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Sky panel S60 or litegear lite tile 4x4?


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I want to invest in a solid LED light. I’ll be using primarily as a key in various guises. One man operation at times is a definite plus.

Im leaning towards the litegear lite tile 4x4 In their lite box soft box. Large, soft source with good punch and relatively lightweight and portable. Very slim profile etc.

But at that price point. I can’t help but compare to a Skypanel S60. Cons of that unit are the weight and the necessity of a chimera to get that large source. Even then it’s not as large as the lite tile 4x4. Also not portable but it’s a skypanel and very powerful and proven with full rgb control. (I’m not interested in party colors)

Any thoughts? I want to make a good choice here as I freely admit to having wasted far too much cash over the years....

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You should at least take a look at the Lupo Superpanel Full Color 60.  Same aperture and output in white as the Skypanel but half the weight and cost.  Also RGBW and with great color.  I'm associated with Lupo but you can find lots of third party reviews on Youtube and check one out in the showroom at Maccam in Van Nuys.

Happy to provide more info if you PM me at petec@pmtech.com

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Skypanel S-60C is a heavy beast and requires a heavy-duty stand for it, of course it can't really be used in 1 man band situations so that is one negative if you ever get jobs like that on or very minimum crew. Also, it's pretty hard to rig up high due to the weight. The litegear 4x4 I imagine is more versatile so I would agree that seems like a better buy (Although admittedly I haven't used it.... yet aha). If the RGB control is the selling point for you then you could wait to see Aputures new RBG light should be releasing soon. I believe it is comparable to a Skypanel 30-c just a lot cheaper.

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I think it depends on how you will use the lights.

The S60 is a more conventional light. It can replace a conventional tungsten or small HMI lamp (assuming you would diffuse them) and is a great versatile key.

The lite tile(although it does fill that space) has less throw and doesn't do RGB. The flip side is you can mount it anywhere and it can act like an S60 through 4x4 diffusion all in one step. Great to rig to ceilings. The light tile will take more setup time. FYI it comes in strips of 4x2 panels so you will need 2 of them to make a 4x4.

I would also look at photometrics I think both kits are about 400W of LED so it should be similar but worth checking out.

If you are renting them out, the skypanel is such standard kit these days I would think it would rent more often.

I believe lite gear is making a 4x4 litmat - not sure if it's on the market yet, but you might interested in that too. 

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I find it hard to recommend Skypanels. They're outrageously big and heavy for what they are, the control panels fall apart, and the colour quality isn't all that good. They're not terrible, they're usable, as a lot of well-made productions demonstrate, but they have a reputation that vastly exceeds their actual performance. They are also absurdly expensive. They are perhaps one of the most egregious examples of social acceptability and fashionability in film and TV gear blinding people to the facts.

If you need it to rent, if you need it to be socially acceptable and fashionable, buy Skypanel. If you need it to work, almost anything else.

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On 6/26/2019 at 12:28 PM, Christopher Santucci said:

I would look at the LED mats. Skypanel is too large/cumbersome and too heavy. 

Last year I picked up some low cost 1x2 and 1x3 mats that I've been using a lot. Color isn't perfect (close enough), but they're bright, portable, and dimmable. 

I have a couple of the 1x3s. I really like them for their price. They are cheap, flexible, lightweight, bright, and most people don't care that they are not skypannels or litegears.

I've been debating getting a few more of the smaller fixtures and combining them to a make a very large, soft, LED source.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 6/28/2019 at 4:09 AM, Phil Rhodes said:

I find it hard to recommend Skypanels. They're outrageously big and heavy for what they are, the control panels fall apart, and the colour quality isn't all that good. They're not terrible, they're usable, as a lot of well-made productions demonstrate, but they have a reputation that vastly exceeds their actual performance. They are also absurdly expensive. They are perhaps one of the most egregious examples of social acceptability and fashionability in film and TV gear blinding people to the facts.

If you need it to rent, if you need it to be socially acceptable and fashionable, buy Skypanel. If you need it to work, almost anything else.

 in terms of output the Skypanel still beats all of the competition that I know of and when you are working in even a middle tier market there is no reason to ask for anything else from the rental house. The lightpanel gemini is fine, but a touch less versatile and not as bright and usually rents for $50-75 cheaper /day at most... and it feels plasticy, it might not last as long as a skypanel - though with tech changing so fast it might not matter I guess.

there aren't many 400W LED soft lights on the market. The only other option is to use several of the lesser power 1x1 panels or something like a Joker 800 through diffusion. 

of course they are too expensive - all Arri gear is, but the gear is designed better and there aren't too many other options. 

 

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If one-man band operation is on the cards - go with flexible LEDs or something like the Lite-Tile. It really does make a difference when you're having to squeeze everything onto a single trolley, and the stands and shotbags you can carry with you are limited.

I have the Fomex FL1200 2x1 Flexible LED, and I'm a big fan of it. I got it because it has a bit more output than the equivalent Aladdin and Westcott flexibile 2x1s, and the colour is excellent. You can do a lot with even just a pair of 2x1s (stack them lengthwise so that you have a single 4x1 source, and they make a flattering keylight without any additional diffusion.

The 4' LED tubes like the Quasars and Asteras are really nice too. put 3 or 4 of them in a bracket and you have enough output to balance with daytime windows (if you've got them close to the source). And the length means you can get a flattering key with plenty of wrap without additional diffusion.

Heck, the new Aputure 300D MkII looks like a great option too. Lots of output, and pair it with their Lightdome II (which sets up really fast), and you have a nice, fast system.

There's LOTs of great options out there these days. I'd suggest nailing down the specifics of how you usually need to deploy the gear, and then opting for something that will be easy to use within those conditions.

I don't do much doco work, so having to finagle my more conventional narrative/commercial lighting and grip kit into working in those more limiting conditions, can be a real pain sometimes. Having gear that's "fit for purpose" is key.

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Outlier here, but I have a few good gaffer friends here in LA who run their own GE rental company and investing in Skypanels has been the best decision they could have made.

Of course, these guys are renting out 3-ton packages, but if you're going to invest, a Skypanel will be requested often.

You may be a one-man band right now, but an investment lasts longer than a year, so you'll eventually get gigs with more crew and you'll be happy to own a Skypanel.

I agree that they're cumbersome and huge, but honestly it's one of the best LED's out there, especially if you're growing a GE business.

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