Kamio Ring Lite

Brian Wells · January 8, 2006

I find myself needing / wanting an on-camera light for music videos and perhaps the occasional hostess tray / car interior. The Kamio fits the bill, except that my video camera doesn't have a 4-pin XLR for the 12V ballast.

I'd like to power this unit from AC, along with my other lights. Are there transformers for this?

Thanks in advance for helping with my amateur question.

Barry Cheong · January 8, 2006

There seems to be an AC power supply. You can find a pic here:

http://www.kinoflo.com/sales_catalog_2004/...kamio_sys2.html

You might wanna confirm that though. I've never used the Kamio.

Paul Nordin · January 8, 2006

Brian, you might also consider using an on-camera LitePanel LED light. I've used them several times with DVXs in music videos and on low-budget features to quite good effect. They have attached batteries, are fully dimmable, and for me the added weight is just right for making the camera smoother for hand-held work.

http://www.litepanels.com/

Cheers,

Paul Nordin

El Mundo Bueno Studios

San Francisco, CA

January 8, 2006

have you got any idea on the price range of the litepanels and do they work well when shooting on digital camers, sony pd170, canon xl1 etc

cheers jim

Phil Rhodes · January 8, 2006

Hi,

Herein lies one of the problems with prosumer cameras.

You can probably get a power tap off any professional battery system (PAG, Anton Bauer, Sony NP1 etc) but then the batteries will be bigger than the camera and a pain to lug around.

Phil

Brian Wells · January 8, 2006

There seems to be an AC power supply. You can find a pic here...

D' Oh!

Herein lies one of the problems with prosumer cameras.

Phil,

I LOVE prosumer cameras. I can dolly and jib 'til my heart's content and never have to adjust the focus! It's the eighth wonder of the world. B)

Paul Nordin · January 9, 2006

Hi Jim,

They are around $900 each, and a set of two with all the accessories is around $1900 (check B&H for current pricing). I'm not sure what you mean by "work well with digital cameras". They are wonderful lights for what they are, are daylight balanced, light & compact, have reasonable and variable intensity. They work equally well for film or video. I wouldn't use them for a key light in any situation except something like a car interior. But for a frontal fill, and eye light, they rock.

Cheers

have you got any idea on the price range of the litepanels and do they work well when shooting on digital camers, sony pd170, canon xl1 etc
cheers jim

Mark Allen · January 9, 2006

I'm going to second Paul's suggestion of looking intot he LED light. I used the kino ring light once and wasn't very pleased. Simply said, it wasn't pretty or flattering. Was using with an DVX100a.

Brian Wells · January 9, 2006

LitePanels presents an interesting proposition with the DV Battery Kit. Basically, the light can be powered by a pair of Panasonic, Sony, or Canon batteries. Therefore, you don't need to buy their own proprietary battery and charger. Plus, they are offering a $150 mail-in rebate (rather odd for a "professional" manufacturer; I think they must be coming out with a brigher version at NAB).

So, all things considered LitePanels it is. After rebate I can get it for $575 and leverage the six camera batteries I already own. It's a win-win situation. Thanks for the suggestion Paul (and Mark)!