GEAR MINI TESTS
LITEPANELS GEMINI 1X1 £2,340/$2,517 litepanels.com
SPECIFICATIONS LED technology: RGBWW Intensity: 3.2k@10ft/3m= 557 LUX; 5.6k@10ft/3m= 614 LUX CRI/TLCI: Daylight 97; tungsten 94 Power consumption: 200Wnominal Beamangle: 90° Colour range: 2700-10,000K Dimensions (WxHxD): 12.5x 12.5x4.6in/320x320x119mm Weight: 11.7lbs/5.31kg
As with almost all LEDs, the last few percentage points of intensity show visible steps, at least from the on- board controls. In our test, light quality and accuracy was characterised by measuring a total of 63 data points. Seven colour temperature settings between 2700K and 10,000K were eachmetered for colour temperature, TLCI and output at one metre, each at 5%, 50%and 100% intensity. White quality is excellent, with no TLCI measurement below a 92 encountered at minimum colour temperature andmaximumoutput. These good numbers are maintained in HSI or RGBWmodes; wind the saturation down to zero, and the white quality remains as good as in CCTmode. We found colour temperature accuracy best at the lower end of the range. At 2700K, output measured 2828K, an error that was barely visible. At higher selected CCTs, such as the 6500K that might be required tomatch an overcast sky, the error becomes slightly larger, with ameasured 6220K. The light did not exceed 9320K at the 10,000K setting. While this represents a mismatch between the displayed and actual colour temperature, white quality remains
The Gemini 1x1 is the latest in Litepanels’ range of full colour mixing LEDs, and though it’s about half the size of the company’s 2x1 foot light, at 200W, offers a little more than half the power. Its design separates as far as possible the LED array and control panel, maximising space for heat sinking, and this means the fan doesn’t needs to work as hard. Under test in the UK in early April it was barely audible at a couple of feet, even in an otherwise silent room. The 1x1 can run offmains or battery, and the mains supply –with captive output cable – is bolted into the yoke. This keeps everything tidy, but it’s extra load when walking around battery powered. At a bit less than five and a half kilos, the 1x1 is not noticeably heavier thanmost of its competitors, and lighter thanmany even with the power supply, so it really isn‛t a problem. When working with batteries, the 1x1 will run at up to 90%output from a single battery, or full power from two. We tested it with a pair of the new Titon 90 batteries, which include nice extras such as a USB output and communications, with compatible cameras to display remaining time. The Titons were supplied together with Litepanels‛ own twin V-lock battery mount. There‛s a clamp to attach the mount to a stand, and the whole arrangement connects to the same three-pin XLR connector as the mains power supply. Connectors for communications and control are along the top edge. There’s a CCTmode, which produces tunable white light, plus several adjustable colour modes and a selection of effects, such as firelight, emergency vehicle strobes and lightning. The controls can vary input insofar as one click means a 1%or 10%adjustment, depending on how fast the knob is turned. In CCTmode, colour temperature (in 10K steps) and green-magenta bias are adjustable.
it‛s about matching. With some manufacturers‛ lights, just matching key to fill is evenmore complicated now than ever, but the 1x1 can be matched to tungsten, HMI, another LED from any manufacturer, or really more or less any light source. That‛s an increasingly normal requirement, and one the Gemini fulfils in a fairly high-density package. PR PROMOVIEMAKERRATING: 8/10 Provides versatile and consistent colourmatching in a lightweight and easy-to-use package Pros: Output options, size and weight, price Cons: Somemismatch in colour temperature
BELOW The Gemini 1x1 offers manual and remote control via standard DMX 512 protocol or wirelessly
good, and visually matching different light sources is possible. Green- magenta shift reads out in units of -100 to +100, andmeasured output was exactly where it ought to be. The 1x1 has a lot of sophistication – toomuch for some – but this isn’t variability for its own sake,
“Under test in the UK in early April it was barely audible at a couple of feet, even in a silent room”
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PRO MOVIEMAKER SUMMER 2019
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