Hobolite Says It Has Made the First-Ever Extreme Weather Lighting Solution
Hobolite claims its new X-Series of lighting solutions are the first that are built for photographers and videographers who operate in “extreme” environments.
The new Mini-X and LiteDock-X are rated IP54 and can withstand temperatures as low as -22 degrees and as high as 104 degrees Fahrenheit. While the high temperature isn’t as hot as summers have been getting in the United States in the past few years, the lower threshold is pretty cold.
Of note, the World Meteorological Organization’s World Weather and Climate Extremes Archive shows the coldest temperature ever reached on Earth is -128.6 degrees Fahrenheit which took place in Antarctica in 1983. The coldest inhabited place is Oymyakon, Russia — a small village in Siberia — where average winter temperatures dip to negative 49 degrees and once hit a low of minus 96.16 degrees. So while it wouldn’t be able to operate everywhere on Earth during the most extreme seasons, -22 degrees is likely colder than most photographers would want to withstand for a shoot.
The Mini-X is a 20W bi-color continuous LED light that looks like a re-housed version of its Mini LED that launched earlier this year. It provides output ranging from 2,700K to 6,500K with what Hobolite promises is “excellent CRI” behind a focusable lens that allows photographers and filmmakers to adjust the beam from a 15-degree spot to a 45-degree floodlight.
The light head weighs less than a pound and features knurled control knobs that are designed to make it easy to adjust the light even while wearing gloves. Of note, the knobs are quite similar to the ones found on the standard Mini, although they do appear taller.
Hobolite says that the magnetic mounting system allows accessories like the diffusor dome or color filter gels to be attached and detached quickly and easily even in inhospitable environments.
Perhaps more impressive than the Mini-X is the LiteDock-X, a portable battery grip for the Mini-X that can power the LED light at full for up to 1.5 hours of run time. It can also power two lights simultaneously via the twin USB-C ports.
Hobolite quotes it as able to withstand both extreme cold and heat (the same range that the Mini-x is rated to operate within). Lithium-ion batteries are susceptible to worse performance in extreme environments — both hot and cold — but Hobolite seems to indicate that the LiteDock-X will be able to operate at peak performance within the rated temperatures. The LiteDock-X is also IP54 rated and weighs less than a pound.
The Hobolite Mini-X and LiteDock-X will both be available starting November 30 for $369 and $270, respectively.
Image credits: Hobolite
