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Group Buy - Hexolux LED Spotlights

Zeb B

Zeb B

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Good Evening RU's

In my quest for the perfect portable, powerful, flexible, flicker free, high quality LED light that would take advantage of the wide universe of stills photo light modifiers by ProFoto, Bron, Calumet, Elinchrom etc . . . I stumbled upon this at the current LA REDucation. Really smart design that is built by a Bay Area company that understands the nuances of LED's and optical engineering. At this point I'm just putting out feelers on interest for these so I can negotiate a group deal with the owners of Hexolux. The regular cost is around $2K per head kit. Probably will put together a 2 light package bundle for our program based on your feedback. Check out their website:

http://hexolux.com/

Below is a quick/dirty iPhone vid I shot today to demonstrate the unique features of this product. "Channel Z" is where I'm going to start uploading this type of my work and projects.

https://vimeo.com/87642264

Probably will ship right around the NAB time frame. They also have a "4K" replacement square form factor cluster light on the way that kicks softbox ass!

If there is enough quick interest here I will fly up to the factory and check them out further and cut a deal for us. It will be in the form of a bundle rather than a straight discount I believe since they are going to sell out of these constantly once word gets out so probably don't need to be low price leader with such an innovative product.

-ZEB
(btw: I hold around 20 Patents on lighting related designs and am very familiar with the challenges of designing and manufacturing LED fixtures. I am also an accomplished stills photog who has been waiting for the cine world to get around to using modern strobe/fashion lighting modifiers instead of the 100 year old reflectors powered with coal fired "K" size global warmers that populate sets everywhere. The move to LED will come rapidly and forcefully to our industry . . . and that's a good thing)
 
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Was lucky enough to get to play with a prototype for a couple of days.....very nice light, powerful and good quality....and they are really nice guys who are passionate about their product....I would not be surprised if they have something special up their sleeve....
 
The 4K cluster is the NAB 2014 introduction product. The Group Buy is for what they showed at NAB 2013 which is just now shipping. See . . . RED isn't alone in time measured between announcement and shipment ;-)
 
Interested.
Just always asked myself how much that smart design compromises abuse from occasional rentals. Can't justify such a steep price tag for a smaller, if versatile, light, if I can't rent it out sometimes
 
These guys make the most compelling lights I've seen in a very long time.

I am absolutely buying the 4K light they are coming out with and one of their single lights.
Im very curious to see what you do with this group buy i think its awesome.

Luis
 
I have recommended that Peter Smith of Hexolux get a RU account so he can answer technical questions directly.

I believe that the spec sheet lumen equivalent of this product is close to a 1K tungsten but that's crude way to measure. To me light efficiency and effectiveness is measured by how many lumens can I bend, modify and direct to land exactly on the area I am targeting. Having a unit that I can use with the entire range of existing photo stills light modifiers means that I can quickly shape the light and eliminate unwanted spill.

I can also get very close to talent with this LED light since I won't melt her face off. You can't do that with a 1K hot light - you have to physically back it off causing a rapid drop in light intensity and shadow wrap. Light breaks down by the square and wrap is all about relative size of light source to subject. This product gives me the ability to paint with light in a way that was not possible before.

General note on LED verses Tungsten: there is no IR projection with LED like the food warmer Tungsten lamps. All the heat generated is coming out the back of an LED light source - what comes out the front is pure photon light energy. This opens up a whole engineering range of possibilities since you can use Lexan lenses that can have precise prisms cut in for specific light patterns. HID are as hot as hell also so only crude glass lenses can be used.

There is also the problem with filament size with Tungsten/HID when trying to create a focusing light. The smaller the light generating source the more precise you can be with your focusing pattern. The LED light source is also oriented facing directly to the front. Most Tungsten/HID bulbs are perpendicular to the subject requiring a reflector to shape the light pattern . . . all of which creates loss of precision and efficiency.

The only way to dim a Tungsten without changing color temp is to put a metal screen in front of it which is another energy wasting reality to using them. HID's and PL (fluorescent) lamps can be dimmed a bit but I have never been impressed with the range or precision. The Hexolux can be dimmed in 1% increments without change in color temp.

I recommended to these guys to make a quick replacement front lens that creates a 16:9 light pattern without barn door cutters. That way you are delivering close to 100% of the light energy onto the frame we shoot. Combine this with the focusing and tilt / shift feature and you have an extreme efficiency light source. Since we shoot rectangular frames, not circles, it makes sense to have the option to start the lighting project with a rectangular shape source without light wasting cutters.

Other notes on this product:
They are moving away from DIN power connectors to XLR flavor. The Group Buy will be for the updated units.
The cooling fans are extremely quite
The dimming is precise and repeatable
Peter says they have tested the flicker to frame rates up to 100,000fps

Cheers!

-ZEB
 
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