Genaray Introduces New On-Camera LED Lights

Every videographer knows that LED lighting fixtures feature significant improvements over older lighting technology, especially in the category of on-camera lights. First, they last much longer and are fairly resistant to shocks when compared to incandescent bulbs. Second, they are very efficient and produce less heat, emitting the same amount of light while drawing less power. This translates into longer run times and fewer battery swaps. LEDs are also flicker free and can be dimmed without significantly dropping their color temperature. Recent advances have also improved the general quality of the light that LEDs output.

Genaray has recently released a lineup of on-camera lights that fall into three different product lines: Compact, Foundation, and Professional. They're all battery powered and most support and include AC adapters. Some of the units feature variable color temperature and some have a fixed color balance for outdoor lighting conditions.

Compact

Currently the only light in the Compact series is the LED-2100. It measures 2.9 x 2.3”, is only 1.2” thick, and weighs .11 lb.  Although it is small, its 36 LEDs feature the equivalent output of a 40-watt light. It has a 25-foot lighting range with a 65-degree spread, and a built-in diffuser creates a soft beam. The LED-2100 features a color temperature of about 5600K, making it suitable for outdoor use or for mixing with daylight sources. It comes with two 700mAh lithium-ion rechargeable batteries that are good for about an hour each. It also includes a universal voltage wall charger and a European-plug adapter.

The light has a built-in cold-shoe foot with a 1/4”-20 threaded hole on its bottom, and it also features three cold-shoe slots for attaching additional LED-2100 units, for four times the brightness. These slots are integrated on the left, right, and top of the unit. Rounding out this light's accessories are an offset mounting bracket and an adapter for the Sony AIS Shoe Mount. With the offset bracket you can position your illumination on the side of the camera instead of directly over the lens. The LED-2100 works well with small DSLRs, mirrorless cameras, and small camcorders.

Foundation

Stepping up in size and power is the Foundation series of lights, featuring one daylight and one variable-temperature unit. This series provides more power and longer run times and is suitable for use with medium-sized camcorders and DSLRs. Common features include flicker-free dimming, cold-shoe mounts with 1/4"-20 female threading, and removable diffusion. The LED-5300 looks only a little larger than the Compact LED-2100, but it packs a much bigger punch, with 120 daylight-balanced LEDs that provide 640 lux at 3’. The unit includes a rechargeable battery, a charger, and a universal AC power supply, which can power the light while you charge the battery. The light features a single dial for powering on/off and dimming, a built-in filter slot, and a constant color temperature of 5600K. An included diffused warming filter lowers the light's color temperature to 4300K, providing a slightly warmer light source when used with daylight-balanced sources, and a cooler look when used with tungsten-balanced light sources. In addition to the diffused warming filter, the LED-5300 also includes a diffusion filter, a Sony AIS shoe-mount adapter, and a soft-sided carrying case.

 

The LED-5700T packs 240 LEDs (120 tungsten and 120 daylight) into a housing that's only 6.25” wide by 3.5” tall. It features a variable color-temperature dial and a separate dimming dial; a dedicated On/Off switch allows you to power down without changing your color balance or dimming settings. The light puts out 1100 lux at 3’. It features a rear battery mount, and although it does not come with a battery pack or charger, it accepts Sony V, P, H, and L series batteries natively, Panasonic CGR-D batteries via an included plate, and 6x AA batteries via an included dummy battery case that attaches to the rear battery mount. The 5700T also features a built-in battery tester, a feature common to all the other lights in this series except the 5300. The light mounts on a camera using an included ball-head mount. This ball head has a 1/4"-20 stud at one end and a cold-shoe foot at the other. You can unscrew the cold-shoe foot to expose a 1/4”-20 threaded hole that offers additional mounting options. You also get two slide-in diffusion filters, one clear and one magenta, a Sony AIS shoe-mount adapter, and a soft carry case. Weighing only 9.1 oz without the battery, this light is usable with medium-sized camcorders and DSLRs—its light weight will not much affect their handling.

Professional

There are five on-camera lights in the professional series. Three of these lights—the LED-6200T, LED-6500T, and the LED-7100T—maintain a compact form factor and are a good match with DSLRs and medium-sized or larger camcorders. The LED-6800 and the LED-7500T, however, share a very wide profile that sets them apart from the other lights. The LED-6200T, LED-6500T, and the LED-7100T each feature two metal adjustment knobs, one for powering On/Off and dimming, and one for changing color temperature from tungsten to daylight balanced. These knobs turn smoothly and remain set, essential during a shoot—you don’t want your color temperature or brightness accidentally shifting during a shot. The lights all feature a locking battery system and include a universal AC adapter, battery charger, built-in battery tester, ball-head mount, and a soft-sided carrying case.

The LED-6200T features 144 LEDs (72 Daylight and 72 Tungsten) packed into a 5.25 x 3.5” housing that's only 2” deep and weighs only 0.46 lb. Only slightly larger and heavier than the 5300, it takes the same 2200mAh battery and provides the same 640 lux at 3’, but the color temperature can be adjusted from 3200 to 5600K. Another feature of this light is that you can attach three additional 6200T units to it, onto built-in cold-shoe-mount fittings on the top and sides. The light’s cold-shoe foot is removable, to reveal a 1/4”-20 female, which you can use to mount the light on an accessory arm. The 6200T also features a removable diffuser, which attaches magnetically and securely to the front of the light. The 6500T and 7100T also feature magnetic filter attachments.

