Litepanels SolaENG 3" LED Fresnel

Comments about Litepanels SolaENG 3" LED Fresnel:

I liked the light for a quick interview setup because of the low power claim, but think the price is very high compared to other LED panels on the market like IKAN. The light also feels kind of "clunky and bulky".

Fan noise is bothersome to me and I believe a possible problem with that if it breaks. Output seems very bright to look into, but I don't think it's really equivalent to a 200w tungsten as the marketing claims. I've shot with them a 200w and it's not nearly as bright, not even close!

Testing reveals, as another has stated, funny coloring shifting on the edges. Hopefully someone is listening and corrects this problem.

I agree with another review here, nice but not ready for prime time.

Comments about Litepanels SolaENG 3" LED Fresnel:

Like I said, I want to like this for ENG work but it's output has weird color fringing and a built in fan. Yikes! TOO LOUD! Output is definitely high in spot, but who uses spot in ENG work.

I can't think of a reason to keep this light, so it's going back. Plastic housing doesn't seem to want to stand up to rough ENG use. I'm a videographer in CA for a local news and need a high power top light. Unfortunately this won't work. Back to my Ultra-Daylight.

The manufacturer seems vastly exaggerate their photometrics, like most do, so be careful of the marketing hype and do your research. There are plenty of other good lights out there, for less money.

Comments about Litepanels SolaENG 3" LED Fresnel:

What I do like is the low power draw, but fan noise makes it unusable as a topper, had to send it back. Also pretty big and clunky. Output is not very punchy, can't see it working as a daylight fill in full sun.

Comments about Litepanels SolaENG 3" LED Fresnel:

I do not have much to compare this to, and the reviews were mixed but I really like this light. It fits on the cold shoe and runs off a brick battery. Very quiet fan and nice to control angle of light. Works great for lighting up faces or people. Very well made. I use it with a Sony PMW F3.

Comments about Litepanels SolaENG 3" LED Fresnel:

This is a good all round light. Has plenty of punch for such a small power usage. Was very impressed with the light quality from this light.
There is a fan on the light but it is extremely quiet. Rest your ear next to the back of the light and you will hear it.
I do have 2 issues with the light.
1 How will the light handle rain? This light is by no means waterproof and there is some electronics in the light. There is nothing anywhere stating that the light is or is not waterproof and no cover available for the light.
2 How you connect the light to the camera. The light says ENG but you either have to screw the light in, (a little slow when the big story is happening) or connect a second attachment to make it possible to connect to a sprocket. But your light will be approx 9 inches above your handle. Be careful if you walk through a doorway.

Just the fact that it is a spotible LED light makes this light worth the money.

Comments about Litepanels SolaENG 3" LED Fresnel:

Some reviews that i have read mention a fan that makes it unusable when capturing audio. There is no fan, this is a great piece. Output is variable, daylight balanced, focusable, barn doors, fresnel, lightweight. It does what the 1x1's cannot. Equivalent to about 300w tungsten Arri or Mole.

Comments about Litepanels SolaENG 3" LED Fresnel:

We have 1x1s that do a great broad light but nothing in a controlled beam that can throw over 6-8 feet. This acts just like an Arri 150 watt or a Mini Mole. I saw someone critique the fan as noisy and therefore unusable... There is no fan. This is an excellent tool. I also adapted it to work with AC rather than battery. Very versatile.

Comments about Litepanels SolaENG 3" LED Fresnel:

I personally love this product. I do a lot of doc work in 3rd world countries and I needed some lights that I could through in a bag and carry on my bag all day. Then be able to quickly set up to have a professionally light source in a matter of minutes. This product does simply that. I own 5 of them for this reason. Now there is a problem with the fan noise I have found but I [*] replaced the fan with a very quiet fan I found online. They are now very quiet. It is a little frustrating I had to do this hack in the first place but then I remember I paid less than a grand for this light. Which is unheard of for this kind of quality and output.

Comments about Litepanels SolaENG 3" LED Fresnel:

I really want to like this light. Being one of the first relatively inexpensive LED Fresnel lights on the market - I really want to like it. And there are some things to like. A little background. Because of my type of filming - lots of international travel, international voltage needs, small size, and quick setup, cool use, and daylight color balanced - I have used LED light primarily for about three years. I sold my ARRI fresnels and have used many kinds of LED lights. I have owned several smaller lightpanel lights, several LED-Z products, and some RGB LED chauvet lights for interview color splashes and special effects - so not cheap lights. So I have a little experience.

With that said, LED are great for most things I do, but most are not controllable like my old ARRI fresnels. My favorite light up until now has been the LED-Z Mini PAR lights. controllable with three lens - not real bright, but plenty for kickers, hairlights, and highlights. So back to the SOLA ENG - The light quality is great. Much like my ARRI Fresnel's (except daylight balanced - and cooler) in terms of light. Probably similar in light output to somewhere between my ARRI 150's and 300's. I do not have those anymore to test, but pretty close. The quality is great - smooth fall-off, even color, almost no fringing, and focus and dimmer work great.

The Problem - like other have said - fan noise. When I read this from another, I thought how bad could it be. Surely LitePanels would not sell a professional light with that bad an issue. Well there is noise. The concern though is not that it is that loud, but that it constantly changes in pitch and volume. I just set it up in my office lighting me as I type from about 8 feet away. I have left it on for about an hour to see if it settles out - it does not. The fan keeps cycling on and off and I can hear it clearly.

Now I have not used it on a production yet. I will try to use it on a film in 2 weeks. I will use quality boom mics and some hidden lavaliers. So I will find out soon if it is audible on film - but I am afraid it will be.

The other concern is it does not come with a power adapter. Luckily I had a power supply, I just had to by a $55 Powertap to XLR adapter. So overall good potential - and I hope they make changes and are willing to update my unit for free - but I will not hold my breath. I would have bought four more of these if it were not for the fan issue.

Comments about Litepanels SolaENG 3" LED Fresnel:

The specification on B&H is way off, I bought the unit was hoping to use the unit for off camera use but it never arrive with any wall AC power input source. I wrote to Litepanels and they told me B&H have the specification wrong, if you plan to use it either get a converter like I did which can been quite painful with a heavy converter. Yes you can buy accessories for the power but if you need to plug directly to the wall AC power you will need to do some converting.

The Barn door is cheap and does not stay in place giving this is my first product from Litepanel it is a disappointment due to small detail. The lite itself worked fine but again for the price I wish they would have a better product control especially it is aimed at the Professional level.

Comments about Litepanels SolaENG 3" LED Fresnel:

Highly focusable, runs well off battery belt, but a surprising amount of noise. Haven't shot on location with it yet - but it will have to be a distance away especially w/ shotgun mics indoors.