M18 vs Joker 1600 -- What's your opinions?

Bryan Fowler · May 8, 2017

Just wondering what your opinion has been between those two lights.

Easy to use, durability, usability? I'm asking as a purchase, not a rental.

I have my own opinion about them after using them both, but I'm looking for others.

Thanks!

Michael Rodin · May 8, 2017

Are you going to rent it out? M18 will certainly be a more popular rental item plus more durable and more&better ballast options. For myself I'd buy a Joker, seems to have a cleaner beam with a Zoom beamer and more flexible (open face, PAR, bare bulb aka Bug).

Adrian Sierkowski · May 8, 2017

Jokers are slightly more flexible, but I really don't like their build quality and honestly you could make them all Jo-Lekos and leave them that way and that would be the best bet. For rentals to people, M18 all the way with perhaps a Joker 800 Jo-Leko'd. I'll be honest, it's been rare that I've had a Joker on a show which didn't at some point have some issue (blown fuse in ballast, ballast just simply stops working, globe color way wrong (greenish, old glob), screws missing (too many take apart jobs to make them jo-lekod))

One really cool thing to do with a Joker is to throw them inside of a Jemball.

Bryan Fowler · May 8, 2017

Good points. As for rentals, most of the time it will be with me. Only occasionally do I send it out with clients when I'm not with them.

I've used the M18 for years and it's been great. But it was just a solid 1.2/1.8k light. nothing special.

I've rented the Joker1600 a few times and it seems great too. Slightly more versatile, but that might be a placebo.

One of the reasons I liked the joker was because of it's size. I have a sprinter, and it seems to pack better in the sprinter.

Is a 1600 too big (hot) for a jem ball? or Leko?

Stuart Allman · May 8, 2017

Bryan,

I don't know if this is useful to you, but I saw a comparison of the two on the "Meet the Gaffer" channel on YouTube.

At NAB it seemed like everyone was gravitating toward the SkyPanel fixtures. Cineo has a C80 that looked wonderful, but a bit big for a Sprinter van.

Stuart Allman

-------------------------------

youtube.com/videogear

@videogearblog

Bryan Fowler · May 8, 2017

Yeah!

Funny you bring it up, it was after hiring Luke, and using his Skypanels that I bought my own S60 (he's in CA, I'm in TN) Then I saw his video on the J16 and it made me more interested.

JD Hartman · May 8, 2017

Have re-habbed a number of Joker 400's and 800's. Biggest issues, lost, stripped and cross threaded screws, broken Fresnel and Medium lenses partly due to poor case design (lens pouch in lid) and partly due to medium lenses that stress crack. Much of the damage is caused by technicians that shouldn't be on any film set. Otherwise a fine, versatile fixture. I like how the Joker 1600 incorporates a telescoping handtruck into the case. Can't see how you can wrong with the Joker 800 or 1600.

I don't see how the Arri Sky-panel could be compared to Joker or M18, different animal entirely.

Adrian Sierkowski · May 9, 2017

I think you'd be ok in the 30" Jem-Balls, I've thrown 800s into the 22" even though you're not "supposed" to. A lot will depend on how much you cover up with Duev for skirting ect.

Stuart Allman · May 9, 2017

JD,

Just about every time I see an HMI in BTS photos there's a 4x4 or larger diffusion frame in front of it. So why not just start with a slightly softer/larger source? A Cineo C80 is probably just as soft without using a diffusion frame.

Stuart Allman

-----------------------------

youtube.com/videogear

@videogearblog

JD Hartman · May 9, 2017

JD,

Just about every time I see an HMI in BTS photos there's a 4x4 or larger diffusion frame in front of it. So why not just start with a slightly softer/larger source? A Cineo C80 is probably just as soft without using a diffusion frame.

Stuart Allman

-----------------------------

youtube.com/videogear

@videogearblog

...start with a sightly softer/larger source...and what? Can I put a lens in front of a SkyPanel? Can I fire the beam down a Source4 and nail a area on set that the DP wants highlighted? It's got a crapload of point sources, how controllable is the output? Yes, I've used them, they are versatile. I know Arri makes barndoors for the fixture, but how effective are they?

No one solution fits all situations, I wouldn't want a truckload of only Jokers anymore than I want a truckload of just SkyPanels or any other one type of fixture.

When all you have is a hammer, everything in the world starts to look like a nail.

Edited May 9, 2017 by JD Hartman

Mark Kenfield · May 10, 2017

I haven't encountered a Joker down here in Australia yet. But I personally own a Profoto 1.2kw HMI in the same bug-light style, and it's super useful (and has been incredibly robust). I also have an M18, and that's hands-down the best light I own. It just gives you so much output from a conventional household socket or small generator - and is so much faster to work with than a conventional PAR with lenses.

They're different kinds of lights, with different kinds of strengths.

If I could only have one though, it'd be the M18.