AMSTERDAM—Zylight’s presentation at IBC 2019, Sept. 13-17 in Amsterdam, will include its new Go-Panel LED light, which offers variable Active Diffusion technology as one of its features.

The Go-Panel is a portable, IP65-rated lighting unit designed for professional broadcast news and run-and-gun shooting, per Zylight. Key features include bi-color versatility, ± green adjustment and variable beam spread with built-in Active Diffusion technology that can be adjusted by turning a knob.

Additional features of the Go-Panel include a worldwide AC power supply, an optional 14.4V camera battery, a single integrate friction hinge and built-in remote control options that include DMX, Bluetooth and LumenRadio.

Find out more about Zylight’s offerings during IBC 2019 at stand 12.D47.

SEATTLE—When a news photographer jumps out of a vehicle to cover a breaking news story, the last thing they need is a science project when putting together the video gear. Makers of camera support, portable lighting and battery packs go to great lengths to make their gear on the go quick and easy to deploy.

CAMERA SUPPORT

Tripods have always been important for steadying the camera shot, but they’re even more important now to support the camera while the video journalist also reports the liveshot.

Miller Camera Support addressed the need for one-handed tripod deployment with its Sprinter tripod. “We have a dual, independent locking system with two levers that are side-by-side at the top,” said Miller Regional Manager Gus Harilaou. “That allows opening the tripod with one flip of the lever, and it deploys both the bottom and the top stages of the tripod. The tripod is opened in a few seconds.”

The Sprinter tripod is paired with Miller’s Compass X18 fluid head. “This is basically for any newsgathering where guys have little cameras, whether that would be handheld or full-blown shoulder-mount cameras,” Harilaou said. “CX18 has a capacity range to take any payload from zero to 35 pounds.”

Vitec brands Vinten and Sachtler co-developed the flowtech tripod family designed for fast moving news coverage. “What makes it so appealing to the news folks is the speed of deployment, which can determine whether you get a shot or not on a breaking news story,” said Tobias Keuthen, director of global product marketing management.

Keuthen noted that the flowtech’s unique clamping mechanism was placed on top of the tripod where the head fits, helping news photogs deploy more quickly. “You don’t have to bend over; you can open the braking clamps for all three legs from the top of the tripod and extend the legs easily,” he said. “You can close the clamps also without bending over, and you can adjust the legs for working on stairs or uneven ground.” The company just added a 100mm bowl version of the flowtech for larger payloads.

Several years ago, Libec launched its Hands Free Monopod (HFMP) designed for free stand operation, according to Jose Larios, manager of sales and marketing for the company. “Our monopod is different by the fact that the base is wide, and it allows the user to put it into a vertical position just by simply stepping on the base,” he said.

The HFMP can stand on its own on the wide base to allow a oneman- band photojournalist to securely position the monopod then step in front of the camera for a liveshot standup. Libec conducted some focus groups to determine what users wanted from a monopod, Larios said. “And when we found out what were the best features, applications and benefits that are going to our product, we put that into place when designing the Hands Free Monopod.” This included placing a fluid head on the top.

Shotoku found that stringers and news departments at smaller stations were turning to lower cost camcorders and even DSLRs to capture video, which opened its market to lower cost, simpler tripod systems. “Our tripods for these customers vary from the SD 20 with really basic level features like fixed drag and counterbalance,” said Graham Ramsey sales director, manual and robotic products for Shotoku.

Two slightly higher level versions—SD 80 and SD 150—can handle higher payloads of 8 kilos and 15 kilos, respectively, and feature a step counterbalance system, and step drag system. To keep things simple for working faster, “with the SD 20 you can leave the balance and drag settings exactly where they are,” Ramsey added. “You don’t have to change anything, take off tensions or lower drag settings, or anything like that.”

LIGHTING

Lighting equipment has come a long way since the introduction of LED fixtures, with time-saving features like dimming without color shifts and the ability to dial in a desired color temperature.

Video journalists are not necessarily lighting experts, according to Kevin Crawford, vice president of engineering at Frezzi in Hawthorne, N.J. “A lot of these people don’t really know about how to light up a scene, so our Skylight product provides a wide, flat, optical field,” he said. “This thing is brain-dead simple to use, and throws a lot of light.”

