“Aputure 600d and Nova P300c Panel Updates”

[rob norton]

Isn't it kind of ironic that they've been trying so hard for years to get LED's up to HMI equivalent output levels and now that they're just about there, HMI's still have the advantage of being quieter, because neither the heads nor ballasts require fans for cooling?

Thanks for the write up. How do you think you'll use the light most? As a key light, backgrounds or both?

Re noise, there are also some pretty whiny HMIs out there but I get your point.

[Run&Gun]

Thanks for the write up. How do you think you'll use the light most? As a key light, backgrounds or both?

Re noise, there are also some pretty whiny HMIs out there but I get your point.

Right now, my intentions are to use it as I would an HMI(primarily live shots/stand-ups outside, interviews in-front of windows, interviews outside), but we'll see. It should be pretty easy to use it to fire through some large diffusion or to bounce or both(a la book light).

Yeah, some HMI's do have some hum/whine, but mine are pretty quite(especially after they get up to speed). ; )

[rob norton]

Right now, my intentions are to use it as I would an HMI(primarily live shots/stand-ups outside, interviews in-front of windows, interviews outside), but we'll see. It should be pretty easy to use it to fire through some large diffusion or to bounce or both(a la book light).

Yeah, some HMI's do have some hum/whine, but mine are pretty quite(especially after they get up to speed). ; )

Sounds good.

I'll be interested in some 3-6 month usage reports, except there's a chance I buy before then anyway. I'm due for a powerful owner/op type key light. Plus they should be great for raising general ambience too.

[David W. Jones]

Well look what the cat dragged in. Just shy of 5 months after placing my order.
Nova P300C kit.

[markfpv]

Well look what the cat dragged in. Just shy of 5 months after placing my order.
Nova P300C kit.

Sweet. Please give us an update after you've been able to put it to work & take it for a spin.

[David W. Jones]

Initial thoughts on the Nova P300C Kit from someone who purchased one and waited nearly 5 months to receive it..... vs the raves from reviewers who were given one to help boost sales.

1: The kit is heavy. At 55 lbs I'm reminded of the magnetic ballast HMI's I used to drag around.
While tossing it into the back of my wife's Subaru Forester I cracked the vehicles impact plastic base near the hatch.

2: While versatile in it's ability to produce variable white and colors, I'm disappointed in the output level being not as bright as I had hoped for.
The P300C looks bright by itself, but you might find yourself spending a fair amount of time flagging off other lights to keep from overpowering it.

3: When running at 100% the fan noise becomes an issue, so be mindful around audio.
For example... flooding the wall behind a standup with the client's logo color.

While I could see myself needing 3 of these lights to do many of the shots I do, the reality is there is no way I'm going to purchase 2 more when I can accomplish the same thing for a lot less money.

Best!

Dave

[Eric Coughlin]

1: The kit is heavy. At 55 lbs I'm reminded of the magnetic ballast HMI's I used to drag around.
While tossing it into the back of my wife's Subaru Forester I cracked the vehicles impact plastic base near the hatch.

I don't understand the appeal of hard cases. That case weighs 25 lbs on its own so even if the light weighed an ounce you'd still be lugging around a heavy case. The Porta Brace bag for my Litepanels Gemini weighs 7 lbs and I feel provides as much protection as I'll ever need. I suppose if you need to stack several cases on top of each other in your vehicle hard is the way to go (I use shelves in my van so not really a concern for me), or if you fly with gear (though at 55 lbs you'd be over the 50 lb limit airlines often have before charging extra).

I also hate how hard cases take up two to three times as much space as a soft case does and waste so much space by filling that space with foam. I bought a Dana Dolly not too long ago with the hard case in the kit and immediately regretted it upon seeing the size of the hard case which barely fit in the shelving setup in my van. So, I returned it and bought the Dana Dolly on its own and am now looking for a soft case for it. I've found a couple good options so far from light-panel bags which have interior dimensions that look perfectly suited for the Dana Dolly's size, and are actually probably around a third the size of the Dana dolly hard case. It's always nice when a piece of equipment is small enough that you don't have to debate whether or not to pack it as you can just leave it in your vehicle all the time.

[Run&Gun]

On an absolute level, a hard case is usually going to offer more protection. And most of the time they are going to make it easier to stack. Lord only knows how many thousands of dollars I have spent with Porta Brace in my career. I’ve gone back and forth with soft sided and hard shipping cases and currently have a mix of soft sided, hard sided and rigid soft cases. I have my two Gemini 2x1’s in Porta Brace bags and dislike the PB’s in this instance. I actually find it’s harder to load and unload them, because of the lack of rigidity of the PB bag/cases. Plus there is next to no padding. I baby my gear, but accidents can still happen. The brackets that hold the power supplies onto the Astra’s get knocked off on a fairly regular basis and I have all of my Astra’s in PB bags.

