Video Review: CAME-TV CE-1500WS LED Fresnel-Style Light

[Tommy Kraft]

Hey all,

Some of you may remember my video review of CAME-TV's 1200 economic HMI light. I've been gearing up for some future projects and decided to take the plunge on their version of a fresnel-style LED light. Granted, who knows if they actually produce these things since many sellers seem to sell the same product, but I've had good experiences with them previously so I figured I'd try them out again. If any of you are interested in picking up this light or one like it, hopefully you'll find this review helpful:

For those of you who are interested in checking out the review of their economic 1200 watt HMI, you can find that video here:

Please feel free to let me know your thoughts on the reviews and/or if you have any questions!

- Tommy

 

[Kwan Khan]

Seriously Tommy? (lol)

 

[Tommy Kraft]

Seriously Tommy? (lol)

Not sure what you mean.

 

[Note Suwanchote]

Love this.

 

[Kwan Khan]

Not sure what you mean.

THE TOTAL WASTE OF TIME and Money... (lol - really)

I have 4 unit sitting in my garage since last year (Embarrassment on set - lol), however My mother loves these light all this summer (in back yard), when she hosting a BBQ/ or other activites with 15-30+ guests (not jokin')

 

[Tommy Kraft]

THE TOTAL WASTE OF TIME and Money... (lol - really)

I have 4 unit sitting in my garage since last year (Embarrassment on set - lol), however My mother loves these light all this summer (in back yard), when she hosting a BBQ/ or other activites with 15-30+ guests (not jokin')

Well I'm glad you can afford to be a snob. If you'd like to give me access to your money tree so I can buy only the highest end gear I'd be happy to oblige. Until then, many of us in the community will be able to get use out of this cheaper gear and hopefully the video serves to help those who don't have much money to spend.

 

[Tommy Kraft]

Love this.

Thanks! Glad you found it useful.

 

[Dan Kanes]

mission Accomplished.

 

[Kwan Khan]

FellowTony,
I've done some reviews in 2013 for Joey (Came-TV) and I am fully aware of dangers and risks involved (in these unit) . I have no trouble to upload old videos once I get back in NYC (in march) .You will see how these Ballasts explode violently. Please understand, I can say more however a fellows user paulears and Mitch Gross, a very experienced and well respected person in this community already try to explain you at DVXuser.

The problem is that in the UK, it is common, and perhaps even standard practice for many venue these lights would be used in to ask for their safety test record, or a sticker proving a test has taken place. Of course, a few idiots write their own stickers without testing, but reputable businesses, who have insurance and would like the insurance to be good and not void, test their own kit. We have a range of kit that can be bought to do this and even testing courses people go on if they are green or need to prove competence. In short, if you plug in a Chinese discharge fixture, the tester checks for leakage and ground continuity, and other parameters. If it says fail - then you are STUPID to use it. Access to high voltage components like the ignitors needs restricted access - or it is illegal, a civil offence here, unless death or injury is caused when it becomes criminal. Anyone who uses equipment that does not have these safety features is negligent. In the EU, importation of this equipment would not be legal either, as it cannot possibly have the CE marking without these safety features. Obviously, customs can't check this kind of thing so there are plenty of people using potentially lethal equipment quite happily, perhaps even forging safety documentation. That's for them. Some people have a cavalier attitude to electrical and user safety.

I have been using discharge lighting for a long time now - probably the late 70s, and even back then, they had interlocks on. I got one shock when changing a lamp, and the microswitch had failed, and it tried to ignite as I was relamping (reglobing sounds odd?). It was VERY painful. I've seen people come out in rashes when an HMI had no UV filter, and I've damaged expensive floors with red hot lamp fragments from a fixture with a bodged lens that shattered.

All my tungsten Chinese fixtures needed modifications to make them electrically safe. Some as they come out of the box, have no ground at all - the final short length of rubber from the switch to the fixture being two core, not three, or others have a ground, but a poor one - usually screws that are in painted components so not biting into the metal, just paint.

I had one discharge fixture that didn't even have fibre glass protection on the lamp cables, and without it, at some point the focus mechanism would rub the soft cable, and the arcing would be interesting, and if the housing wasn't grounded, then focusing it when it striked up would be interesting.