For working fast in the field, the Skylight can be powered by a broadcast brick battery pack or off AC. It provides high CRI single source 5600K daylight light without pixelation or color fringing.

Fluotec’s StarMaker color-tunable panel fixture has found a home in ENG vans for a number of years, and the company’s upgrade to the StarMaker HP model will make it even more desirable to news crews said Fluotec Chief Marketing Officer Jose Maria Noriega.

“The StarMaker HP now has the same technology as our Cine Light, so it has a much better CRI of 97.7, and it now delivers an output of 37 percent more light than the previous version,” he said. “Incorporating our NEBULA Diffusion Chamber Technology makes a 70 degree throw and softer light than when it’s used without this attachment. And this allows you to use barn doors. Although most panel manufacturers put the barn doors on the light, but they throw a multi-shadow on the background. Our diffusor attachment behaves as a single source point of light, which is very controllable by barn doors.”

With the built-in battery attachment, there’s no need to run cables.

Litepanel’s most popular ENG light is its Astra Bi-Color, according to Byron Brown, program product manager for parent company Vitec Videocom. “It can be easily hand held or put on a stand, it can be installed with a battery adapter, you slip the battery on it and you’re ready to go.”

The color agility of the Astra Bi-Color is another feature that allows for working fast, Brown added. “What we find oftentimes is that guys out in the field will start off with the light dialed in to daylight, and then warm it up to taste,” he said. “The color temperature dial on the Astra also has color temperature readings, so if you know your favorite reading is 4500K, you just dial it to that number and you’re there.”

For situations where a photographer needs a longer throw of light, Litepanels also has the Astra Bi-Focus, with lenses to narrow and intensify the light.

Tama Berkeljon, managing director at Outsight in Australia, said its most popular light for ENG shooters is the bicolor Creamsource Micro. “It’s punchier, and you’ve got more options for diffusing it or softening it back,” he said. “It’s extremely flexible and can be deployed in seconds with a battery attached.”

Accessories include diffusion and lensing, Berkeljon added. “Dropping in lenses changes the beam angle from 30 to 60 to 100 degrees,” he said. “Unlike most bi-color fixtures, the Micro maintains constant power output across the whole CCT range, so users always get the unit’s full potential. There is no reason to have to choose between a bi-color or daylight system. And because of the Micro’s wide 10-32V operating voltage, users can power the fixture from a single 90WH battery, or directly from a car.”

Zylight spotlights its F8 200 LED Fresnel as its most popular with ENG camera crews for its durability and outdoor IP protection. Charlie Collias, director of fixture sales for the Cypress, Calif.-based company.

It’s also very quick to deploy when breaking news is happening. “Its 5 inches thick and packs into a milk crate, pelican case or in padded travel cases we sell,” Collias said. “In other words, the F8 200 is easy to find space for in a van to bring it along, and doesn’t take up much room. The camera person can pull it right out of the bag, place it on a stand and throw a camera battery on the rear and it’s good to go.”

BB&S Lighting recommends a pair of fixtures for speedy ENG work, one for closer work and a second when some throw is needed. “Our Reflect 1-foot or 2-foot wedge-shaped LED fixtures feature an internal reflector system that spreads a 160 degree beam angle,” said Toby Sali, partner in BB&S. “They can be used singly or ganged up in banks. They give you instant and soft lighting.”

Where the subject is some distance away, he points to their Compact Beam Light. “the front is 6 inches, and it’s 5 inches across. It is a 40W draw, like the other one, and it is a 7 degree, 11 degree, 14 degree or 17 degree beam light. So it isn’t a hard light. It doesn’t give you a ridge like a LEKO ellipsoidal profile light. It’s got 15 percent roll-off on the edges.”

During the fluorescent lighting era, Kino Flo sold a lot of its Diva lighting fixtures to news shooters who liked the soft modeling light it produced. “As LEDs took over, we developed a fixture called the Diva Light 21, which is the latest version of our LED Diva Light,” said Scott Stueckle, who handles sales and public relations for the Burbank, Calif.-based company. “It’s lighter weight from any other Diva Light we’ve had. It still has all the functionality. You can pull it out of the case and you can run full daylight and tungsten.”

