guide: must-have lighting gear from NAB 2023!!!
Let’s talk about the 5 pieces of lighting gear that I saw at NAB 2023 that have the most excited!
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amaran 300c & 150c
First up, at the creator level of the market are the new amaran 150c & 300c lights. These are both RGBWW COB units with an operating CCT range of 2700 kelvin to 7500 kelvin, and a build quality you’ve come to expect from amaran.
My favorite thing about these is that the controls on the back of the unit have been simplified for ease of use. There is no menu or effects selection on the back of the unit anymore, instead two knobs help control each option of the CCT and HSI modes. A bluetooth reset button establishes a connection with the Sidus Link app to access effects and any other options.
Some other design upgrades for these units are all-metal bowens mount to withstand larger modifiers, and a metal tilting bracket to help support that weight. The bracket also features an umbrella mount, allowing the use of inexpensive modifiers if you’re just getting started.
intellytech litecloth 3.0 mega 8
Next on the list, the Intellytech Litecloth 3.0 Mega 8. This is a 3’x5′ flexible panel unit that’s fully RGBWW with an operating CCT range from 3,000-10,000. Sliding in at $2,250, this is a crazy price for a 400W unit in this form factor. If this one’s too big for you, Intellytech has a series of these panels in a variety of sizes to suit the space you’re working in.
I could definitely see myself making some custom muslin diffusers for this and using it as a key light for jobs. 5′ is wide enough to get a soft look, and being only 3′ tall means it is easier to move around in tight spaces than an equivalent 5′ softbox. It could even go horizontally over the camera to really wrap around the talent, while still providing eye line for the producer to talk with the interviewee.
The Mega 8 also has an available pancake & skirt for when it’s rigged overhead as a space light. Totaling at 13 lbs between the head unit and modifier, this might be the most inexpensive way to get this large and light of an overhead source.
For those on the go, the ballast also has space for two v-mount batteries to power it.
The only two downsides I saw on this one were that I’d like to see an operating range down to at least 2,700K, since that’s where most DP’s I work with put their tungsten fixtures at, and I’d love it if this unit came with wireless DMX.
tie: fiilex g3 & dedolight neocolor
These next two are tied because I can’t decide which one I want, so I think I’ll take ’em both for different reasons. These units are the Fiilex g3 & neocolor by Dedolight.
Known mostly for fresnels, Fiilex has decided to put their optical precision to use on a 90W spotlight unit they’re calling the G3. It features a rotatable lens so the user can freely position their cuts or gobos however they’d like.
The neat thing about this, or any of the lights from Fiilex, is they pair with another new item in Fiilex’s lineup, this DMX and power enabled track, so a studio can reposition their lights overhead without a mess of cables all while still receiving power and DMX signal.
Having a few tracks of this running along the ceiling would be a dream setup in a YouTube studio some day. I’m here Fiilex, let’s chat!
The other option in this range, the neocolor by Dedolight, is a collaboration between them and Prolycht. Prolycht lent their color science and LED’s, and Dedo supplied the lighting optics, making this a beast of a unit that’s the best of both worlds.
With full-spectrum RGBACL diodes, a 6:1 flood to spot ratio, CRMX, and a lineup of accessories like projection mounts, barndoors, and softboxes, this light is the big brother to the Aputure 60 line of products and I want one in my kit yesterday.
kelvin EPOS 600
Next up, another RGBACL unit, the Kelvin EPOS 600.
This is a 600W unit with a CCT range of 2,000 kelvin to 20,000 kelvin. With an IP rating of 54, built in CRMX, an all-aluminum housing for both the head and ballast units, AND included 26 foot head and power cables, this light is clearly designed for longevity in a professional environment.
Did I mention that it’s absolutely gorgeous? Clear attention to detail and there’s a reason they won a Red Dot award recently for their EPOS 300, the baby brother to the new 600.
Two of the neater features of this unit that I hadn’t seen on others are the magnetic LED modifiers and the touch-screen functionality.