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?343447-CAME-TV-Chinese-1200-Watt-HMI-Video-Review/page2
Post #13.

To expand on the above post, even if you are a one-man-band owner/operator, you do not work in absolute isolation. You shoot on locations and you have talent and perhaps a little bit of crew. As the owner of the gear you are legally liable should anything go wrong with it. So you might be willing to take risks for yourself, but what if you burn down someone's home or physically injure someone? If the moral question doesn't bother you, perhaps the legal/financial one might.

I'm not saying don't use this gear. I don't know enough about it to render an opinion. But I am saying that one should be cautious for reasons other than "Does it make light?".

And How Can I Forget 'bout my dear fella' Dan Kanes (lol), Who sold many of Amimon Pro Chipped units to this community.

I really wanted to put a link for our last conversation however I am not DA' Anus.... (sorry forget to put K, I misspell sometime just like you) Hahahahahahah Sorry fella'' couldn't resist.... Accept my apologies

Don't worry about Klowns Tommy.

Klowns can be scary, but they can also be funny.

usually Klowns like the cheapest possible gear so they can get more flashy Klown Kars, but maybe things have changed this year.

(Not an endorsement or condemnation of the light)

Hummm..... Math, it's a puzzle to me. I love figuring out puzzles... Let's discover together

“Klowns” = you mean Kwan ?

“usually Klowns like the cheapest possible gear?” = You meant, Kwan likes Amimon Pro Chipped WHDMI unit Which was way less than half priced compare to the same Amimon Pro Chipped Paralinx?

https://forum.blackmagicdesign.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3706&start=10


flashy Klown Kars = you meant Kwan's Lamborghini which you tried insult years ago and booed off the stage by this community.
All Your apologies was accepted long ago. then why indirect again?

My fella’ life is too short for long-term grudges, we are all out dated child. You think Moderates are stupid? they do not know anything about your nonsense here?



For my fellow Moderators…
Please understand I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it. So my promise to my dear community (here) I won’t reply any of Dan Kanas nonsense here. I urge everyone here to understand that I know being funny is not anyone's first choice however its one of my greatest strengths.

Cheers

 

[Matt Hall]

Some really good advice in your post, Kwan. Thanks for the info on these lights.

 

[Dan Kanes]

mission accomplished

Some people like to contribute.

Some people like to mock the efforts of others.

Some people may not even realize that others have opened doors which would otherwise to this day would still be locked.

I might be a mix of all three, and I think Kwan , you might be too.

I'm always on a quest for knowledge, a quest for improving myself, improving my work, and if I can improving the conditions for those around us.

Sometimes humor is a great way to express frustration at a situation that seems to be a recurring point of pain when reading some less than helpful commentary or posts here.

I've decided to take the high road here - rather than just the comedy road.

Here's a form letter that would prove helpful, rather than boastful to the community. This is not an expression of my opinions or knowledge , but a reformatting of an originally expressed series of posts that seemed Negative, but could be positive or helpful with some reformatting.

[Really ? LOL Really ?]

Translation:

[Hi Tommy,

I think it's only fair to warn you that my experience with these lights has been very poor. They are unreliable, untrustworthy lamps to use in a critical filming situation. I dare say they are dangerous because we don't know the quality of the UV protection on the included bulbs/glass, or even if they maintain standards of electrical integrity. Despite these flaws and dangers, I might let my mom use them at a dinner party (that's my way of telling you how bad these lights suck.) Maybe their quality control has changed, but I doubt it, I just let them sit in my garage because I personally find them unusable. Best of luck, and I hope you don't experience any injuries while testing these.]

Sorry, I couldn't help but add a little humor in there because, well it's just "what I do."

It's observational humor though, I didn't have to do much work.

Also, if you want to make fun of my name , I have an even better one : flip the letters around and:

Dan Kanes = Nad Snake

I find that one a lot funnier because Kanes rhymes with Mains (like mains power when running electricity) not Like Anus, which rhymes with Greg Louganis (Olympic diver).