One high-end feature of the latest firmware for the Diva 21 is the ability to color match the light to a particular camera. “Cameras have different sensors, different spectral curves that they use to see light—they don’t all see light the same way,” Stueckle said. “We’ve pulled out all those spectral sensitivity curves of those cameras, and we’ve downloaded them onto our software profiles. You can also go in and pull up a Panavision or Panasonic or Sony or Canon camera, and lock those color profiles in.” If a news shooter has to change cameras, it’s easy to change the Kino Flo fixture’s color properties to match, Stueckle added.

POWER SUPPLIES

A news shooter can have everything else going fine, and when the power runs out the shoot rudely and quickly comes to an end. Battery makers have gone to great lengths to provide high-capacity battery packs that are also feature rich.

Anton/Bauer unveiled its Dionic XT battery family last year and it’s found a quick market for news photographers, according to Chris Gaughan, product manager for Vitec Videocom’s Anton/ Bauer brand, who said Dionic battery packs are designed to live on the back of a camcorder “and you’re ready to go at a moment’s notice. You pick up your camera, push a button, and it’s running.”

Another feature that assures the shooter isn’t chasing a news story with a nearly empty battery pack is a fuel gauge display. “When the battery’s not under load it tells you how much battery is left, gives you a percentage,” Gaughan said. “When the camera’s running, it gives you the run time you have left, based on the load. And by touching the back of the battery you can cycle through and see what kind of current you’re drawing and temperature of the cell pack.”

Jet-hopping news crews were the focus of IDX System Technology when it designed its Dual C 98 battery packs. “Because it’s at 98W—under 100W—you could carry 15, 20, 25 on the plane,” said Jun lshizekai, associate manager of marketing & regional west sales. “It features two D-taps and one for USB, so it has enough accessory ports to fill all of a camera guy’s needs.”

Dual Cs have a five LED fuel gauge on the side, and because the individual LED is either fully lit, blinking or dark, it actually indicates battery power remaining in 10 percent increments, lshizekai added. “There’s also an LED on the Vmount side, and if you’re in total dark and it’s hard to see to change batteries, you can turn this LED on. It stays on for 30 seconds to let you maneuver around when remounting a battery pack on the camera.”

PAG’s PAGlink batteries provide the ability to gang several battery packs together on the back of a camcorder, creating a number of advantages, according to John O’Keefe, marketing consultant for PAG. “Unlike the conventional Gold Mount batteries, a single battery with a single capacity, PAG makes 90Wh and 150Wh battery packs that can be linked together,” he said. “For most guys who are shooting news, they would probably want just two, and that would let them shoot for eight hours without having to change batteries.”

PAG’s Power Hub sandwiches between two battery packs, and will let the shooter power a light, wireless microphone, small monitor and similar accessories off the camera when both batteries are linked. “The battery closest to the camera acts as your hot swap and the camera drains from the rear battery,” O’Keefe added. “That power hub is in the middle, and you can remove the rear battery without interrupting power to the camera and accessories.”

Frezzi’s FLD 100 battery packs are 100 Wh capacity, the company’s largest legally transportable battery. “It’s got a push to test fuel gauge, so it doesn’t drain the battery when it’s not being used,” said Crawford.

“It’s weatherproof, fully sealed. It can be charged with our existing desktop chargers; and it has a small port that’s used with a portable power supply to charge it, like a small desktop charger, a single channel. So if you have a little go bag and you don’t want to bring a desktop charger, like a four position station, you could use this little power supply to charge it that way.”

LOS ANGELES—Zylight will be debuting several new fixtures to the global market at IBC 2017 in Amsterdam, Sept. 15-19 (Hall 12, D47).

Designed for TV studios and theatres, the 350W Pro-Palette asymmetric wall washer produces a soft, even field of light with enough output to cover 25-foot cyc walls. It shines pure white for a clean chromakey wash, and features Zylight’s Color Mode to produce millions of colors without gels or filters.

