During IBC 2022, Z CAM launched a new series of 1×1 LED panels: the ZOLAR Toliman 30S, Toliman 30C, and Vega 30C.
These fixtures have incredibly high CRI and TLCI values over 97 and an SSI up to 90.
Z CAM is famous for its affordable lineup of cinema cameras like the E2, which recently got a firmware update allowing internal ProRes 422 recording in all modes and the new upcoming E2-F6 PRO. The camera manufacturer is now expanding its lineup of products with LED lights, but under a new brand: ZOLAR.
At launch, ZOLAR introduced three 1×1 LED panels, with 2×1 fixtures coming later. The ZOLAR Toliman 30S and 30C are bi-color panels ranging from 3200 to 5600K. The Vega 30C is an RGBAW LED fixture that can go from 2000 to 20.000K in CCT mode but also has full RGBAW capabilities.
The main difference between the Toliman 30S and 30C is their power consumption and light output: the Toliman 30S outputs 4.680lx at 1m, while its bigger brother can output 7.500lx at the same distance.
However, the three ZOLAR LED panels have a lot of things in common:
- First, they are made of aluminum, so they should survive well on set.
- All panels claim very high CRI and TLCI values, all over 97. Furthermore, the SSI readings are up to 90, according to ZOLAR.
- You can dim them from 0 to 100% in 0.1% increments.
- All ZOLAR fixtures feature an LCD screen at the back. Also, they come standard with a remote controller.
- The LED panels have built-in WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity for wireless control, compatible with the ZOLAR mobile app, DMX control, Art-Net, and sACN protocol. Furthermore, you can synchronize multiple lights with ZolarLink wired/wireless technology.
- Lastly, all lights are compatible with the ZOLAR Stylist ecosystem of lighting accessories. Optional softboxes, diffusers, and lighting modifiers will be available in the future.
Clearly, the foundation of the ZOLAR ecosystem is quite strong. It is easy to tell that the team put a lot of work into designing these, especially regarding color accuracy with strong R9/R12 readings up to 95, which should result in nice-looking skin tones.
In terms of powering the lights, the Toliman 30S can be powered via DC power or one V-Mount battery via the built-in battery plate. The Toliman 30C and Vega 30C can also be battery-powered, but they require two V-Mount batteries.
Pricing and availability
All ZOLAR fixtures should be available later this year, but you can already preorder them. The Toliman 30S is $499, the Toliman 30C is $699, and the Vega 30C is $799.
