Davide DB 494 Posted August 16, 2012 Hi all, DISCLAIMER: I do not work for Fisheye nor I get these light for free nor I got some discount. It's a new product, I was one of the first to receive these lights and I wanted to share my opinion on them. I hope you will appreciate this mini review of my new lights Few weeks ago I finally received my brand new FIX Aquavolt3500 video lights from Fisheye Japan. They are self-contained led lights and as their name suggests they have a 3500 lumen output. The light beam covers 115° with an even flux without spots and they guarantee one hour of operating time at maximum power. For a complete data sheet just look at the manufacturer web site. http://www.fisheye-j...3500/index.html I’m not an unboxing lover but I think it is worth a photo showing the carefulness of the packaging. The light kit is composed of the light itself, a small charger with a peculiar base for the battery (I will be back on this shortly), a handle, a 3300mA Lithium battery with two caps, a spare o-ring kit and a tin can of silicone grease. My kit arrived with a Sea&Sea joint which I substituted with a ball joint for my Nauticam arms. I think that you can specify the joint type while ordering. The Aquavolt3500 is entirely built in aluminum alloy with a front mineral glass. The light body has a classic screw type opening with double o-ring. I shot a photo near a 1/2L Coca Cola bottle to give you an idea of their dimensions. Weigh in water is only 290gr. The back of the light has an LCD display which gives information on the power setting, residual battery life and its internal temperature: if the light reaches 68°C it shut down automatically. The user manual specifies that it cannot be used out of water. Near the display there is a knob with a central button. A finger pressure of a couple of seconds turns on the light at the maximum power. Following presses change the power at 80-50-30%. You turn off the light pressing the knob for three seconds. Power output can be regulated also rotating the knob with a 2% steps. This feature is aimed to macro photography. You can finely tune the exposure just rotating the knob. On the left of the knob there is an over-pressure valve and on top of the display something like a cap: user manual states that they can be remotely controlled. Maybe Fisheye has some special accessory for this feature. The custom Lithium battery is worth describing. Electrical contacts on both sides are circular shaped: you can insert the battery into the light or into the charger without paying attention at polarity or position. The battery charger has a custom base with 4 led indicating the ongoing charge (max 3 hours). Inserting the battery into the base without power supply you can check the remaining battery charge through the same 4 led. The battery itself has an extra electrical connection identical to the main charger allowing to be charged without using the base. Continue on next post... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Davide DB 494 Posted August 16, 2012 I linked too many images so I was forced to split my post... Weighting only 290gr, one light with two Jumbo Stix on two 20cm Nauticam arms and clamps are nearly neutrally buoyant. Here they are with my NA-GH2P. The setup is still quite negative. I’ll calculate the exact weigh asap because I have to throw away the Stix and buying a more serious buoyancy material. I’ll post a clip shot with these lights. The beam is really wide and with a proper positioning they cover my 8mm Fisheye FOV. Actually I’ve still lot to learn on lights position but this is another story From the datasheet their color temp. is rated 6500 -7500 °K hence quite cold. From my test, my GH2 with automatic WB gave pleasant results. I color corrected the clip as usual with some YUV curve and nothing more. I came from a couple of SOLA 2000. While I still think they are great lights, these new FIX are simply another story... IMHO the light and especially the ergonomics are way better. Bye Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kkfok 24 Posted August 17, 2012 Thanks for your review. Can you compare the brightness of your Sola 2000 with your FIX Aquavolt 3500? If Aquavolt is at 115° (3500 lumens) while sola 2000 is at 70° (2000 lumen) then FIX 3500 should be way dimmer than sola 2000. I am looking for a pair of lights to light up around 90° only Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Davide DB 494 Posted August 17, 2012 HI, I tried the SOLA 2000 and the FIX side by side only on a wall in my house. At one meter The FIX beam is brighter and larger. I don't know if the specs are fullfilled but the difference it' noticeable. IMHO what I really did not like of the SOLA was the switch and autonomy led indicators. They are on the top of the light but in real use, especially with long arms, you are behind them so you'll likely never see the light's controls. The switch is too small for my taste and I found very difficult to operate it with gloves. Residual battery autonomy it's another flaw: they used coloured leds to indicate the capacity: green - yellow -red. Unfortunately at deep colours are useless. Aquavolt3500 have the controls/indicator on their rear part. The led dispay is small and difficult to read but far easier than SOLA. Bye Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
