GEAR MINI TESTS
PROFOTO L1600D £8154/$8995 profoto.com
If the asking price didn’t give away the game that this is a super-high- end LED light built for hardcore professional use, manhandling the Profoto L1600D’s 14kg/30.8lb weight on the top of a gigantic stand should hammer it home. This is a finely built yet rugged IP54-rated daylight LED that’s built to perform, last for decades and bring a huge swathe of new capabilities to filmmaking. The reason that the monobloc- style head is large is that not only does it pack an incredible 1600W punch but it does so without the use of a separate ballast unit. This trims down the total package, does away with a lead between the head and a separate ballast and means the light simply plugs right into a household socket. Compared to the HMI units that the L1600D can replace, this is a huge bonus. There’s no waiting for the colour temperature to stabilise and no hot restrike issues where you have to wait for it to cool down before turning it back on again. It’s fast and instant – and certainly kinder to your pocket and the planet by running at far less power consumption. Also in the head are cooling fans that use Profoto’s own liquid-cooling technology. This is called Hydrotech and runs virtually silent. That’s ideal for when recording audio is important. Profoto has even invested in a swivelling yoke so you can adjust the angle to suit whether you are using
GOLD STANDARD The standard reflector boosts the pro-quality Profoto’s output
the L1600D are DMX input and output sockets, plus the locking power lead input. But the controls could not be more simple, something of which we wholeheartedly approve. There’s an on/off power switch and lamp switch, plus a beautifully tactile rotary knob to set the power setting, which is displayed on a small screen. It’s refreshingly simple and therefore quick to use. To access more options, the free Profoto Control app is fast to download; just turn the light on and, within seconds, it has linked to the L1600D. And once again, the controls are simple and obvious. One screen is a replica of the control buttons. Dig into the fan menu and you can adjust the fan speed or leave it to auto. A dimming menu lets you change the response from linear to exponential, logarithmic or S-curve. The display menu allows you to change screen brightness and set DMX info. That’s about it: simple, fast and wonderful. Of course, because the light is daylight only, there are no options
large modifiers or not – or to get a higher or lower angle to illuminate your scene. It’s all well-thought-out, professional-quality kit. And one of the biggest benefits is that it’s so easy to use. At the rear of
POWER AND CONTROL The Profoto L1600D fitted with a large reflector
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PRO MOVIEMAKER
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