The LED-6500T and LED-7100T are essentially bigger versions of the LED-6200T. The LED-6500T features 209 LEDs (110 Daylight and 99 Tungsten) and puts out 900 lux at 3’. It includes a 2200mAh battery, measures 6 x 4 x 2”, and weighs 0.58 lb. The LED-6500T can also attach to additional LED-6500T lights, but mounting is a bit different from those of the above-mentioned lights. It's designed for stacking one unit on top of another. It consists of a rail on the bottom and a locking track on the top. You can slide one unit on top of another, but Genaray doesn’t recommend stacking more than three of these lights together.

The LED-7100T is similar to both the LED-6200T and LED-6500T, but with a few important differences. First, it has no built-in stacking function. But with its 312 LEDs (156 Daylight and 156 Tungsten), it has an output of 1400 lux at 3', so you probably won’t need additional lights. To accommodate the 312 LEDs, the light is 7.5” wide by 4.5” tall, only 1.75” thick, and weighs 0.76 lb. It keeps all the features of the 6200T and 6500T, but because it is wider than the other lights, Genaray was able to fit a second battery mount on the back. Not surprisingly, the 7100T comes with two 2200mAh lithium-ion batteries and a dual charger. All three of these lights should easily fit your needs, without overwhelming most mid-sized camcorders and DSLR cameras.

This brings us to the last two lights in the Professional series, the LED-6800 and LED-7500T. While these two lights share many features with the other three units, they differ enough that they could easily comprise their own series. Both units are the same size—10” wide by 4” tall and 2.25” thick—and they both weigh about three quarters of a pound without the battery. The LED-6800 features 256 daylight-balanced LEDs that produce 1900 lux at 3’.

The LED-7500T produces 1500 lux at 3’ with its 320 LEDs. The “T” stands for "variable temperature," so the LED-7500T has 160 daylight- and 160 tungsten-balanced LEDs; 1500 lux with just 160 LEDs is a pretty respectable output. Both lights take just one battery, but it is larger than the battery that fits the other three lights in the Professional series. The LED-6800 and LED-7500T include a slide-in diffuser, and the LED-6800 also includes a warming diffuser so you can mix it with tungsten sources.

You can stack two LED-7500T units together, and you can also stack LED-6800 and LED-7500T units together, one atop the other. The 10” width of the lights gives you a nice wide source to wrap your subject with light, instead of the smaller, more concentrated source of the other lights. Its width may make it a little cumbersome to use with medium-sized or smaller camcorders, so while you can technically use these as on-camera lights, you can also use them off-camera as fill lights or kickers. The lights attach easily to accessory arms, light stands, or poles by means of their 1/4”-20 mounting threads, allowing you to take advantage of the width, brightness, and light quality these two units provide.

The following Genaray LED lights will take all the Sony L series batteries, so you can get larger batteries for them all or you can use your own L series batteries: LED-5300, LED-5700T, LED 6200T, LED-6500T, LED-7100T, LED-6800, and the LED-7500T.

For more information about these products, stop by the B&H SuperStore in New York, or speak with a sales professional over the phone at 1-800-606-6969 or online via Live Chat.

	LED-  2100	LED- 5300	LED- 5700T	LED- 6200T	LED- 6500T	LED- 7100T	LED- 6800	LED- 7500T
Light intensity	40W equivalent	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Number of Daylight LEDs	36	120	120	72	110	156	256	160
Number of Tungsten LEDs	N/A	N/A	120	72	99	156	N/A	160
Color Temp	5600K	5600K	3200 to 5400K variable	3200K to 5600K variable	3200K to 5600K variable	3200K to 5600K variable	5800K	2800K to 6500K variable
Lux at 3'	N/A	640 lux	1100 lux	640 lux	900 lux	1400 lux	1900 lux	1500 lux
Beam Angle	65°	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Voltage	N/A	6 - 9 V	7.2 - 8.4 VDC	7.4 - 14.8V	7.4 - 14.8V	7.4 - 14.8V	6.5 - 12 V	6.5 - 12 V
Dimensions	2.9 x 2.3 x 1.2" (7.3 x 5.8 x 3 cm)	5 x 4.5 x 1.25"    (12.7 x 11.4 x 3.2 cm)	6.25 x 3.5 x 2" (15.9 x 8.9 x 5 cm)	5.2 x 3.5 x 2" (13 x 9 x 5 cm)	6 x 4 x 2" (15.2 x 10.1 x 5 cm)	7.5 x 4.5 x 1.75" (19 x 11.4 x 4.4 cm)	10 x 4 x 2.25" (25.4 x 10.1 x 5.7 cm)	10 x 4 x 2.25" (25.4 x 10.1 x 5.7 cm)
Weight	.11 lb (50 g)	.32 lb (147 g)	.56 lb (.25 kg)	.46 lb (208 g)	.58 lb (.26 kg)	0.76 lb (.34 kg)	.71 lb (.32 kg)	0.76 lb (.34 kg)
Battery	2 x 700mAh Li-ion	2200mAh Li-ion	Sony V, P, H, and L natively; Panasonic CGR-D via included plate; 6 x AA via included dummy battery case	2200mAh Li-ion	2200mAh Li-ion	2200mAh Li-ion	NP-F750 type	NP-F750 type