Coollights LED

Thanks Leo. By the way on the tungsten version. I would also think about ordering those early because we won't be stocking many of those at all based on our experience with our other tungsten color choices in the fluorescent tubes--seems most want daylight these days.
 
Can we get final measurements on the unit sans padded case? One of the things I do like about the Flolights 500 LED is I can carry it on a plane in a backpack for run and gun. Wondering if this was close to the same size?

Thanks again, Richard. This is truly awesome.
 
Will the transformer suit 240v? What is the difference among these batterie-mounts? Which is easier to use?

Count me in for 2.
 
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Cheno,

Final measurements on the unit itself are 9 5/8" x 9 5/8" x 2 3/8" thick. Its close to the size of the 500 panel. The stand adapter protrudes down another 4 inches or so on the bottom so you can consider the height dimension to be around 13" total with the stand adapter. I didn't actually weigh it yet, but estimating that it weighs about 4 or 5 pounds in the carrying case with power supply and all. The carrying case is definitely carry-on class with fixture in it. About 12" wide x 14" tall x 5 1/2" thick.

Muroshi,

That's very easy to do these days with a power supply, it would be a crime not to. Yes it will do anything from 100v to 240v 50 to 60 hz. The actual power cord on the external power supply is even on an IEC adapter so you can change it to your local plug if you can't use the American one that comes with it.

Huy Vu,

Light output is roughly like a 600w fresnel about midway between spot and flood beam. Much more throw than a flo. Not totally a hard light, nor totally a soft light. Something in between.

Hope this helps.
 
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Hi Richard
Any chance you take a pic of the light it cast in an actual subject : )
That might help a lot! to convince people about getting more than one
Oh, and I don't remember if I read about how much eletricity it drains.
 
Okay I'll try to post a picture of a lit subject soon.

The wattage draw is just under 50w. I'm getting a 150WH AB battery to test it with soon so will double check the amount of time you can run on such a battery but should be about 3 hours. I have some VMount batteries that go with my camera but unfortunately I don't have them here at the moment where I'm at to use to test.
 
In the production version does the power still come in on the back through a 4-pin xlr connector as was mentioned awhile back?
 
Richard you should offer a frame so that you could combine multiple lights into a single giant light.

like a 2x2 that would use four of your led light panels or a 4x4 frame that would use 16 panels.
 
benniles said:
Richard you should offer a frame so that you could combine multiple lights into a single giant light.

like a 2x2 that would use four of your led light panels or a 4x4 frame that would use 16 panels.
Click to expand...


That would be pretty cool.
 
topcat said:
In the production version does the power still come in on the back through a 4-pin xlr connector as was mentioned awhile back?
Click to expand...

Absolutely. I don't see a better way to do it. That's such a standard for batteries and such I think it makes the most sense.
 
benniles said:
Richard you should offer a frame so that you could combine multiple lights into a single giant light.

like a 2x2 that would use four of your led light panels or a 4x4 frame that would use 16 panels.
Click to expand...

Yes that would be cool. I think that's a natural thing to want to do with LED panels and a lot of people are looking for a system like this. I don't know if we'll do it with this panel for sure but I do have an idea along those lines though which no one else has really done in quite this way yet.
 
Cool Lights said:
I do have an idea along those lines though which no one else has really done in quite this way yet.
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Something along those lines maybe ;)...

5456.jpg


I've always wondered about DIY fluo of that style but LEDs with expandable area are ideal for this type of application. Stackable design could make more sense tough as this type of solution has too many moving parts to go wrong on set etc.

Cheers,
T
 
One DVXUser sent me a bunch of questions and have quite a few from other inquiries as well. So, I started an FAQ and will add to it as more come in or more information is available.



1) What is the quality and output of the LED lights? Is it as good as or better than the Lowel gear I currently use?

Photometrics to be posted soon. As for questions about comparisons to specific lighting gear I don’t have enough data to be able to tell at this time. In general I would compare it to a 600w Fresnel somewhere in between narrow and wide beam but probably closer to the wide beam setting. When we get the photometric data, that will confirm it.



2) For interviews and small location use, would I be better off with fluorescent lights? Or are your new LEDs capable of excelling in that context? (I'm a bit reluctant to go with fluorescents because of bulb fragility).

LEDs and fluorescents both have their place for sure. Some think that LEDs will replace fluorescent, HMI and tungsten but in my opinion that is a long ways off—if for no other reason than from a cost standpoint.

I view LEDs as usable in specific instances where light can be well controlled and also where power availability is at a premium. For instance, such a panel would be great for filming subjects in a car at night. Or how about a walking interview down a busy sidewalk at night. Other uses would be the person taking video in a cave or out in the wilds of Africa at night filming animals. Notice I said “night” or “cave” in all those instances. Such a light would be quickly overpowered by real daylight and even fluorescent softlights with their inherent falloff have difficulties. We have people tell us all the time they are able to use fluorescents such as a 4x55w or a 6x55w in a room where daylight is streaming in but I also know there are such situations where it doesn’t work too—particularly if you were actually outside during the day on all but the most overcast of days. That’s what the CDM 150 and all such fixtures in HMI class are for—competing with daylight with their superior throw and projection ability. Every tool has its place in the kit and the proper place to use it. None of them are good everywhere.


