ikan News Blog

Just got a handle on some NAB details. Share and share alike:

NAB Show International Conference & Expo, 2012
Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada USA
Exhibits April 16th – 19th, 2012

Experience ikan at booth #C10637 (it’s the same booth as last year but bigger)

Visit www.nabshow.com for a free pass from ikan.Use code: 2012 (before March 30th, 2012)

PS–if you happen to be at CES in Viva Las Vegas today & tomorrow, keep your eyes peeled for Kan and Michael, our CEO and R7D Lead, respectively. They will be walking the floors covering some major territory to scope out some of our friends exhibiting. If you see them, go introduce yourself and tweet it @ikancorp so we know you made contact

As promised last week, I am serving up a few more BTS pictures of the music video shoot from the third week of May.  And as with last week’s tip of the week, this one centers on some of the gear we used for the shoot.

Now, I am sure that there are a great many folks who will read this article and will feel that tungsten lamps or HMI should be a go-to choice rather than LED.  And in some cases, I would tend to agree.

However, having both tungsten and HMI instruments as part of our lighting package, I still found that we continually pulled out the ikan ID-1000 lighting units.  We had two on the shoot and to

be honest, the only reason we had those units was because the ID-500 (which I had requested) were impossible to lay hands on.  ikan cannot keep those units in stock for anything.  The units are just too popular!  But as the time for the shoot drew nearer, I went ahead and opted for the larger units, figuring we could always dim them down or decrease the number of active banks.  Even diffusion was a possibility.

And it ended up being a perfect solution for our needs.  The ID-1000′s had just enough punch (even in daylight situations) to provide the necessary fill for several key scenes.  However, I also could tell you that having three of them would probably not have been necessary.  After all, we had tungsten 1K’s and a 1200 watt HMI on standby.  And that brings me to the purpose of this week’s column… building your own custom LED lighting kit.

Now, this is definitely not a standard tip of the week… it’s not a neat little piece of tech to utilize our products, but rather a helpful nudge to tell you to contact ikan’s second-to-none customer service & sales dept with your own custom requirements.

Sure, ikan has pre-assembled kits listed in dealer networks and the website, but who’s to say that’s all you can purchase?

Why not look through the catalogue of offerings from ikan’s LED line and pick and choose the instruments that most fit your shooting situation?

For me, I found that packing 2 x ID-1000′s and 2 x ID-500‘s, plus a Multi-K and an ILED-144 would give me the perfect mixture of sizes to have in a small grab and go kit.  But who’s to say yours needs to be anything like this?

Why not call Lindsay or Daniel or Ryan at the ikan office and ask about purchasing 1 x ID-500 and two ILED-312 units, which would be a highly effective run n gun kit.  Throw a pro battery plate on the back of the ID-500 and you’re ready to go, completely wireless!

Or, you could go for the full enchilada and order 3 each of the ID-1000, the ID-500 and the ILED 312, which would provide you with every possible combination of LED lighting unit you could ever hope for?

In reality, your specific production needs can be met perfectly by spending less than an hour perusing the ikan website and then calling the office at 713-272-8822 to ask a few simple questions.

So, what are you waiting for?  Your perfect kit awaits!

Sometimes, you just need to get the most out of your shoulder rig!  In the case of one lucky ikan client who lives near the home office, he got a brief workup that ended up by ikan’s Daniel Contreras, which provided dual FG Follow Focus Cine Kits on a Recoil XT base, giving him complete control over focus and zoom without his hands ever needing to leave the handles!

A single 24-inch iris rod across the front provides added stability for your handles, while the handles themselves provide a conduit for the focus whips to go through.  This allows the focus whip knobs to rest just below the end of the handle, providing the ability to operate both focus and zoom easily without ever needing to let go of the handles.

Using the Recoil XT as the base, ikan sales rep Daniel Contreras then added a variety of Elements parts to build out the front section.  Included were additional 15mm Rod Adaptors to allow for the necessary clearance so that the focus whips could go down through the center of the grip handles.

To top off the rig, Daniel added the brand-new VL7 HDMI Monitor with a Sony battery plate attached via the included shoe mount, which allows the operator to take full control of the precision focus/zoom controls.

Now, to some, the rig might seem a bit excessive, but there are benefits to this kind of a set-up and even a shooting situation or two where I could see it being of benefit.

But, as always, we’d love to hear feedback from you… does this seem practical?  Does it seem like something that could be of use?  Or does it seem a bit unwieldy?

Or better yet, how would YOU improve on the design?  ikan is famous for taking customer feedback and incorporating it into the design of the next generation of products.  Do you have a revision or suggestion that could make the cut for the Elements line?  Let’s hear it!

Our Press Release (via PDF) of the our Flagship On-Camera Monitor, the VX7e and newly-Flagship LED Light the Multi-K XL: press release 08apr11.vx7e_multi-k xl (changing formats temporarily, let us know what you think on twitter.com/ikancorp)

Don’t forget about the #SocialMediaSale next week–you might find a tasty deal waiting for you on Wednesday! Currently, we’re selling E-Image EL-7063-AA tripods 40% off–check our facebook or twitter for the deal.

