Long a leader in competitively priced LED products for the film industry, light maker Fiilex has released a new drone-specific lightweight light, the AL250, for your aerial lighting needs. Creating the equivalent of a 200W tungsten source, the tiny, 30W LED can be strapped onto a drone by GoPro mount, enabling filmmakers to position lighting wherever they want it and capture scenes not previously possible.
Despite its very small size—coming in at only a little over half a pound—there is a fresnel light built in to the small unit, and enough power from the lithium ion battery for 25 minutes of flicker-free lighting. In their demonstration film, created before release, Fiilex focused on using the light as an identifiable source (in this case a helicopter), but it will also have applications in night exterior cinematography. Of course, it would be limited to use in situations where synch sound isn't as important, but for complex action scenes without heavy dialogue, night exterior establishing shots, or background plates, this is going to be a workhorse.
Fiilex Close-Up AL250Credit: Fiilex
While the release timing lines up with the GoPro Karma, it actually seems like this light is a better fit for the 3DR Solo line of drones. The Karma is built around stabilization system which is really more intended for cameras, while the Solo line offers both a stabilized gimbal mount and the option of a GoPro hard mount built into the body. This would allow for the same camera to have both the camera and the light, or alternately using the solo as a dedicated lighting drone with one or two AL250 units, while using another drone (perhaps the Karma) for image capture. Especially with the aggressive pricing on the Solo ($499 without the gimbal, which you wouldn't need for lighting), you could put together a great aerial lighting solution for a very low cost. You can always adhesive-mount the light to the main body of the Karma or another drone, but personally I would be reluctant to fly anything held together with adhesive.
3DR Solo with AL250Credit: Fiilex
The Fiilex AL250 is available now for $349.
Tech Specs:
- 3.7" x 3" x 2"
- 270 grams / .6lbs
- Dense Matrix LED
- Blade Cooling System (not spinning fans)
- 38° beam angle
- 5600K balance
- Greater than 93 CRI
- 5V DC input, USB charger included
- GoPro Mount
- 32-104° Operating temperature range
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