Alzo 300 LED light

QuickHitRecord said:
What softboxes are you guys using for these lights? My main concern is finding one that is a good match for the beam angle.
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I'm using an impact 36" octobox. I broke the glass gone so I have to put a layer of diffusion or create a baffle to double soften the light and fill the box . Anything too shallow and I'd imagine it would be a huge hotspot.

If it wasn't for the sound of the fan an lower CRI85 I would love to use these for interviews in tight spaces instead of diffusion panels. The new low noise higher CRI94 version II of the light looks good but I can't find any experience with it to see how optimistic the speks were. Having the first version of the Alzo3200 which made no mention of the fan noise I am skeptical of Alzo promises. I have an Aputure LS1 and am thinking of buying the bi colour one or 1/2 one to add to my kit and retire my flo lights but I have to use diffusion as no good softbox w grid options are available for LS1 panels with barndoors and a non standard shape. I just can't turn away from the allure of the cheap photo modifiers a bowens mount LED flood could offer.
 
Thanks. I still have the glass dome. I wonder what it does to the beam pattern of the light. Maybe I'll just pick up a 36" or bigger octobox and find out. Or maybe I can try it with an even bigger modifier.

I also have two LS1s and I think that they compliment the Alzos nicely. Anytime I need the punch from the Alzo, it's going to be pretty far away from the subject. The LS1s are silent and throw enough light for a diffused key. You just need a separate stand.

I word of warning about the 3200s. I had no issues with them at all until a recent shoot, when within a few hours they BOTH flickered and died after being on for two or three hours, and I was unable to turn them on again. The fuses were intact. I contacted Alzo and apparently it's a known problem with the first batch of the 3200s. I shipped them back and they made the repair, resetting my warranty period and assuring me that the problem was fixed and that it would not happen again. I've run them both for four hours since without issue, but my trust in these lights has been shaken.
 
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WOW, the same thing happened to my 3200's…..and yes according to Alzo, it's a known issue. I've gotten them back from Alzo repair and will test on an upcoming shoot in one week's time. I really hope that the issues are corrected, because i like these lights.
 
Got an email this morning that Alzo is having a holiday sale of 17% off with code seventeen if anyone is looking to grab one of these
 
homestar_kevin said:
Got an email this morning that Alzo is having a holiday sale of 17% off with code seventeen if anyone is looking to grab one of these
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Sadly, you have to be careful - sometimes a retailer hikes up the price before the alleged "discount", so you end up paying the regular price if not more. Example: the Easy Frame Diffuser Reflector (which I own) used to always be $79 - now I see it is $98.75, or a 25% raise in price... and it is still exactly the same product. I don't own the lights, so I don't have a clear memory how much they were before compared to now, but tricks like this make one wonder. Caveat Emptor, indeed.
 
theillestmc12 said:
Gread idea. Would it cause a fire though? What kind of tape did you use?
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Just a little gaff tape. I cut out a piece slightly larger than the LED so that they would not touch and taped the corners. No fires so far.

Here's a little before and after (also posted earlier in this thread):

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MinusGreen_zps5ae4e681.jpg
 
Anyone tried out the updated 3000 or 3200 yet? Alzo's claiming high CRI (93+). The originals needed a minus green to look ok, and I'm hoping to avoid that. I could honesty care less about 'quoted' CRI as long as they mixed well enough with daylight without any gels.

http://www.alzovideo.com/selection-alzo-3000-series-led-lights.htm

Looking to supplement a 575w hmi and some kinoflos and the updated 3000 looks perfect as long as the color is solid.
 
My experiences with the Alzo 3000 led lights:

Really strong! I asked several of my friends to come over and see the new toys. Opinions were 100% positive! No one could hear any fan noise and they all agreed that the build quality was outstanding. One of my buds went home and came back with his calibrated color meter (he worships his meter). The daylight temp was VERY close with only a touch of green which I found to be easily corrected with a white balance and also in post. I had shoot some video tests around the studio and outdoors and edited two clips in Edius with no color correction. My friends were surprised when I told them that the color was native to the lights. I demonstrated how I could use my existing unbrellas and softboxes. That impressed them! BTW, I use a pro quality Sony production monitor for color grading
Now the large negative: No battery connections! Pain in the butt but I have a solution. I have an old 12V dc to 120V ac power converter that I used when small inexpensive monitors were ac only unless you bought one of the very expensive pro monitors. I plugged it into one of my photo batteries (cheap gel cells) and then plugged the Alzo into the converter output. Perfect! The guys at Alzo need to offer a power package. Several companies already offer a power package but they are pricey. Assemble your own.
Another plus: I now use the Alzo lights in my photography studio instead of CFL lights and strobes (for sale).
 
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Thanks for that report on the Alzo 3000. You say the color on those is very good - in that view, I wonder which Alzo 3000 lights you are talking about. There are two that I can see: the Alzo 3000 High Intensity LED Video Light that has a CRI listing of 86 daylight temp 5300K (+/- 200K) and the Alzo 3000 High CRI and High Intensity Video Light with a CRI of 93 daylight temp 5500 (+/- 200K). If you say the color is very good, I assume you are talking about the High CRI one? It is also slightly bluer (5500K vs 5300K), although within margin of error of +/- 200K.

In addition in the description of the High CRI light they say this:

"This low power consumption allows powering from an inverter or UPS for remote locations."

