A buddy of mine had the first generation of the 2x2 Falcon Eyes. The majority of my stuff is the normal industry stuff for the reasons you mentioned but I metered the Falcon Eyes one day when he brought them out and they were actually pretty decent color so I did end up buying a couple because the price is so cheap a couple days of rentals literally pays for them. I also really wanted something larger than Astra's that I could run on a battery. I left a long review on Amazon after I bought them with some things to know (I'll list below) but I'm curious if the second iteration of Falcon Eyes addressed these things. Here is what I found. Color Meter says 3200k and 5600k were pretty spot on. EVERYTHING in between was way off. Even just a small change to 5550K on the ballast metered at 5200k. If you have a color meter you can account for that but most people buying a light like this would never own a color meter that cost 3x the price of this light, so I thought it was valuable info to mention. The only other thing that drives me crazy when I use them is way too many bits and pieces as you've shown here. While it's great that they toss in AKS, I still have it on my to-do list to build some sort of caddy to contain the power supply and ballast. I don't own Aperture units but I believe it was similar there and they ended up combining everything on v2 no? Maybe Falcon Eyes will do that in the future. This comment is getting long, but another really important thing people need to understand (I know you do Luke) is that it's not recommended to run lights off of camera batteries unless the draw is low. For example the 2x2 Falcon Eyes draw 150watts. You might have a V Mount that says 160wh and think, sweet I'm good. But that battery would only be designed to have CONTINUOUS draw of 75watts. Big thing to know as the gauge of wire in the battery can often times be as small as 18 especially in knock off brands and the wiring can actually melt over time inside the battery because of heat build up. Blue Shape, B4B and other name brands make batteries specifically for high output and they run almost as much or more for one battery than a light like this costs. Just another "the more you know" moment for newcomers here to keep people happy (and safe) ; )
All good points! That’s part of the problem with my “reviews”, they aren’t thorough enough. Andrew Lock of Gaffer&Gear does a much better job. I should just stick to BTS set-ups unless I have the space to do light level and color checks. Andrew has some great videos re batts and best practices. Getting an amperage above 10 seems to be a good plan along with the higher capacity wattage... and now the 26V v-mounts are a nice addition, but not all units can handle them. Aputure has done a great job of cleaning up their controller/power supplies. They are leading the way in terms of modeling how to provide the end user with a sturdy carry case that is well thought out and designing pieces that mount well and connect intuitively. Appreciate the notes!
You kidding me?!? You do a phenomenal job on this channel. Literally one of the best resources out there for newcomers and professionals too. This video was great and thorough, I only added these comments because I have people ask me all the time as well about cheap alternatives and while this light is indeed quite the bang for the buck, I stumbled across those flaws and figured I’d add them to your awesome video. This light is still worth every penny I tell people it’s becoming like the camera world. Sure you can buy a camera body for pretty cheap these days (even high end stuff is way less than back in the day) but the camera body is only 1/10th of the camera package. Lighting is becoming that way too. Add chimera and snapgrid and dmx and different chimera and, and, and...lol. Keep doing this channel as long as you can and and as long as you enjoy it, you are helping so many people understand the excitement of what we do as sculptors of light and that art form needs to stay alive. Stay healthy out there, that smoke is brutal
Just put a color meter on it and it was pretty true from 3000-5000K, but between 5000K-5600K it skews bluer until 5600K on the controller is more like 6000K on the meter. In the middle whites of 4000K the G/M shift is negligible. In the scheme of things that’s not too terrible for an inexpensive unit.
Yeah that seems like they’ve definitely improved them a lot in v2. Also from what I understand the reason we pay for premium lights is the consistency between fixtures meaning every SkyPanel will be nearly identical due to strict QC standards whereas on say these units, diodes will vary from fixture to fixture and that’s one big reason for the price difference. Obviously lower build quality etc is another big reason for lower price. Cool that you checked it out to see if ballast to color accuracy had improved, looks like it did. Also, so funny you put that thing in your dryer. I actually did that with my falcon eyes for a shoot but it was a commercial washer with the clear window. Door was open and we had a pot with dry ice sitting in there to emulate steam. But I had to use tape to hold mine on on the inner washer tub wall, magnets hadn’t been added yet. Perfect use case for a flex mat as you so perfectly showed lol
I have the first gen of this and have used and abused the heck out of it on many indie short film shoots. I love how light it is to fly out on a long boom, and how flat it can be etc. But BOY has this 2nd gen been improved insofar as the materials and accessories (the case especially, but also the materials of the light itself). I recently got the Adorama "house brand" version of the v2 in the 10x48 format, and that has been immediately and terrifically useful too. There are still many things I need my Aputure COBs for, but I'm finding myself reaching for these flat panels more and more, especially in the small spaces I'm frequently stuck shooting in.
