Arri PAX LED Lighting System

[Jamison Stark]

I just watched this demo of the Arri PAX LED lighting system: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkIVMHYHAaA

I was thinking a few of these panels would make for a very capable portable lighting rig.

Does anyone have experience with the PAX system? What would be their best application? I Googled for reviews but didn't find much other than press releases and a mention of using them to light an interior of a car.

Any word on availability and street price for PAX1 & PAX2 kits?

Thanks in advance.

 

[David Kirlew]

From my understanding, according to Arri's website, www.arri.de The PAX system is rental only at the moment.

 

[Jamison Stark]

From my understanding, according to Arri's website, www.arri.de The PAX system is rental only at the moment.

I missed that tidbit. Thanks for pointing it out.

 

[Jeremy Neish]

I can't help myself:

"These are just a few of the images we've recorded. And you can see, it wasn't what we thought. There's been no war here and no terraforming event. The environment is stable. It's the Pax. The G-23 Paxilon Hydrochlorate that we added to the air processors. It was supposed to calm the population, weed out aggression. Well, it works. The people here stopped fighting. And then they stopped everything else. They stopped going to work, they stopped breeding, talking, eating. There's 30 million people here, and they all just let themselves die. " - Dr. Caron, Serenity (2005)

Not the best name from my perspective as a huge Firefly & Serenity fan.

 

[Jamison Stark]

I can't help myself:

"These are just a few of the images we've recorded. And you can see, it wasn't what we thought. There's been no war here and no terraforming event. The environment is stable. It's the Pax. The G-23 Paxilon Hydrochlorate that we added to the air processors. It was supposed to calm the population, weed out aggression. Well, it works. The people here stopped fighting. And then they stopped everything else. They stopped going to work, they stopped breeding, talking, eating. There's 30 million people here, and they all just let themselves die. " - Dr. Caron, Serenity (2005)

Not the best name from my perspective as a huge Firefly & Serenity fan.

We're going to have to start a whole sub-forum on product naming suggestions!

 

[Jamison Stark]

I missed that tidbit. Thanks for pointing it out.

I know how I missed that detail. The Americas page clearly says rental only...

http://www.arri.de/lighting/americas/led_systems/pax_led_kit.html

But the Europe/Asia/Australia/Africa version of the page (which is the one I ended up on this weekend for some reason) doesn't say rental only. In fact it kits it out in three different configurations and talks about the long term investment.

http://www.arri.de/lighting/europe_asia_australia_africa/led_systems/pax_series.html

Sounds like maybe it is for sale in the rest of the world just not the Americas. I wonder why that would be.

 

[Iannis Holwech]

Found the PAX 2 kit on an Korean web page for about $19K, just to give an idea of the price.

 

[CK Olsen]

Coo, but strikes me as overkill for 550 lux...

Coo, but strikes me as overkill for 550 lux...

I really like the this concept, and the "database of gels" feature would be really useful, but IMHO, this all seems a bit overkill for a product that may deliver less than 550 lux at 1 meter... particularly if the 19K price tag is accurate. You could buy a number of other kick ass portable lighting solutions for 10-25 percent of this, and you'd have far better light output... And c'mon... adding Gels by hand isn't exactly back breaking work...

 

[martinnoweck]

i saw the pax and lowcaster at arri presentation at arri hq in munich about two weeks ago and both were for sale.

the lowcaster starts round euro 1000,- and the pax basic kit about euro 5.000,00.

kind regards,
martin

 

[Danish P.V.]

i saw the pax and lowcaster at arri presentation at arri hq in munich about two weeks ago and both were for sale.

the lowcaster starts round euro 1000,- and the pax basic kit about euro 5.000,00.

kind regards,
martin

5000??? F...!
That`s awful...and it`s only 50 watts...but then again it`s ARRI and nobody should wonder...

 

[Michael Lindsay]

I've used both the Arri Pax kit and the new lowcaster light panel...

The PAX kit is unparalleled in its functionality. You can wirelessly do lighting changes with product shots that would be such hassle to do any other way. The price is high to buy but I wouldn't hesitate to hire them when I need them as they are pretty clever. They also come in a very comprehensive kit.

The lowcaster light (i think it was what I used) was superb. The diffusion is held at just the right distance from source with a magnetic mechanism. It was a robust and thoughtfully put together system. You can also adjust colour temp on the fly.. The green/magenta (to eye) looked pretty stable..

If I didn't already own the litepanel products I would seriously think about the arri light panels.

kind regards

Michael L

 

[Jamison Stark]

Thanks for the info everyone.

I'm not sure what accounts for the US$19k vs. €5k price quote discrepancy. Perhaps these were different kit configurations.