Built for floor use or truss mount, the lightweight Pro-Palette features solid aluminum and steel construction. Up to four Pro-Palette fixtures can be daisy chained through their powercon connectors. The Pro-Palette features integrated DMX operation as well as an intuitive control panel for smooth 0-100 percent dimming.

Pro-Palette “Our IS3 panel light with Color Mode continues to be one of our most popular fixtures, and the Pro-Palette brings that same rich color palette in a more powerful package to provide even light output to larger cycs, horizontals, and backgrounds,” said Joe Arnao, president of Zylight. “It’s an affordable choice for studio chromakey or adding color backgrounds for your productions.”

Zylight’s Pro-Zoom line of LED zoom ellipsoidals will also debuting at IBC 2017. Developed as a high-powered spot or gobo projector for television stages, broadcast news studios, and live theatre, the new ellipsoidal fixtures offer a choice of zoom lenses suited for various lighting projects.

The product family features three, 200W lights with different optical zoom ranges to fit most stage lighting requirements: the Pro-Zoom Wide, with a 30-55 degree beam width; Pro-Zoom Medium, with an 18-36 degree beam; and Pro-Zoom Narrow, with an 8-22 degree beam. Zylight also offers the Pro-Zoom Plus Narrow, which features a brighter 230w LED engine and 8-22 degree beam width.

All Pro-Zoom fixtures are available in tungsten (3200K) or daylight (5600K), and feature a double condenser optical system for clean and precise gobo projection. The Pro-Zoom stays cool during operation, so delicate materials such as acetate films can be used to create low-cost, customized color gobos using an inkjet or laser printer. Pro-Zooms also include integrated shutters, built-in effects, and full DMX control with RDM compatibility.

“Zylight’s new Pro-Zoom LED spotlight is an excellent choice for lighting professionals who need focusing flexibility in an LED solution,” says Arnao. “Different scenes have different spotlight requirements, so we’ve built the Pro-Zoom line to include a choice of zoom lenses at a price point below fixed focal length fixtures.”

Available now, the Pro-Palette is priced at $2,799, and the Pro-Zoom LED spots start at $1,899.

LOS ANGELES—Zylight is ready to put its patented electronic diffusion technology into the hands of consumers, announcing a new partnership with Chimera Lighting to manufacture and distribute Active Diffusion, an electronically controlled diffusion filter.

Active Diffusion

The Active Diffusion is constructed with a flexible LCD screen and housed in a gel frame or couple with a Chimera soft box for the ability to produce different layers of diffusion. The filter can be adjusted through a handheld controller and works with variant types of cool light, including LED or fluorescent fixtures.

The licensing agreement dictates that Zylight will produce the electronics and controllers, while Chimera will manufacture the Active Diffusion panels and provide global distribution. The companies expect to have the Active Diffusion available for display at the 2017 NAB Show.

In addition, Zylight has announced a pair of new distribution deals. The company has agreed to distribute NanGuang’s LED fresnels and soft panel lights, as well as FXLION’s battery and charger product lines for North and South America.

NEW YORK—Zylight is ready to take part in this week’s NAB Show New York, announcing that it will showcase a number of its LED lighting products, as well as some Aladdin and LDDE, of which Zylight is a distributor.

ZyLink

Among Zylight’s products set to be on display are the Newz on-camera light, the F8-200 LED Fresnel and its new ZyLink Bridge, a wireless fob that allows the ZyLink app for iOS devices to communicate with the ZyLink wireless control in most of its fixtures.

Zylight will also have Aladdin’s Bi-Flex family of LED panels and the A-Lite and Eye-Lite Bi dimmable lights at its booth. LDDE, which Zylight recently agreed to distribute, plans to features its Nano*Pix family of LED soft lights and LedCyc family of modular LED backlight systems.

The 2016 NAB Show New York takes place from Nov. 9-10 at the Javits Convention Center. Zylight will be located at booth 325.

LOS ANGELES—LED lighting manufacturer Zylight is taking on the distribution duties for Austrian-based theatrical and specialty lighting company LDDE, the company announced in a press release. Zylight will serve as the exclusive distributor of LDDE products for North and South American markets.

