Hobolite Announces Stylish Bi-Color LED Lighting Kits
05/17/2023Hobolite has just announced a lineup of bi-color, continuous LED lighting kits and accessories, equally useful for videographers and still photographers. Available in multiple configurations, these lighting solutions are designed to be stylish, compact, and flexible for many applications.
First are the Avant Creator and Avant Standard kits. Both kitted lights output 7993 lux at 3.3' (6500K), with color ranges of 2700K-6500K and a high CRI rating of 96. The stylish body features an LCD screen and knurled control knobs to adjust the brightness and color temperature easily.
What really distinguishes these two kits are the included accessories. The Avant Standard kit provides some handy basics―barndoors, power supply, D-Tap and AC wiring, and a V-Mount battery, clamp, and handle. The Avant Creator kit includes all these, as well as a light stand and softbox.
Additionally, Hobolite offers Mini Creator and Mini Standard kits for an even more compact experience. These smaller lights weigh less than a pound and output 7130 lux at a distance of 3.3' (6500K). With the same tunable color ranges, CRI rating, and controls as the Avant line, the miniature body is optimized for superb on-location mobility.
Also like the Avant line, the Mini Standard and Mini Creator kits come with accessories. The Mini Standard kit provides mini barndoors, a type-C cable, and a power adapter to charge the built-in Li-Ion battery. The Mini Creator kit provides all these, as well as a desktop tripod, v-mount cold shoe adapter, and v-mount ball head adapter.
The last of Hobolite's newly released kits are the Pro Creator and Pro Standard kits. Outputting 20,617 lux at 3.3' (6500K), these lights boast notably different design features than the previously mentioned kits, although the color ranges and CRI ranges are the same.
The Pro lights feature a detachable control panel and utilize a standard Bowens mount for maximum compatibility across light modifiers. The 360° yoke provides easy adjustments and functions as a carrying handle while not in use. As the name implies, the Pro light kits are the most feature-rich for professional applications.
Similar to the Avant and Mini lines, the Pro Creator and Standard kits are available with accessories. The Pro Standard includes pro barndoors, a v-mount clamp, two v-mount DC batteries, and a dual v-mount battery charger. The Pro Creator kit includes all of these, as well as a pro softbox and light stand.
Many of the kitted accessories are also separately available for purchase, which is great news if you want to tailor your own kit. Additional accessories, such as Hobolite's stands and lanterns, can be tacked on to increase the overall flexibility of your choice kit.
For more information and details, click through to the product pages. What do you think about Hobolite's stylish new lighting kits? Do you have a favorite lighting accessory? Let us know in the Comments section, below, and we will respond.
Comments
25 Comments
I'm surprised by all the negative comments about these lights from people who have never even used them. Judging from the specs, (I haven't used them either), they don't deserve the trashing they're getting by some on this thread.
Seasoned professionals recognize the iconic look of the Hasselblad medium format camera, to which the Hobolite design clearly pays homage. If this light was made of cheap plastic, while trying to look like a serious, professional tool, I could understand the criticism. But looking at the specs, that is clearly not the case. For pros who want to project a high class image of themselves, and work with an elegant lighting kit at the same time, the Hobolite seems like an ideal solution. I have been a professional photographer for over 25 years working in both still photography and video, shooting for clients from coast to coast. I would have no problem whatsoever showing up on any set or location with these lights. I am curious to know where they are manufactured.
It looks durable and well-made, without any cheap plastic components. The controls seem intuitive, and output adjustments are smooth and precise. But the price is out of my budget, wondering if there are any promos.
Hi Gu, the prices are in line with the cast aluminum architecture of the fixtures, and premium build quality. We offer several kit options that come with varying accessories. To start out and save some money, the Standard Kits, come with just the essentials. The Creator Kits, while at a higher price point, add in light optically optimized light modifiers and our lightweight and portable carbon fiber light stands.