3) How many hours are your LEDs rated?

The rating is 50,000 hours. The warranty period is 1 year.


4) Do your LED lights suffer from a green tint like the Flolight LEDs? If so, what workarounds do you suggest?

No, they were chosen based on their CRI which is in the 80 to 85 range. Anytime you see a green bias like that its simply a CRI issue. Daylight white LEDs are some of the hardest to get in a good CRI. Go to 8000K or 3200K and it’s less trouble to get a superior CRI. Daylight 5600K 5mm LEDs though, because of the way “white” is implemented with 5mm LEDs are particularly tough to get right without going to a super expensive solution or a 1W to 5W type LED configuration. We do have planned a multi-1W LED panel solution and I think that will have its own uses and market as well.


5). What is the beam angle of the LEDs?

60 degrees. We experimented with the 15 to 30 degree range but found the CRI to be terrible for real daylight LEDs so we dropped back to the first suitable range where CRI came back to being usable. A 15 to 30 degree 5mm LED would be great for a small on camera light but you’d need to go to 8000K to get a really good CRI. What you get in return is about the best lumen output you can get from 5mm LEDs and great throw but a relatively small beam. We even tried some 45 degree LEDs but they still had the CRI issues. Otherwise, the 60 degree 5mm LEDs are about where I consider them to become useful. That is, until someone makes a better quality 5mm narrow beam angle LED in a price range that’s makes them useful.


6) Will your LED lights mix well with daylight and other light sources? For example, if I gel my Lowel lights to daylight? Or if I use LED lights from other companies, such as an on-camera light for an eye-light or front fill?

So far in my tests, I think these LEDs do mix well with daylight or some other fluorescents or HMI we have tried. I don’t have the facility to test against other products like the Lowels. As I said earlier though, I think these things excel in use by themselves in particular instances where nothing else would work. I think flos are particularly still a great choice for mixing with tungsten or HMI when you’re doing work in normal settings.


7) Will you be including gels for 3200K, color wash FX, and diffusion?

Not at this time. Otherwise it's best to just get the tungsten version if thats what you need. The reason being you'll lose less light than with gelling. I think the best accessory in that area would be a full CTO filter plastic panel that can slide into the accessory frame. Someone also mentioned that the plastic “fresnel” type panels used on overhead projectors work very well for focusing the beam of an LED type fixture and are available in wide and narrow so a couple of those panels would make a great future accessory as we can find them and make them available.


8) How do gels attach?

Gels could attach to the barndoors with clips as many do today. No gel frame at this time. We do have an accessory slide in where the barndoors go. This is just a channel with adequate room for various kinds of modifier panels can go if you take out the barndoors.


9) What does "slideout barn door" mean? How does that work?

As mentioned in the previous example, the barndoors simply slide into the accessory channel and lock into place with a spring loaded lock similar to the way barndoors lock into a Fresnel accessory holder. Having something else in there at the same time is not possible though and you would need to slide the barndoors out to be able to use some kind of light diffusion or modification panel or filter.


10) Will you include reflective attachments for the barn doors similar to Flolight's LED fixtures?

Yes, we’ll use reflective intensifiers attached with Velcro.


11) What batteries will work with the lights? Voltage range? What do you recommend?

I recommend something in the 150WH range in AB or V mount types which are normally around 14V to 15V or so. I haven’t done the tests yet with various kinds but will be by end of October.


12) Can I hook up batteries or battery belts without requiring the optional adapter plates?

Yes, the power input on the back of the unit from our enclosed power supply is a 4 pin XLR male. Thus, if you have a power accessory with a 4 pin XLR female on a cable, you could attach to that power connector and replace the power supply with whatever it is you have. I recommend using only voltages in the range of 12v to 15V DC though.



13). What is the power consumption?

About 50 watts at 12VDC.


14) Do you sell stands for them? What do you recommend and how much do they cost?

Yes we have stands on the site—5 different models from small to heavy duty C-Stand. Something like our CL-LS3 stand is very small and lightweight and a good pairing with this fixture.


15) Will you offer cases for a kit of two, three or four?

The only case we offer at this time is the free one for just one unit. I have other cases, but they are very large and not meant specifically for this fixture. We’ll see what demand there is for multi-cases and make one available as that becomes more clear.


16) Will you offer an extra discount when purchasing multiple lights?

No other discounts at this time. We are already a manufacturer direct pricing model and heavily discounted.


17) Will the lights actually ship in December, or not until next year?

Hopefully by December if no unforeseen delays come into play.


18) Will there be any way to use remote dimming control or DMX control with these lights?

No DMX capability at this time.



19). How is payment handled?


Credit card or paypal for US customers and bank transfer for other customers outside of the USA.
 
Richard:

How are we looking for having these ready for purchase on December 30th as the website says? I am making plans and would really like to buy one spot and one flood.

Let us know if we will be ready to go then.

Thanks,

Dan
 
puredrifting said:
Richard:

How are we looking for having these ready for purchase on December 30th as the website says? I am making plans and would really like to buy one spot and one flood.

