Here at FilmGear®, we’ve made it no secret that our bi-color Helios space lights are the reigning winners of NAB’s Product of the Year Award. We were so sure that we could have repeated that success with our first RGB space light, the Helios 700C, last year, but the pandemic cancelled 2020’s show. What it didn’t cancel was two years’ worth of innovation behind the scenes, which is what was unveiled at this year’s Cine Gear LA Expo in the form of the most powerful Helios space light yet: the Helios 1100C. This fixture builds upon the industry-leading CRI and TLCI of the bi-color Helios and adds 1080W of FilmGear®'s efficient RGBW LED chips. Coming Q1 of 2022 with preorders open now, the Helios 1100C is equipped to light even the tallest studios in the brightest colors.
The earlier award-winning models of the Helios series, dubbed the H700 and H1000, were renowned for their high output and color temperature accuracy earning their spot along the ceilings of many major studios. Since then, the engineers at FilmGear® have further optimized the new Helios 700B to get an output nearly double the H1000B. FilmGear® even released the more compact Helios 500B, for smaller studios, while still matching the intensity of the H1000.
Then, FilmGear® went further, adding RGB in the form of the Helios 700C, a light with the functionality to expand the possibilities of the filmmaker's imagination. We also implemented built-in wireless DMX and Bluetooth, along with full support for the traditional DMX/RDM, ethernet, and USB, giving gaffers total control over the light from the ground with their favorite connection of choice. This highly sought-after upgrade was a huge step in eliminating the hassle of gelling hard-to-reach hanging fixtures.
One common issue with RGBW lights compared to bi-color LEDs, however, is sacrificing one white LED for the three colored LEDs. Often, gaffers are forced to prioritize one over the other, and the same is true of the Helios 700B vs 700C (though the Aurora 400C and 200C use RGBW/CW color mixing to get greater output than the 400B and 200B!). With Helios 1100C, you no longer have to choose. This increase in capacity means that you get all the possibilities of the 700C at your disposal, without having to sacrifice the high output of the 700B, effectively giving filmmakers the best of both worlds.
Helios 700C (left) and 1100C (right)
If you’re familiar with FilmGear®’s RGB products, you will feel right at home with the Helios 1100C. The CCT mode allows you to add/subtract green/magenta for easier greenscreen lighting, giving this light more robust bi-color settings than bi-color lights themselves. In RGB, the 1100C literally shines in every category that the 700C does, with more than double the intensity for both the HSI and GEL modes. The Scene mode library includes 11 preset scenes including emergency vehicle flashers, welding sparks, and lightning, with options to import your own.
The Helios 1100C is now available for preorder, and you can try it for yourself by scheduling a demo at our LA location.