Posts tagged ‘LED’

NAB 2011: Great Noodles in Vegas and New LED Lights from Dedolight

I'm back from this year's NAB show in Las Vegas, where it seems the year (if not the decade) of the DSLR continues. Once again, the video production part of the show was filled with cameras (Canon), accessories (Red Rock Micro and Zacuto), and a whole host of established companies anxious to show their track-mounted dollies, jibs, lenses, portable lighting, monitors, tripods and heads, etc. all supporting the EOS 5D and its kin.

We'll get to equipment in a bit… but first, a word on other diversions. I flew out a couple of days early to meet my son, Tim (a lawyer in San Francisco) for a weekend devoted to food and amusements that are not part of what most people go to Vegas for. Tim is a big fan of Yelp.com when it comes to finding great restaurants, and his research did not disappoint. Since he arrived a few hours before me, Tim had already found (and had lunch at) a Japanese noodle restaurant, Monta, that is an absolute knockout. It has fewer than 30 seats, a short menu revolving around ramen that is the equal of any place in New York or L.A., and prices that are extremely reasonable. It's located, as so many great places are in Las Vegas, in one of dozens of drab little strip malls that it would be just as easy to drive past.  Another reason to have a portable GPS with you.

Ramen at Monta Las Vegas

Back to NAB, there are more and more companies each year who are showing and selling LED lighting for studio and location use. But this year, I was very happy to see Dedolight's new entry into the field, which Dedo himself has named Felloni.

Initially, production will be of the 1×1 size (12"x12") in a very wide range of output levels and color temperatures, as well as multiple beam angles. There are daylight, tungsten, and bicolor units (variable from daylight to tungsten) — all dimmable, with the ability to be powered by battery as well as line voltage. Great specs on output and power consumption, and some very clever built-in docking of popular battery modules.

Dedolight Felloni

We'll have all the key information on the site shortly, along with PDFs you can download. And if you're wondering about price, it will be very pleasant surprise. Of course, Dedolight's current tungsten and HMI lighting range also continues to expand. All the new products are about making sure that film, video, and still shooters have all the lighting tools they need whatever the assignment.

Finally, there is an infrared version of LEDZilla, the very successful on-board LED light introduced a couple of years ago. This one is called iREDZILLA. Primary applications will be for infrared (night) photography and surveillance. Specs indicate it can be used at a range of up to 130' (based on tests with Sony's Nightshot camcorder). Considering the popularity of recent online feeds of nesting eagles and other nature videos, I predict strong demand from nature and scientific shooters.

Dedolight iREDZILLA

Check back next week for more impressions from this year's NAB show!

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LitePad Axiom

LitePad AxiomHow Do You Improve on an Amazing Product Like the LitePad? Give it Twice as Many LEDs, Add a Steel Frame, Universal Mounting System, and a Gel Slot!

Our longtime readers already know we've always been huge fans of Rosco's LitePad product. How can you not love a light source that fits almost anywhere, runs for hours on almost any power source, and weighs next to nothing? By the same token… how could you improve on something that was already so good? The wizards at Rosco Labs have managed to do just that, and now we'd like to introduce you to LitePad Axiom.

LitePad Axiom back mounting bracket

LitePad Axiom is a whole new class of LitePad. Designed specifically for the film and TV market, this more rugged and versatile product is a LitePad HO+ in a metal housing. LitePad Axiom has LEDs on all four sides and a “sunk” internal power connector. The extra LEDs mean your LitePad is now even brighter, while the slim-profile metal housing means your LitePad is now much more durable. The housing also enables you to quickly and easily mount the LitePad using one of the new Axiom brackets or by conventional LitePad mounting methods – even Velcro or rubber bands!

LitePad Axiom on a still photo camera

All LitePad Axiom units are available in either daylight or tungsten color temperature, and are built in various square and rectangular sizes from 3"x6" to 24"x24" (non-reinforced 3" and 12" circular LitePads are still available in the LitePad HO+ line.) The LitePad Axiom housing has a gel slot for color correction or other filters and is deep enough to hold more than one filter. On the back of the unit, there is a universal LitePad Axiom mounting system, allowing different Axiom brackets to be slid into the mounting system for various applications. For example, a 1/4-20 bracket could slide on for use with one of the new accessories or a Baby Pin could be used for attachment to a C-Stand. The new Axiom brackets will work with any size LitePad Axiom.

LitePad Axiom is meant to be a stand-alone unit; the housing was not designed for the LitePad to come out nor be taken apart. However, current LitePad owners can purchase LitePad Axiom conversion kits to upgrade their current LitePads to a tough new steel frame.

Interested? Find out where to buy LitePad Axiom…

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Food Photography at Dawn, Using LitePad

When your assignment calls for a subject to be photographed at dawn or sunset — possibly in a remote location — LitePad is an excellent way to fill your lighting needs without using a ton of gear (or bringing along assistants to carry it all!) LitePad can be powered by AC power, or run for hours on AA batteries or your car's cigarette lighter. It's dimmable, generates no heat, and can be gelled to any color temperature you need.

