Lighting round-up, 2004

by David Fox and Christina Fox

"The most powerful beam of controlled light for key lighting in the industry," is the boast of Videssence's new Power Key. Its precisely-engineered reflector focuses the light without additional accessories. Beam adjustability is done simply by moving the lamp inside the fixture, making adjustments easy. The 110W unit uses two 55W Biax lamps and come in dim and non-dim versions. All units are formed aluminium and painted with TGIC polyester powder coat.

There are two new models of Kino Flo's Parabeam fluorescents that have a focal point of 3.5-4m. "Most fluorescent units have a broad wash and you have to work them fairly close to make them effective. These are the first units on the market that actually have a focal point," claims its president, Frieder Hochheim.

It has a lateral beam, like an oval, although the unit is square. "It now gives a lighting director more control without having to rely on barn doors to narrow the beams," he explains.

Dedolight's new Aspheric 2 uses two aspheric lenses to improve light output. Compared to its predecessor, the output on flood is more than doubled and in spot it is over three times brighter. The new lenses also ensure a smoother field of light and better barn door control.

Dedo has also introduced a new power supply, the DT24-1, providing 24v at 150W, 80% more light output than its current 12v, 100W supply. It is available in four input versions for world-wide use – all dimmable.

DCPar is a new heavy duty case for the DEDOPAR with barn doors and diffusion glasses with a Photoflex silver dome, white dome or a Chimera pancake.

ADB's latest automated light, WARP, is an 800W cool beam zoom profile, that has four shutters and can twist and turn as desired. Users can access all functions of the luminaire from anywhere they can touch it. There is also a remote motorisation kit that allows everything to be motorised, including the shutters.

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Soft edged

Lowel-Light has more than a dozen new kits, many created for DV users. Some combine lights from different Lowel systems and several feature the new compact 250w Rifa-44 quick setup soft light. There are also larger, more elaborate, kits with four or more lights and a wide range of accessories to accommodate more sophisticated lighting situations.

Many existing kits have also had light control accessories added, such as reflective umbrellas, scrims, reflectors, daylight correction gel packs and frames. Some have also had their abilities expanded by adding versatile mounting clamps to allow a wider range of placement options.

Sachtler's new Topas softlights for studio and location, include 110W, 220W, 330W, 440W and 660W versions with a wide range of accessories. There is a choice of black or reflective barn doors, honeycomb-shaped apertures, manual stirrups, pole-operated studio stirrups and ball heads. The softlights can be controlled using a power supply of anywhere between 0 - 10 Volts, or with a DMX unit or dimmer. They have a staggered tube design for even lighting.

Chimera now offers its lights in kits. The new 24x32 kit includes: a 24x32-inch Video Pro Plus 1 lightbank; 40 degree fabric grid; Mogul socket speed ring and 500W bulb; Manfrotto light stand; and duffle bag. At $675, it costs some 20% less than buying each item separately.

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Today's Highlights

Photon Beard's Highlights range of low Watt, high-efficiency, fluorescents have been enhanced with a pole-operated model for easier operation in broadcast studios.

The Highlight range comes in three sizes (110W, 220W and 330W), with daylight or tungsten balanced tubes, and can either be a simple on/off or remotely controlled using an analogue, DMX or Phase control.

Photon Beard also has: new soft box designs for portable tungsten luminaires; and a new 150 Watt fresnel luminaire.

The dimmable fluorescent models of the Lowel Fluo-Tec studio line have had an electronics upgrade that allows full dimming control from 0 - 100%. Also, up to 512 dimmable fixtures can now be controlled by the compact, hand-held, IR DMX Controller for remote dimming.

Videssence's new V-Beam promises more light for less power. The V168-442TT compact fluorescent unit produces 2.4 times more light using 25% less Wattage, and one third fewer lamps, than the previous V192-632TT V-Beam thanks to a precisely engineered reflector using high purity aluminium. It focuses the light of four 42W triple-tube lamps to provide an even beam suitable as a studio key light.

The 84W Videssence Baby Base offers intense light output from a lightweight compact housing. The aluminium unit is recommended for studio back lighting or for small location lighting set-ups. A lockable, adjustable mounting yoke allows rotation for ease of focus. It uses two 42W fluorescent lamps in dim and non-dim configurations. Integral dimming control is provided with the 0-10v analogue dimming option.

