Came/Came-TV HMIs

QuickHitRecord

QuickHitRecord

Veteran
I know that there have been no shortage of discussions about the cheap HMIs from China on these boards and I had all but written them off. But then I came across this recent-ish thread over on RedUser: http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?99829-CAME-HMI-Lighting-review

Surprisingly, I thought that the consensus on these was fairly positive. I looked around a bit more (including from the eBay seller mentioned in the post) and found this: http://www.came-tv.com/hmi-fresnel-light-1200w-electronic-ballastdimmable-free-case-p-244.html

There is also a 575w HMI for slightly less. Came (terrible company name) are claiming that it is an improved model, and they'll even ship it with a genuine Osram bulb for $136 extra. I am familiar with the company as they sell gimbal stabilizers and other pieces of kit, so there's the prospect that they will stand behind their products and offer customer service, unlike a lot of faceless eBay sellers.

The ability to have something on-hand that can generate this amount of light is tempting to many, including myself. I'm not sure I'd bring one of these on a paid gig, but it seems like it might be a boon for indie projects. Have we finally reached the point where these are a good deal?
 
Following up, I got a very prompt reply when I sent them an email with questions:

ME: The description says that this is an updated model. When was it updated? What was improved? I have read reviews of a 2013 model. Is it the same one?
CAME: as for the 2013 model, we could not know which one you mnetioned, because we have begun sold this light from 2013, but we also sold another one, that quality is not so good, so we gave us to sell that one.

ME: Is the CAME-TV HMI better than the other 1200w HMI lights from China on eBay, and if yes, what is better about it?
CAME: comparing other model,CAME brand model more compact and have upgraded from both of head and ballast.

ME: Do you have any video footage of this light in use? I would like to see if it flickers at 24 frames per second (or 60 frames per second). Also, I am curious to hear how loud the ballast fan noise is.
CAME: sorry for that we do not have the video footage and the glass does not have the UV protective.

ME: The one video review that I could find showed that the cable has a European plug at the end. Is it possible to order the light with a grounded USA-style plug?
CAME: we will send the light , the plug according to the shipping adress.

ME: Does the glass in front of the light bulb have any UV protective qualities, or does this light need to be used with a sheet of UV-blocking gel?
CAME: besides, as description: the OSRAM bulb do not have noise in the head, and could hot re-strick, if you want OSRAM bulb instead, it need add extra USD136 for OSRAM bulb .

ME: And finally, I see the same light is offered by an eBay seller called "Photolight". If I am in the USA, would the package arrive with me more quickly if I order from you, or from this eBay seller?
CAME: we would like you can place the order directly from our website, because we can reply you more quickly and provide the service more quickly .
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I have been in contact with the original manufacture of these clones, with specific questions about their M18 Baby Max clone. But after trading emails back and forth I decided against purchasing. One of the big sticking points was their inability to provide an Edison or Bates plug with proper grounding. Their solution was to include some form of adapter, as their product is not approved for use in the US.
 
David W. Jones said:
One of the big sticking points was their inability to provide an Edison or Bates plug with proper grounding. Their solution was to include some form of adapter, as their product is not approved for use in the US.
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Well, that is a MAJOR issue. What I gathered from their response to my email was that their HMIs would ship to the US with an Edison plug, but I think I'd have to see a photo of it before plunking down cash.

Are all of these knock-offs coming from the same company? How recent was your email conversation with them?
 
Also, if you read carefully, note that the front glass has NO UV PROTECTION!!! I wouldn't touch this with a ten foot pole - unless you want to give yourself and others skin cancer. These units put out enough UV radiation to cause cancer, which is why a strong UV glass is mandatory. Honestly, even if they said "yes, it has UV protection", do you trust some Chinese company somewhere to reliably put in a fully functional UV protective glass? They make mistakes and out of spec stuff all the time. That's fine if it's something that doesn't affect one too much, but if it's to do with the electrical system where it can cause a fire, or UV radiation that you can't see but gives you cancer, sorry, I'm not going for it. But if you want to take a risk, go ahead.
 
I asked about UV protection on the M18 clone, and they said it had a single lens, as opposed to the double lens on the ARRI.

Came TV, Steven Studio, and the like, all come from the same factory in China.
 
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