Anyone have experience with the Came-TV Boltzen LED "Fresnels"?

T

Technotron

New member
I'm looking at a kit of 2 150W units, so the biggest ones they have, and was just wondering if anyone has any opinion, or has heard of things to look out for.

Cheers!
 
I apologize if this response is too late, not here much. I have 2 of the 100W units with the fan, I really like them, much easier to work with than the Aputure 120D, not as bright but ok. The build quality is both good and bad, seems like a solid body but cheap knobs. The fans have never bothered me like the Alzo. I am always mixing my lights with window light, even with our winter light I find the need to gel them with a 1/4 to 3/4 CTO, obviously a warmer light mixes more naturally in a scene than the blue light they produce.

The cord from the unit is short so it hangs halfway on a lightstand therefore I needed to make pouches for the AC Power Adapter so not to overly bend the connection. On the 100W I have not had any trouble using a 14.8V battery. I like the Fresnel unit, not comparable to an ARRI, but works for creating tight pools of light not as nice and focused as a Dado. So much better than the Aputure in that it's connected with barn doors, easier to pack and use on location.

I really like them better than the Aputure or Alzo. The Alzo has a noisy fan and I've never been able to color correct via gels very well to mix with other light sources. The Aputure for being an expensive well made light is such a PIA to use.

Hope this helps as I understand rather late to your posting
 
I took delivery of a 60W fan-less version a few days ago, I haven't used it on a shoot yet. That said, I'm pretty stoked on what I'm seeing so far. Robust body, great instrumentation for color temperature and dimming. Mine came with a 4 pin to D-tap cable which makes battery use easy-peasy. FWIW, my intended use for this unit will be as a hair light, background light and down and dirty stand-up interviews. One of the selling points for me is the compactness and lack of setup hassle that this unit entails. I have an Aputure LS1 and LS 1/2, and the power converter and battery/controller/cable components of the Aputure's is a bummer for portable use and quick setup. Great lights otherwise, but I now limit their usage to sit down interviews and similar situations.

A caveat, a con... Contrary to Caleb Pikes assertion that output does not decrease when switching from 5200k to 3200k- the output decreases by at least a stop (if memory serves). Maybe this is particular to the 60W unit and not the others, I dunno.

Time will tell, but so far the Boltzen fills a significant hole in my lighting inventory. I suspect it won't be the last one I purchase.
 
I had a 55w Fresnel Boltzen. I also had it paired with an Apurture LS1. It worked well for a few months but then it's power supply quit on me mid-shoot in India. I had an electrician try to give it a kiss of life but it wouldn't come back. I buried it in a grave marked 'bin'. Buy cheap, buy twice. I never learn.
 
Liam Hall said:
I had a 55w Fresnel Boltzen. I also had it paired with an Apurture LS1. It worked well for a few months but then it's power supply quit on me mid-shoot in India. I had an electrician try to give it a kiss of life but it wouldn't come back. I buried it in a grave marked 'bin'. Buy cheap, buy twice. I never learn.
Click to expand...

Which one quit, the boltzen or the LS1?
 
The brightness dial on my 55w Bolton has developed a fault so CAME are sending me a new potentiometer and sent me filmed instructions showing how to open the Bolton and fit the pot. It's connected to the PCB using a small plug, so there's only a minimal amount of soldering involved to get the PCB out in the first place. Hopefully it'll get sorted.
 
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