| Article: Litepanels Sola ENG On-Camera LED Light
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 | Article: Litepanels Sola ENG On-Camera LED Light
by Helmut Kobler on Feb 4, 2011 at 7:41:47 pm |
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Lighting Design Pros  | Litepanels Sola ENG On-Camera LED Light
There are plenty of power-sipping LED lights that you can mount atop cameras, but very few have enough punch to fill up large spaces, or cut through daylight. Litepanels finally has such a light in the Sola ENG. It's powerful, controllable, and in some cases, a little loud.
Review 02/04/2011
Author: Helmut Kobler |
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• | | | |  | Re: Litepanels Sola ENG On-Camera LED Light
by Tim Brown on Feb 7, 2011 at 1:54:40 am |
Beware! I bought a Sola and the dimmer ring fell off the first time I used it. Took it back and swapped for a new one. Same thing. Did it again.....yep, same thing. The dealer was getting annoyed at me so I talked to another dealer (Melbourne, Australia) and she said ALL of her Sola lights had broken. One customer was happy to keep his and glue it up. I almost feel the same way because I love the light, but I think I'll wait until v2.0. The ring is attached by two small metal screws that bed into tiny PLASTIC lugs. Someone is asleep at the wheel at Litepanels.
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• | | | |  | Re: Article: Litepanels Sola ENG On-Camera LED Light
by Jurgen Hoppe on Feb 14, 2011 at 7:57:41 pm |
Try Flolight LED panels (http://www.flolight.com) I have a 128 and a 256. They work great, have 100W+ output and use nearly nor battery power.
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• | | | |  | Re: Article: Litepanels Sola ENG On-Camera LED Light
by Nigel Thompson on Mar 3, 2011 at 3:47:57 pm |
Have been looking for someone who used the Sola's for a while.
How noisy are the internal fans in them?
Have not really heard really glowing reviews from other folks who have seen them.
Tim can you give me some pros and cons to the lights.
Im actually looking at the Arri LED fresnel project closely. Thinking that may be a better bet because the Solas a re REALLy expensive as well.
and im not paying 2k for a light that falls apart
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• | | | |  | Re: Article: Litepanels Sola ENG On-Camera LED Light
by Stuart Russell on Mar 8, 2011 at 2:14:56 pm |
Hi Nigel,
The Sola ENG is a relatively small on-camera light with output equivalent to a 250w fixture. It's a punchy little light and has attracted a great deal of interest, especially from news crews and documentary makers. I wouldn't say the fan is noisy and there will certainly be no issue if you are using external mics. I'm not sure where your 2k figure comes from - the ENG retails at approx. US$675. The larger Sola 6 model (650w equivalent) is certainly more in that price bracket but it's a much larget fixture which will probably be used more as a studio light. I don't believe Arri make an on-camera LED fresnel at the moment.
Hope that helps,
Stuart Russell
Litepanels (UK)
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• | | | |  | Re: Article: Litepanels Sola ENG On-Camera LED Light
by Joel Servetz on Mar 30, 2011 at 4:00:33 pm |
Stuart, I want to buy this light, but the overwhelming theme I'm seeing in user comments is that the fan is too loud. Your comment that it should be no problem with external mics does not address the reality that it will be used a lot with camera-mounted mics. I also need to see more power options than just a power tap connector (4-pin xlr would be nice). Please don't do the company PR thing. If this product needs tweaking then tweak it and deliver what we really need. This is the first LED light I've seen that could replace the typical on-camera light in a menaingful way, but fix it's flaws and make it the product it should be.
Joel Servetz
RGB Media Services, LLC
Sarasota, Fl
videobyjoel@aol.com
http://www.rgbmediaservices.com
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• | | | | | Re: Article: Litepanels Sola ENG On-Camera LED Light
by Stuart Russell on Apr 3, 2011 at 1:03:15 pm |
Hi Joel,
I'm not in the business of trying to convince people to buy a product that isn't going to be right for them. I can't talk about the US, but we've had a great deal of interest in the UK from professional broadcasters/ENG crews who feel that this light will be ideal for them. Hence my comment about external mics. I don't necessarily believe that it will be used primarily with on-camera mics because the pro-shooters I talk to don't tend to work this way. So in that sense, we're really happy with the product and its performance. If you work in a different way, all I can suggest is that you try the light out and see what you think. If it's not right for you, so be it.
Regards,
Stuart.
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• | | | | | Re: Article: Litepanels Sola ENG On-Camera LED Light
by Joel Servetz on Apr 5, 2011 at 12:31:27 am |
Thanks for your reply Stuart. I just want you to know that my reply was reflective of nearly 4 decades in photo/video/av and having manufacturers deal with real world critiques of their products by referring us to their pr departments ("thank you for your interest in our products") instead of saying "ok, got it, we need to fix this now." I agree that a little fan noise won't affect me when I've got someone hooked up with a lav or some other external mic. setup, but in a run and gun situation with a camera-mounted shotgun or hyper-cardioid this could be a problem. I'm going to see if I can get my hands on one of these to try it out because it really does look like the first LED light that could replace a Lowel Pro or Frezzi Mini-Fill or similar.
Joel Servetz
RGB Media Services, LLC
Sarasota, Fl
videobyjoel@aol.com
http://www.rgbmediaservices.com
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• | | | | | Re: Article: Litepanels Sola ENG On-Camera LED Light
by Stuart Russell on Apr 5, 2011 at 8:31:54 am |
Hi Joel,
I take your point and your feedback is absolutely welcomed - our company is not so arrogant as to think that every product we make is 100% perfect and 100% appropriate for every application. If I've learned anything over the years it's that you really can't please all of the people all of the time, nor should you necessarily try to!
We don't exist in a vacuum - there are other great brands out there who make impressive products. All I can say is please try the Sola ENG and let me know what you think. You can email me directly if you prefer: stuart at litepanels dot com. We think it's a great little light and we're already receiving real-world testimonials from very satisfied customers so we're (thankfully!) not alone in this view. The proof of the pudding really is in the eating, though, so I would urge you to take a trial.
Best,
Stuart.
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• | | | | | Re: Article: Litepanels Sola ENG On-Camera LED Light
by Joel Servetz on Apr 5, 2011 at 1:00:27 pm |
Thanks Stuart, I will see about getting my hands on one of these lights and trying it. When I do I'll let you know what I think. My only other concern is that LightPanels needs to re-think the power connection. Limiting users to a Power Tap connector or expensive after-market adapters was a bit short-sighted, given the very large number and variety of camcorder models that use their own proprietary batteries, and also the very large base of users who have battery packs and belts for their existing lights. A 4-pin XLR and cigarette lighter version would be welcomed. Better still, the light should have a short pigtail connector that accepts cables with the appropriate conncetor for the user's equipment. That, to me, makes more sense and presents Lightpanels with an opportunity for accessory sales for users of multiple power sources.
Joel Servetz
RGB Media Services, LLC
Sarasota, Fl
videobyjoel@aol.com
http://www.rgbmediaservices.com
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