The magnetic modifiers allows the operator to change the spread of the beam angle in a manner of seconds. The light has a native beam angle of 93 degrees, but with the dome diffuser that spreads out to almost 180, allowing a much better fill for modifiers like lanterns or space lights.
Touch screen on the ballast is a welcome addition in a world where sometimes a swing or PA is helping me operate my lights. Rather than figuring out which knob serves what function, they can just drag the slider.
I’d like to see them come out with a spotlight and fresnel for these units. I consider them must have accessories for my point source units these days.
Personally, I found their system for connecting the ballast to the stand not as intuitive as some other systems, and I’m curious about the longevity of a quick-release system with an extendable pin like this.
Another upgrade would be to tilt the angles for the power cord connectors on the ballast so they don’t stick straight out but are angled down, reducing the chance of accidentally getting snagged by someone on set.
creamsource LNX
Lastly, for those of us that like to dream big, Creamsource has released a system for rigging their Vortex units together, what they’re calling the LNX system.
I may never the LNX system at the scale I operate at, but as Vortexes are being seen more and more in large-scale rigs on film sets, it’s good to see Creamsource responding to the needs of the rigging gaffers who use their gear most.
honorable mentions
Five is a nice round number but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t anything else worth seeing at this year’s NAB! Here’s some items outside of the top 5 that I think also warrant being on your radar:
The spotlight SE by amaran is a lighter version of the OG spotlight from Aputure. This unit has all the same features as the original – 4 cutting blades, a closable iris ring, and multiple lens options, but uses the smaller gobo sizes like the mini-spotlight.
I would like to see the focusing element not be notched as I found it difficult to get sharp cuts at the booth while I was playing with the unit. The cuts I did achieve however, looked nice, with minimal chromatic aberration even when creating hard to make colors like purples.
If they really want to impress me, then make the system rotatable like the Fiilex G3 and this would be the perfect spotlight for 300W units and below in the Aputure/amaran lineup.
This next one’s geared more towards control of lighting, but I’m stoked on the new chimera octaplus 6 unit. It has a variable density inner diffusion baffle that helps increase the uniformity of the output from the front panel. Consistent output of light across the beam angle helps me control the lighting in the scene better, and a 6′ softbox is just as soft as a 6×6 rag but much quicker to set up!
Lastly, I got the chance to see the new active diffusion panel by Lumenarc. This unit uses electric fields to align charged particles suspended in fluid. With no charge, the solution is opaque. As you increase the charge, the particles align and the panel becomes more transparent.
What’s really neat about this is that they claim they’ve solved issues with this liquid affecting the coloration of the light.
Eventually they’ll even have a DMX module so you can cue diffusion changes in real-time.
wishlist for 2024
New gear is cool and all but let’s talk about some standardization I’d like to see happen across the industry over the next year.
The biggest win for me would be to see no more color modes – HSI & CCT should be blended into one mode that allows all color control. We’re entering an era where pure output is no longer the biggest factor in deciding which light to buy, and color rendition has taken over. I’ve already seen this condensed lighting mode on Astera’s Titan tubes for a few years now, so I know it’s possible.
I’d also like to see a new standardized mounting system that’s better than Bowens. I don’t know what it is, and I don’t understand IP law, but if everyone could have some type of locking system like Prolycht has for more secure connections and better optics than I would be a happy gaffer for sure. If it included some type of electronic pass-through like ARRI has on their Orbiter unit so we can start to implement DMX control over our modifiers, then that’s even better.
Lastly, I’d love to see daylight SSI scores of 90+ creep into a larger portion of manufacturers lineups. The iFootage Anglerfish lineup as well as the new amaran 200 s series of lights have shown that manufacturers are capable of these scores, it’s just a matter of building and getting them into our hands at this point.
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– Tyler Trepod is a freelance owner/operator gaffer of a Grip & Electric truck based in Denver, Colorado and serves the Boulder, Denver, Colorado Springs, & Fort Collins markets