Gaffer & Gear 199 - Vortex 4 Review and Comparison

Gaffer & Gear 199 - Vortex 4 Review and Comparison
In this episode we take a look at RGBWW Vortex 4, which is a robust 1x1 LED panel with a native 20 degree beam angle, and compare its output to similar sized RGBWW panels.
Index
00:00 Intro
01:40 Cost and what you get
03:17 Hardware improvements
04:08 Firmware improvements
07:23 Cons / Negatives
11:20 Pros / Positives
12:25 DMX comparison chat
14:06 Weather proof
16:49 Brightness comparison in spot / hard
18:02 Brightness comparison in flood
20:46 Brightness Spot @3m
21:03 Brightness Flat Diffusion @1m
21:20 Brightness Flat Diffusion @3m
21:36 Brightness Dome Diffusion @1m
21:52 Brightness Flat + Dome Diffusion @1m
21:52 Brightness Flat + Dome Diffusion @3m

[@thethirdrailchannel]

15:44 - Very impressive! As you were talking, I'm thinking, "is he going to pour water in it?" - WOW!!

[@PancakeLighting]

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.

[@gaffergear]

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.

[@ProfessaJ]

another great review!

[@cobymarcum1442]

CCT crossfade! Insane!!! 😳 👏

[@cobymarcum1442]

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. 😊👍

[@mikkojoona]

Thanks again for good review, just decided to sell my Nova P300C out of a way...

[@philpritchard5173]

Grt Thx.

[@nshea3286]

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.

[@gaffergear]

True. They blast about 160⁰ of usable light. So it would most likely also be brighter in a dome situation

[@cagf2013]

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]

Do you think a Prolycht Orion 675 or Aputure LS 600c would be as bright as the vortex?

[@cagf2013]

@@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.

[@gaffergear]

@@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.

[@CBCMusicClass]

Hi! Have you reviewed the Nanlux Dyno 650c? What are your thoughts on it? Thanks!

[@gaffergear]

Cooling fans are a bit too noisy for my liking. Other than that it's a good light

[@ITRHDYT]

Hi, when will you be doing a review of the p600c from aputure?

[@gaffergear]

The lights good, except for super high speed shooting. We are waiting on an update that will unlock more features

[@Privateerspace]

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]

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.

[@Privateerspace]

@@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.

[@gaffergear]

@@Privateerspace the Gemini is very light weight

[@RestiBagcal]

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?

[@gaffergear]

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

[@freednighthawk]

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.

[@gaffergear]

Will do.

[@okcguitarbear410]

First!