I’m usually a bit uncomfortable buying anything beyond $1K that isn’t made by ARRI, Kinoflo, Dedolight, or any other very established lighting brand. I’ve had too many let-downs. Overall, however, after using the Fiilex Matrix for a few months, my response is mostly positive. The Matrix (first called M1) is […]

As part of the IDX Ambassador Program I received the brand new VL-2000S charger. It’s a travel-friendly, compact, 2-position V-mount battery charger with a very similar form factor as the VL-2S Plus – which I have been using for the last ten years straight. Next some grip hardware and Pelican […]

LED 1x1s are used everywhere especially in the documentary/corporate production environment. They have become a “de facto” low budget location soft lights due to small size, low weight and the fact that they can be battery powered (with 12V camera batteries). I’ve used many different models and all had one […]

I do a lot of documentary work and have always relied on the “classic” DLH4 Dedolights mostly for “interview” background accent lighting/architectural lighting or special applications like pack shots etc. The DLH4s get quite hot and due to their limited output it was always been a bad idea to gel […]

After having tried some other LED “hard” lights, I finally found the ones that work for me: The ARRI L5 and L7. They are true Fresnel lights (perfect beam control, you can cut the beam with barn doors).  I’d compare them with Arri 300 /650 Plus Tungsten Fresnel regarding their […]

Tired of LED soft lights that either have really bad color rendition or are mechanically inadequate for professional use, I was excited when Kinoflo started making LED fixtures. The company waited for quite some time, but it seems to have paid off: The Celeb series is the best small/medium soft […]

The Transvideo Rainbow HD comes very close to the ideal on-camera monitor. I bough the “Alexa package” that comes with accessories like the practical holder, Noga arm, cables, etc. The monitor delivers what a professional expects: quality, simplicity, and perfect user interface without gimmicks. The monitor is very well made. Solid, […]

24Jun

Zylite F8

Zylite F8
I had high hopes regarding this light and the actual quality/output/optical performance is actually quite good. But there’s more to a light than just that. It needs to fit in a fast-paced, functional on-set workflow. Here are the issues I encountered: -“floppy” barndoors: After I used the light 3 times […]

One of my new Canon CN-E cinema zooms used on a shoot in Southern California Winery. I got the exchangeable Duclos mount (EF/PL) and it works very well. The zooms are exceptionally sharp and offer a great range, especially the 30-105. Beautiful flare, very well made.