In this video, Allen explains how to photograph food (or any other small subject your assignment requires) at first light with a minimal amount of gear and fuss; a situation made possible by our friends at Rosco Labs. Interested? Click find a dealer if you'd like to try one!

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7R4VCG8TXE

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NAB 2010 Report: Dedolight and Matthews Studio Equipment

I'm just back from the NAB show in Las Vegas (that's the National Association of Broadcasters, an organization that goes back to 1922 when radio was the only broadcast medium). It's a huge show, covering every aspect of television and radio and there's always a lot to see and learn. Russ Carswell, our sales director, was with me and we were part of the Dedolight team from Germany and elsewhere in Europe.

Dedo Weigert of Dedolight at NAB 2010Dedolight is a big, important, and growing part of our business. As a lot of you know (and if you don't, just browse the Dedolight category on our site), it is a truly unique system of continuous 'hot' light that is used by thousands of photographers, video shooters and filmmakers all over the world. These days, with cameras shrinking in size (and sometimes price tags), it's more important than ever that lighting be extremely portable with finely controlled output that adapts to every possible shooting situation.

Dedolight LEDZilla soft box accessoryThis year, we helped Dedolight introduce some new accessories for their LEDZilla on-board LED light, designed for small video cameras, as well as the new HMI 1200-watt head. We first showed LEDZilla (technically the DLOBML) at NAB last year; the response was tremendous and the demand has never slowed down.  LEDZilla carries on the tradition of Dedolight design, innovation, and engineering, and is made with the quality that has always gone into every Dedolight.

Dedolight LEDZilla 'lightsaber' accessory

Among the new items will be a miniature soft box, a 'Chinese lantern' head, and what looks like a miniature 'light saber,' all of which will use the same bayonet mount as the current LEDZilla optics. Dedolight believes LEDZilla is a great new "platform" and is expanding the system to support more and more usage scenarios. The new accessories will be available this summer.

Matthews MICROgrip grip head

Getting back to the topic of camera gear getting smaller every year — I want to share some of what I saw at the Matthews Studio Equipment booth. Matthews is a U.S. company whose products are in (it seems) every studio and on every location shoot in the world. If you don't know them, you should. What I saw that got me really excited is their new line of MICROgrip equipment. Matthews MICROgrip assembly It's a series of components designed for table-top shooting and the mounting of small gear in just about any set-up and configuration. Imagine a grip head that fits in the palm of your hand, made with the same precision as its big brother. Like most photographers, I’m always looking for products that, on location or in the studio, will let me put my lighting and still life subjects exactly where I want them. For the same reasons that Dedolight is so great because the lights don’t get in the way of what I’m shooting, small grip gear makes life a whole lot easier for table-top shoots.

Look for further impressions from NAB 2010 on my blog over the next few days!

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LEDZilla: A Game-Changing On-Board LED Light Head

Dedolight LEDZilla on-board LED head

Lightweight, Dimmable, Zoomable, Precise… It's Everything We've Been Waiting For

First annouced at NAB 2009, the Dedolight LEDZilla uses a single, high-power LED to give you amazing output levels in combination with the trademark Dedolight double aspheric optics. Unlike most LED lights, the LEDZilla is focusable from 4° to 56°, with smooth light distribution in all focusing positions.

Click to read the full Dedolight LEDZILLA spec sheet (PDF).

The unit includes a wide angle flip-up diffuser for 70° angle, smoothly covering the widest zoom and widening the beam more horizontally than vertically (1:1.66) — after all, we don't shoot round pictures! The diffuser lets you achieve a clean, sharp, single-edge barn door shadow or a very gentle light and shadow transition.

An adjustable support arm allows it to be positioned above and forward. Color quality is maintained across the entire dimming range, from full blast down to zero. The dichroic flip-down filter converts from daylight to tungsten quickly. A front-end bayonet allows future attachments and light modifiers.

LEDZilla's power requirements are impressive, as well. Despite its amazing brightness, it requires only 8 watts, and can be run from any 6V to 18V DC source. Adapters are available for Anton/Bauer or PAG systems, XLR, Swit battery, or your car's cigarette lighter. The optional battery shoe accessory is compatible with Sony and Panasonic mini-DV batteries, potentially giving you a full day's use from just one or two camcorder batteries.

LEDZilla accessories are listed on page 3 of the spec sheet.

LEDZilla Accessories

Dedolight believes in the LEDZilla design so thoroughly, they have created an ecosystem of high-quality matched accessories around it. Highlights include adapters for all manner of shoe and stud mounts, international and DC power adapters in various lengths, a self-contained AA battery pack, suction and rail mounts, and a soft pouch.

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