New Fotodiox Factor 1x2 LED Panels

puredrifting

puredrifting

Major Contributor
Interesting, I received an offer for $749.00 plus it includes a 25% off coupon for the next Factor purchase. So basically you would save 12.5% if you buy two. It says "A new line of Factor Lights are launching soon". I am interested to see what kind of LED technology lies underneath that panel. Wonder if is similar to the Litepanels Astra Soft?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRp6OckC9d0


Fotodiox Factor Offer.jpg
 
So basically an Astra Soft in a 2 x 1 configuration, which means twice the size, probably heavier, and it doesn't look like is has a wireless phone ap option.

I'm just not a fan of the whole, same power/brightness, larger size lights. If I have to put up with larger size to schlep around, I want more power, such as the Arri Skypanel at 450 watts or Cineo HSX at 400 watts, which are also both 2 x 1s, though heavier than the Fotodiox light.
 
Eric Coughlin said:
So basically an Astra Soft in a 2 x 1 configuration, which means twice the size, probably heavier, and it doesn't look like is has a wireless phone ap option.

I'm just not a fan of the whole, same power/brightness, larger size lights. If I have to put up with larger size to schlep around, I want more power, such as the Arri Skypanel at 450 watts or Cineo HSX at 400 watts, which are also both 2 x 1s, though heavier than the Fotodiox light.
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Yeah but compare prices. These are cheap, Astra Softs, Skypanels and Cineos are not. I think these are aimed more at the average DVXUser type shooter who owns something like an LS 1S that they paid $600.00 or $700.00 for. Well here is a 2x1 panel for just a few bucks more and it is using newer technology that the Lightstorm. Not saying it's a good light, may not even be as good as the Lightstorms. If you can afford $2k to $6k per light, awesome but then you are not an average user. I shot that project with Holly Peete Robinson I posted last year and lit it with a whole room full of Skypanels, about $80k worth of them, they were super cool but I couldn't afford them all or even one to own. These Fotodiox, I could afford to buy a few.
 
Well there are other 1 x 1 soft panels available that are similar power draw, and closer in price to the Fotodiox.

ikan Lyra LB10 Bi-Color Soft Panel 1 x 1, 90 W, 150 W max, $799: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1247601-REG/ikan_lb10_lyra_bi_color_soft_panel.html

UltraColor Z400S Soft Bi-color LED Panel, 90 watts, around $1000: http://www.fvlight.eu/ultracolor-z400s-soft-bi-color-led-panel.html#product_tabs_specification

Velvet-1 LED Light Panel, 75 watt power draw, around $1000. https://www.proav.co.uk/thelight-velvet-light-1-led-light-panel


Cineo also has the MavX, 135 watts, only 5 lbs, and smaller than a 1 x 1, so lighter and brighter than the Astra. Don't think it has a wireless ap option, though. But the size and weight is attractive. Not sure of price, probably a bit more than the Astra Soft, around $2,000.

The way I see it is that most one-man-band people driving small cars like myself will lean toward small lights, and those that have grip vans/trucks, crews, etc., will not only be fine with bigger lights, but will also have the budget for Astras, Skypanels, Cineo, etc.

So where does that leave the cheaper and low power 1 x 2 panels? I guess for the lower budget guys who don't mind the extra size.
 
Eric Coughlin said:
Well there are other 1 x 1 soft panels available that are similar power draw, and closer in price to the Fotodiox.

ikan Lyra LB10 Bi-Color Soft Panel 1 x 1, 90 W, 150 W max, $799: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1247601-REG/ikan_lb10_lyra_bi_color_soft_panel.html

UltraColor Z400S Soft Bi-color LED Panel, 90 watts, around $1000: http://www.fvlight.eu/ultracolor-z400s-soft-bi-color-led-panel.html#product_tabs_specification

Velvet-1 LED Light Panel, 75 watt power draw, around $1000. https://www.proav.co.uk/thelight-velvet-light-1-led-light-panel


Cineo also has the MavX, 135 watts, only 5 lbs, and smaller than a 1 x 1, so lighter and brighter than the Astra. Don't think it has a wireless ap option, though. But the size and weight is attractive. Not sure of price, probably a bit more than the Astra Soft, around $2,000.

The way I see it is that most one-man-band people driving small cars like myself will lean toward small lights, and those that have grip vans/trucks, crews, etc., will not only be fine with bigger lights, but will also have the budget for Astras, Skypanels, Cineo, etc.

So where does that leave the cheaper and low power 1 x 2 panels? I guess for the lower budget guys who don't mind the extra size.
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Even if all other things are equal, you realize that greater relative size of source to subject equals great perceived softness of light?
 
Yeah, I realize that. Certainly an advantage assuming you want a softer light with more wrap around, again, if you're okay with schlepping the extra size. As I'd said, if I'm going to schlep extra size, then I want extra power too to make up for the downside of the extra schlepping.

I use my Astra Soft mostly as a fill light or background light, so I don't feel like wrap around is important for those uses. I use the regular Astra through diffusion (such that it becomes a large source), so the smaller surface size doesn't bother me. A 1 x 1 with diffusion will still take up less space in your bags and vehicle than a 2 x 1 with no diffusion, and the results can be pretty similar depending on how you diffuse it.