I'm between the 4x1 and the 2x2 flex lights. If you could go back, which would you purchase first? I like the 4x1 because it'll wrap further if it's horizontal, but the 2x2 is a nice footprint
Love the outtakes with the "dryer light". Is it me, or does that soft interior bounce create quite the pleasing look? Anyhow, when I get asked about cheap gear of any kind, it's helpful to know what type of projects they'll be using it for...and their experience overall. For lighting, I often tell people that a single hard source (with Bowens mount), and a softer source (like a 1x2 panel light) is a decent start that will give them some flexibility while they improve their skills. If I was given the keys to a rental house and told I could grab anything my heart desires for a shoot, I'd still go for what I'm comfortable with, vs. the latest and greatest that I've never used before (looking at you, Arri Orbiter). Thanks for posting, Luke.
Used the mki (before we added the mkii to the kit list) and worked like a charm with the controller in my pocket, a RODE boom and the RX18 rocking. Definitely agree with the feedback, great light for younger professionals out there.
I really like COBs here over the smaller panels, its easy to get 200-300W cobs for under 1000$ the you toss 150-250$ modifiers be that frensels, softboxes, domes, lanterns ect with your family choice of 300D, 300X, Forza 200, 300
This is a good suggestion. I like the fact that you said start out with one good light and get a stand. Stands are expensive if you buy a good one. Don't cheap out but don't buy the most expensive thing out there either. Also, I recommend to everyone to think about investing a little bit into a sandbag. I know it doesn't sound sexy. However, protecting your equipment when you don't have a lot of money is extremely vital. Plus if you're working at this level and you're having your friends help it's even more vital. Something that might be worthwhile if you can only afford one light it's also getting a reflector. The reflector can help fill light if you're using this as your main key light. Some of the reflectors out there are rather inexpensive but quite effective. Just my little suggestions. Thanks for the great video. Really appreciate it. Looking forward to seeing the next.
Yes, it’s the hidden truth about production that we all think we’ll be able to do great work with a few good lights, but what we really need is some solid grip choices to go along with those lights, because a little safety, negative, fill, or rigging goes a long way to differentiate average lighting from sweet lighting😀
With that lantern or softbox, a battery and scissor clamp on a drop ceiling you've got an interesting set of options when a you don't have much floor space. Have to agree with the other commenters though I guess if I could buy only one I'd buy a hard source. But for a lot of people this skips a lot of steps and gets straight to the soft light they want, cheaply and without much weight or bulk. Thanks for the video. Cool stuff. The boom option is very neat.
The RX-24s with a softbox, semi-permanently scissor clamped on a drop ceiling is the exact setup I went with for my organization, now that everyone needs their office to be a zoom studio. Great, soft light, and out of the way, so all of less technologically inclined folk can flip a switch and be perfectly lit, and not have to trip over stands in their offices.
Love this video, thank you for explaining the entire kit! Been looking at getting a couple bicolor quasars for starters but this comes with so much plus battery operated
I think the flat/flex LED mats beat simple bicolor quasars pretty easily. The shaping modifiers that come with these kits are hugely useful, and much more pain to achieve with quasars. Also very easy to run with a V-mount, as you've mentioned.
Man Luke, haha I live in this world of low budget projects. But it's been amazing what you can do when you understand your limitations. I think the most important thing for anyone with low budget is to invest in their craft. Knowing your craft will unleash more ideas/opportunities/spontaneity then any tutorial or gear could possibly provide. Love this video! Btw, an awesome light that I've been using is the Godox SL60w. Amazing hard source, I always recommend hard light vs soft for people who need flexibility. It's much easier to make a hard source soft than a soft source hard... Thanks for your time in making these.
@@meetthegaffer hahaha auto correct messed it up. It's a Godox SL60w... which I hear is a poor mans version of the Aputure 60 or 120 I think.. But man for the price and the CRI on that light it's awesome!
@@meetthegaffer The SL60w is by Godox. An amazing light but doesn't deliver too much output to be able to stop down through a softbox. I also have a Godox SL150 which is amazing but has one major drawback, it's fan is noisy. However most of the projects I've done with it so far, it hasn't caused any major issues. I keep it high and away from the microphone and it works great.
Almost all lights have some drawback and the cheaper the light, the more drawbacks... but not always😀 It’s fun to find the exceptions or find ways to work around the minuses.
I've had a few of them in my kit. Originally bought for a lower budget feature as they were so cheap they literally paid for themselves in about a week versus going way over budget on the lighting hire front. They've been in my kit ever since, an rx18 and 2x rx 24 and some others. They're pretty decent. I've obviously got the usual suspects in my kit, alladins, kinoflo, litemat but now and again they're really the thing that does the job. They're also a great get me out of jail light for any lights that fail (it happens, usually 1 week out of warranty) as they are so compact they end up staying on the van.
