Microbeam 256
 

Anyone have any experiance with the Microbeam 256.
Microbeam 256
I looked at the128 for weddings but if the 256 has all the features of the 128 plus its brighter it may be worth the money

Randy, if you hear anything from another source, let me know. Right now, I'm considering the Microbeam 256 vs the Comer 1800. I don't want anymore weight than necessary and don't want excess height added above the camera any more than necessary, so I am thinking the Microbeam 256 has an edge in those regards.

We've got both the Microbeam 128 and the 256 with Sony battery plates.
Both are quite well built. With the 256 I'd recommend the medium or large (NP-970) Sony batteries. Both have a bit of the typical green tint. The 256 fits OK onto a camera such as the V1 or larger. The unit itself is not that heavy until you fit the battery.
The battery on both the 128 and 256 is at the end of the light. That at first seemed rather daft to me on the 256 however it may actually make the camera better balanced. Like all these lights we've taped the supplied diffuser on, without it the LEDs are just too bright for anyone to glance into.
We've also got the Litepanels Micro and Pro LED Lights. The Micro is all plastic as is the Pro. The green caste seems less pronounced in the Litepanels units but the build quality is better in the Microbeam, the supplied camera attachment is also better on the Microbeam.

I have the Comer 1800 (had the Sony HVL-LBP prior to that as well as the Litepanels Mini and Micropro - sent them all back) - and have been very pleased with it. Since i use the light for mainly indoor work with a combination of Tungsten and daylight the color temp of 4500 seems like a good compromise. I actually used the Comer outdoors today as a fill and set my white balance (Sony PMW-EX1) at 5200 and skin tones looked quite good.

Look at the Photometrics chart on the Microbeam website - they do not have the 256 listed but I assume if you double the numbers for the 128 it will be close - the light is still not as bright as the Comer. Add to that the fact if you want to color correct for Tungsten you will be cutting the light output even further.

Keep in mind - Microbeam has a rather non-forgiving return policy - return in just a few days and they will only refund you 75 % of purchase price and you pay for the shipping.