Zylight Z90: good as a keylight? hairlight/rimlight?

N

Nicholas Natteau

Veteran
Just curious to know if anyone who has used the Zylight Z50 or the newer Z90 could recommend it as a possible keylight or hairlight/rimlight???

My reason for asking is that I love how small the light is, ideal for traveling.

I'm thinking that if I ordered it as a two-set, I could use one as a keylight and the other to light the top or back of the talent's head. And possibly a reflector as a fill.

But does it get very hot after say an hour or is it like the Litapanels Micro and remain cool all the time?
 
As far as getting hot, because they leds, I would not think so. At the power they consume and the fact that they are not really bright output units , I would say they get rather lukewarm to the touch, even after extended period of being turned on at full bore. Halogens, incandescent filament bulbs are the hot ones, as they consume the wattage as a rated brightness spec. For example: a halogen 50 watt bulb really consumes 50 watts of power and roughly delivers around 800 lux of light output. A led that outputs the same 800 lux may only consume 10 watts or less and thereby consumes 1/5th the power of the halo, and therefore runs much cooler. As a hairlight setup, they may work out fine provided you keep the lights at a shortish distance from the subject as hairlight do definitely require a lot of light. I would recommend a hairlight of at least 1200 lux rated at 1 meter ( as most leds are rated) but the more powerful, the better. You can never have too much light, and if you do, there is always the dimmer. Specifications on led units are a rough guide as what to expect as far as output, color, beam angle. Variable color temperature for hairlights can also be accomplished by using an assortment of gels, but I really would not worry about back hairlight color as the effect in my opinion is just to light them out for the highlight look, unless you want to color up some hair for effects.
 
****Manufacturers Response***

Hi Nicholas. We have customers who use the Z90 for backlights and hair lights all the time. The beauty of the instrument is that it can sit on top of your camera and be used as a camera light and also taken off, thrown on a stand and you have a very nice backlight. People also use the Z90 with color added for a colored rim/hair light for effects or to match a particular mood or environment. Its up to the end user and your particular shoot/situation.

The Z50 does not have enough output and is currently being phased out. The photometrics of the Z90 can be seen here: http://www.zylight.com/servlet/Page?template=c_s_support If you work the light into about 4'-5' from your subject, you should be fine. As far as using the Z90 as a key light, you should have a bigger/brighter source. People have used the Z90 as a key, but the shot would be very tight and you would need to sneak it in to about 2-3' away for it to make a decent key. A bigger source would do better.
There are also plenty of people who bounce the Z90 into a bounce card or a flex fill for a nice soft fill light.

As far as heat, the Z90 will not throw any heat forward, but the heatsink behind the LED engine will get hot. No incandescent burn-your-skin-instantly hot, but you don't want to keep your hands on it for very long. All LED lights generate heat and that's what heat sinks are for, to dissapate that heat into the air or else those LED's would fry. If they aren't generating heat, those LEDS arent being driven very hard.

Good luck with your decision!
 
I find the Z90 an extraordinarily versatile piece of gear. Going beyond simple ENG-type on-camera lighting, I use it frequently as a backlight or hairlight. Another wonderful use for it is a color wash. It is a solid piece of gear. I reviewed it and then liked the product so much that I bought one. It dissipates the heat from the rear of the unit. Very solidly constructed. Low power consumption. Looking forward to the day when budget allows me to pick up a couple more! You will be very pleased with it.

Ned Soltz
 
For the price that they are ( The zilites ), just make sure they are right for the application you intend to use them for, and would strongly suggest to try them out before. Great technology in them, solid made, versatile BUT, the brightness question still remains. sometimes 2 to 3 feet distance for a hairlight is way too short and bouncing them will further reduce the output. Great for interviews and table top work at short distances, but then again you can up the gain/asa on the camera.
 
Hi everyone, and thanks so much for all the input. It really helps.