One thing to consider with regards to using the 1 x 2 without diffusion as your go to key light, back when we were using tungsten lights, was a 1 x 2 sized soft-box ever considered adequate as a size of source? We typically used larger softboxes, just like I typically use larger diffusion to diffuse my regular Astras now. So I guess the 1 x 2 with no additional diffusion is just a compromise to save on setup time? And if you're going to diffuse it, then you may as well not use a soft panel.
 
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Eric Coughlin said:
I use my Astra Soft mostly as a fill light or background light, so I don't feel like wrap around is important for those uses.
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Generally speaking, if there is any light that should be a large source, it's fill...you don't want to introduce new shadows there. I like to consider the fill a lower-level continuation of the key (as they are often all but contiguous).
 
puredrifting said:
And I don't even thing we are anywhere near market saturation yet. I bet NAB 2017 is going to be a huge LED convention.
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LED technology is just now getting firm footing. They have figured out how to make decent spectrum light, packaging that has what we need, and now they are stepping out to offer different formats (hard and soft). I look forward to many more advances in LED offerings.

We all have different needs, but I'm with Eric on this. Just how big to we go with soft LED panels and how many do we carry around? Is a 4x4 practical? Probably not. So for my needs, I'd rather have a nice high-powered spot that I can diffuse or use as a hard source.
 
True. I used a small Chimera quite a bit but unless you have it really close to your subject, it's not really that soft. The doc I am shooting right now, for our anchor interviews, I used my medium Chimera Quartz Pro with the Aputure LS 1S through it, I was happy with the softness and wrap but that is 36" x 48", have to put it on a separate C-stand as the yoke on most small to medium lights won't support it so it gets messy to use on a C-stand plus you have to use a separate light stand but the look is so nice.
 
CharlesPapert said:
Generally speaking, if there is any light that should be a large source, it's fill...you don't want to introduce new shadows there. I like to consider the fill a lower-level continuation of the key (as they are often all but contiguous).
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I agree with you. With this in mind, if you have a D-Fuse softbox (it's the large but their large is still smaller than a small Chimera Quartz Pro), and a second light of equal output punched through a 42" diffusion disc, would you key with the diffusion disc and fill with the smaller D-Fuse or vice versa? I've done both and to me, either is a valid, yet different look, it's mixing harder smaller source with softer larger source. The LEDs being used are of equal output so either can be dialed up or down to act as key/fill source. I should do some side by side tests. This is all part of a small travel kit for quick, on the fly interview setups. I know that lighting is like asking a cook about which herb ratio they use in their seasoning, it all works as long as the food tastes good, it's up to the chef. I was just curious what you would do with these limitations if you were shooting a small crew doc Charles?
 
So more of an ideal package in the soft lighting arena would be to have some optimal module (let's say 1x1) that can be connected together in any configuration from 1x1 to 10x10. This would be similar to the display modules I saw at NAB last year. The monitor panels had no frame edge whatsoever and can be butted up against each other seamlessly. If you could do the same with LED panels and not have the framework get cumbersome, that might be useful.
 
Paul F said:
So more of an ideal package in the soft lighting arena would be to have some optimal module (let's say 1x1) that can be connected together in any configuration from 1x1 to 10x10. This would be similar to the display modules I saw at NAB last year. The monitor panels had no frame edge whatsoever and can be butted up against each other seamlessly. If you could do the same with LED panels and not have the framework get cumbersome, that might be useful.
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Supposedly Kamerar will have something like this for the Brightcast panels. Who knows when but they have mentioned it. A 4'x4' comprised of four Brightcast 12x12" panels that break down to just a few pounds would be cool. Add a piece of silk or grid cloth and you have a source and softbox that is realtively light and large and not that expensve.
 
puredrifting said:
Supposedly Kamerar will have something like this for the Brightcast panels. Who knows when but they have mentioned it. A 4'x4' comprised of four Brightcast 12x12" panels that break down to just a few pounds would be cool. Add a piece of silk or grid cloth and you have a source and softbox that is realtively light and large and not that expensve.
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Wouldn't a 4x4 be made from 16 1x1 panels?
 
So it gets to be cumbersome pretty quickly. With a 4'x4' needing 16 panels, a diffuser and hard light start to look like they might be a better choice.
 
Paul F said:
So it gets to be cumbersome pretty quickly. With a 4'x4' needing 16 panels, a diffuser and hard light start to look like they might be a better choice.
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Agreed. A 2' x 2' with a piece of diffusion that could be hung off of a light stand would probably work for travel though. Four of the Brightcast panels would have decent output. It would just the same old issue of not very controllable as far as no egg crate or banrdoors. Then you need flags and C-stands, which kind of defeats the idea of a small, lightweight travel source. I really dislike trying to light carefully with big, uncontrollable soft sources like umbrellas and Flapjacks. That really only works when you have a lot of room and the falloff naturally prevents you from just totally blasting the background. And how often do you travel, shoot interviews in a large room? Sometimes but more often, the room is too small and then you are cussing under your breath when you realize you have the wrong tool for the job when you really need a Medium Chimera with a 40 degree egg crate. To me, umbrellas and Flapjacks are more useful as an ambient wash to bring stuff up in the BG when shooting a narrative style, then they are useful. But as an interview key, uncontrollable soft sources they are a bad choice if you care about lighting control.
 
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