Comparing Old and New Ikan Lights – AF Marcotec GmbH Service-Center

Comparing Old and New Ikan Lights

A guide to the differences between IB/ID, IDMX, Featherweights, Lyra, and Rayden Lines, and Others

With the launch of our latest lighting lines, Rayden and Lyra, ikan now has several sets of full- and half-sized LED panel lights that are currently available for sale, and we still see a demand for each of these lines. Sometimes, however, it happens that a customer places an order for one line when they would be much better served by another.

The purpose of this guide is to clear up that confusion and give you a tool to help your sales team, as well as your customers, get the information they need to get the best light for their needs. In the following pages, you will see pricing information, specifications on each type of light, and what features make that line of lights different from the others. Here is a quick table of contents:

The IB500, IB1000, ID500-v2, and ID1000-v2

The IB/ID series of 1x1 and Half-By panels are some of our most successful and longest-selling products. They may be an older model, but they still have a lot to offer: their metal-bodied construction makes them incredibly durable, and they still pack a good punch when used in an interview setting. They have also been upgraded into –PLUS SKUs that now include an Anton Bauer battery plate to update their offerings. Here are the stats:

Model	Intensity	CRI	Color Temperature
IB1000-PLUS	At 3200K: 3962 Lux @ 3’ At 5600K: 2960 Lux @ 3’	85	3200-5600K
ID1000-PLUS	8915 Lux @ 3’	86	5600K
IB500-PLUS	At 3200K: 1152 Lux @ 3’ At 5600K: 1302 Lux @ 3’	85	3200-5600K
ID500-PLUS	2550 Lux @ 3’	84	5600K

Why Choose the IB/ID Series?

Customers should choose the IB/ID lights for their incredible durability. The solid metal body on these lights can take a LOT of abuse. We don’t encourage abusing any Ikan product, but if you have to put something through a physical wringer, this is the light for you. It is also a classic and easily recognizable product. Customers and operators who aren’t comfortable with newer models can safely choose the IB/ID series, and still get their money’s worth of light.

The IDMX500, IDMX500T, IDMX1000T, and IDMX1500-v2

The IDMX line came about as DMX began to grow in popularity and accessibility for studios both large and small. The IDMX1500-v2, specifically, is designed specifically for lighting cycs, green screens, and backdrops, with a small vertical profile but wide LED bank and beam angle. Each light is compatible with 512DMX protocols. This line is being phased out for newer offerings, but we still have stock on some models, and here are their stats:

Model	Intensity	CRI	Color Temperature
IDMX500	5091 Lux @ 3’	84	5600K
IDMX500T	3705 Lux @ 3’	84	3200K
IDMX1000T	8451 Lux @ 3’	84	3200K
IDMX1500-v2	7538 Lux @ 3’	82	5600K

Why Choose an IDMX?

The IDMX line is great for intimate DMX studios and simple DMX controllers. Customers have seen success using the 500’s just under drop ceilings in radio LiveStream studios, while the super-bright 1000T and 1500-v2 have been used in studios world-wide for their high-output and ease of use.

A Note on IDMX Lights

The IDMX lights are very popular as a cost-friendly alternative to larger, more expensive brands, but take care when pairing them with more modern DMX consoles and equipment; sometimes, they have trouble communicating due to recent advances in DMX technology.

The IFB576, IFD576, IFB1024, and IFD1024

Our Featherweight series of lights has been immensely popular with ENG crews for its durability and light weight. The Featherweights are the next generation if IB/ID lights, with improved LEDs and hard plastic bodies, as well as the inclusion of yokes, diffusers, and battery plates for Anton Bauer and Sony V Mount batteries with each instrument. Each light has a 60 degree beam angle, with barn doors to help you control the light and included remotes to control instruments from across the room, if need be.

Model	Intensity	CRI	Color Temperature
IFD576	5602 Lux @ 3’	88	5600K
IFB576	At 3200K: 3130 Lux @ 3’ At 5600K: 2790 Lux @ 3’	88	3200-5600K
IFD1024	5960 Lux @ 3’	88	5600K
IFB1024	At 3200K: 2149 Lux @ 3’ At 5600K: 6597 Lux @ 3’	88	3200-5600K

Why Choose a Featherweight?

Featherweight lights come with an acrylic diffuser and two pro battery plates, are lightweight, and can be purchased in several styles of kit to fit most needs. If you want diversity in your light, the Featherweights are a sure-fire way to cover all of the possible situations you may find yourself in.