I finally got hold of one to rent and became alarmed when I noticed the Z90 suddenly change color from daylight to pink and make a slight hissing sound. But I then discovered it wasn't Z90 itself, just the battery suddenly running low that caused the sudden change in color and hissing sound. Good to know and great that this happened on a test. Will now remember to use a larger capacity battery for the Z90. Agreed regarding the Z90 as keylight. Probably too harsh as a keylight and no doubt too small, but I can see how it would work great as a hair light, fill light, or back ground light.

Will definitely buy one, having tested it and knowing what to beware of.

Thanks again for all the feedback and help.
 
Plus One for the Z90!

Plus One for the Z90!

We bought a Z90 for my kit back in Summer of '08. I've used it in every way you could use it and its simply fantastic. When in the field it gets used for everything, but as part of the rest of my setup it is simply the coolest hair and close-to-the wall accent light I've ever used.

I have Wayne set up on a green screen here in the edit bay. His soundbites are retrospectives on the program's story as it is unfolding.

When I do it like this, I use the Z90 on an overhead boom. I can then set the color on the Z90 to match the ambient color of my background plate. Here's how it goes down...

TLP_0057.jpgwayne_prefinal_alpha.jpg

It helps sell the effect that Wayne is in a blue lit room. I've found that it really sells the whole effect in the final render. It looks a little blocky in the online version, but when it airs in HD it comes off flawless!!! You can see the low res online version here: http://thejoyoffishing.tv/video/tv-episode-cranebows/ (First interview bite starts at around 00:02:40)

An important note on the Z90 is that the element/driver on this light emits a different quality of light than say a traditional light with a gel or even a litepanel micro. Not saying better or worse...just different.

A little extra $$$ to bring little light into the dam, yes. But for us it was very well worth it. Zylight knows they have a happy beaver in this corner of Oregon.
 
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Zylights rule. I would love to be affiliated with my fellow beantown crew but I am not. I am just a gear whore and zylights are the cats pajamas. They are a man amongst boys in on-camera lighting. The z90 is far ahead of the 50, and beware that the 5600 color temp of the 50 and 90 do not quite match. The now 90 has a screw in power adapter that fixes the downfall of the 50- which is flicker caused by the pivoting of the power adapter with cable movement. The 90 has a vastly better system for mounting the barndoors as well. I interviewed charlie collias from NAB at NAB a while back where he demonstrated the Z90. Here is the link to the Demonstration of the Z90: http://www.productionmeeting.com/video/2039668:Video:1802

I have been dying to try to try their IS3 Panel. I think it could be a nice substitute for a diva400, but id like to see how it looks on an interview before i spring for the 2500. A friend and I recently contacted zylight after looking at the IS3 Panel at adorama in NYC and they suggested that they had more exciting products on the way. Their gear is some of the best built stuff i have seen. There are barely any plastic parts on their equipment, the aluminum cnc machine work on the 90 is super precise and well leveraged as cooling fins that effectively dissipate heat like an automotive radiator. The head gets hot anyway because it is pushing 90 watts. The arri locaster location light is only 50 watts! The 90 would be adequate for key lighting with super sensitive dslr cams but it is quite small so it doesn't wrap your subject the way a larger soft source would. For on cam, eye, fill, edge, hair, and wash light...."its the dopest dope you'll ever smoke." Zylight also sells a wireless dmx remote control that will control all 3 of their fixtures. Thats just straight sick, and absolutely unparalleled anywhere, talk about 1 man banding, and being able to dim or color a light while looking at a monitor. Leave your gels at home, zylight has your back. All their rubber is super soft, the buttons click with the satisfaction of a bmw door thunk, and the dials turn soft with no lash. I have a Varicam2700 with a Canon 4.3 wide angle, which is heavy already and the reason i appreciate the small form factor of the 90. The stuff is engineered and built with nothing spared and works like nothing else, zylight is some of the best money ive spent.
 
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