Cineo vs Area 48 vs any others?

P

paulcurtis

Veteran
I've pretty much decided to shift some kino's and get one of these remote phosphor lights instead. Smaller, more versatile etc,.

Is it really a case between TruColor LS and Area48 or are there other RP lights on the market, i saw a post from Mitch on here a while back alluding to more coming but i've not been able to find any.

Finally i'm unsure whether the TruColor LS can be battery powered, i've found both yes and no answers and am waiting for an official confirmation from cineo but thought i'd ask the collective knowledge here.

Has anyone been in the same decision making boat between these two? What did they go for and are they happy?

cheers
Paul
 
Cineo LS can be battery powered, but not on the unit (a battery on the ground). Not the most convenient, but it can be done.

Cineo is also built like a tank, which is nice but does add some weight. More colors of phsphor panels available than Area 48.

There are also the MOLE LED flat panel lights (not the fresnels), which are also remote phosphor technology and quite nice.

I've seen a number of prototype RP fixtures and was surprised fewer made it into production last NAB. Don't know what we'll see this year.
 
I went over this over and again recently, and decided on the Area 48 in the end. The Area 48 sits slam-bang in the middle of Cineo's HS and LS fixtures in terms of light output, and since I couldn't quite afford the Cineo HS - the Area 48 seemed a better bet for getting as many photons as possible. It also seems sit roughly in the middle of the Cineo units in terms of the size of the phosphor panel (and therefore the size of the light source).

The Area 48 also has the onboard battery plate - and that thing is a godsend. Cineo really need to build that feature into their units as soon as possible because it really does make a big operational difference to the lights.

In terms of light quality both seem excellent. Cineo's TLCI data puts its colour rendering on par with HMIs and superior to fluorescents, and the fact that you have zero colour shift when dimming gives it an advantage over almost every other light source out there in one way. I've requested TLCI data from BBS, but haven't heard anything back yet - by eye though, I find the colour from mine to be clearly superior to the kinos I'm used to using.

The Area 48 has permanently fixed barndoors, and whilst certainly useful they can be quite frustrating at times when you need them out of the way - having detachable ones would simplify using it in tight spaces. I prefer the cleaner setup of the Cineos on that point.

On the whole, I am absolutely thrilled with mine. I'll be adding a second (and possibly even a third) to my kit in the very near future. It's one of the most versatile lights I've ever used, and there's barely a scene I've lit since I've got it that I haven't used it on. I know I'm gushing like a school girl here, but the combination of portability and light quality that remote phosphor fixtures offer goes beyond anything that's ever existed before - because even without any additional diffusion you get a beautiful, soft, wrapping light with great colour rendering, and you can have it all without having to plug the fixture into a wall or a generator.

Remote phosphor makes for a terrific addition to any lighting kit. I recommend the technology to anyone and everyone who'll listen to me.
 
Great feedback. I'm aware there's more coming down the pipe but i'm looking at something now, not a few months time. I can totally see it fitting in to the way i work and the gushing is just reassuring me that it's the right avenue. I think Mitch first made me aware of these in a different thread, so a heads up and thanks for that too.

It does seem the achilleas heel for me anyway is the lack of battery support on the LS. I believe i can use an inverter into their PSU unit but i'm not aware of a simple v-lock based inverter and even if i could find one then you still need the cineo PSU. Plus i don't know how long i'd get out of one.

Is anyone aware of a v-lock based inverter?

So that really does leave the Area48 although i do prefer the design of the LS but at the end of the day battery powered light is a godsend at times, especially if it's not awful LED panel lighting. I figure this can replace some LED panels and kinos with a more flexible and portable option.

It also seems there are some more integrated accessories for the Area in terms of soft box and grid.

On the other hand there doesn't appear to be that much involved in making these so i do wonder how long for the march of the inevitable clones arrive. They're not a minor investment. Mind you i've been expecting cheap HMI for years and still they don't exist.

cheers
Paul
 
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