I just got the 36tdx (1st gen, the non waterproof version) to compliment my 4plus. Interestingly the design is literally just a pair of 18tdx. When I investigated the wiring path, it turns out I can literally fold it in half. Thus it sits right next to my 4plus. Note 36tdx is 47" long. Also its ballast is all in one dual vlock. I like it soooo much more than the lightgear plus ballasts pre dmx. Now I have 4 lights. Two 2L plus, a 4plus, now 36tdx (with minus 1/8 green), softboxes, headers in a single "4" bag. All ballasts and mounts go in pelican 1600.
My favorite use for this light has been night car interiors. I can drape it on the windshield or sunroof, and it handles the dew just fine. Doesn't do anything about the bugs though...
Hey Gaffer! How bright is it at 1%? I want to use at my desk, so about 90cm away and with the Godox FL100 the lowest 10% is already too bright for me that I'd have to slightly squint my eyes when recording in a darker environment. Is that also the case with this one?
Well, to me the really cheap option is tungsten light. I've got a whole lot of Fresnels and open-face fixtures for really cheap on the second hand market, plus it's real hard light, which you can also shape and soften with diffusion, you can make it bounce or reflect, or use chimeras. The same is more difficult with soft light such as LED pannels, although they have advantages. So because of their price and versatility and prefer using those, but if I had the money of course that I would buy an S60. Nice exemples in the video, keep it up.
@@meetthegaffer Actually it's been a few years since I've started buying lights, I have more than twenty light fixtures by now, (from a 5K all the way to a 300W) and Arri (even though I love their gear), is still too expensive on the second hand market. but Desisti for exemple, make comparable products but are significantly cheaper.
@@meetthegaffer Yes of course, but I also rent them when not used, so I could return that investment more quickly. (also I choose to invest in tungsten lights because the lack of any electronics makes them much more durable, and I can service them myself (as long as parts are available)
With all due respect, the S-60 Sky Panel (pardon me, I am not familiar with the top end equipment) is not at full brightness for this shot, nor does it need to be. Because of this there are many cheaper lights that can provide the exact same lighting. The "octa" softbox with the grid is something that is easily replaced once again with a much cheaper softbox ($100 - $200) in the same size, with grid, and again the exact same look would be achieved. The S-30 Sky Panel is also nowhere near 100% brightness, and again, the exact same look can be achieved with much cheaper equipment. YES, it is FANTASTIC to have such quality equipment, but does the light they emit actually produce results that match the difference in price from prosumer equipment? In some instances yes. Generally, not that I've seen. This specific set-up is easily achieved with much cheaper equipment time and time again. The question is, does a $100 two gallon pail hold two gallons of water that much better than a $20 two gallon pail?
What you are saying is more and more true, but this was not the case when Skypanels first came on the scene. You also need to weigh the other reasons people own or rent lights. If it is just you and this one set up for the rest of your life, of course there are less expensive ways to make it happen. My Honda makes it to the grocery store just as well as a more expensive Mercedes. But if you factor in DP’s who request lighting units by name or ruggedness of fixtures, this is where there may be some separation between manufacturers. That said, in many ways you are correct, I’m just not sure who you are trying to convince.
@@meetthegaffer - I agree. Technology and products are changing quickly. The Amaran 100d wasn't even available at the time this video was made and I didn't notice the date of the video. I've been on some indie projects that professional people could not tell were not Hollywood, and we certainly did not have Hollywood level equipment. We all start somewhere. This line..."DP’s who request lighting units by name or ruggedness of fixtures" is certainly understandable. I am not at that level yet, but we make happen what needs to happen with the newer equipment that has hit the market at our level. When you need equipment that goes into and out of a big truck trailer on a daily or weekly basis, the ruggedness of professional equipment is of course understandable. Again, at my level, it is what goes into the back seat or trunk of my car when I am on a project. Thank you for responding and the additional insight.
I haven’t done it yet… but yes, it cool as far as it goes, because the controller needs to stay out of the water. Another way to look at it is that it could come in handy for inclement weather uses.
Is it really waterproof? I think that I would not trist a so "affrdable" device with electricity and water...but besides that - looks like a nice light.
$450 for 92w? You gonna get 150w boxens typle lights off amzon for 2/3 that. Then make some 4.4 frames with wood and shower curtain. Here's a funky budget idea.. tungsten open faced 800, used. The amzazing thing about LED is it wont burn a shower curntain!
