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Photon Beard Highlight 440 Review
Reel 9 Media recently specified and arranged the supply of eight
highlight 440s for a creative agency fashion shoot. Reel 9 were
commissioned to act as consultants to the agency, fully equip their
studio with professional video lighting, and conduct test shoots and
video compression techniques for a forthcoming online retail fashion
campaign.
The agency had previously
used Kino Flo Vistabeam 600 units on a hire basis, and we were asked to
produce an equivalent solution, but on a limited budget. After much
hunting and research on the internet, we found the Highlight 440's.
The sales team at Photon
Beard were very helpful and answered all our questions quickly and
efficiently. The most important question though was could the Highlights
match up to the light output of the Kinos? The guys at Photon Beard
quoted the output from the 440 at 1370 Lux @ 3 metres. This is with the
optional intensifier (barn doors). They quoted the Vistabeams at 1453
Lux @ 3 Metres, so the difference didn't seem too great. Eventually we
decided on purchasing eight of the highlight 440s along with a couple of
spots for detail. The rrp. of the Highlight 440s is around £899.00 + vat
for the locally dimmed version, including the "intensifier". The
Vistabeams work out at around £3000 a piece so we'll let you do the
mathematics. Another good point to mention is that the Highlight 440s
come complete with the 8 55W daylight tubes that are required to power
the unit. You may of course fit tungsten colour temperature tubes should
you wish.
Out of the box the lights
were well packaged and arrived at the shoot in perfect condition. Build
quality seemed perfectly adequate and the only "building" that needed to
be done was quickly screw on the spigot to enable attachment to a stand.
We used fairly light Manfrotto pneumatic stands that coped with the 10
KG weight of the 440s quite adequately. It is also worth mentioning the
dimensions of the 400s, 637mmW, 723mmH, and 135mmD. That's a lot of
fluorescent light output for a rather small and manageable size.
The power cable fits neatly
and securely to the bottom of the unit, near to the (somewhat small)
power switch, which is a little difficult to locate with just your
fingers, but this is no major problem.
The only other control is the local dimmer, which of course is
indispensable to control light output power. We fired the 440s up to let
them settle in for a while. After 10 minutes or so they found their
optimum brightness, which is normal for flos I believe the first time
they are used. All that was left to do was attach the barn doors. This
is done via a rather ingenious spring loaded panel at the side of the
unit that safely locks them into place. There is no way that the doors
are going to fall off! However, the actual adjustment "mechanism" of the
doors is very simple, and I can imagine this becoming loose over a short
period of time. Personally, I found the cost of the barn doors quite
expensive for what they are, especially in comparison to the cost of the
actual light. There is also the argument that the effect of barn doors
upon fluorescent units is fairly negligible, and I would have to agree
with this.
On power up, the highlights
are basically silent. Of course they run cool, although some heat is
generated when you fire up eight at a time! Light output is excellent,
although I have not had the opportunity to directly compare the unit
with the vistabeams. Now I don't think that they are a direct
replacement for the Kinos, but they certainly are a great alternative
for those on a smaller budget.
We lit a five metre catwalk with eight units quite adequately, and that
included two at the end of the catwalk and three on each side.
The colour reproduction from
the units was excellent, and with the correct camera white balance
setting, virtually no adjustment in post is required.
These units are great value
for money, well made, good size, quiet, good light output, and a great
price. Even better value if you can do without the barn doors.
Paul Wood
Reel 9 Media
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