nofilmschool » led

NAB 2013 Lighting Roundup: New Fixtures from Manfrotto, KinoFlo, Hexolux & More

Micah Van Hove — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 21:15:41 +0000

A lot of manufacturers decided to jump in the lighting game this year, while others continue to improv on their existing fixtures. If this year’s NAB is any indication, the future of lighting tech has moved away from Tungsten filament and is now firmly in the hands of LED and Plasma technologies. Read on to get a quick overview on all the new offerings. (more…)

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Ultra-Bright and Programmable Lumapad May Change the Way You Think About LED Lighting

Robert Hardy — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 20:58:14 +0000

LED lighting has come a long way in the past 10 years. While many professionals stayed away from LEDs when they were an emergent technology (despite the fact that LEDs offered some very distinct advantages over traditional lighting technologies), you would be hard-pressed to find a current set without at least a few battery-powered units being used as accent lights. However, LEDs still aren’t ubiquitous, and in most cases they haven’t supplanted more traditional sources such as tungsten fresnels and PARs due to the fact that they have relatively low output and are comparatively harsh in the quality of their light. The Lumapad, an open source LED Kickstarter project from inventor Richard Haberkern, looks to change all of that. Check out his Kickstarter video for the Lumapad below: (more…)

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Fiilex Lights: Sub-$1000 LED Studio Lights With a Twist

Justin Minich — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 09:39:52 +0000

LED studio lights keep making leaps and bounds in technological advancement, but the price of such lights has tended to remain relatively high. However the Fiilex P360 and the P200 FlexJet are two LED studio lights touting a high CRI at all color temperatures (and the ability to smoothly tune between them), an option to run on broadcast batteries, and a light/compact form factor, each costing less than $1000. The P200 also features a lighting tool you’re not likely to find in other studio lights: fiber optics. (more…)

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Litepanels Wins Patent Case, Infringing LED Panels Barred from US Without Licensing

Joe Marine — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 01:01:36 +0000

We’ve been following this case now for a little while, but if you aren’t familiar with it, Vitec Group, who is the parent company of Litepanels, claimed to have patents on a number of LED technologies related to film/video lighting. The US courts have now confirmed that, and in order to continue importing and selling LED panels, these companies must pay to license and continue using the infringing technology. Cinescopophilia has the full scoop on the result. (more…)

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Litepanels Attempts to Clear the Air Regarding LED Patent Infringement Case

Joe Marine — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 11:46:08 +0000

There has been an ongoing discussion about the patent case with Litepanels and a number of other manufacturers. In the case, Litepanels is claiming infringement, and requests that the manufacturers in question license the technology. There may or may not be some confusion about what is actually going on, but Litepanels has decided to release a public statement of sorts to hopefully help people understand their position and how it may affect the industry. (more…)

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Your Next LED Light May Be from Litepanels (Whether You Like It or Not)

Joe Marine — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 00:21:34 +0000

Right around this time last year, we reported about LED film/video panel maker Litepanels and their attempt to monopolize the market in the United States. The patent complaint they filed sought to stop the import and sale of any LED light designed for film/video work. This case has wide-ranging consequences, and it seems that the judge in the case now has a preliminary recommendation. (more…)

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Zacuto PlaZma 1x1 Soft Light to Begin Shipping Early Next Year with Improved Specs

Joe Marine — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 12:10:41 +0000

At NAB this year, Zacuto introduced their PlaZma 1×1, which is brighter and softer than equivalent 1×1 LEDs. The new light uses relatively new charged microplasma technology, which is also being used in products from companies like Hive lighting. They were originally set to release the light by the summer, but production has been held up so that color rendition and reliability could be improved, and it looks like the light will begin shipping early next year. Here is a video interview with Steve Weiss from Zacuto about the light — the PlaZma light portion is at the end (click forward to around 7:40): (more…)

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Less Than 48 Hours Left to Support The Kick Light on Kickstarter: Update on Features and Accessories

Justin Minich — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 19:23:56 +0000

You might recall that last month I wrote about The Kick –a camera mounted LED light that you can control with the iPhone– and what it’s features could mean for the future of studio lighting. The makers of The Kick have less than 48 hours to go on their Kickstarter campaign, and have shared more information about the Kick’s features and upcoming accessories: (more…)

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Insteon’s New LED Bulb is Dimmable and Wirelessly Controllable. But is it a Good Practical Light?