Now my two 1x1 Gemini’s I have in a Tenba rigid soft case and I really like it. It’s much easier to manage and move as it moves as a uniform object (kinda like picking up a 25lb weight vs. picking up a 25lb sand or shot bag). Most of my hard sided(pelican) cases are devoid of foam and I would pack them to the gills with lights and gear. In the tungsten days, I had one 1650 that contained an Arri 650, 300, 2x 150’s and a full sized Source 4 pattern projector. Plus gel roll, black wrap, c-47’s, spare lamps, dimmers and patterns/accessories for the Source 4.

At one point, I was also contemplating switching to milk crates for a lot of stuff. Even bought a bunch of them, but they are still sitting in storage. They just didn’t offer a lot of protection and you would lose parts/knobs/screws, etc. that would vibrate out of the fixtures during transport while being completely un padded. The only think I transport in milk crates now are A/C cables(extension cords).

The Aputure case that my 600d came in is nice(rigid sided soft with wheels and collapsible handle), but it’s going to be uselessas soon as I receive the F10 Fresnel and barndoors, because there is no space for them in it. Unless I dismantle/re-work the inside. It may be possible. I’ll just have to wait until I receive the rest of the stuff to see.

[ozmorphasis]

On an absolute level, a hard case is usually going to offer more protection. And most of the time they are going to make it easier to stack. Lord only knows how many thousands of dollars I have spent with Porta Brace in my career. I’ve gone back and forth with soft sided and hard shipping cases and currently have a mix of soft sided, hard sided and rigid soft cases. I have my two Gemini 2x1’s in Porta Brace bags and dislike the PB’s in this instance. I actually find it’s harder to load and unload them, because of the lack of rigidity of the PB bag/cases. Plus there is next to no padding. I baby my gear, but accidents can still happen. The brackets that hold the power supplies onto the Astra’s get knocked off on a fairly regular basis and I have all of my Astra’s in PB bags.

Now my two 1x1 Gemini’s I have in a Tenba rigid soft case and I really like it. It’s much easier to manage and move as it moves as a uniform object (kinda like picking up a 25lb weight vs. picking up a 25lb sand or shot bag). Most of my hard sided(pelican) cases are devoid of foam and I would pack them to the gills with lights and gear. In the tungsten days, I had one 1650 that contained an Arri 650, 300, 2x 150’s and a full sized Source 4 pattern projector. Plus gel roll, black wrap, c-47’s, spare lamps, dimmers and patterns/accessories for the Source 4.

At one point, I was also contemplating switching to milk crates for a lot of stuff. Even bought a bunch of them, but they are still sitting in storage. They just didn’t offer a lot of protection and you would lose parts/knobs/screws, etc. that would vibrate out of the fixtures during transport while being completely un padded. The only think I transport in milk crates now are A/C cables(extension cords).

The Aputure case that my 600d came in is nice(rigid sided soft with wheels and collapsible handle), but it’s going to be uselessas soon as I receive the F10 Fresnel and barndoors, because there is no space for them in it. Unless I dismantle/re-work the inside. It may be possible. I’ll just have to wait until I receive the rest of the stuff to see.

Agree about the rigid soft case. I need to be able to Tetris cases into a variety of scenarios/spaces. The Aputure cases still have permanently attached handles and such that can catch and make it a drag to slot/stack/etc, but it's still way better than the Porta Brace types that I've used.

A truly hard case is mainly attractive for rentals. If it's going out to who-knows-who and their assistants, then a hard case is good peace of mind. I don't run the kind of large transport vehicles where hard cases make any sense for my work.

...and then there is the durabillity of the fixtures themselves. You mentioned old Arri tungsten fixtures. Those things can clank against each other all day and basically just take an aesthetic beating through scuffs. I definitely would not want the more modern bells-and-whistles type LED fixtures to have any contact with anything other than a soft foam/padding type surface. In that regard, those Tenba cases you mentioned are really great IMO. Great quality and do cost a penny for it, but they hold their shape and do a great job protecting.

[ozmorphasis]

Initial thoughts on the Nova P300C Kit from someone who purchased one and waited nearly 5 months to receive it..... vs the raves from reviewers who were given one to help boost sales.

1: The kit is heavy. At 55 lbs I'm reminded of the magnetic ballast HMI's I used to drag around.
While tossing it into the back of my wife's Subaru Forester I cracked the vehicles impact plastic base near the hatch.

2: While versatile in it's ability to produce variable white and colors, I'm disappointed in the output level being not as bright as I had hoped for.
The P300C looks bright by itself, but you might find yourself spending a fair amount of time flagging off other lights to keep from overpowering it.

3: When running at 100% the fan noise becomes an issue, so be mindful around audio.
For example... flooding the wall behind a standup with the client's logo color.

While I could see myself needing 3 of these lights to do many of the shots I do, the reality is there is no way I'm going to purchase 2 more when I can accomplish the same thing for a lot less money.

Best!

Dave

Thanks for the quick review. I too can in no way justify the cost, size, and weight of these for the frequency and need in terms of splashes of color.

I'm really looking forward to the RGB trend to recalibrate so that other priorities can take the lead when creating new fixtures. I'd like lots of power, bicolor, WITH very fine green/magenta control for matching to the ambient (not just other lights, but also how light is bouncing around the colored surfaces). No one seems to be working on that particular combo of attributes in a fixture.