New Flexible LED Panels

DvxHerb said:
I just ordered the 3060A - thanks for the heads up. I'm curious to how it compares to the LS1, or more to the point, how many it might take to equal the output of an LS1.
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Depends how you define equivalency. 120deg beam angle vs 45deg beam angle will be one thing but once you match their beam angles and power draw it might be easier to compare. Do you know if the LS1C is fully 120W throughout its color temperature range? I saw one report that it's only 60W at 3200k or 5500k, so it's possible a 3060A could be brighter for a diffused matched light source at either of those extremes compared to the LS1C. For a soft, even, wide-beam angle diffused source, the 3060A may be brighter at either end of the color temp range given that it may need less diffusion to get the same quality of light. On the other hand, the LS1C may be way brighter for a hard narrow beam source at 4300K if it has a higher LED utilization at 4300K and given its narrower native beam angle. It is definitely a more versatile light in that you can get punch out of it or diffuse it, but the 3060A will be a larger source out of the box and it's hard to even compare the size, weight, and price. I think the 3060A will excel for situations where you need a bigger soft source that is cheap and portable.
 
markfpv said:
I will probably wait now for you to get yours to see how the bigger one compares...but I much prefer the 1x2 size - IF it's light output is close to double the smaller one.
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Well it seems to have 75% more LEDs and higher rated power consumption so I think it is safe to say that it will have 75% higher output with about double the size. Of course that could change if we find out it changes the way it uses the emitters or handles color temperature dimming or something... but that does seem unlikely given all the similarities.
 
Pulled the trigger on one as well. If it turns out to be good, I might just go ahead and buy several because I could fit 3 onto a 60cmx90cm flag and that seems like a very nice option. Put a full stop diffusion on another flag about 5 cm away, rig it so you only need 1 stand a voila, a nice 60x90 softlight with hella output that is also very light.
 
Yes though it's possible it may be compatible with a WiFi adapter that turns your ios/Android device I to a controller. This is the beauty of these in a way, all others have a separate bulky ballast/controller that is bigger and heavier than the panel. these are just a panel that takes dc input so they can be powered directly from a battery (testing this soon) or from the included ac adapter.
 
Akos Baranya said:
Pulled the trigger on one as well. If it turns out to be good, I might just go ahead and buy several because I could fit 3 onto a 60cmx90cm flag and that seems like a very nice option. Put a full stop diffusion on another flag about 5 cm away, rig it so you only need 1 stand a voila, a nice 60x90 softlight with hella output that is also very light.
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I'm even thinking I could put a couple of these on one of my photoflex collapsible frames since they are about an inch thick. With diffusion on one side of the frame and a solid on the other supporting the led panel it would be a very skinny softbox and big source that breaks down quite small. For work that requires carrying on my lights, I'm working out the best way to mount a square flexfill diffuser and one of these panels on the same lightweight stand...
 
nyvz said:
Yes though it's possible it may be compatible with a WiFi adapter that turns your ios/Android device I to a controller. This is the beauty of these in a way, all others have a separate bulky ballast/controller that is bigger and heavier than the panel. these are just a panel that takes dc input so they can be powered directly from a battery (testing this soon) or from the included ac adapter.
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Thanks. Yes, great to avoid bulk. However, I would be a bit nervous about going into professional gig situations relying completely on a small/cheap wireless controller for light color and level control.

The wifi solution sounds interesting.
 
ozmorphasis said:
Thanks. Yes, great to avoid bulk. However, I would be a bit nervous about going into professional gig situations relying completely on a small/cheap wireless controller for light color and level control.