The RW5, RB5, RW10, and RB10

The Rayden line of lights was officially introduced shortly after NAB, and have been met with great reviews. We stepped up our game when we designed these instruments, giving them incredible output levels and a CRI that hovers between 96-98. They are made of the same hard plastic as the Featherweights, but with a new layout on the back panel allowing easier control, especially in low-light situations. We’ve also improved the yoke, giving it a slight forward pitch to allow the light to point nearly straight down, even with the barn doors open, while mounted on a stand.

Model	Intensity	CRI	Color Temperature
RW5	3150 Lux @ 3’	CRI: 95 TLCI: 96	5600K
RW10	10118 Lux @ 3’	CRI: 95 TLCI: 95	5600K
RB5	At 3200K: 2970 Lux @ 3’ At 5600K: 3035 Lux @ 3’	CRI: 94 TLCI: 95	3200-5600K
RB10	At 3200K: 5984 Lux @ 3’ At 5600K: 5984 Lux @ 3’	CRI: 94 TLCI: 96	3200-5600K

Why Choose a Rayden?

The Raydens are our best and brightest panels yet, and we’ve priced them very, very competitively. You can now find them in 2-, 3-, and 5-light kits, as well as mixed kits, much like the Featherweights. Raydens are great for almost any non-DMX setup, however you configure them.

The LW5, LW10, LB5, and LB10

The Lyra series of lights isn’t the brightest we have, but it is certainly the softest set of lights Ikan has created. These lights utilize chip LEDs placed behind a permanent acrylic panel to create a soft, wrapping light. This effect is especially noticeable on facial features, but also works well on other subjects and even scenery.

Model	Intensity	CRI	Color Temperature
LW5	1377 Lux @ 3’	CRI: 95 TLCI: 98	5600K
LW10	2518 Lux @ 3’	CRI: 95 TLCI: 98	5600K
LB5	At 3200K: 1022 Lux @ 3’ At 5600K: 1087 Lux @ 3’	CRI: 96 TLCI: 98	3200-5600K
LB10	At 3200K: 2325 Lux @ 3’ At 5600K: 2454 Lux @ 3’	CRI: 96 TLCI: 98	3200-5600K

Why Choose a Lyra?

You should choose a Lyra when you want soft light with a little extra push behind it. Lyra’s serve the best when used indoors, or outdoors during optimal periods of natural light. Lyra’s are more than just an accent light, but may not prove strong enough to fight off other strong light sources. That being said, if you have to wait for or create the optimal conditions for these lights, you will not be disappointed with the results.

A Note on the Acrylic Panel

The acrylic panel is permanent for a reason: the chip LEDs behind it are rather harsh without it. Do not try to remove the panel! Your light quality will plummet, and your warranty will go out the door.

The PL74, PL60, PL90, and PL103

The Piatto series of lights is made of 4 thin and lightweight accent lights. The softness of these lights comes from the placement of the LEDs behind the acrylic panel. Their overall output is not very high, but it doesn’t need to be: the Piattos are accent lights, more than anything else. They run on DV batteries, so you can easily gel them and toss them wherever you need them to add that little bit of “something special” to your shots.

Model	Intensity	CRI	Color Temperature
PL74	207 Lux @ 3’	94	5600K
PL60	219 Lux @ 3’	93	5600K
PL90	384 Lux @ 3’	94	5600K
PL103	137 Lux @ 3’	92	5600K

Why Choose a Piatto?

As was mentioned before, Piattos serve almost exclusively as accent or beauty lights. They don’t have a lot of strength, so you can’t use them as a good key light, or even really as a fill, unless conditions are absolutely perfect for that use. The best way to use a Piatto is to put a gel on it (using the built-in gel clips) or use it without gel, and mount it just outside of your shot. You will use this light a lot for close-ups, night-scenes, and other intimate types of shots. One of the best uses discovered so far is for driving shots: propping a Piatto up on car floorboards or the passenger seat while your subject is in the driver’s seat gets great results.

iLED6 and iLED312-v2

The iLED6 and iLED312-v2 are both well-established as reliable lights, whether mounted on-camera or on a light stand as a part of a small interview kit. The iLED6 is more compact, and focusable; you can change the beam angle to suit your shot and subject. The iLED312-v2 has a dial-in color temperature and comes with an acrylic diffuser, and the broad LED panel makes for a great general wash from right over your camera’s lens.

Model

Intensity

CRI

Color Temperature

iLED6

When Flooded:

893 Lux @ 3’

When Spotted:

3623 Lux @ 3’

5600K

3200K when

Filter applied.

iLED312-v2

At 3200K:

716 Lux @ 3’

At 5600K:

723 Lux @ 3’

3200K-5600K

Why Use an iLED6?