Let us know if we will be ready to go then.

Thanks,

Dan
Click to expand...

Hi Dan!

Thanks for thinking about us. We're going to blow the Dec 30th date for sure. Big surprise. We're often late as are just about any manufacturer you can think of. I'm thinking late January at this point with shipping and everything. It's just impossible to predict since there are so many variables including that the factory doing the work isn't totally dedicated to us and has other customers as well and of course everyone wants their stuff now.

They're finished with our new CDM 70 fixtures, about 3 quarters way through assembly / testing on our fluorescent portables and about to start the LED fixture assembly / testing with all the metal parts almost finished and ready to go. The actual LED panels and other electronic components have been here for a while, waiting to be put in the fixtures. These should go together much quicker than the portable flos did thanks to its very small and simple chassis.

Its been a tough year to get things out with labor shortages, Olympics slowing down China for security's sake for a couple of months, development cycles seem longer than normal, competing schedules between other customers of our contractor factories, etc.

Those of you that deal with getting various parts made for manufacturing can sympathize when I tell you about how it goes: send off a design, get back an early sample, make comments and changes, get back another sample, etc. It really takes a lot of time. Also, I have learned not to hurry the workers during final assembly, but let them go at their pace to keep people from making mistakes. That's why we stay here during all this to keep mistakes from happening and compounding. They gradually build up a good momentum as they streamline the process of each fixture's assembly. Our portable fluorescents are incredibly labor intensive for instance, so that assembly has taken the bulk of their time.

NOTE: All of you in Asia, Australia, Europe, who are getting things sent directly from China to you, will be the first to get the LED panels and flo portables. Those in the USA will have to wait for the slower sea shipping to our US warehouse. In fact, when the boxes and packing are ready next week, the portable flos can start going out as probably can the first LED panels.


LED NEWS. Notable changes in the LED panel based on early feedback after the first introduction some weeks ago.

The LED600 panel will be made in flood and spot versions (3200K spot, 5600K spot and 5600K flood are available for now). I may eventually do a 3200K flood as well if there's enough demand, we'll see how many are interested in limited production we did of the 3200K spot first. Another possible future configuration some should open their minds too would be an 8000K flood and spot version. Don't turn your nose up at it! Those 8000K 5mm leds are not only more efficiently brighter but higher CRI too. And, when you're in those odd situations like the desert at night, and that's your only light, 8000K with its extra lumen output will not be noticeable as long as you custom white balance to it. White will look white and not blue in other words (unless you try to balance at 5600K). We didn't produce an 8000K panel yet (other than for my testing purposes--I like it better than 5600K to tell the truth) because I think you aren't ready to hear this yet, but I'll continue to educate on the subject and see if we can get some interest in that version. 8000K only becomes an issue when you're trying to mix with other lights. If you use these panels where they really make sense, in isolated or controlled situations or where its inconvenient to have power, its not a big deal.

I'm quite proud of the Lux output of the panels (.6m, 1.1m and 2.1m respectively for each fixture):

Cool Lights 5600K spot 7200L 2610L 740L
Cool Lights 5600K flood 6000L 1900L 600L

The 3200K spot will be just a tad bit weaker than the 5600K spot which would be normal since the 3200K LEDs will put out just a bit less light but will be a higher CRI than the daylight versions.

For comparison sake here are the specs of an Arri 650w fresnel:
Arri 650 12 degree spot 7694L 2770L 693L
Arri 650 30 degree med 2542L 915L 229L
Arri 650 52 degree flood 1417L 510L 128L

And a Flolights (Lishuai) 500 LED Panel (50 degree LED):
Lishuai 500 3300L 1400L 360L


Next change is related to power options. Some commented that the input voltage range wasn't big enough so we added a buck/boost (DC DC converter) on the input of all voltage going into the panel either through battery plate or 4 pin XLR. Now, because of this change, the input voltage range is from 10 VDC to 24 VDC. That should give a super wide range of powering options. That's the good news. The bad news was that change will cost an extra $20 so the new intro price for DVXUser is $399 but its worth it to get that capability for only $20 extra and at some point you may be glad you have the ability to power the panel from just about any kind of battery, 3rd party camera or gear power supply or of course our own 12v supply.

In my tests with my RED V mount 140WH battery, I get 2:45. I also have a 160WH AB Mount battery that gets 3 hours even. So the wattage draw will be just a bit above 50w since we put in the buck/boost converter. Again, an OK cost for that added power conditioning.

That's all the news I can think of for now, except that its freezing here at the moment!
 
That light coming out is very exciting.

but I understand you are hitting CRI limitations with 5600K. And I wonder.

If instead of using all 5600K LEDs you would used a checkered grid of 3200 and 8000 leds, you'll get pretty much the same output, the same color temperature, and almost certainly a better CRI.

If you mix 8000 & 3200K 1:1 ratio the mixed light should get about 5050K. A slightly higher percentage of 8000K would get you to the desired 5600. In fact, since 8000K is stronger, you could up the percentage to calibrate at 6500K, which is a good daylight Color temperature as well and you'd have more output.

Wouldn't that work?
 
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