The wifi solution sounds interesting.
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You mean because you worry if it doesnt work you're screwed? I suppose that's a consideration. Granted these are quite cheap lights and there will always be some downside to a light whose main upside is price and size/weight... I can't think of a single light where there isn't a potential point of failure that would suck to break on set. Litemats/literibbons are pricey but have sketchy connectors/cables, westcott flexes have crappy plastic controllers and proprietary connectors. At least these use very common cables and one wireless controller can control all your lights if your other controllers break. I'll admit these have more build problems than most other lights, but you can also buy 10 of these for the price of one of the others so you always have a backup if something breaks :)
 
MR Fanny said:
that ebay listing doesnt post to Australia darn. Can you confirm what the DC socket size is, 2.1 or 2.5mm?
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It worked with my 2.1mm cables so must be 2.1mm. I believe that means it will take 2.1mm or 2.5mm connectors to the unit, but the AC power supply won't work in 2.5mm devices.
 
One common thing with most LED lights is that manufacturers often change the LED suppliers, especially cheap brands like these choose whatever is the cheapest at the given time. I bet there is no consistency of any kind throughout different models and even within one model. I'm sure we'll hear conflicting reports about the quality of the light output.
 
broughtonfilm said:
One common thing with most LED lights is that manufacturers often change the LED suppliers, especially cheap brands like these choose whatever is the cheapest at the given time. I bet there is no consistency of any kind throughout different models and even within one model. I'm sure we'll hear conflicting reports about the quality of the light output.
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That's one of the things that makes me reluctant to buy these lights.
 
Well looks like the minimum price increased about $10 on ebay, I wonder if they noticed a surge in orders and upped the price :P

Glad some people got the deal. $162 still isnt bad though, hopefully these actually arrive. The tracking number they sent me doesn't work...
 
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Hah but would you want to trade one for 10 cheap knockoffs you can light your whole set with? Probably not I'm sure but clearly there are different people with different needs and budgets... For some it's the difference between having one light that doesn't do what we need and having a full light kit that does what we need for less. Some of us want something more portable and more cost effective with different functionality and are willing to test and tweak. It's not for everyone, I assumed that was a given, but you are welcome to state your opinion on the matter however relevant it may be :P

I tend to be cautiously optimistic and try to be realistic about any downsides of alternative products like this, but frankly I've had a lot of luck with carefully chosen and tested Chinese lights that let me do things equipment with more mainstream brandnames can't do at any price or do things I couldn't do with expensive products given my budget.

Sometimes I don't mind paying twice if I end up with equipment that works better for my uses especially if the total cost is still much lower than going with a known brand name that doesn't fit my criteria completely anyway.
 
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LED tech is moving so fast, IMO it matters more that the light is 2016 vs 2015 or 2014 than brand name vs chinese. But we will see, I have way more invested in much bigger lights that I am having built for myself, this is just something that fills out the gap towards the bottom of the spectrum (for me).
 
nyvz said:
Hah but would you want to trade one for 10 cheap knockoffs you can light your whole set with? Probably not I'm sure but clearly there are different people with different needs and budgets... For some it's the difference between having one light that doesn't do what we need and having a full light kit that does what we need for less. Some of us want something more portable and more cost effective with different functionality and are willing to test and tweak. It's not for everyone, I assumed that was a given, but you are welcome to state your opinion on the matter however relevant it may be :P

I tend to be cautiously optimistic and try to be realistic about any downsides of alternative products like this, but frankly I've had a lot of luck with carefully chosen and tested Chinese lights that let me do things equipment with more mainstream brandnames can't do at any price or do things I couldn't do with expensive products given my budget.

Sometimes I don't mind paying twice if I end up with equipment that works better for my uses especially if the total cost is still much lower than going with a known brand name that doesn't fit my criteria completely anyway.
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I've always had luck following Noah's lead on these purchases.
 
I talked with one of the developers at Aladdin last week and as far as light quality their phosphor formula is key to the great colour of the Bi-Flex panels. As Aladdin is on top of the TLCI rating they have little to work on at light quality. Instead they have exciting things in how these panels can be made with regard to materials and, further on, light output.

I myself hate Chinese stuff and especially rip-offs.
 
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