Nano*Pix

Among the products that LDDE offers are the SpectraConnecT5LED light, which features four LED tubes in red, green, blue and white, flicker-free fades, linear lightness control, and up to 4000 lumens per tube. The Nano*Pix family of LED soft lights and LedCyc family of modular LED backlight systems will also be available courtesy of Zylight.

Zylight will display the LDDE lights, as well as its own, at the Live Design International 2016 conference in Las Vegas from Oct. 21-23; it will be located at booth 2329.

LOS ANGELES—Zylight is going to be all about LED when it arrives at the upcoming PhotoPlus Expo in New York. The lighting manufacturer will be on hand to showcase its own LED instruments, as well as LED products from Aladdin, of which Zylight is the American distributor.

Bi-Flex

Among Zylight’s LED products that it plans to showcase is the F8-200 LED Fresnel. A number of LED lights from Aladdin will also be on display, including the Bi-Flex family of LED panels, the A-Lite and Eye-Lite Bi dimmable lights. Zylight also plans to show its Newz on-camera light and IS3c panel light.

The PhotoPlus Expo is taking place at the Javits Center in New York from Oct. 20-22. Zylight will be located at booth 147.

AMSTERDAM–Zylight, the maker of LED lighting solutions, is demonstrating an array of LED lighting products at IBC 2016.

ZyLink

First things first, there will be a demonstration on the company’s new ZyLink Bridge, a wireless fob that links with the ZyLink App for iOS devices, which gives users the ability to remotely adjust a lights brightness and white light temperature controls by selecting one of the 10 ZyLink wireless channels.

Also on display, the Pro-Panel variable color LED soft light, a fully dimmable with a 110-degree beam angle giving users the ability to adjust from tungsten to daylight. The light is powered by an AC power cable or a three-pin XLR port.

Zylight’s Newz on-camera light will also make a presence. Built for broadcast news environments, the light is fully dimmable, has variable color temperatures from tungsten to daylight, is water resistant and rests on an adjustable frame with custom barn doors.

Zylight’s IBC 2016 booth is at 12.D46.

LOS ANGELES—Zylight has been tapped by Aladdin LED Lights to serve as its exclusive distributor throughout North, Central and South America.

Among the products that Zylight will distribute is the Bi-Flex family of flexible LED panels. All Bi-Flex lights are dimmable between 5 and 100 percent, offer adjustable color temperature, run via AC or battery power, and allow different mounting options. The A-Lite Bi and Eye-Lite Bi portable dimmable light products will also be available through Zylight.

SEATTLE—Speed—the faster a news photographer can get shooting, then get on to the next location, the more productive he or she can be. As the sign over Charles Osgood’s radio reporting desk reads: “Quantity is Job One.”

LIGHTING
The lights a news photog carries are a good place to start. Adding attachments to a piece of equipment can be a real time waster, which is why Zylight built an articulating arm into its LED Newz on-camera lighting fixture (see review). When not in use, the arm folds up to the light fixture’s housing and when it’s showtime, the arm quickly attaches to the camera and allows movement of the light into the desired position.

The Newz fixture provides variable color temperature adjustment from daylight to tungsten, along with smooth dimming. It sports a water-resistant IP54 rating for shooting in extreme conditions like hurricanes and blizzards.

Whether in the studio or out in the field, today’s cameras offer high resolution and sharpness that can reveal every flaw and blemish on a reporter or interviewee’s face. The solution is a wide, soft source, like Kino Flo’s Diva 415, a four-bank fluorescent fixture that can be interchangeably lamped for daylight or tungsten.

Diva lights provide on-board ballast dimming and feature builtin barn doors along with a reflector, louvers, Flozier diffuser, lamp case and fixture carrying case. Kits combining Diva 415s and the smaller 201s provide all the fixtures needed for a full-fledged interview setup.

The color rendering properties of metal-halide gas discharge lamps, HMIs, MSRs, etc., are well known. But since many of these lamps require time for cooling before being restruck, the off-again/on-again nature of news shooting made their use for “run-and-gun” shooting problematic.

