Litepanels LP-1X1 Bi-Color LED Fixture Reviewed

The LP-1X1 Bi-Color LED fixture by Litepanels, Inc. is an amazingly versatile tool with features suitable to any user from beginner to professional - any user with a hefty lighting budget that is. While the price may appear to be a bit much, this piece of equipment certainly seems to deliver plenty of bang for those bucks.

The package contains the Litepanels 1x1 Bi-Color unit, a 6-foot AC power supply cord with DC power supply adapter, full-color brochure, a list of features and instructions. The unit comes ready for mounting to your favorite light stand. Simply plug in the power supply and let the light show begin.

Upon opening the box and viewing the contents my initial impression was simply, "Wow!" Since one word reviews aren't very informative, however, I moved on to the included documentation, where it became evident that this was much more than just a beautiful piece of equipment. This little beauty may be simple in appearance, but would soon prove to be powerful in execution as well.

The advantages in using this LED fixture over conventional lighting equipment quickly began to accumulate. Conventional: heavy, need cumbersome stands, oftentimes requiring sand bags for stability; LED: lightweight, only three pounds, may be handheld! Conventional: requires lots of power, risk of blown circuits; LED: low power - only 45 watts, may also be run off a snap-on battery pack or even a car battery.

Conventional: Hot, hot, hot; LED: cool to the touch, use extremely close to your talent without making them uncomfortable. In fact, the website promotional pictures show a model actually holding the light in her hands as the warm glow of the light splashes across her face. You can't do that with conventional photo or video lights.

The Litepanels 1X1 Bi-Color uses both 3200K and 5600K LEDs in the same housing. This arrangement delivers near limitless color control at any intensity you desire. No more changing out lamps or fussing with filters to adapt to changes in lighting conditions. The 1X1 Bi-Color does it all.

Whether you require a 3200K tungsten balance, a 5600K daylight balance, or anything in between, getting you there is quick and easy. A color dial on the back of the unit allows you to dial in the color temperature and a dimmer dial lets you adjust the intensity - without affecting the color.

The unit's DMX512-A jacks and addressable settings allow you to add a DMX512-A lighting controller to control multiple units for those more sophisticated lighting setups.

The price may seem foreboding, but the Litepanels 1X1 Bi-Color is definitely worth careful consideration. When weighed against the cost of multiple pieces of conventional equipment needed to meet the numerous lighting challenges this one unit can handle, the price begins to seem much more reasonable.

These factors, coupled with its ease of use, ability to quickly adjust to changing lighting situations, coolness to the touch (which translates to safety and comfort), mobility and low power needs, point to one serious piece of equipment that may well be worth digging a little deeper into one's pockets for. While the beginner will find it easy to use, they may have a very tough time justifying the cost. The professional, however may be hard pressed to justify not picking one (or more) of these up real soon. It's definitely on my Christmas list.

Size: 12"W x 12"H x 1.75"D (30.48cm x 30.48cm x 43mm)
Weight: 3 lbs. (1.36kg)
Power Draw: 45 Watts @ 12-30V
Advantages: Dial-up variable color, Dial-up brightness, Only 1'x1' square and just 1.75" thick, Ultra-lightweight, Cool to the touch, Integrated DMX512-A (RJ45 connectors), Infinite dimmer dial, Preset or variable color settings, Runs on battery or AC, Optional one hour snap-on battery pack for wireless lighting

• Variable color temperature
• Variable intensity
• Lightweight
• May be used in multiples with DMX512-A lighting controller
• Numerous mounting options - from handheld singles to framed multi-panel arrangements
• Low power requirements
• Virtually no heat generation
• Multiple power options - AC adapter, battery pack, car battery

• High cost

Though sporting a substantial price tag, Litepanels 1X1 Bi-Color is definitely one sweet piece of lighting equipment with lots of great features.

Mark Holder is a video producer and trainer.

Litepanels, Inc.
16152 Saticoy Street
Van Nuys, CA 91406
www.litepanels.com
$2,500