The K5600 Evolution Lighting Kit Gets Put to the Test

During the years my team and I have been producing multimedia content, we have become increasingly attentive to the quality of the light we work with. Though much of our work is shot in a documentary style, we are often called on to produce content that requires introducing and controlling the light. We have tried a variety of lights including inexpensive tungsten solutions, LEDs and Kino Flos. Though each has its virtues, we’ve never settled on a singular system that would provide a satisfactory quantity and quality of light along with being readily modified and compact.

Enter K5600’s Evolution Kit—a system that seems tailor-made to address these concerns; I was excited to test it out.

(Left) The Joker 200 with a bare bulb that can output either 3200K or 5600K. (Right) The Alpha 200 with a bare bulb produces high output with the flexibility and control of larger Fresnel-style lights.

The kit is available in several configurations. The one we received for review included the Alpha 200, a Fresnel light source that is modeled after the larger K5600 Alpha fixtures. It can be used with either a Quartz Metal Halide lamp (HMI) or a Ceramic Discharge lamp to produce 5600K or 3200K color temperatures.

The other light was the Joker 200, which offers the ability to use 200W Ceramic and HMI lamps to produce a daylight or tungsten color temperature. The unit features a parabolic reflector. The kit also includes power supplies, light stands, four-leaf barn doors and a soft case.

Light Quality
Despite their small form factor, the Alpha 200 and Joker 200 provided ample light. Our biggest concern was with the quality of the light and our ability to modify it to achieve the look we were going for. With the light source used bare, we were able to achieve a good, hard quality of light. However, we were looking for more control when we wanted to not only soften the light, but also shape it.

The Joker 200 with barn doors, which can help cut and shape the path of the light.

Attaching the Fresnel lens and the supplied barn doors to the Alpha 200 definitely helped. We were then able to achieve a nice hard light that we easily shaped to fall on our subject. When we needed to soften the light, we simply positioned a small scrim between the light and the subject. The results were pleasing and exactly what we were looking for.

We first used the Joker as a fill light diffused with a scrim, but quickly switched to bouncing it off a large reflector board positioned to the subject’s right to simulate window light and bring out background details. The resulting illumination delivered accurate and consistent color for the subject.

The Alpha 200 with the Fresnel lens provides versatility for customizing the look and feel of the light when used in combination with barn doors or another traditional light source. Weighing 4 pounds, it provides a compact design and can accommodate Profoto and Broncolor light modifiers using optional adapters. 

Design
Anyone who has had experience using traditional Fresnel light sources knows how bulky and heavy they can be. So, we were really pleased to see that type of design in a light that weighed just 4 pounds.

The design of both lights made bulb replacement easy. Getting the Fresnel lens and barn doors on and off the Alpha was similarly a breeze. Optional modifiers are also available for the Joker series for Profoto and Broncolor light modifiers to further control the look and feel of the lighting.

The construction on both units felt solid and well built; though they are smaller than their big brothers, we didn’t feel that compromises were made with construction and durability. These units are more than capable of handling the heavy use we put our equipment through.

What We Liked
Of the two light sources we tried, I found myself particularly drawn to the Alpha 200. Its ability to control the light in a variety of ways straight out of the box made it the versatile tool that I often need for my multimedia work. The ability to easily control the spread or narrowness of the light and to use modifiers allows this single light to be virtually anything we would need it to be.

However, the Joker 200 has its advantages as well, especially when used with one of four lenses, including a frosted Fresnel. Capable of outputting the equivalent of up to 1000W, it’s a great general purpose light with just enough capability to keep it flexible. The small size and weight of the the entire kit makes it especially easy to transport when working with a limited crew of two or three people. The inclusion of roller wheels on the base of the case was especially appreciated.

What We Didn’t Like
As with any light source of this type, you have to contend with heat. And while the temperature in the small room in which we were conducting interviews was not problematic, we had to be careful handling the body of the lights when making modifications. So, a good set of work gloves in your kit is essential. The lights’ small size can easily mislead you into thinking you don’t need them, but the tips of my fingers would attest otherwise.

How it Compares
Though LED light sources appear to be of huge interest to DSLR filmmakers—especially those on the go—they often lack the ability to shape the light in ways that still photographers are accustomed to. The Evolution Kit provides that versatility in a relatively small form that doesn’t skimp on the quality of the build or the light.

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