Instant Expert: What's New In Lighting: Brighten Up Your Shot

ITEM/CONTACT

COMPANY

MSRP

WHAT’S NEW AND OTHER COMMENTS

Lowel GL-1

Lowel

TBA

Designed for the DSLR market, the GL-1 should ship late summer 2012. It is a small, battery-powered LED that adjusts from spot to flood. Dimmable, with tungsten color output, the GL-1 uses a quick-swap rechargeable battery. Perfect for your high-ISO DSLR.

PlaZma Light

Zacuto

$1,350

Introduced at NAB 2012, PlaZma delivers up to 2000 lumens in a 1x1 form factor, far brighter than comparable LEDs. The PlaZma unit is dimmable, lightweight and less than 1” thick. Zacuto says its Micro Plasma Technology allows a softer light at prices below comparable LEDs. Available in daylight and tungsten.

Croma

Litepanels

$600

On-camera light with integrated dimmer and variable color temperature output between 3,200°K and 5,600°K. Draws 9W. Ships with carrying case and front diffusion filters. May be powered via six AA batteries or AC adapter. Weighs 0.75 lb. I’ve been using this for some time and can attest that the results are uniform and without the green spike of cheap LEDs.

CycLight

FloLight

$1,350

This single-fixture LED light for greenscreen shooting uses patented “Light Wave” technology to limit the amount of light close to the floor and progressively increase the illumination to light up to a 2-meter by 3-meter greenscreen. The compact unit with built-in dimmer uses three 40W LEDs. Scheduled to ship this fall.

F8 LED Fresnel

Zylight

About $3,500

Delivering the equivalent output of a 650W instrument, the F8 incorporates an 8” glass Fresnel lens, focusable between 16° and 70°. Available in 3,200°K and 5,600°K models. High-quality, high-CRI LEDs with no green spike. Fully dimmable, DMX or ZyLink wireless operation, water-resistant IP54 rating.

Nila SL

Nila

$7,500

The Nila SL LED fixture has the output of a 6K HMI but draws just 900W (500W average). This space light is capable of illuminating an area from a distance as far as 400 feet. Allows for flicker-free recording up to 1,500 fps. Available holographic lenses allow for softbox effects without a softbox. Integrated dimmer, DMX-controllable, available in daylight or tungsten.

Drum Overhead Light

Alzo Video

$200 (without bulbs)

Alzo’s Drum Overhead Light is 36” in diameter and 12” high. It features four ceramic sockets that hold CFL bulbs up to 85W. Attaches to any standard baby pin. Provides ultra-soft overhead lighting. Includes four Velcro-attached flags. Extra flags, extension rod, drum light diffuser and screw mount plate are available from Alzo.

Hornet Plasma Fresnel

Hive Lighting

$4,295

Hive offers Fresnel, PAR and Maxi (dual PAR optics) lights using plasma technology, which enables lighter weight, higher output and lower energy consumption. The Fresnel model adjusts from 8° to 55° and is brighter than 2K tungsten fixtures. The daylight-balanced Hornet draws 280W. CRI of 94 across the line.

Ianiled54

Ianiro

$2,100

This versatile fixture uses 54 LEDs mixed tin three switchable circular arrays of 18 LEDs each, offering the brightness of an 18W, 36W or 54W LED in one unit. The modules can be fitted with different lenses for differing angle coverage. Variable controls for brightness and CRI adjustment. This product should be considered by anyone who needs a portable, affordable and powerful field lighting kit.

Ledzilla

Dedolight

$Under $600

Ledzilla is an on-camera LED with adjustable angle (4° to 56°) and adjustable support arm. Wide-angle flip-up diffuser for 70° angle, smoothly covering the widest zoom. Native tungsten color temp may be converted to daylight temp with flip-down dichroic filter.