Sony Videolight questions

[jamman1]

got some questions about a particular light:-

SONY HVL-20DW2

1. is this propriety?/can it work on universal accessory shoe?
2. where can i get replacement bulbs/charger/battery for good prices

Thank you in advance for your answers.

[creakndale]

I have a 12 year old HVL-20DW2. It is just a manual light with a switch on the side of the unit. I've only used genuine Sony battery packs with it. The battery pack communicates with the light. If the battery pack is big enough (capacity wise) it will allow you to turn on both Halogen lamps. If the battery pack is not big enough it will allow you to turn on only one lamp. I've bought Sony batteries off of eBay for a good price.

As far as the mounting shoe, there's no electrical connection to the camcorder so it's not a hot shoe. It's just a way of attaching the light to the front of your device. It's a standard, non-proprietary mount.

Each 10 watt, model# XB-20DX Halogen bulb is only rated for 100 hours. It appears that the original Sony bulbs are no longer available, thus difficult to find. This guy says he's used compatible bulbs in his light.
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=20400

I use the AC-V700 charger that I bought with my camcorder. eBay is a good place to search.

It's a nice compact light that throws a nice even bright pattern. I haven't used it much over the years (maybe 80 hours) and it still has the original bulbs.

Here's the manual:
http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/model-documents.pl?mdl=HVL20DW2

creakndale

[jamman1]

thank you for your reply especially the model number, gonna go with this instead http://www.adorama.com/FPVL20.html, my budget is tight and this eases it just a little.

i have a pv-gs180, i doubt it will provide enough light but it will be an alternative to the bigger and much heavier bescor light kit i have

[edDV]

LED lights use much less battery power. Low end models are starting to appear.

I haven't used these.
http://www.amazon.com/Sima-SL-20LX-Ultra-Bright-Video/dp/B000WKW69Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95VBNgF3Zlc
http://www.adorama.com/Als/ProductPage/LPAMICRO.html

Trick is to find one that works with your existing batteries and charger.

[jamman1]

ok thanx but i've read where those aren't very bright or don't last long and they are best for camcorders with good low-light capablility, my pv-gs180 is HORRIBLE in low-light, it keeps auto-focusing while taping a fireworks show., the adorama one looks huge though

i might get the sima led and a flip hd cam to cut down on weight but i love to zoom and would video from a flip be better than my pv-gs180

[edDV]

ok thanx but i've read where those aren't very bright or don't last long and they are best for camcorders with good low-light capablility, my pv-gs180 is HORRIBLE in low-light, it keeps auto-focusing while taping a fireworks show., the adorama one looks huge though

i might get the sima led and a flip hd cam to cut down on weight but i love to zoom and would video from a flip be better than my pv-gs180

No video small camera mounted battery light is going to be good for more than 5-10 feet (2-3m). They are useful to light faces in tight shots, not light a room.

As for fireworks, the trick is to turn off auto focus and keep the focus setting at infinity.

You are fortunate that other manual settings are possible for that camcorder. For fireworks, open the iris wide ~f2 and experiment with shutter 1/60 to 1/30 sec. Do a manual white balance off a white card.
http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/Panasonic-PV-GS150-First-Impressions-Camcorder-Re...l-Controls.htm

I doubt the Flip would be any better low light. It lacks the manual settings and compression issues would add to low light smear issues.