Either way, I agree this product is pricey and might not provide the best lux for your bucks but I still love the features.

The PAX kit is unparalleled in its functionality.

This echoes my thoughts. I think they would be a joy to work with. Set up a few of these panels. Stand back behind the camera and dial in the perfect settings via the wireless controller. It seems like a very streamlined and modern on set workflow especially for a small crew, but I suppose like everything else you end up paying a premium for cutting edge technology.

I better start saving my pennies!

 

[christopher witzke]

Zylight makes some products that are very similar.... and well built. I've used the z90's but ended up selling them when I needed to raise some money.

Their new IS3 looks to be very, very similar. With the exception that you can buy it right now.

http://www.zylight.com/servlet/Page?template=p_i_is3

 

[Jamison Stark]

Zylight makes some products that are very similar.... and well built. I've used the z90's but ended up selling them when I needed to raise some money.

Their new IS3 looks to be very, very similar. With the exception that you can buy it right now.

http://www.zylight.com/servlet/Page?template=p_i_is3

The Zylight IS3 does look very similar and interesting.

Two of these IS3 panels plus a wireless controller will run about US$6,000.00 so if the previously mentioned €5,000.00 price was for a PAX 2 kit, they are in the same ball park.

 

[Danish P.V.]

...so if the previously mentioned €5,000.00 price was for a PAX 2 kit, they are in the same ball park.

I don`t think so - at least the Zylight folks claimed that the IS 3 has around 220 watts of output - the Arris have only 50 watts.

 

[Jamison Stark]

I don`t think so - at least the Zylight folks claimed that the IS 3 has around 220 watts of output - the Arris have only 50 watts.

Good point. I just meant same ballpark regarding unit price. But if you needed four or five Arris to do the work of one Zylight...

 

[Danish P.V.]

Good point. I just meant same ballpark regarding unit price. But if you needed four or five Arris to do the work of one Zylight...

I Didn`t intend to be a wiseacre but thought that shouldn`t be overlooked

Though the other huge difference between the two fixtures is the lens system of Arri whereas the Zylight can`t be focused.

 

[Pietro Impagliazzo]

Pairing this tech with much higher output future LED or another technology will be awesome. Just imagine the possibilities for Cinematography.

Anyway with these outputs just sounds more of a gimmick or a niche product than something really usable in a mainstream application.

Unless RED gives us Monstro in a native (please don't hit me Jim) ISO of 3200 or the likes.

:biggrin5:

 

[Charles Papert]

I've been testing the IS3 for Zylight for the past few months and it has become an indispensable unit for me, such that I am about to buy one (without any previous intention to spend $3K on lighting gear).

As a unit, the ability to dial in intensity and color temp, including mired shift (plus/minus green) means you can quickly and easily match any source or mixed sources without time-consuming gelling. That's the obvious part. After I'd had the unit a while I thought it would be good to try the remote control, and that's where things got interesting. It's a tiny handheld unit about the size of an extended camcorder battery that you clip to your belt.

I generally use the IS3 as a fill/eye light so I have it positioned fairly close to camera. On a recent shoot we had 5 actors giving their testimony in a courtroom set, and we block-shot the setups as we moved around the room. Each time a new actor came in, I was able to dial in the exact amount of fill required for the individual, right from the camera. The dark-complexioned gent needed more, the pale-skinned gal needed less--and I cranked the color temp down a few hundred degrees to warm up her skin tones. All of this in a matter of seconds, and again, right from the monitor. No calling out instructions to the gaffer, waiting for gel, bringing the light down to make an adjustment and send it back up again etc. The actors never even knew it was happening. It's like the advantage of being on a dimmer board but even faster.

The LED design is such that without the diffusion overlay it will cast a series of color-fringed shadows, so I generally use the diffusion. However on some music videos recently I let it play and it looked fine on the faces. I had a ring light but for one setup we needed to pull the camera back and the effect was getting lost, so I hung the IS3 halfway between the singer and the camera, just above the frame, and again was able to quickly dial the color temp to exactly match the output of the ring light.

Like the Arri's it can go into color mode to duplicate the effect of party gel--I haven't used it that way yet. I also haven't had the opportunity to use the programmable function where you can dial in several different settings and then transition between them at the push of the button (at selectable rates). I think this would be great for handholding the unit as a fill for a walk-and-talk that might travel from a daylit corridor to a mixed-source room--you can trigger the IS3 to transition in color temperature to match the ambient light.

At just under $3000, this is obviously not an inexpensive unit, but it allows for a whole new way of working rather than just replacing our existing technologies. Down the road there's sure to be a number of variations on this concept, the Arri representing the top-of-the-line and eventually there will be cheaper versions I'm sure, but for now, the IS3 is well worth it as far as I'm concerned.