I own a Vortex8 and love the idea of a V4 but the thing that I can’t get past is the weight. It’s a 25 lb fixture, the Gemini hard is 13 lb. That’s substantial. I’d like a 1x1 panel to be light and easily rigged. Throw it on a c-stand arm for a hair light type of fixture. Seeing the Gemini hold it’s own in your comparison has me leaning that way for my purposes.
Hi Andrew. As a writer - director that DP’s my own shoots, I don’t spend as much time in gaffer world as I do in “writer world,” as it should be. But your videos are supremely helpful. I’m hearing about the Vortex 4 on your channel for the first time. As someone who cannot afford (financially) for equipment to fail, especially if I can afford only 1 Vortex 4, the water and sand resistance is a huge value to me. The light could be 30lbs and I wouldn’t mind. Wireless control could be helpful too with a micro / no crew shoot. Thank you Andrew for all of the hard work that you put into your videos. 😊👍
You're not wrong about the build quality, that thing looks like a tank! Personally I don't really understand 'hard' panel lights. An RGBWW or RGBACL - COB style light has quite a few advantages over this, more flexibility, more modifiers etc.
@@Coeditor4089 yep definitely. The big brother Vortex 8 at 20 degree beam angle, 5600k is 14,000 lux at 3m, Vortex 4 is around 7000lux (as per Andrews testing). By comparison the 675FS is around 20,000 lux through the Fresnel with similar beam angle. And being a single source the shadows will be much nicer when used direct on the talent. Personally i only use panels as flood lights and COB lights for punch and for sun / spotlight effects Edit: the gemini hard seams like a decent balance because you still get a high brightness level with the diffuser attached. Much more flexible in small spaces.
@@Coeditor4089 I struggle for a use case with hard panels in the 2x1 form factor. But I do find this 1x1 hard format handy because they fit nicely on a trolley. Whereas 2x1 takes up as much space on a trolley as a 600c kit.
I believe you are leaving out an important detail in the comparison between the 3 lights. I assume you are using the light diffusion on the Gemini hard... not it's domed diffusion. If so, the Nova is going to have a much wider beam angle than the Gemini hard+light diffusion. This can make a difference especially when using shallow softboxes. I have a Timpani 2 that has a 78 degree beam angle with its medium diffusion . It cannot evenly fill up a Dopchoice medium softbox(just 17" deep) even with an inner baffle. A nova P300 lights it up evenly - no sweat.
Could you review the 2x1 gemini hard, I have been using there 2x1 soft units for a while and weight has been a huge factor, doing a lot of fast turn around TV fast set up and easy movement around set is a huge advantage, I have had them out in some pretty rough nz weather, so water proofing isn't as important as I first thought,
@@gaffergear thanks I look forward to your thoughts, I wont be looking to upgrade until next year, but I'm leaning towards Geminis over the Vortex, when your getting upto 12 minutes a day some days weight becomes a huge factor.
What do you consider high amperage 14.4v V-mount? I've been getting 98wh and 150wh batteries so I can carry-on a plane. Are 2x 150wh bats w/ the Aperture 48 adapter enough to power lights?
All mine are 310wh. My gut feeling is at least 200wh. Check the manufacturer info for maximum continuous power out. A good rule of thumb is not to flatten a v-mounts in under an hour to get the best longevity out of the investment. You could also set the limiter to suit the battery
Just wanted to say your content is exceptional! Much appreciated for the work you put in to deliver this content!
15:44 - Very impressive! As you were talking, I'm thinking, "is he going to pour water in it?" - WOW!!
I own a Vortex8 and love the idea of a V4 but the thing that I can’t get past is the weight. It’s a 25 lb fixture, the Gemini hard is 13 lb. That’s substantial.
I’d like a 1x1 panel to be light and easily rigged. Throw it on a c-stand arm for a hair light type of fixture. Seeing the Gemini hold it’s own in your comparison has me leaning that way for my purposes.
That's exactly why I have two of them. But also runs off a single v-mount when I'm in too big a hurry to find a power outlet.