Videssence Little VID KIT K5600’s Joker 200 News provides an ultra-fast restrike lamp starter that assures quiet and immediate lamp ignition and re-ignition, so the fixture requires virtually no setup time. It can be used without optics to become a Bug-Lite, while it can also evenly fill a Lightbank or Lantern, making it the perfect light for interviews. The company’s Joker News kit operates in 110V and 240V environments as well as from a pair of 14.4V camera batteries or a 30V battery.

Three-point lighting is a staple of modeling a face, and Videssence’ Little VID KITS are designed to deliver just that in a rolling canvas trolley case. The kits are available in daylight or tungsten, with 50W focusing or non-focusing LED Fresnel fixtures.

Each Little VID fixture is powered off 120-230V AC power, with battery power an option. The kits include stands, barn doors and gel frames or gel holders. Each fixture has a 12-foot cord to remote power supply that allows easy programming for dimming or DMX control.

Cineo Maverick The 12 x 12-inch 1x1 LED panel lights have defined soft source lighting for over a decade. Cineo’s Maverick fixture applies its remote phosphor design to that same form factor to take the best of both advantages, with a 160-degree even spread of light and full, on-fixture dimming control. The phosphor panels can quickly be interchanged to change color temperature from 3200 to 5600 or 6500K.

With the rigors of field use in mind, the lightweight Maverick features DC power and waterproof construction and delivers a volume of light equal to a traditional 1K soft source, with a wide array of accessories, power supply and mounting options.

Podcasters and traveling correspondents often deliver their on-camera work from a desktop with a laptop webcam. BBS Lighting took the challenge of image quality from a minimal workspace when it designed its two-light Pipeline Remote Phosphor LED Reporter Kit.

The foot-long cylindrical fixtures come with desktop stands and full range dimming to provide modeled light to match illumination on the correspondent whether in a dimly lit room all the way to filling in sunlight-generated shadows. Using battery power at a paltry 10W per fixture, there’s no need to string power cables.

POWER SUPPLIES
There’s an old news photographer joke that has him looking for a “currant” bush to plug into when his batteries run down. But drained batteries are no joke in the field, and that keeps fueling battery development.

With many newsrooms migrating to one-man-band VJ operations, headcount may be reduced, but the actual number of field-ready camera systems—and their attendant rechargeable batteries—can increase. The more batteries a station has, the more charging wherewithal they need.

PAG found a way to maximize the amount of charging that can be done in the footprint of a single charger by developing its PAGlink system. The four-position PL16+ allows up to four PAGlink batteries to be piggybacked on each of four charging positions to simultaneously charge up to 16 batteries simultaneously. Intelligence built into the system figures out the best and most efficient way of charging each battery pack.

A news shooter carrying a large-enough capacity battery pack to power multiple devices is one thing, but getting at that power can be another.

This led IDX to put a pair of D-taps on its Duo 95 and Duo 150 battery packs, which can power other devices that need a 12V source. And because there are other peripherals like cellphones and tablets that can need a charge during the workday, they’ve even added a USB port to the battery packs.

With all the ways of going live from news stories, it’s important that the photogs be ultra portable and able to move fast and get to the scene first.

Frezzi FLB-100 Frezzi came out with its FLB (Frezzi Lithium Battery) 100 series with enough power and life to provide power to not only the camera but also on-camera light and bonded cellular transmitter, cutting down on the bulk and weight that several batteries would add. The companion charger is the four-position FLC-4.

Anton/Bauer developed its Gold Mount battery pack attachment system that became so synonymous with the company it’s commonly called the A/B mount. But to make the company’s battery technology available to those with the alternative Sony L-Series battery mounts, Anton/Bauer rolled out its L-Series 7.2V battery packs.

The L-Series battery packs come in 4400mAh (30Wh) and 6600mAh (47Wh) models, and sport single and double position chargers. The chargers also include a USB port for charging peripheral devices such as cellphones and tablets.

CAMERA SUPPORT
Tripods were always important when a news crew had a reporter and a photographer, but with a one-man-band the sticks are even more necessary to hold the camera while the video journalist does a liveshot or interview.

Libec RS-250D tripod Shooting run-and-gun style may seem a far cry from using a camera rigged cinestyle, with matte boxes, flags, filter holders and focus assist tools, where the weight and balance changes sometimes shot to shot. But news shooters have their own variety of optional extras, including big or small batteries, on camera lights, wireless mic receivers and video transmitters.

