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Sep 19, 2007
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Zylight offers versatile LED light
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by Chuck Gloman
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Zylight's Z50 LED light simply has to be seen to be believed. A mere five inches long, it weighs less than a pound and consumes only 30 watts of power. It can create daylight and tungsten light in the same unit -- and both can be dimmed without changing color temperature. Plus, it offers colored light without changing the lamps or using gels.
Controls are found on the back of the unit, including an LED status light to tell you what type of light the Z50 is outputting. There’s also a two stage dial –- the larger outer ring controls the intensity of the light, while the inner ring changes the hue. If the inner ring is pressed, the light changes from white to colored.
The Z50 is powered either by the TR36A-13 AC adapter, which plugs into a standard wall outlet, or a battery with voltage between 9-20 volts. I didn’t have a battery handy with the correct adapter plug, so I used the supplied AC. When plugged in, the status light on the back glows white.
I pressed the power button and then the 3200K button for two seconds and the Z50 emitted a bright tungsten light. (The button must be pressed for two seconds, then released.) The output is 163 degrees and the dimming is from 1-100 percent. The light at full was extremely bright in a darkened area and an excellent fill source. The back of the unit generated a little heat, but the front was always cool to the touch.
When I pushed in the inner ring, the status LED changed to blue, as did the Z50’s light. By turning the inner ring many, many times the hue gradually changed through the primary colors: red blue, and green, with various combinations between them. In the pastel mode, you can add or subtract white light by pushing the small knob as you turn it. Clockwise adds to the intensity of the color, counter clockwise subtracts from it.
Wanting the illusion of a moonlit glow coming from a window, I created the exact hue and intensity of blue I wanted on the talent’s face. As I got closer, I lowered the intensity (too much moon is never any good). If there’s a color you love, you have two presets that can be used to store your favorites.
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| The Zylight Z50 LED light can provide adjustable colored light without gels, plus it changes from daylight to tungsten with the push of a button. |
The Z50 can be attached to a light stand as a standalone unit or inside a softbox, and it may also be mounted on your camera’s hot shoe as an eyelight. It’s available in “kit” form with the various connectors you need to mount it on various items. The bottom and the top of the light each have a tripod mounting screw, so you can mount it from either direction.
If you haven’t guessed yet, this light is incredible. In the past, I’ve used inkies or peppers to get light in troublesome spots. With the Z50, I don’t have to worry about the heat build up or matching color temperature. Everything is adjustable with the push of a button.
The light output is soft yet very wide, and does not seem to have any bright spots, which fresnels usually have. The Z50 also accepts tiny barn doors, which makes this versatile light even better.
The Z50 also features Zylink technology, which allows any Zylight to wirelessly communicate with another (or several) so they will function as a larger group. On a small set, you can uniformly change the lighting by adjusting one light -- any light -- in the group. I only had one Z50 for review, so I wasn’t able to try this feature, but the demonstration I saw at last year’s GVExpo was impressive.
This is one amazing light. Our school is adding several Zylights to our arsenal, as summer students found the Z50 invaluable for productions where power and space were an issue. At a price of around $675, you have a small light that can be used in any situation, indoors or out. And with a 10,000-hour life expectancy, it’ll be around for a long time.
Chuck Gloman is an awarding-winning producer/director of photography with more than 900 commercials to his credit, and is director of the TV/Film Department as well as an assistant professor at DeSales University. Contact him at chuck.gloman@desales.edu.
MORE INFO
Zylight zylight.com
GOOD FOR GOVERNMENT
The Zylight Z50 can generate whatever color you want without worrying about gels. Plus, it goes from daylight to tungsten without changing lamps. It’s a versatile instrument that works well as a fill or on-camera light.
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