By technical editor Matt Allard:
Kinotehnik are best known for their LCDVFe electronic viewfinders, but at NAB they showed a brand new LED light. The Practalite 602 is a LED light that is not only bi-colour, but also uses a fresnel mechanism to allow it to adjust the beam angle between spot or flood, from 15 to 80 degrees. Kinotehnik claim the 602 is the world’s smallest bi-color, variable beam smart LED light and has a CRI of 90-93.
The Practilite 602 comes with an app for smartphones and is Bluetooth capable, which should prove useful for documentary shooting and field interviews. Managing the lighting setup can now be done from the smart app, instead of having to walk around and adjust the lights individually. The operator can remotely dial in the any colour temperature between 3200k and 6100k. Brightness and beam angle can also be set. Up to 4 lights can be controlled at once all from the same smart phone.
The 3.2″ 80mm fresnel lens provides greater light range than a conventional LED fixture. This enables wider shot angles and light-shaping without losing the LED output power/throw which is typically the case with barndoor-controlled fixtures. Kinotehnic claims the 602 has the equivalent output of a 600w tungsten fixture. The light is also flicker free, which allows it to be used for slow motion filming.
The 602 body is compact and made out of aircraft grade full aluminum. It’s small size should make it ideal for news crews who need to travel light. A universal umbrella mount is built-in and barndoors are included. The 602 comes with a universal AC/DC power supply so it can be used anywhere in the world. Additionally the light can be run off a 12-28v power supply making it possible to use V-mount or Anton Bauer batteries through a 4 pin XLR. You will need to use a high draw battery though as the Max current draw is 140W. The 602 is compatible with third party 4″/100mm studio head light modifiers such as those made by Profoto and Broncolor. Speedring insert adapters for most manufacturers soft-boxes are available separately.
The Practilite 602 will retail for $699 US and will be available from the Kinotehnik website, B&H and other distributors.
