New fixtures: SoftPanels

Alladin's Bi-Flex 2 (1x2') is rated at 100W, & even with the it's soft case weighs a bit under 4 lbs, but the LED panel, frame, & stand adapter, weigh less than a 1 lbs, which facilitates lightweight rigging, & use on ultralight stands such as MERFs. On occasion I've mounted the Flex on MERFs, & used them handheld in a manner similar to pole-mounted China Balls.

Astras are great, & I rent them regularly, but would be too heavy for my flight case, & likely have required transporting a second case with heavier duty stands.
 
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I use Astras with an AB battery on Matthews Merf stands quite often. I may avoid full extension, and pull out a heavier duty stand if I need to go full height, but for many cases they work fine, particularly if I'm traveling without my heavier duty stands.

Can you fold the Aladdin 2 x 1 so it can fit compactly in a carry-on (14" x 22")?



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DLD said:
FWIW, I was justt reading an article on the warehouse farms which depend on the LED's for continuous lighting (no flashes there) and came about this page from the gub'mint. Charts, graphs and predictions galore.

https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=15471
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The interesting thing about the charts on that link is the unprecedented year after year increase in lumens to watts efficiency, which we're right in the middle through the next 3 years. Those increases will first manifest in high-end lights through binning out the cream of the crop and selling those to the better manufacturers as premium diodes. I'll bet there are several bins per run, for any part... meanwhile everyone assumes close tolerance across thousands of diodes.

Just how long your light holds its initial lumens is another issue... LED is sold for its brightness today, not what it will be in three years. LED diodes aren't "cool", the fixtures give that illusion. I have to wonder about the heat management on those flexible panels, and any sealed designs. The back of those flexible panels would seem to insulate, rather than dissipate.
 
heguy said:
http://www.fdtimes.com/2017/02/19/dmg-lumiere-maxi-switch-4-x-2-led/

4'x 2.5' that folds in half for transport .

500 watts , 22 lbs
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I've been wondering for a while why more mainstream manufacturers aren't making units like that. I was looking at the Dracast bi and tri-fold units, but I didn't like having two different controls(dimmers) for 3200 and 5600 and their outputs/photometrics were sub-par. The bi-fold was less than an Astra and I think the tri-fold may have just equaled it.
 
Run&Gun said:
I've been wondering for a while why more mainstream manufacturers aren't making units like that. I was looking at the Dracast bi and tri-fold units, but I didn't like having two different controls(dimmers) for 3200 and 5600 and their outputs/photometrics were sub-par. The bi-fold was less than an Astra and I think the tri-fold may have just equaled it.
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Just saw one of these at the canadian distributor and the build quality is far better then Dracast or Litepanels . It's made in France not China .
 
The DMG Lumière are nice lights with a solid build. I saw them when I was at Lynda.com / Linkedin Learning studios. Very soft pleasing light. Down side is they are expensive and have a heavy ballast.
 
Eric Coughlin said:
Can you fold the Aladdin 2 x 1 so it can fit compactly in a carry-on (14" x 22")?
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I almost always rent G&E at destinations, & supplement it with my kit when appropriate. I've laid the Aladdin 1x2' into a carry-on without their softcases, but they typically live in a large Samsonite roller with other G&E, & the case gets checked.

[EDIT] Forgot to mention Aladdin does not recommend rolling the Flex panels. I've rolled the 1x2' so the long ends touch for use inside a China Ball, but wouldn't roll it along the short side to stuff into a tube for transport.
 
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MattinSTL said:
The interesting thing about the charts on that link is the unprecedented year after year increase in lumens to watts efficiency, which we're right in the middle through the next 3 years...
Click to expand...
It's not just that. It's the CRI improvements too. I was out of the gear loop until four years ago - and hardly in it before that - but I recall back in 2013-14, 500 bead LED panels were going for ~ $500 per piece and now the entry level models (aka Made in Somewhere) are going for $75-$80 on eBay. In fact, four years ago, the star YouTube'rs still made the "how to work with the Home Depot lights" videos because even the fluorescent lighting was out of reach for those on low/no budget.
 
My 1x2 Softpanels finally came in today! One year late!

First impressions.

- Building it is a bit of a pain. It's pretty heavy and a bit unwieldy for a light that size. I have several of the LiteMat 2Ls and they are much easier to manage solo.

- It's bright. But not as bright as a 1x2 should be. I think they should've included 2 battery plates and made it 200w.

- The AutoColor works pretty well! I'm happiest with this feature. All lights should have this, it's pretty great and works fast.
(Actually it doesn't work well. It worked for a few days. Unreliable and pointless as it's not accurate.)

- Skin enhance is cool too. I haven't tested this out on camera yet. I also enjoy being able to go 2700-7200k. Nice range, though I will likely trade all my bi-color lights for RGB in the next year or so. Color looks good. Not sure if I'm going to keep it yet. May use it on a shoot first and see how it looks. Definitely not a light for anyone who travels.

Delivery was a year late and the kickstarter was a complete mess, but at least they kept their promises and delivered the goods.

