Rosco launched its award-winning line of LitePad lighting fixtures back in the spring of 2007. Since then, LitePad has delivered lighting professionals an LED based light source that was slim enough and light-weight enough to hide or mount everywhere they needed a little extra soft, indirect light in the shot. Since then, we have made the LitePads brighter, cleaner and added multiple accessories turning LitePad into a multi-million dollar product line that sells equally well abroad as it does in the US.
Over the years, our customers have given us feedback on ways to make LitePad more adaptable to anyone using a camera - from an SLR still photo camera to the latest HD camera like the Arri Alexa. We listened - and we are proud to announce that we have found ways to incorporate that customer feedback into multiple upgrades that have been implemented into two new product lines: LitePad HO+ and LitePad Axiom.
6"x6" LitePad HO+ and 6"x6" LitePad Axiom
LitePad HO+ looks and performs similar to the current LitePad HO fixtures. HO+ continues to allow photographers and filmmakers to hide, tape, Velcro and rubber band LitePads in the areas they need that extra kiss of soft, indirect light. The upgraded differences between LitePad HO and Litepad HO+ are: LED's on ALL edges, interior connector and the number one requested upgrade - now available in Daylight or Tungsten balanced units.
Except for the larger 12"x12" & 24"x24" units, most of the original LitePads only had LED's on two edges. LitePad HO+ fixtures have LED's on all four edges no matter what the size. This change becomes particularly significant for the 6"x6" and 6"x12" sizes. Those two units had the same number of LED's as their thinner 3"x6" and 3"x12" counterparts; meaning that even though they were larger they didn't generate significantly more light, they just illuminated more surface area of the unit. Now that these two HO+ units have LED's on all four edges - they are noticeably brighter and much more useful. In my opinion - the 6"x6" unit is the perfect light choice to mount directly to smaller cameras and the 6"x12" Axiom just became the most efficient and useful unit of the range.
Inside connector.
Say goodbye to the pigtail that was permanently wired to the original LitePads. Now there is an internal connector that you plug your power supply - such as the LitePad Transformer, AA Battery Holder, Camera or External Battery or Vehicle Cigarette Lighter - directly into. Now that the pigtail is gone - you'll want to make sure you've got plenty of LitePad extension cables. We've even modified the extension cables so that they've got a 90 degree angle connector so that the connection doesn't stick out so far from the unit.
Tungsten and Daylight.
Easily, the number one upgrade request we've gotten for LitePad is to have it available as a Tungsten balanced unit. The previous HO units were only available in a Daylight balance. After years of hearing customers wish that we offered a Tungsten LitePad so that they didn't have to add CTO and sacrifice precious light output, LitePad HO+ is now available in both Tungsten and Daylight. We now have access to high-quality Tungsten balanced LED's, allowing us to make Tungsten balanced LitePads with a fantastic warm output. To everyone who ever made that Tungsten LitePad wish to us - WISH GRANTED.
LitePad Axiom has ALL of the upgrades listed above, as well as a rugged, yet thin & light-weight metal housing that enables camera professionals to utilize a LitePad in the same manner they would any of their current other light fixtures. The biggest advantage the metal housing of LitePad Axiom offers is versatile mounting options.
Swivel Arm for LitePad Axiom.
The original LitePad had mounting brackets that squeezed around the fixture. Rosco Axiom's thin, light-weight metal housing now easily adapts to a new series of LitePad mounting accessories like a swivel arm, and a wall plate. Most LitePad users have come up with their own unique (and often times ingenious) ways of mounting the fixture into their lighting setup. LitePad Axiom is still light and thin enough to continue using those methods while also making it easier to mount LitePads where you need them - whether it be to the wall of a set, a light stand or even directly to an SLR or HD-DSLR camera using our new Snake Arm and Cold Shoe Adapter.
Ability to mount onto HD-DSLR cameras.
Another popular upgrade request that LitePad Axiom fulfills is a gel slot along with 30 mil thick gel kits to insert into the slot. But more importantly, we have also engineered a fantastic new pair of accessories that allow you to narrow the beam of the LitePad to gain brightness. A Full Spot and Medium Spot Lens that slides into the gel slot of Rosco Axiom is available for every size LitePad - including the 3" & 12" Round and the 24"x24" HO+ units. Adding a Full Spot Lens to your LitPad Axiom harnesses the extra light from the edges into the center of the beam and can gain you up to two stops of extra output.
Some other accessories we're adding for use with LitePad Axiom include: an accessory that attaches the popular AA Battery Holder directly to the Axiom allowing battery power to travel with the fixture, EZ Ties on all the cables and we're even making the Axiom Housing available as a separate accessory that you can insert your current LitePad into.
A feature LitePad customers appreciate most is its affordability. Even with all of the upgrades, we have managed to keep the pricetag low - you won't even notice a price difference at all on some HO+ units and the features of Axiom only add minimally to the price of the unit.
As we launch the new line of upgraded LitePad products today - we are also launching new, upgraded LitePad product pages on rosco.com. When you visit, you'll have access to images of every LitePad, every accessory and get detailed contents of all the new LitePad Kits.
Keep an eye, and your RSS Feed, trained here on Rosco Spectrum - in a few weeks I'll introduce you to the complete range of LitePad Kits that are available and show how users are already incorporating LitePad Axiom into their work. Are you getting your new LitePad Axiom today? Send me pictures, links or video showing how LitePad Axiom solved a unique issue in your lighting setup and maybe I'll include you in the next Spectrum Post.
Joel Svendsen December 01, 2010 Questions?
Marketing Director: Joel's Rosco career began in Rosco's Hollywood office in 1999 – first in sales covering the Western US and the Los Angeles Film & Television market, and then as Product Manager for Rosco's Film & Television Products. Joel's knowledge about Rosco's products and how they're used in each of our different marketplaces makes him well suited for bringing the stories in Spectrum to life.