CCT crossfade! Insane!!! 😳 👏
Hi Andrew. As a writer - director that DP’s my own shoots, I don’t spend as much time in gaffer world as I do in “writer world,” as it should be. But your videos are supremely helpful. I’m hearing about the Vortex 4 on your channel for the first time. As someone who cannot afford (financially) for equipment to fail, especially if I can afford only 1 Vortex 4, the water and sand resistance is a huge value to me. The light could be 30lbs and I wouldn’t mind. Wireless control could be helpful too with a micro / no crew shoot. Thank you Andrew for all of the hard work that you put into your videos. 😊👍
You're not wrong about the build quality, that thing looks like a tank! Personally I don't really understand 'hard' panel lights. An RGBWW or RGBACL - COB style light has quite a few advantages over this, more flexibility, more modifiers etc.
Do you think a Prolycht Orion 675 or Aputure LS 600c would be as bright as the vortex?
@@Coeditor4089 yep definitely. The big brother Vortex 8 at 20 degree beam angle, 5600k is 14,000 lux at 3m, Vortex 4 is around 7000lux (as per Andrews testing).
By comparison the 675FS is around 20,000 lux through the Fresnel with similar beam angle. And being a single source the shadows will be much nicer when used direct on the talent.
Personally i only use panels as flood lights and COB lights for punch and for sun / spotlight effects
Edit: the gemini hard seams like a decent balance because you still get a high brightness level with the diffuser attached. Much more flexible in small spaces.
@@Coeditor4089 I struggle for a use case with hard panels in the 2x1 form factor.
But I do find this 1x1 hard format handy because they fit nicely on a trolley. Whereas 2x1 takes up as much space on a trolley as a 600c kit.
I believe you are leaving out an important detail in the comparison between the 3 lights. I assume you are using the light diffusion on the Gemini hard... not it's domed diffusion. If so, the Nova is going to have a much wider beam angle than the Gemini hard+light diffusion. This can make a difference especially when using shallow softboxes. I have a Timpani 2 that has a 78 degree beam angle with its medium diffusion . It cannot evenly fill up a Dopchoice medium softbox(just 17" deep) even with an inner baffle. A nova P300 lights it up evenly - no sweat.
True. They blast about 160⁰ of usable light. So it would most likely also be brighter in a dome situation
Señor una pregunta como activar el Bluetooth o wifi
Hi, when will you be doing a review of the p600c from aputure?
The lights good, except for super high speed shooting. We are waiting on an update that will unlock more features
Thanks again for good review, just decided to sell my Nova P300C out of a way...
another great review!
Hi! Have you reviewed the Nanlux Dyno 650c? What are your thoughts on it? Thanks!
Cooling fans are a bit too noisy for my liking. Other than that it's a good light
Could you review the 2x1 gemini hard, I have been using there 2x1 soft units for a while and weight has been a huge factor, doing a lot of fast turn around TV fast set up and easy movement around set is a huge advantage, I have had them out in some pretty rough nz weather, so water proofing isn't as important as I first thought,
I have it in the workshop for beta testing. But it is still not at its final release calibration yet.
That's as much as I can say about it.
@@gaffergear thanks I look forward to your thoughts, I wont be looking to upgrade until next year, but I'm leaning towards Geminis over the Vortex, when your getting upto 12 minutes a day some days weight becomes a huge factor.
@@Privateerspace the Gemini is very light weight
What do you consider high amperage 14.4v V-mount? I've been getting 98wh and 150wh batteries so I can carry-on a plane.
Are 2x 150wh bats w/ the Aperture 48 adapter enough to power lights?
All mine are 310wh. My gut feeling is at least 200wh. Check the manufacturer info for maximum continuous power out.
A good rule of thumb is not to flatten a v-mounts in under an hour to get the best longevity out of the investment.
You could also set the limiter to suit the battery
Grt Thx.
Okay, so I need some of these.
My wife requests that you give an epilepsy warning when showing things like that clip at 7:25.
Will do.
First!