's why I bought the Aputures... they're completely silent, and that's when I realized the huge magenta color cast the Youngnuos had. But Lintelfilm said the new versions are cri95... so just make sure you avoid that fan.
All depends on your style and what you do with that light. For interviews I mainly use soft light, so a powerful LED in a softbox does the job. And I would say I've needed the batteries 60% of the times I've shot something the last 5 years (try start asking for power sockets, and start connecting cables everywhere in the middle of a wedding), and it has made my life easier 99% of the times. When it comes to lumen/lux... The Excelvans 1040S are 10000 lux each, not too far from a classic 1K. And they're going for 199€ right now.
I've used plenty of gear these past years, and I can say LEDs make my day... All depends on your needs. But the days LEDs where seen as less "pro" have passed.
 

Hi Dustin, I bought the YN 600 (partly because of that same video), but it has a huge flaw no one talks about enough... its fan is very noisy! A dealbreaker for interviews! That's why I bought the Aputures... they're completely silent, and that's when I realized the huge magenta color cast the Youngnuos had. But Lintelfilm said the new versions are cri95... so just make sure you avoid that fan.
All depends on your style and what you do with that light. For interviews I mainly use soft light, so a powerful LED in a softbox does the job. And I would say I've needed the batteries 60% of the times I've shot something the last 5 years (try start asking for power sockets, and start connecting cables everywhere in the middle of a wedding), and it has made my life easier 99% of the times. When it comes to lumen/lux... The Excelvans 1040S are 10000 lux each, not too far from a classic 1K. And they're going for 199€ right now.
I've used plenty of gear these past years, and I can say LEDs make my day... All depends on your needs. But the days LEDs where seen as less "pro" have passed.
 

Now this looks interesting... 

Now this looks interesting... 

Now this looks interesting... 

Yep, I found them quite evident, and I could have sworn that some of the shots were a touch out of focus... but nice retro feel to it. 

I liked Kylo too. And yes, in Rian Johnson we trust, a perfect match for a darker Episode VIII!!

This sums up my opinion on JW quite well...

I was looking for a small one too. This looks decent...
http://www.amazon.com/LimoStudio-Stabilization-System-Compact-AGG1565/dp/B00T6ZMOHC/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1449505424&sr=8-5&keywords=slider+24"
Best slider I've ever used (and now I own) is the shark slider... Pricey, but truly worth it. It's 80 cm...
http://www.amazon.com/iFootage-Slider-S1-Standard-Stabilization/dp/B00Q9PB9BO/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1449505896&sr=8-4&keywords=shark+slider

I have to say that I'm not totally convinced neither... nice DR, sharpness and so... but it's missing a bit of the cinematic/organic mojo of the other BM's (for my liking). It could be the color grading or how it was shot, dunno. Insiders are saying that they're still working on those colors over at BM, so... I think I'm just going to sit on the fence for a little longer.

I didn't either... I suppose it's not too inappropriate in the era of internet BS.
By the way... There's loads of new info, clips and photos of the Ursa Mini 4.6K at:
http://www.bmcuser.com/showthread.php?15520-Brief-thoughts-and-a-bit-of-footage-from-the-URSA-Mini-4-6K/page3

I didn't either... I suppose it's not too inappropriate in the era of internet BS.
By the way... There's loads of new info, clips and photos of the Ursa Mini 4.6K at:
http://www.bmcuser.com/showthread.php?15520-Brief-thoughts-and-a-bit-of-footage-from-the-URSA-Mini-4-6K/page3

Don't like the colors, and I usually love BM colors, It looks like some type of Sony DNA is in it... but it could be the grading

Hi!
For interviews (or photography) I always use diffuse light. So having a spot light is better for 2 reasons: Stronger light output (the light's power is focused), so you can even compete with sun light in some cases. And 2nd, it's easier to control, the W (wide) sends light in all directions. I prefer to have control over it. I use mine with a softbox with a grid: 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Andoer-Umbrella-Reflector-Honeycomb-Speedlite/dp/B00U8M4P2O/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1444990240&sr=8-5&keywords=Andoer+80cm
I would avoid the C (color) versions, because they have half the light output, as someone pointed out above. And the included warm color gels work fine. But it all comes down to your workflow. This review helped me out when I bought mine:
http://eriknaso.com/2015/01/11/aputure-hr672s-led-video-lights-first-look/
II thought the YN600 didn't have a cast until I got the Aputures. Huge difference!! And worst thing about them... noise, when that fan kicks in, it can ruin a interview.

Both look great! I just hate the idea of paying for basic extras like the audio module (XLRs) on the red. If it was 10000 with everything (like the red one), I would think about it... but for around 7000€ you can have a completely usable Ursa mini 4.6k... I'm going for the URSA

You won't be disappointed. It doesn't feel cheap at all, and you can use the light mount included with the Aputures.