SkyPannels are just the thing people ask for that shows they have *NO CLUE* what they're asking for. The Client is an idiot. And Gaffers tend to get lost in the sauce and over light because they're getting paid for a job and want to make it look like they're doing a good job. Do clients ask for mole tweenies? Never. Despite it being the best light ever created. How about Rosco maxis, lite pannels, or brutes? Again, never. Despite it being the best lights out there. It's like how people ask for a Jack and Coke. Meaning they want a "Rum and Cola" they rarely get Jack, for one Jack is a Whiskey. If the client knew anything, they would tell you the set up, and then tell you the needs, for instance. Beauty commercial for people of color, we want to use Tungsten (because LED leaves harsh white light pools on their skin) with a color temp of XYZ and f stop here. Look at what a nightmare of complication book lighting can be, compared to Roger Deakins Muslin lighting, he tapes that shit to the wall. Looks like complete and utter garbage, but gives off the best light. A gaffer would never have the balls to do that, they'd use frames, flags, scrims, over light, then stop down. Making a set a monstrosity because hey, dollar/hour. Same with any job, retouchers, editors, will always go with more, when sometimes less is more. For any starting gaffer wanting to go into DP, you need to talk your client down, and figure out what he really needs - NEVER what he wants. Just my 2 cents. DP in NYC Also check the CRI of most LEDs compared to sky panels. You'll be gobsmacked. I always wanted to take cheap LEDS and put them in sky panel housing and see if anyone could tell the difference.
I was actually talking about DP’s, not clients. Some DP’s don’t like Skypanels, but my point is that having brand units does help break the ice with DP’s with whom you have not worked. You may be able to introduce them to new products, but it’s good to have familiar units available so they know you speak their language. Something like that😬
Would a 4ft variant like the RX-36DTX be any decent to get tossed into a low ceiling grid to act like a kino backlight? I have a small cyc wall studio, but I desperately need to get a new back light.
Are you planning to leave it up there indefinitely, is it going to change it’s white point or generally remain tungsten or daylight balanced, and are you hooking it up with DMX? The nice thing about the roll flex units is their versatility, flexibility, and portability. If you’re looking for a fixed unit there may be better choices that fit your exact requirements, like older style Kinoflos for example.
@@meetthegaffer Originally in thinking, yes it would be up indefinitely, set around 3200k, probably not on DMX the only real control I see myself using is dimming. But, I'm sure that once travel returns it could be going out on the road. I shoot corporate so I like the idea of light weight and portable units. But I'm not a gaffer. I was originally looking at the older kinos, but I was wondering maybe LED is a better fit? I'm just having a ton of problems balancing my lighting so that our chroma-keying comes out consistent. Thats where my thought of a nice wide soft backlight would be better than the poorly diffused 300w Arri fresnel that I currently have there. Thanks for the response!!
@@meetthegaffer I still love original 4 banks but Kino has finally decided to discontinue all fluorescent even the 2 and 4ft 4 banks. For that last 3-4 years they said they would continue to produce those two (and the double's I think) but alas they have decided to kill them. Such a shame. I'm mentioning this because for the person above while you can get them used, just be aware there may be a time somewhat soon where they may no longer service them if say a ballast goes. With all that said, still a totally usable fixture and I'll probably never sell any of mine as they still work great even if we have all had to go Skypanels and Titans for the rentals reasons you mentioned in the video. I do somewhat agree with the comment below that many people do get way too caught up on the flavor of the week even if something simpler is actually faster or easier for a specific job. I myself really love jobs where they don't request my Skypanels/Titan Tubes/Astras etc and I can bust out a few old 4 banks or roll in with a Noah's Ark Tungsten Package just for the freakin fun of it.
Ha, ha! Yes, it’s true. Noah’s Ark tungsten... love it! I have kept most of my tungsten, they hang from the rafters in my garage and I’ve held on to the old-style Kinos too. A couple times a year a few from each time capsule come out to play. I love the titans and helios and now the NYX bulbs, but where I would normally use a regular old-style Kino I usually reach for LED Kinos. When I need to be untethered, Asteras are king, but otherwise there’s just a comfort factor with Kinos that I prefer🙂
Good question, but they are kinda different. True, you can make a hard unit soft and not the other way round, but then you have to weigh whether tunable white is a need. Maybe start with one and add the other later🤷🏼♂️
@@meetthegaffer which one would you recommend starting out with first? I plan to use it to practice lighting scenes and work on lighting “cinematic scenes”. Over time I definitely seeing the falcon eyes eventually become a fill/hair/back light. I like both but each one is versatile in their own ways
I would (almost) never buy. If this person is a "film-maker" and not an actual gaffer with a kit rental then it makes no sense owning. Go to your local HR, Pacific Grip, Redman Movies or even the small scale T.V. style rental house. You will add the rental price into your bill and get much better equipment while not needing storage and maintenance. Eventually you can hopefully start making enough from your projects to hire Luke and he will bring everything needed and build it while you worry about other things. This way I can have cars in my garage.