What an amazing discovery! These lights are absolutely beautiful and stunning. I would love the opportunity to try them out!
I would like to use this light for streaming on Twitch, I'm always on the lookout for tools that can take my content to the next level. This light seems like the perfect addition to my setup, as it will give my stream a more professional look.
They would work great for filming live streams!
Thanks for your comment, Parker. That's a great way to make use of these lights!
I love the idea of the pro but it might be too big when I travel. The mini and Avant seem to be great as compensation lighting so that might work beautifully. I'll give it a try.
The Mini and Avant are both lightweight and portable options perfect for travel shooting.
Was the name Sterno-bum already taken ?
That was an amazing video, but the product appears to suck. I've made better functioning lights using my 3D printer and LED lights from the dollar store. Honestly, I wouldn't be caught showing up to a shoot with those "toys". Who would make a light that looks like a camera? Color filters??? I have RGB lights that are cheaper, dimmable, and 500W output.
Well, not usual one to jump on the dogpile of shade, but this product is a dud. Maybe we'll see these on Aliexpress for $29 in the near future.
Who's idea was it to name this light after a Hobo? ie. One who wanders from place to place without a permanent home or a means of livelihood.
If I were trying to shed money, I'd get these to use as accent lighting at home.
On the other hand... I'd give the money to someone who needs it and buy reasonable lights instead.
While they may not be the most exciting products to look at, these lights are indispensable for content creators like me. As someone who often works outdoors in NYC, I purchased Hobolite from their website a few months ago and have been thoroughly impressed with their amazing portability and excellent performance, making them easy to carry with me wherever I go. These versatile lights have proven to be a great investment, I am enjoying mine!
It's pretty clear who these are aimed at when a several-hundred-word writeup mentions nothing about color accuracy.
I mean, look at this picture: https://static.bhphotovideo.com/explora/sites/default/files/tsc/Hobolit…
When I need lights for my rig, I look no further than Modern Railroad Fashions magazine.
Each of our models has 96+ CRI and TLCI. The entire line was made first to function at the highest standard of output possible, then for portability and aesthetics second. The tools we use should be both functional and beautiful.
These are kinda... weird. I get that they're trying to make them look like some cute and retro camera, but I'm 100% not showing up on set with lights that look like they were manufactured in 1968. Very weird decision, to make something so expensive that also seems designed to appeal to consumers vs. professionals. Seems like power and functionality are there, v-mount and remote compatible, love the compact size for the output, but... jeez, I'd feel like I was pulling out 1980's Novatron heads or something.
I don't think it's the retro aspect that's a liability; it's the "fashion" gimmickry. Lights get stored in bags next to metal brackets and other equipment. They knock against C-stand bolts when people are setting them up. Whatever. Are "faux leather" sides supposed to survive real-world use and not peel off or get scraped to hell? And if they do... are you actually a working professional?
Plus, I don't think at any time in the history of cinema did lights have leather on them... so they're not even "retro." That's why the only use I can see for these things would be as accent lighting in a home or high-end, customer-facing office... like a post house. And I'm sure there are more-economical and equally stylish options for that.
Don't let the appealing aesthetics fool you, these lights are built to last. They have cast aluminum bodies that stand up to the wear and abuse of being on set and traveling. The faux leather adds to the durability, it is scratch and mar resistant and has the extra benefit of adding an additional layer over the cast aluminum to help protect the sides from when your C-Stand bolts bump up against them.
Who exactly are these lights for?
Rich people who want to use these as lighting in their homes.
Nice system but WAY overpriced !!!
The price reflects the build quality, as well as the fact that all lights are sold in kits that come with accessories included, such as barndoors, diffusion, and color gels. It's important to us that you have everything you need to get the job done without the need to buy additional accessories. The Creator Kits also come with carbon fiber light stands, and soft boxes, all in handy carrying cases.
I especially like the part where they put "hobo" in the name, then made them super-expensive.
They are cute, though.