Which they don't say for the other Alzo 3000, although they specify exactly the same power requirements, which I assume means if the above applies to one, it should apply to the other just as well, so I don't know why they'd mention it in one description and not the other.

Anyhow, yes, you are 100% right, a battery solution is a must - I would hope Alzo picks up on that.

Now, what we should do is a shootout between the Aputure COB 120t (daylight version) and the Alzo 3200 Low Noise High CRI (Alzo 3200 LNHC - 16000 Lux at 1m, 94 CRI).
 
Hi "OldCorpse", obviously your brain still functions (Zombie?). Not always so in my case ("Braindead@70"). I did not realize that the Alzo lights have an option of CRIs. I am going to assume that mine are 86 CRI. In either case, the higher CRI can't hurt the performance and the price difference is nominal. I made a battery system for a friend who had just bought two LED panels with a high CRI. Playing with her lights in the studio, I honestly could see no difference! At that time, I did not know what CRI I had.

I contacted Alzo before I tried the battery thing and they said no problem.That was a while ago. BTW, they are great communicators.

It would be interesting to see a shootout between a moderate CRI and a high CRI. I use mine mostly on people but I would upgrade if it made a big difference in image quality.
 
Well, my nick OldCorpse comes from being pronounced dead at the scene of an accident (I was on a motorcycle). I survived, somehow. Then I got hit by cancer. I survived. Then other health challenges. Bad things are hard to kill and here I am, so since I should have by rights been dead, I call myself OldCorpse. But, fwiw, I am also horribly old (according to my, surely mistaken, calendar) - although, as so often, I feel "young brain trapped in old body", which I suppose merely means I'm deluded (to think, arrogantly and cluelessly, that my brain is young)... I pass a mirror and ask "who is that old guy??", which tells you that my memory must not be very good, since I can never remember how old I am. Old and deluded. On the plus side: still vertical, and ambulatory. On the minus side: out of touch - have not caught a single Pokemon. As to being braindead at 70, I feel bad for you kids - our culture has convinced you that a mere 70 is old and braindead! Amazing. Have you taken a look at photographs of ordinary people from the turn of the 20th century and in the 20's and 30's? Already in their 30's and 40's they were old, and by 50 they were positively ancient. But note how lifespans are expanding and today 70 is the new 40 - seriously. Even athletes (see f.ex.: tennis) are maturing more slowly and hitting their peaks later. To see a kid of mere 70 complain about braindead is very sad.

Back to lights. I have almost pulled the trigger on the Alzos a couple of years ago. What stopped me is that the LED space is evolving so fast. That said, I find battery power critical - to me that's a deal maker/breaker. If Alzo comes up with a good solution so I can get a few hours of hassle free battery power, I'm buying these lights (after seeing what Apurture comes up with).
 
Before you and I start a puke fest about our age and health, we must get back to the lights. The whippersnappers have probably moved on by now.

I can show you how to make a power supply with off the shelf UL approved materials. I have come to prefer my system over the "add to the back" batteries. My power supply is in an old gadget bag that I hang to the lowest section of my light stands with a carabiner. It helps to stabilize the stand. Mounting a heavy battery such as a Sony V mount directly to the back of a light is a little unwieldy.
 
Can you sketch out briefly what your solution is - that would be great! Have you tested it out so you have some rough idea of how long you can power something like the Alzos with a 100-150W draw?
 
I am up to my butt in alligators right now but I will try to make a sketch in Photoshop and post it later.

Keep breathing,
JoJo
 
OldCorpse said:
Well, my nick OldCorpse comes from being pronounced dead at the scene of an accident (I was on a motorcycle). I survived, somehow. Then I got hit by cancer. I survived. Then other health challenges. Bad things are hard to kill and here I am, so since I should have by rights been dead, I call myself OldCorpse. But, fwiw, I am also horribly old (according to my, surely mistaken, calendar) - although, as so often, I feel "young brain trapped in old body", which I suppose merely means I'm deluded (to think, arrogantly and cluelessly, that my brain is young)... I pass a mirror and ask "who is that old guy??", which tells you that my memory must not be very good, since I can never remember how old I am. Old and deluded. On the plus side: still vertical, and ambulatory. On the minus side: out of touch - have not caught a single Pokemon. As to being braindead at 70, I feel bad for you kids - our culture has convinced you that a mere 70 is old and braindead! Amazing. Have you taken a look at photographs of ordinary people from the turn of the 20th century and in the 20's and 30's? Already in their 30's and 40's they were old, and by 50 they were positively ancient. But note how lifespans are expanding and today 70 is the new 40 - seriously. Even athletes (see f.ex.: tennis) are maturing more slowly and hitting their peaks later. To see a kid of mere 70 complain about braindead is very sad.

Back to lights. I have almost pulled the trigger on the Alzos a couple of years ago. What stopped me is that the LED space is evolving so fast. That said, I find battery power critical - to me that's a deal maker/breaker. If Alzo comes up with a good solution so I can get a few hours of hassle free battery power, I'm buying these lights (after seeing what Apurture comes up with).
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A really easy battery solution would be to buy a portable car battery jump starter with the built in A/C outlets. It is a cheap, easy solution and is very portable. Battery life will depend on the Amp size of the unit. I have used lights on them before and they work great. I do not have the Alzo so I can not comment on the battery life on it.
 
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