EDIT: After using it on a few shoots.

The BAD.

The design is an even bigger pain in the *ss than I originally realized. You have to break down the light to fit it inside it's case and rebuild it every time you move it. The light is 16lbs or so, and it is very heavy and battery-hungry. To break down the light, you really need two people. Otherwise you're trying to unscrew the arm with one hand, while holding up the light itself with your other hand. To put the light back inside the case, you have to disassemble EVERYTHING, down to the actual mount you place the c-stand into. You need a special tool for this, so don't lose it! I'd say this is one of the most impractical designs I have ever seen in a light this size.

The GOOD

So far, the built-in Autocolor feature works really well! Though a few times, the light just changed color on it's own. There is no manual or instructions, so I'm not sure why it is doing that. Also, one big miss seems to be that the light has no memory feature built-in. If you turn it off to move it a few feet and then turn it back on, the light starts at 2700k and 0% intensity, no matter how you just had it set up. The color of the light itself looks pretty good so far and it's bright, though it does feel slightly underpowered for a 1x2 unit. Most of the new 1x2s coming out this year are at least 200w.
 
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Travis... I feel like "The GOOD" and "The BAD" are actually both bad. The light changed color on it's own, a few times? So lets say you're interviewing somebody and they're just telling the most gripping part of their story... the tears are starting to flow and suddenly the light changes from tungsten to daylight?

I messaged with Mitch about a refund... instead of delivery... but everyone on the thread over at Kickstarter who asked for a refund in 2017 was ignored (about the refund). I have a shipment on the way... but a heavy, cumbersome, under-powered yet battery-hungry light... does not sound promising. I'm glad you have a good option with which to compare... I have an Astra Soft... so I'll have a good light to put up against the Softpanel also.

At THIS point... my biggest worry r.e. the light... is that if I decide I don't much care for it... that I can get most of a "refund" by selling it. My biggest hope... is that I'll like it.

I wonder if Softpanels will have a presence at NAB?
 
The Softpanels arrived. I'm very curious how they'd fair in Timur's LED shoot-out. (any comparisons with "Astra" by me are ONLY in relation to the Astra SOFT... comparing to a NON-soft source is invalid IMO)

The Astra appears brighter, but it's hard to say so far... which light is putting more total lumens into a room. I believe it's actually pretty close to the same. Up close, the Astra seems WAY brighter (talking just a couple feet)... but as I pull back... the meter gets about the same. I think the inverse square law is coming into play... and the illuminated surface being twice the size begins to even things out.

As for construction, my initial impression is that it's decent. I do have to tap out one of the holes that holds the actual panel, because that knob only screws in for a couple threads... leaving over 1/2" of threaded rod exposed.

Considering the size of the "ballast" ("power-supply"?)... that should have had a remote-option... i.e. a cable that was at least 10' long. The panel itself is very lightweight... but the power-supply is a brick. I also would have integrated the stand mount UP INTO the power-supply... i.e. it should have just had a hole... and a knob, because it's a tall-stud (will replace with something else) that adds unnecessary bulk to this already bulky light. The color matching appears pretty good. If it's not spot-on... it's close enough that I think the built-in meter would do a better job than anyone's eye.

I suspect this will "wrap" like a Diva 400... and be approximately the same brightness.

So far that's all I can say about it... it's been a really busy week... and next week is busy too. I'll have more in-depth reporting on this light later.
 
I received my 2x3 unit today. I haven't had a chance to use it other than a basic setup but if anyone has any questions about the unit please feel free to ask and I can try and answer when I get time.
 
After going to NAB and seeing the various soft panel offerings from everyone... even Softpanels had a booth there again this year... I have a few observations (my .02 only)

Pros:

1) The quality of the Softpanels light is up there with the best of them, as far as I can tell.

2) The autocolor feature is going to be revolutionary... if not now... eventually. Either Softpanels will make it as a company... and the autocolor will be a luxury that's gradually embraced and eventually expected... OR... they'll end up licensing this to other manufacturers... and again, I think it will find it's way into everyone's design, eventually. It works well.

3) Price. This is something Softpanels made no bones about from the beginning. Their intention was to make something better, that cost less (or so it seems)... after looking at several 1x2... like Velvet, and DMG... well... SP comes in under 1/2 the price (or even less than).

Cons:

1) The Softpanel is, unfortunately, under-powered... at the price, it's okay, but you can clearly see the difference in brightness compared to other lights. Several other 1x2's on display at NAB, and I asked to set them to 100%... and at that setting you can't even look directly at them... they're blindingly bright... meanwhile you can look directly at the SP on 100%. My guess is the other lights, which cost around 2x as much... are 2x as bright... some seem about 2.5x as bright. I'm curious what the real numbers are, but it's pretty easy to see a significant difference.

2) The construction of other lights is evolving towards more sleek designs. The Softpanel, with it's large "ballast" on the yoke, looks dated by comparison.

3) Weight... (and awkwardness, see #2)
 
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