The iLED6 is great when you need more control over the light in your shot. Controlling the beam angle, then cutting the edges with the shutters, allows you to set up your shot as close or far away as you like. The high CRI is also a great feature, and the low price drives it all home. There is one downside: these lights take extra time to produce, so keeping stock is difficult; try to anticipate the need for these lights and order as early as possible!

Why Use an iLED312-v2?

The iLED312-v2 is an incredible panel light; its size makes it easy to transport, the included DV batteries make it usable in many locations, and the color temperature and dimmer knobs give perfect control over your light. They can also be slotted together to form larger panels as needed, and work equally well, whether mounted on a light stand or a camera’s shoe mount.

The IB508-v2 and ID508-v2

The IB508-v2 and ID508-v2 are small, but powerful, location lights that run off of DV batteries. They are stronger than the iLED312-v2, but not quite a full Half-by-1 panel. Buying any 508 also gets you 2-750 L-Series batteries and a charger, and a camera shoe mount. When purchased in a kit, you get the batteries and a baby-pin adapter instead, along with stands and bags for the whole thing. These lights are incredibly popular due to their output-to-size ratio, and the fact that you don’t have to drop hundreds of dollars to power them in the field.

Model

Intensity

CRI

Color Temperature

IB508-v2

At 3200K:

2186 Lux @ 3’

At 5600K:

2130 Lux @ 3’

3200-5600K

ID508-v2

3839 Lux @ 3’

5600K

Why Use a 508?

If you are on the move, shooting in the field, or in need of a small interview light, the 508 is the way to go. When the iLED312-v2 or iLED6 aren’t powerful enough for the job, but a regular half-by-1 or 1x1 panel are too cumbersome for the job, the 508 is the way to go, hands down. They may be a bit too much to mount onto a camera if you are using a cage or shoulder rig, but work well as a camera-mounted light when you are using a tripod, monopod, or other kinds of camera support that can take the weight off of your arms.

White Star and Red Star Fresnels

Ikan White Star and Red Star Fresnels are high-power, broadcast quality instruments for large and small studios. They can be mounted onto light stands, but the baby-pin adapter can be easily removed and replaced with a pipe clamp for grid placement. They are 512 DMX compatible, and programming is as easy as assigning an address via the control knob in the side of the instrument’s base. You can also spot and flood these lights with the focus knob on the back. When you need a lot of light, or a long throw, these are the lights you need!

Model	Intensity	CRI	Color Temperature
RS-F100	Spot: 5578 Lux @ 5’ Flood: 989 Lux @ 5’	96	3200K
RS-F200	Spot: 19496 Lux @ 5’ Flood: 4154 Lux @ 5’	96	3200K
RS-F350	Spot: 23433 Lux @ 5’ Flood: 4442 Lux @ 5’	96	3200K
WS-F100	Spot: 13240 Lux @ 5’ Flood: 2309 Lux @ 5’	95	5600K
WS-F200	Spot: 25466 Lux @ 5’ Flood: 7614 Lux @ 5’	95	5600K
WS-F350	Spot: 39126 Lux @ 5’ Flood: 11083 Lux @ 5’	95	5600K

Why Choose White Stars and Red Stars?

When you need lots of power from your light, without having to feed lots of power to your light, Ikan LED Fresnels are a great solution. Because they have the body of a standard Fresnel (4” for the F100’s, and 6” for everything else) they are easy to adapt to if you are moving from incandescent lights. They also come with barn doors for focusing and making cuts, and gel frames are available if you need them. The White Star line (WS-) is also available in an architectural white housing, to help it blend-in when you want to keep visibility low.

Small On-Camera Lights: iLED120, iLED144, iLED-MS, and iLED-MA

One of the things Ikan is best known for is our lighting, and especially our small on-camera lights. These lights are primarily for on-camera use, and can have either an internal rechargeable battery or operate on included DV batteries. You can pick the size and style of light that best suits your needs based on their power and capabilities. The iLED120 and iLED144 are relatively powerful panel lights, while the iLED-MA and iLED-MS are perfect for tossing into a kit bag and keeping on hand when they are needed. Here are the specs:

Model	Intensity	CRI	Color Temperature
iLED120	618 Lux @ 3’	82	5600K
iLED144	At 3200K: 338 Lux @ 3’ At 5600K: 374 Lux @ 3’	81	3200-5600K
iLED-MS	1120 Lux @ 3’	76	5600K or 3200K with Filter
iLED-MA	106 Lux @ 3’	93	5600K

Why Use Ikan On-Camera Lights?

