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Digital Sputnik LED light experiences?

D

Dominik Bauch

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Any one have any thoughts on digital Sputnik lights?

I'm fluctuating between getting a 3 set of these or a mole 400w junior fresnel.

How is the per light output of the sputniks? I would love to be able to use these in a booklight scenario but am worried that they lack the punch?
I have no doubts of their color accuracy or flexibility considering they are the main lights used on Independence Day 2 and sw rogue one. Good enough for me...

Apparently the sputniks need to be used with the clip in diffusion? That should surely cut out a stop or 2 minimum.
Anyone used them? Are they the best led lights out there?
 
Dominik Bauch said:
Apparently the sputniks need to be used with the clip in diffusion? That should surely cut out a stop or 2 minimum.
Anyone used them? Are they the best led lights out there?
Click to expand...

They are good, though pricey.

I've never seen them without the diffusion, but more or less this is commonplace to solve some of the bulb based pitfalls of LEDs that many manufacturers deploy.

Really love the iPad interface and color control.

I personally invested in Nila, Litepanels, and Westcott's Flex units for lots of reasons as well as a few less savory options. Fiilex is also a good option IMO and I've rented Mole's Fresno LEDs more time than I can count now.

It will truly depend on what you want out of them and how you want to use them.

Obviously I haven't been a fan of generators on set, despite certain realilties. However, between modern LED tech from quality manufacturers and even Hive's efforts on the LEP front (especially recently) I'm aiming for a more power efficient and quieter set set.

Forgive any typos. I'm eating with my other hand.
 
thanks Phil.

was thinking about the mole leds too but they are so damn heavy. Fine if you've got some grips handy.
Im also interested in the litepanels Astra, the new one seems to pack a wallop, didn't like the older version though.

how was the punch of the sputniks when you've seen them?
 
Hello

Take the following with a small grain of salt as it comes from the manufacturer:
It is possible to use the DS without diffusion and mostly in DS6 configuration they do get used without diffusion (as the LED's inside are RGBW there is some multicolor artifacts on shadows when you are close to the fixture) The included holographic lenses and diffuser-box are to deal with the shadow problem but will hinder the throw. When you need throw then there is no problem with close shadows.
One major misconception about DS heads is that they look like spot lights, they are not, they are very strong area/soft-lights. Therefore for shaping it is not possible to use barn-doors but it is necessary to use flags.
About the price: The bigger units are more expensive but we are just now introducing DS1 with the price tag of 2500USD because unlike any other light mentioned in this thread they are proper RGBW (meaning full color control) and totally flicker free (analog current control).

NB! Diffusion usually "cuts" very little of light output (in our case the holographic filter looses about 7% of output) but it spreads the light over *much* greater area therefore you loose output exponentially based on distance.

Thank You
Kaspar
 
A month later....as I cruise the web waiting on a delayed flight...haha

I've had a chance to demo the DS units for about a week and I have to say they're VERY impressive. The build quality is excellent, the design (for what that might be worth) is excellent, and the versatility is excellent. DEFINITELY worth THE money, just a question of if it's worth YOUR money. A few things to consider:

Modularity - All of their units use the same head fixture that can be arranged in multiple configurations. They have accessories to suit many different useful applications.
Color - Since it's an RGB light you get any color option you need. and without losing too much output from adding a primary gel to it. Also, the color rendering is better considering it's not just daylight or tungsten balanced diodes.
Control - They have an iPad app that allows you to remotely adjust the color and intensity or a DMX option if that's your preference. Switching the control method is a simple handle swap and you go from wi-fi to hard-line DMX.

If I were to start investing in a lighting system for myself it'd probably be DS stuff given the versatility and quality. It's a bit of a learning curve to realize their true potential but it's worth it IMO.
 
I have two sets of these. If you are into having fine control of color and intensity, these are amazing.
 
What can these do that a regular LED with color gels can't do? Anyone?
 
Thanks for chiming in Brett. This I know, but any other reason beyond the most obvious?
Brett Harrison said:
You would need thousands of gels. The gels would cut down on output. You would need time to place the gels, and access etc. It's a different approach.
Click to expand...
 
It's been almost a year and I want to see how people felt about the DS1 lights. worth the investment or what everyone's take away is. thanks
 
Rich Miro said:
It's been almost a year and I want to see how people felt about the DS1 lights. worth the investment or what everyone's take away is. thanks
Click to expand...

I really like them.

I find the quality of light excellent and controlling via Lumenair app on an iPad pretty easy. They can be animated as well which personally i find very useful. However wifi control of lights can be a bit flakey at times (not just these lights but tech in general). So it is nice that they can be dialled in on the heads as well.

The soft blade is a very nice accessory but i think DS are missing a trick by not making various lightweight plastic versions of these. This one is metal and heavier than it needs to be.

They are pretty expensive though, and i hope that will be addressed. I would love to see a higher powered version (these are 140w i believe) in the future.

I am playing with their new light at the moment, the voyager, which is super nice. One day these should all connect together too, so makes for an awesome ecosystem.

cheers
Paul
 
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