Fiilex: A Fresh Outlook On LED

A growth in freelance owner-operators – fuelled initially by the DSLR revolution – has seen the need for cost-effective lighting sources increase considerably.

This shift, together with a raft of technological developments has seen LED become the primary lighting solution across the entire video production industry.

For a long time, deploying LED fixtures meant a compromise in quality. A lack of genuine colour accuracy effected skin tones, resulting in an ill-appearance of the talent. Despite their obvious shortcomings, camera operators & lighting directors continued to employ LED lighting, as their benefits often outweighed the negatives. The lightweight design and subsequent portability advantages saw LED being used more & more ahead of traditional HMI & tungsten fixtures.

LEDs themselves were developed in the 1960’s where they were first used as indicator signals on vehicles. Although light output has increased significantly over the years, the basic packaging method remains largely unchanged. A single LED is placed in a reflective cavity, bonded to two electrical contacts and sealed by an epoxy or plastic lens – one diode at a time.

Fiilex, on the other hand, take a completely different approach. Instead of individually packaged LED diodes, Fiilex applies a bespoke wrapping method that densely packs many light emitting diodes (LEDs) together within a single reflective lens – known as Dense Matrix LED. This compact placement of LEDs creates a powerful array that is no bigger than a coin and produces an intense specular light.

The design is a result of more than 10 years' research by Fiilex's parent company, DiCon Fiberoptics. Its team of PHD's found a way to resolve thermal issues, creating a metal carrier that quickly dissipates heat away from the core. With this advanced innovation, Fiilex is able to produce fixtures that are able to operate at high currents and emit more light. This light can then be focused into intense beams while maintaining a core temperature vastly cooler than traditional lights. Through this patented system, Fiilex has conquered the two biggest challenges in designing LED fixtures; beam control and heat management.

Dense Matrix LED technology is integrated across the entire Fiilex product range. Their flagship P360 is the perfect balance of power and portability, delivering a 350W equivalent output from a fixture that weighs less than 750g. Colour-tuneable between tungsten and daylight, P360 is strong enough to be a key or fill light and flexible enough to never lock you into a certain look.

Delivering intense light with a high CRI, the P360 saves time in post-production, delivering vibrant colours and crisp shadows with no fringing or spiking. This single point source runs cool to the touch and can be shaped, softened or focused easily with a variety of accessories. Fiilex conveniently offer all fixtures in ready-to-shoot kits, together with a variety of accessories in a compact wheeled hard case.

Through its bespoke Dense Matrix LED technology, Fiilex is able to offer users an advantageous alternative to traditional lighting that boasts a significantly lower carbon footprint.

See Fiilex for yourself at The Media Production Show, 13th & 14th June 2017, Olympia London, Stand #524.

t: +44 (0) 1784 450 506 | e: [email protected] | w: www.octica.tv

This article is also available to read in the latest edition of Broadcast Film & Video here, page 18.

(JP/LM)