Also, check out our latest sale, thanks to the guys here at ikan–iLED ONE 3=Piece kit for $299.99

One more thing: You remember our sales during NABShow, yes? Just for the record:

in Falling Through the Cracks, I mentioned:

• FG Follow Focus Cine Kit (ELE-FGK) for $399 (a steal considering the build quality, if you don’t believe me check it out yourself:  Link 1, link 2, link 3)
• V5600 Monitor for $499 (the cheapest yet!)
• 15% off our Superfly / 18″ Gunstock Combo (ideal for new filmmakers looking for run-n-gun feel while staying modular and compact).

Our Short Film Contest launches on April 11, as well. Our Vimeo channel will have necessary videos  explaining the rules with two example videos, made by our friends at Golden Toad Entertainment (ZDMFilms on Vimeo).

We will be packing our twitter feed and Facebook Page with tons of content from all over NABShow–stay plugged in for tons of coverage all the way from the floor to the booth!

Cheers!

We’ve released a decent number of products in the last month, it’s true.

Yet more than ever, I’ve noted,  people are discussing our ID500 3 light kit on forum boards. Some things need to be set straight. Though our light looks tremendously like the onens on ebay:

you’ll be sorely mistaken when you open up the insides of this LED Light. Why? Ikan’s ID500 has completely different innards and electronic components driving the system, making it more robust and durable. Also, these reasons. Don’t be so easily fooled. There are a  number of review videos of ikan’s ID500 (Gratis 7, System5 of Japan, Monogram Travel, CineDigital.TV, they Creative) for good reason! I’ve used the light in various shoots, as well, and they don’t disappoint.  One more perk: that extra few bucks also ensures that you get excellent customer care and service. If any part of the light malfunctions or you have concerns and need to speak with a person, call or email us and we’ll be there to help.

Aside, have you had a chance to check out the iLED 312? Did you see me in it? Jared Abrams did a QuickTake of it HERE. The light has done pretty well in our tests so far and we look forward to it having a successful run. Last week’s post included the iLED 120 — also a wonderful on-camera light to work and play with. We will have both product reviews and our own promo video uploaded to Vimeo soon–so stay current!

While you’re at it, get in on our Social Media Sale. Every Wednesday, about midday, we release a new sale on b-stock or overstocked items in our facility  on facebook and twitter. The current product (ending tomorrow) is the LANC controlled ikan Director.

For $249.99, it’s a pretty sweet price. So you’re informed, these units are considered b-stock, checked & tested, and in excellent condition. ikan’s Director can pull focus, has variable speed zoom and recording abilities. It will work on Sony and Canon cameras.

There are also rumors that the RECOIL XT might go on the Social Media Sale in April…we’ll see. If you want a different perspective on the product, check out our “Tip of the Week” segment (those will be returning soon, as well). Look familiar?

Now, if you were able to read that much, here’s your treat, for I will only mention this here:

These are the awesome sales you’ll find during NAB:

• FG Follow Focus Cine Kit (ELE-FGK) for $399 (a steal considering the build quality, if you don’t believe me check it out yourself:  Link 1, link 2, link 3)
• V5600 Monitor for $499 (the cheapest yet!)
• 15% off our Superfly / 18″ Gunstock Combo (ideal for new filmmakers looking for run-n-gun feel while staying modular and compact).

As always, live updates and news are always available through our twitter and Facebook.

Cheers

We will have videos of the products available in the coming week, keep an eye out for our facebook post!

ikan Marketing Department // 3903 Stoney Brook Dr.Houston, TX 77063

Phone // 713.272.8822      Fax // 713.995.4994

New Product Announcement

ikan Qwikswitch

Forget having to purchase multiple battery chargers for your various styles of DV batteries. ikan has you covered with the QwikSwitch Interchangeable Battery Plate Charging System! The QwikSwitch includes one DV battery plate style of your choice (Sony L, Sony BP-U, Canon 900, Canon LP-E6+ or Panasonic D54 series) with the option to purchase ikan’s available interchangeable battery plates as you acquire other styles of DV batteries.

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Stacked and Compact: iLED 120

For those in need of a compact, inerlockable, on-camera LED solution, the ikan iLED 120 is the light for you. Featuring a bright, wide angle beam pattern, this 120 bulb LED light has you covered. With 5300-5900 K daylight color temperature, intensity slider control, a rechargeable on-board lithium battery and multiple light stacking options, the iLED 120 gives you unparalleled accuracy and control.

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AC1 Tool Bag (IBG-AC1)

The ikan AC1 Tool Bag is the perfect solution for all of your compact gear including: Multi-tools, small LED flashlight, pens, pencils and more! The ikan AC1 Tool Bag is made of high quality nylon and attaches to your belt, keeping all of your tools at your fingertips.

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AC2 Pouch (IBG-AC2)

The ikan AC2 Pouch is the perfect solution for all of your larger gear including: Light meters, tape measures, multi-tools, LED flashlight, pens, pencils and more! The ikan AC2 Pouch is made of high quality nylon and attaches to your waist and leg, keeping all of your tools at your fingertips. Adjustable straps ensure that you remain comfortable and mobile.  Just another solution made simple, by ikan.

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Visit Latest Products to find out more information on the above products

For upcoming ikan products, click here: Upcoming Products

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