Litepanels LED Sola 6 & 12 Fresnel Knockoffs
 

So when are we going to start seeing Chinese knockoffs on ebay for the new LED fresnel's like the Sola 6 and 12 ?

I noticed it took about a year or two for inexpensive rivals to the Micro to show up on ebay so how long to wait for decent LED fresnels for those of us low budget shooters?

Are the Litepanel versions not made in China? Where are they made?

They probably are made in China but they are not inexpensive. The 12" is around $5000.

The litepanel micro I am sure is also made in China. I don't know what it sells for now but when I bought mine not long after they came out the list price was $349 and I paid around $300. Now on ebay you can get the Z96 LED camera light for around $50-60 which is comparable (actually I like it better. I got it with the Sony battery plate and magnetic gels - on the micro the battery plate is about $50 extra).

I am assuming the same thing will happen with the LED fresnels. Litepanel will do the hard legwork and R&D then sell high priced units to professionals and early adopters then a year or two later cheap, less well made versions will appear on ebay and elsewhere for a fraction of the price.

I just got 2 SolaENG 3's and am amazed at their light output. I compared them to an Arri 300w fresnel and the Sola 3 is roughly 80% of the Arri and the Arri is only slightly less money. My only gripe with the Sola 3 is there is no AC power adapter so I must spend $170 on an AC to D-tap power adapter. However, with my Swit V-mount batteries and Dedo LEDzilla, I have a great 3 light kit that can go anywhere.

Hey Steve,
How does the Sola compare to the Dedo? Any input would be appreciated.
Thanks

mb

I bet that the Sola series enjoys some form of patent protection for the technology. I doubt that you will see direct competitors for quite a while. However, there may be semi-legal attempts to circumvent the patent. Most likely, they will not be using the same design, but will be making alterations to avoid a direct infringement. And you can bet that the alterations will be done on the cheap and involve more marketing than actual delivery of the stated values.

Be aware that, if you order a knockoff from a Chinese exporter, Customs may confiscate you light if it infringes on Litepanels patent (assuming that they have one).