A Baby Basekit, with three small Baselite fixtures, weighs about 15kg and comes in a sports bag-style padded case. Each Baby Base comes with barn doors, folding stand, mounting spud, power cord and lamps.

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Cool running

Arri's new Studio Cool fluorescent studio lights comes with four-bank, two-bank, and 2+2 lamp heads, with 55W or 80W bulbs. It has improved accessory holders, with no spill light, and exchangeable reflectors. There are three control module options: a Multicontrol with full DMX and 0-10v analogue control, plus built-in manual dimmer; Phasecontrol for conventional dimming via optional phase load adapters; and a basic version with on/off control of one or two tubes.

Arri's new Sky Panel 21 uses a "unique" Osram Planon lamp (using a special phosphorus mixture) and boasts a "very even light field", similar to a natural overcast sky, with virtually no glare or shadows. The 5600°K softlight is claimed to be "cooler than any comparable light". It has an "improved", light-weight aluminium extension housing " suitable for the most extreme operating conditions".

Its all-in-one Caselite fluorescent system has had its mounting system upgraded, with a new mounting plate & stand fitting bracket, allowing for more versatile mounting and rotation. Both two- and four-lamp Caselites are now available in CE-approved 230v models, as are its Pro-light & V-light from the ViP system.

Cosmolight has updated its range of Brivido fluorescent lights, which offer low power consumption, long life and high-frequency, flicker-free electronic ballast. Three sizes offer two, four or six 55W Dulux lamps (3200K or 5600K). They are also available with four different control systems: on/off, analogue for manual control; DMX; and phase control where the lamps are connected to standard dimmers through a lighting desk. Prices for the four-lamp version start at Euro 732.

De Sisti Lighting has introduced a fluorescent range with asymmetrical reflectors for cyc lighting. Together with its existing CD lights, this means it can now equip a whole cool-light studio. It also has a new product that takes advantage of Philip's latest CST 250W lamp, which has almost no heat output. The 3200°K discharge lamp has hot restrike.

Mole-Richardson has moved into fluorescent for the first time, with a new series of lights constructed from Coreplex (a strong but lightweight polypropylene and aluminium material), with a dimmable, flicker-free ballast. The Molescent fixtures come in two-, four- and eight-lamp designs using 55w bulbs.

Balcar has extended its Spotflux line with two new features. A small (30cm) reflector option fits the Spotflux 2 or 4 and can be retrofitted to existing units. "In this new configuration the Spotflux is a very nice soft and directional fluorescent back light," comments Nicolas Le Guern, sales and technical support, Balcar.

Both the Spotflux 2 and 4 also now have a phase dimming option, having previously only been dimmable via DMX. This makes them compatible with standard dimmer racks.

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Daylight saving time

De Sisti has redesigned its HMI discharge luminaires to solve the problem of leakages where it can discharge to earth, creating malfunctions. It has put together the igniter and lampholder, so everything moves together. "Previously the high voltage cables were moving," explains Paolo Radi, its international sales & CTM service director.

Also new is a 1.2/2.5kW discharge HMI, with ballast - which is IP23 protected against moderate rain, power-factor corrected and DMX remotable.

Mole-Richardson has two new, high-output overhead fixtures, the Six-Light Maxicoop and Maxi-Spacelite, for film. Both use six new Par-64 globes, rather than the old system using Mogul-based globes, to give more light output.

There is also a redesigned, more compact, 2.5/4k Daylite Par. The rugged unit boasts easy globe installation and a new reflector that improves output from either lamp.

Kobold's new range of "four-in-one" compact HMI daylight systems, the DW 575 and DW 800, can operate as a fresnel, Open Face, Par or bare bulb with soft box. The lamp is weatherproof to IP54 and the ballast to IP43 for use in snow or storms.

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Tungsten tipped

K5600's latest 400W fresnel light can also be tungsten, by replacing the back of the head. Also new is the Alpha 4kW, from Power 56, and it is experimenting with the new, high-efficiency Philips CST 3200°K lamp, although product plans haven't been finalised.