When Miller designed its Compass 23 tripod system, it aimed for a lightweight but robust support for the camera package that can handle a counterbalance range of 8–30 pounds. It also provides a 120mm sliding camera plate with 60mm of travel to reset the camera balance as accessories are added or taken off.

The Compass 23 offers three selectable positions of high-performance pan and tilt drag, plus a zero position.

Most camera crews use a tripod at eye level for interviews and standups. But for shooting steady B-roll material it’s handy to be able to go high and low.

Sachtler FSB8 tripod with Touch & Go plate and SpeedLock system Shotoku addressed this need with its spreader-less TT-66/L/S tripods, featuring extreme low angle shooting or the flexibility to add stability where a floor or midlevel spreader might not be practical. The tripods employ a simple twist lock grip to allow quick, easy and individual adjustment of each leg length.

The speed with which a news shooter can move from setup to setup is dictated by how quickly the camera can be mounted and dismounted, and the tripod deployed and broken down for carrying.

Sachtler’s FSB8 tripod with Touch & Go plate and SpeedLock system addressed just this in a lightweight package. For cameras weighing less than 20 pounds, the three section TT 75/2 CF telescopic tripod quickly erects to a steady camera platform, then collapses to a portable 17 inches.

Most days a news shooter doesn’t have time to use a slider, but Libec designed their tripod heads so if there is a need for a slider, skater, etc., they can quickly mount the fluid head and get shooting.

The RS-250D (for smaller cameras) and the RS-450D (for mid-sized cameras) feature a 75mm ball for quick leveling on a tripod. But the bottom of the ball is cut flat or quick bolting to slider, skater, jib arm or other camera support device.

The Zylight Newz is a small, camera-mountable, dimmable LED fixture that is quite powerful for its diminutive size. With the added flexibility to change color temperature from tungsten to daylight, this versatile unit can be used anywhere. Where else can you get this power output, indoors or out, and still be stingy on power?

FEATURES
Measuring almost 6-inches in length, 3-inches in width, and slightly over 2-inches in thickness, the Newz attaches easily to your camera’s hot shoe or almost anything else. With its articulating arm, plastic barndoors and the diffusion light take up very little real estate. Powered by an AC adapter, or taped into any 7.2 or 14.4V DC camera battery, the Newz pulls only 15W.

The Zylight Newz offers an articulating arm, plastic barn doors and has controllable color temperature adjustments. The back of the unit has two rotary rheostats: pushing the one on the left turns the light on and twisting it changes the intensity from zero to full output. The second knob controls the color temperature from tungsten to daylight, or anywhere in-between. Controlling the color temperature is helpful when working in environments where you don’t have pure 3200 degree K or 5600 degree K illumination, (which is just about most environments).

The barndoors and diffusion screen is a new addition to the Zylight, making the light beam that much more controllable. With the Zylink Wireless Linking and Control feature, you can control several Zylights and mimic the output by controlling just one master unit; all this in a minute package with LEDs that can last up to 50,000 hours.

IN USE
I am no stranger to Zylight, having used their first light back in 2005; that light is still used on every shoot. The Newz was immediately put into use on one of our class projects. Shooting in a musty attic in a century old house, we had very few power options.

Connecting the Newz to our Anton Bauer 14.4V battery, we had almost unlimited use of the unit. The shoot lasted three hours and with a 15-W power drain, we could have the light illuminated for days. I like that the LED digital readout of the light’s output is displayed on the articulating arm as well as its ability to mix color temperatures. When adjusting color temperature, the display on the arm changes to the balance of tungsten versus daylight. Wanting the attic’s light slightly warmer, we adjusted the Newz closer to the full tungsten setting.

Needing a strong backlight, the Newz was clamped to one of the exposed studs in the attic. The initial output was far too strong and bright. Dimming it slightly, we still had an evident backlight for the scene and the actress was bathed in warm illumination.

Our next shoot was outdoors with the Newz providing fill light for an actor who was strongly backlit. Still tapping into a DC power source, we could actually compete with the sun by filling in the shadow on the actor’s face. Adjusting the color temperature to full daylight, we achieved enough output on the actor’s face and still had the sparkle in her eyes.