Justin Minich — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 19:35:04 +0000

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about The Kick camera light and what it’s features could mean for the future of studio lighting, one of which was the possibility of controlling the attributes of multiple lights from a smart phone . While this is a feature that hasn’t yet come to pass for studio lights, it is starting to appear in practicals: (more…)

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The Switronix TorchLED Bolt is Small, but It Packs a Punch

Joe Marine — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 01:40:30 +0000

Lighting technology is moving at an incredibly rapid pace, and LED lights are only getting better. Light output is increasing while the housings get smaller and use less power. Litepanels has led the pack for a long time, but we are now seeing a tremendous amount of competition with other companies producing small LED lights, and even some producing lights using plasma technology. Rick Macomber, who I had the pleasure of meeting at NAB, is a Boston-area shooter who took the time to review the Switronix TorchLED Bolt. (more…)

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Is The Kick a Glimpse into the Future of Lighting?

Justin Minich — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 14:00:28 +0000

At CineGear 2012, there were some interesting developments in lighting, particularly Kino Flo’s Celeb LED Panel, which allows for 5 customizable color temperature presets ranging from 2700K to 5500K. But aside from that, the features of the Celeb and the other lights shown at the expo were pretty much what one would expect from a typical studio light: a color temperature ranging somewhere between tungsten and daylight, dimmable bulbs, and either soft light panels or harder lights in the form of adjustable fresnel fixtures. But what if there was a studio light that more fully took advantage of the low heat, low power draw, and color changing abilities of LED’s? It might look something like The Kick: (more…)

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Litepanels Unveils a New Budget Line of 1x1 LED Panels Aimed at Independent Filmmakers

Joe Marine — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 04:28:14 +0000

Just as Cine Gear Expo 2012 is opening, Litepanels is unveiling a brand new line in their successful and award-winning 1×1 LED panel series. While the 1×1 panels have been coming down in price since their arrival, they certainly are not a budget solution in the world of lighting in terms of output. With the new LS line, they hope to address that very issue, while still providing the same durability and virtually heat-free operation. (more…)

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Zacuto's Plasma Light is the Cheapest and Softest 1x1 in Existence, But is It Better Than LED?

Joe Marine — Tue, 08 May 2012 12:18:36 +0000

We all know that LEDs are the next big movement in lighting technology — or are they? Zacuto is introducing a one-of-a-kind light panel that uses a patented micro-plasma technology not unlike what is found in a plasma television — which has phosphors that glow when energy is introduced. Of course, it’s a bit more complicated than that, but the bottom line is that this panel is softer, and has a greater lumen rating than any other 1-foot-by-1-foot panel on the market today. In the embedded video below, Steve Weiss from Zacuto gives us an introduction of the panel, as well as a walk-through of their Recoil rig, Tornado Follow Focus, and FS100 rig. (more…)

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How Well Do Leading LED Lights Mix With Tungsten Lighting? A Shootout Aims to Answer

E.M. Taboada — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 00:44:12 +0000

LED lights present a number of advantages — they tend to be more energy efficient, don’t give off as much heat, and should (in the future) have the ability to replicate various color temperatures without the need of gels. But they also have their cons, primary of which is the difficulty in mixing them with existing tungsten lights and other incandescent lighting, and a tendency to cast a blueish tinge. With that in mind, Art Adams, over at the ProVideo Coalition blog was approached by PRG to do a LED light shootout that compared a variety of LED lights with a standard tungsten light. The results are pretty interesting for anyone interested in seeing the state of LED lighting vs tungsten: (more…)

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Litepanels Tries to Monopolize LED Lighting, Blocking Other Brands?

Ryan Koo — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 21:12:31 +0000

Litepanels, a well-known manufacturer of LED lighting solutions, is apparently trying to block the import and sale in the United States of other LED film/video lighting products based on a complaint filed with the United States International Trade Commission. This would represent a threat to the prices and availability of LED lights, which I’m a fan of for their low energy draw and cool temperatures. I’m not well-versed in patent law, legal complaints, or anything legal for that matter, but at NextWaveDV Tony Reale has posted the following video: (more…)

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Which Cheap On-Camera Video LED Light is Best?

Ryan Koo — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 16:21:37 +0000

On-camera lighting is mostly used for ENG/documentary filming, but in a pinch it can be used to subtlety add to a dramatic scene. Especially in tracking shots, you’ll often see a grip walking a Kino-Flo alongside the camera, to keep a consistent light in the talent’s eyes. Of course, that’s not really “on-camera” lighting; while cheap LED lights that mount to a camera’s hot shoe are not going to offer the same quality, for news gathering and other uses they can certainly be handy. Thanks to Frank Glencairn, we now have a shootout between five different LED options, four of which are in the sub-$100 range. (more…)

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