A "new generation of tungsten flood light" is the basis for Arri's Cyc 1250 and Flood 1250 models, which boast "25% more light output than regular lights", using halogen bulbs.

There are five lamphead versions (manual or pole operated): the Flood 1250, with a symmetrical reflector as a single fixture; and the Cyc 1250, with an asymmetrical reflector, available in single, double, four-bank and cube models.

De Sisti Lighting has a new tungsten Par 2k, and a line of portable dimmer packs with local and DMX remote control, with six channels at 2.5kW or three at 5kW/10kW.

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On-camera lighting

Ianiro's new Aladino focus is a spot/flood lamp with variable focus - previous versions were fixed. It means that Ianiro now has three models of on-camera lights. Managing director, Fabrizia Ianiro, claims this is the widest range in the industry, from budget on/off to the new variable focus - which has a very efficient reflector giving 1,950 lux on spot at 1m and costs about Euro 250.

Ianiro has also extended its range of studio lighting with a new 2k fresnel (up from 1kW previously) and a multi-cell cyclorama system.

Kobold's new CL 16 is a compact, dimmable and cost-effective on-camera light from 20W to 71W. Its easy-to-change bulbs allow it to be quickly adapted to different shooting environment. It has a plug-on battery cable and separate on/off switch.

Also new is Pag's Paglight M, a miniature 12v on-board fill-light designed for use with smaller digital camcorders, and the Paglight L24, a 250W compact fill-light, supplied in a kit that includes a 24v battery belt with an integral charger, designed for location and hand-held use.

Frezzi has a new dimmable on-camera Micro-Fill Tungsten light that runs from a NP-1 battery with its output stabilised to compensate for battery voltage variations. Run time is around 45 minutes for a 35W lamp.

The Micro-Fill also comes in un-dimmable and HMI Daylight (5600K) versions. The HMI will run for 2.25 hours with a 10W lamp.

The new $175 MRFA Combo accessory attaches to its Micro-Fill lights, offering dichroic filter, diffusion filter and barn doors on an aluminium frame. For a soft smooth light, the $125 MRSB is Frezzi's 3x3-inch softbox for the Micro Fill.

To use an on-camera light and microphone together requires an extra shoe mount. Frezzi's $75 Dual shoe adaptor attaches to the camera's hot shoe mount and has a shoe mount at each end.

ProGear has a new range of on-camera Sunguns: The D75 25W miniature digital DV dimmable tungsten Sungun; the D76 dimmable 35W version; and the M-78 un-dimmable 20W Sungun. Also new is the HMI-80 miniature digital DV 10W Sungun.

Bebob's new Euro 550 Lux light can be used on Panasonic or Sony cameras – either on-camera, hand-held or on a stand. Available in 20W, 30W, 50W and 70W versions that can be powered from an Anton Bauer connector or XLR, it is dimmable and comes with two filters.

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Flatter-ring

A new, smaller, lighter, lower-cost version of Kino Flo's Cameo ringlight, has been designed for video use, and can operate from the camera's batteries. The cosmetic light is ideal for ageing skin. When dimmed it will also give a sparkle in the eyes. Because the ring is so small (15cm diameter) it only reflects as a point source. Kino Flo has also released a colour-wash LED system that was originally designed for architectural use. "We're making it video-friendly to integrate with lighting boards. It's a great colour effect light for small locations with the minimum fuss," says Kino Flo president, Frieder Hochheim (pictured).

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Getting into gear

A new lighting range has been launched by Filmgear and Lights, Camera, Action. It includes daylight HMI fresnels, pars, tungsten fresnels and space lights and has been developed over several years by consulting lighting directors, cinematographers and rental houses.

"We have listened to a huge number of our customers to ensure the quality of the light is exactly up to their expectations. Along the way we have made changes as requested by lighting directors and directors of photography. From the immediate reactions we have received, we firmly believe Filmgear is the next generation of lighting," says LCA managing director, Nick Shapley.

He claims that the lamp heads are sturdily constructed, with hard wearing castings and aluminium extrusions, and that the light's performance is far better than rivals', with noticeably more effective output and throw of light. Also, the barn doors are made of sprung steel, to return to their original shape if bent, while a safety catch on the face stops it from unexpectedly flying open.

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David Fox and Christina Fox - March 2004