Back in our studio, I wanted to measure just how strong the Newz’s output was in foot-candles. At a distance of three feet, with the Newz’s intensity at 100 percent, we had a reading of 350 footcandles. Normally, the falloff with LEDs is rather rapid, but at a distance of 6-feet, the light’s output only dropped by 50 to 300 footcandles. The unit could still be used at much greater distances, but this is a strong punch for a unit this small.

SUMMARY
The versatility of the Newz is what I admire most. Like with the older unit that I still use, it fits right in the camera case and may be pulled out whenever it’s needed, which is pretty much all the time. Mounting it on the camera indoors requires using the diffusion screen, or at least dimming it; outdoors is where the full power will come in handy most often. The price point is the best feature—the Newz actually costs less than its older brothers and is more convenient to use.

You now should have no excuse for not adding the Zylight Newz to your lighting arsenal. What I enjoy most is that it costs virtually nothing to operate; it’s there when you need it, and you aren’t putting a lead weight on the top of your camera. Viva Zylight Newz!

Chuck Gloman is an associate professor and chair of the TV/Film Department at DeSales University. He may be reached atchuck.gloman@desales.edu.

FAST FACTS

APPLICATION
An extremely powerful light for its size and cost, with controllable color temperature adjustments.

KEY FEATURES
Dimmable; controllable color temperature from tungsten to daylight; draw only 15 watts of power from AC or DC source

PRICE
$429

CONTACT
Zylight LLC
978-244-0011
www.zylight.com

LOS ANGELES—Samuel Thomas has joined LED lighting provider Zylight as its new national sales manager for North America. Thomas took over his new position on Dec. 1.

Samuel Thomas

Thomas will identify and source major sales opportunities in North and South America, as well as overseeing the recruitment, evaluation and management of manufacturer reps throughout the region. Among Thomas’ prior positions were as product manager for Flanders Scientific, and channel accounts manager and business development manager for Vitec Group. Thomas is based out of West Palm Beach, Fla.

In addition, Zylight has announced that USHIO America will now serve as its exclusive North American distributor.

LOS ANGELES—LED lighting product manufacture Zylight has announced it is now shipping its Newz compact on-camera light. Designed to for broadcast news and other run-and-gun type shooting, the Newz features custom barn doors and an integrated articulated arm to adjust the height and angle of the light.

The Newz utilizes a proprietary LED matrix to produce soft light with true color reproduction in line with Zylight’s F8 LED Fresnel. The light offers color temperatures from tungsten (3200K) to daylight (5600K) and a 60 degree beam spread at full width half maximum. It also features an integrated strobe function for DSLR applications.

In addition, the Newz comes with an integrated one-touch quick release mount, and ZyLink, Zylight’s wireless technology, to link to multiple lights for simultaneous remote control. It can be powered by a worldwide AC power supply, or either a 7.2V or 14.4V camera battery through its integrated D-Tap cable. The light is also water resistant so it can be used in extreme weather conditions.

LOS ANGELES—Over the last year Brent Foster, a director and cinematographer for Foster Visuals in Wallaceburg, Ontario, launched the ‘While I’m Here │The Legacy Project,’ profiling unique and selfless individuals. Since its launch, Foster has traveled the country to capture three individual stories, and for each he brought along the Zylight F8-100 LED Fresnels.

Zylight in use on set of a 'Legacy Project' shoot

Foster is able to use the lights on location thanks to it being water resistant and it being able to run on a 14.4V camera battery. Other advantages of the lights include consistent color quality and control with the barn doors, 8-inch glass lens, and spot and flood controls, according to Foster. The ability to collapse the ‘Flat Fresnel’ to four inches thick and Zylight’s custom travel kit makes it easily portable.

The Zylight F8-100 is available in both tungsten and daylight and draws 90W. It also features an LED engine with quantum dot technology, a high Color Rendering Index and high Television Lighting Consistency Index. DMX operation and ZyLink wireless technology allow multiple Zylights to link to simultaneous remote control.

To learn more about the ‘While I’m Here’ project, visit www.whileimheretheproject.com.