Each light has its own purpose: the iLED120 offers a fair light output at 5600K, and has a built-in rechargeable battery. The iLED144 is bi-color, and comes with a rechargeable Sony L-Series battery and charger. The iLED-MS is a tiny, portable pin-spot, and the iLED-MA is great for adding a little light to a broad area, and has a great CRI rating. All of them are small and portable, can easily be mounted on a camera shoe, and aren’t a big blow to a budget.

LightStar Incandescent Lights

Ikan is proud to carry LightStar incandescent lighting. We aren’t really in to the whole hot-light thing, but we know some folks are, and we didn’t want to disappoint. Most of our incandescent lighting from LightStar comes in the form of Fresnels that can accept differing varieties of lamps for the intensity and color temperature you like. The one exception is the LLAN-19 China Ball, a handy instrument for filling a room with a soft, warm light. See the different varieties we have available below:

Model	Wattage	Light Type
LSW-001	300W	Fresnel
LSW-002	650W	Fresnel
LSW-003	1000W (1K)	Fresnel
LSW-004	2000W (2K)	Fresnel
LSW-010	150W	Fresnel
LLAN-19	1000W	China Ball

Why Use LightStar Incandescent Lights?

LightStar incandescent (or Tungsten) lighting is a traditional, low-cost lighting solution. Incandescent lighting is just about as good as it gets for color quality, too. All of the Fresnels include their barndoors, which is also a plus. Really, traditional Fresnels are simply a tried-and-true quality light source, and Ikan is proud to be able to provide such an industry staple to photographers and videographers in need.

LightStar HMI Lighting

Ikan also distributes LightStar HMI lighting. So far, we carry 575W HMI PARs and Fresnels, along with a 1200W Fresnel and the 575W Super Spot, a lightweight variation of an HMI PAR. HMI lighting is for shooters who need higher output than a traditional incandescent instrument, but with less power consumption. The light quality is largely dependent on the quality of the lamp you use in the fixture, and the lamp for each fixture is determined by the required wattage and base style in the unit itself. Note that Ikan does not ship or sell lamps with our HMI’s, but there are details below on just what type of lamp you will need.

Model	Wattage	Light Type	Lamp Style	Ballast
LS-575PE	575W	PAR	575W G22 Base	575/1200W
LS-575SSPX	575W	Super Spot	575W G22 Base	575W
LS-575TE	575W	Fresnel	575W G22 Base	575/1200W
LS-1200TE	575W	Fresnel	1200W G38 Base	575/1200W

Why Use LightStar HMIs?

Lightstar HMIs use an efficient, proprietary ballast not seen in other similar HMI lighting. The ballast for the Super Spot, in particular, is light enough to hang on the yoke of the light, and there is an integrated mounting point for precisely that purpose. All Lightstar HMIs come with their ballast, a yoke, and barndoors; these items are often sold separately by other manufacturers, but we bundle everything together for convenience. The Super Spot and PAR also come with an assortment of lenses, which are Spot, Narrow Flood, Flood, Super Flood, and Frost (Diffusion). Combine all of that with their comparatively low price point, and the general efficiency of HMI lighting in general, and it is hard to pass these lights up!

Helia 4” Fresnels

Ikan’s HF40 Fresnels deserve a special section, as they are a rather unique lighting option. The HF40 is a single-source, bi-color, 4 inch Fresnel designed to be used in the field. They have a high CRI, and can be purchased as a 3-light kit that includes stands, a carrying case, and Sony V-Mount battery plates. Because they are Fresnels, they can also be spotted or flooded as the need arises, making them a wonderfully versatile field kit.

SKU

Intensity

Color Temperature

CRI

HF40

Taken @ 5 Feet:

3200K/SPOT:

2015 Lux

3200K/FLOOD:

1086 Lux

5600K/SPOT:

3261 Lux

5600K/FLOOD:

1291 Lux

2700-5600K

HF40-KIT

See Above

Why Choose a Helia?

As was mentioned before, Helias make a great, high-quality field light, especially when purchased as a kit. Each light can be independently adjusted to become a key, fill, or hair light, flooded out for area lighting, or tightened up as a pin-spot. The included barn-doors control spill and further aid in focusing, and the hard case, included with the 3-light kit, is sturdy and wheeled for easy transport. Each light also has a strobe function with a selectable strobing frequency, and you can run them off of either Sony V-Mount batteries or AC power, depending on your power situation.

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