F&V has finally released the K4000 Power. The K4000 Power as the name suggests, is a more powerful version of the original K4000. Just how much more powerful is it? Well, according to F&V the K4000 Power is 3x brighter than the original.
The K4000 Power has taken a considerable amount of time to make it to market as we first saw a prototype of the light at IBC back in 2017.
There are two versions of the K4000 Power available. A daylight 5600K version and the K4000S, which is a Bi Color 3200K to 5600K version.
I need more power Scotty!
The K4000 Power (5600K only) has a claimed output of 9920 lx at distance of 1 meter (3.28ft) when used with the optional KS-1 soft box intensifier. That is is a 300.80% increase over the 2475 lx that the K4000 Lumic output. Without the KS-1, F&V claim that the output of the K4000 Power still 7200lx at a distance of 1 meter.
The K4000S Power (Bi-Color) has a claimed output of 9310 lx at distance of 1 meter (3.28ft) when used with the optional KS-1 soft box intensifier. F&V also claim that the output of the K4000S Power is 6840lx at a distance of 1 meter.
These figures are pretty impressive for a 1×1 LED panel, but still, pale in comparison to the Lupo Dual Colour SuperPanel which can output a whopping 21800lx when set at 5600k. What you do have to take into account though is that the Lupo Dual Colour Superpanel has a much narrower 40 degree beam angle, compared to the F&V K4000 Power’s 75 degrees. You do need to be aware, however, that if you use the K4000 Power with the optional KS-1 soft box intensifier the beam angle will change from 75 to 45 degrees.
This wide 75 degree beam angle makes the F&V very suitable for lighting up larger areas, but you will need to usee barn doors, or a honeycomb to cut down the spill if you are using the light for interviews.
Better CRI?
According to F&V the K4000 Power has a claimed CRI of somewhere between 93-97. As a comparison, when I tested the companies K400S (at 3200K) the light recorded an average CRI (R1-R8) of 96.8 and when it was tested at 5600K it recorded an average CRI (R1-R8) of 95.8. So these quoted figures will probably hold true.
Sunny side up please, don’t break the yoke
The K4000S also gets an improved yoke that is claimed to offer more stability. stability in every situation. The housing is constructed from metal profiles for maximum strength with minimum weight. The K4000 Power and K4000S Power weigh in at 2.3kg (5.1lb).
Easy to power
The K4000 Power can be powered by a standard V-Mount battery (the v-lock battery plate is built-in to the fixture) and is not restricted to special and expensive high amperage batteries like some other panels. What is really impressive is that both the K4000 Power and K4000S Power have a maximum power draw of just 90W. This is extremely impressive given the lights output figures.
Keeping your cool
What I am slightly concerned about is that neither K4000 Power model has an in-built fan. Both the Litepanels Astra and the Lupo SuperPanels have fans because LED lights driven this hard produce qute a lot of heat that needs to be disppereded. One of my compalints about the K400S 1×1 and the Z800S 2×1 lights were that they ran really hot, much hotter than any other LED lights that I have seen. Hopefully F&V have done something about this.
A range of lighting accessories
With a wide beam angle and plenty of output, you certainly will need some light shaping accessories and F&V has you covered. You can purchase honeycomb grids of various beam angles to narrow down the beam angle or the hard diffuser or KS-1 softbox to soften the light or widen the beam angle so that you can shape the light creatively.
Price
The K4000 Power (Daylight only version) retails for €469.00 ($588 USD). The K4000S Power Bi-Color retails for €549.00 ($642 USD). This certainly makes them very affordable and considerably cheaper than a Lupo SuperPanel or a Litepanels Astra.
