LED lighting takes another big step forward.

By Ned Soltz

To speak in general terms, LEDs have greater throw than fluorescents, with a light quality not quite as hard as tungsten nor as soft as the 'flos. Their power economy is a boon for remote battery-powered shooting. Power misery plus cool operating temperatures save money in studio settings both in power draw as well as in climate control.

But there are downsides to LED lighting. Inexpensive LEDs often spike green, requiring color-correcting gels. They still do not have the throw of tungsten lighting and are far less useful outdoors (and virtually useless in bright sunlight). They do not do well with gobos and patterns nor do many have the output effectively use with a softbox. The wide variations in quality with resulting wide variation in color temps essentially supports the old “you get what you pay for” motto.  There is certainly room for the low-end LED units and I do have a few of those that I use very carefully and with proper controls with great success.

But LEDs achieve their fullest potential in the high end of the product line and this is where Zylight enters the picture. A few years ago, Zylight broke ground with first their Z50 and later Z90 lights. Using what Zylight calls “High Density LED” technology, Zylight was able to produce two small lights packing not only 30 and 90 watts respectively of output, but also brightness and accuracy far exceeding what one would expect of those wattages. Zylight also pioneered lights that could switch between daylight/tungsten, adjust color temp, or project gels. And there is more since these two lights can also be controlled remotely in groups via multiple-channel Bluetooth interface. And all of this was demonstrated as early as NAB 2006.

Now, they introduced the IS-3 (above), which takes these technologies and goes far beyond. At a $2,799 price point, the IS-3 is clearly a high end product. I personally already own one Z90 and easily appreciate the difference between that light and my less expensive LEDs. Now having had the opportunity to work with the IS-3 for several weeks, I see vast differences between this light and my more popularly-priced LED fixtures.

At first glance, the IS-3 does look strange. It is sturdy unit weighing a hefty 13lb. and measuring 18.5" x 10.5" x 1.9". Much of its weight is attributed to a metal backing that also serves as a heat sink. The business-end of the light is rubberized with multi-colored LED lights. Small holes around the outside of the façade permit use of an optional soft box. The IS-3 mounts on a light stand or C-Stand with an industry standard mounting that detaches from the back of the unit for storage. It requires 48v DC supplied by an included universal AC adapter with screw-locking secure 2-pin connector. Power draw is 220 watts. Zylight does not publish output equivalent for the IS-3 but when asked specifically, the company responds that “its output is a little less than that of a Diva 400 but it seems brighter”. I can say that it is the only LED I have ever used that did allow projection of a pattern from a gobo. I can also say that the first time I shot it was shooting a speaker in a seminar with folks seated around U-shaped tables. I had the Zylight beyond the far end of the table at least some 15 feet from the speaker. And participants near the speaker begged me to direct the light out of their face! So, there is actual output and perceived output.

The controls for the IS-3 represents the ultimate level of sophistication for an LED fixture. A 3-way switch toggles between off-white light-color. In the “white light” mode, color temp is adjustable between 2500°K- 10,000°K with LCD read-out above this and all other controls. Despite the purity of this light, it has dial selectable plus/minus green compensation with LCD readout. And intensity can be regulated infinitely between 0–100%. There are two available memory presets for color temp.

Like the smaller models, in color mode, the IS-3 can deliver an infinite range of hue/saturation/intensity combinations that also have two available pre-sets. Color is expressed in terms of degree. What I would like to see would be a chart giving relative equivalents of the LCD readouts to Rosco gels. I showed the unit to an acquaintance in broadcast TV. He said “Just imagine a bank of these washing backdrop on set as talent enters.” I had to remind him that not only could that effect be achieved, but by the Zylink Bluetooth feature one master unit could control all the others. And an optional remote control unit could control every unit.

And there is even more. The IS-3 is fully DMX compatible via  XLR connectors making it well suited to studio or theatrical uses. One added feature is a USB connector for any future software updates.

The multi-colored LEDs on the unit face are to say the least different from what most users would normally assume to produce white light. But they do work together effectively and when you want white, it’s white. I did note that this arrangement does not handle shadows well. Shadows could potentially exhibit not just multi-color but multi-image shadows. I would thus advise being extra cautious in setting up the lighting not to project camera visible shadows from the light.

All shadow problems though disappeared when using the optional softbox. The softbox attaches via permanently-attached rods that slip through the openings in around the front border. The fabric material can then be pulled back to eliminate leakage. A white diffusion sheet then attaches via Velcro. I am not aware of an eggcrate option at this time. The initial use of the softbox was difficult trying to push the rods through the holes. A little lubricant and repeated insertions fixed that concern. Also, the attachment of the front diffuser is critical. If the softbox frame is not totally rectangular, the light will appear colored at the point of the off-axis. But with some practice and careful configuration of the box, the IS-3 produced a beautifully-soft light suitable for interviews. Still, the softbox remains a work in progress.

The IS-3 is highly useful in studio, theatrical and high production value applications. The quality of construction, the purity of light, the extensive feature set and solid manufacturer support all make the IS-3 the leader in LED lighting in the price category. And with Zylight’s continuing commitment to product development, I know we will see even more features as the whole LED product matrix evolves.

Zylight IS-3

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COMMENTS (1) 03/05/2010 Very interesting. Is it really 5x9 LEDs? Looks like a lot of open space on the face. Thos emust be some very powerful LEDs. Also, can you clarify the two statements: "plus cool operating temperatures" versus: "Much of its weight is attributed to a metal backing that also serves as a heat sink." That's a pretty darn impressive heat sink for something that supposedly runs so cool. More...

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