I first heard about Ikan, a video production equipment manufacturer, in 2008 while on a shoot in one of our client’s studios. I briefly played with what appeared to be a really cheap monitor and immediately dismissed it as low-end gear. From that point on I looked at ikan as a budget brand; something not really fit for use by pros.
Over the next few years I would have employees tell me about good deals on ikan gear and I would say something like “we’re professionals, we don’t use cheap shit.” Cut to the end of 2012: we had just launched our new website and ECG Productions Director of Photography, Brandon Peterson, contacted ikan about becoming an affiliate without my knowledge or approval. I’m very glad he did.
The next day I got a call from an Ikan rep. We had a great conversation in which she told me about some incredible technological leaps that ikan had made in respect to their LED lighting systems and monitors. I was intrigued, so I asked if they could send us a demo unit.
Four days after my call with ikan we received a single IDMX1500B LED light to test. When we opened it I was shocked by the size and shape: it was long and rectangular, as opposed to the 1×1 square LitePanels units we owned. We plugged it in and we were immediately blown away by the power, the controls, and the color accuracy. Putting the light through its paces, we compared the foot candles and the color temperature to our LitePanels. It was immediately clear that the ikan unit could out-perform our LitePanels (which we had all considered top-of-the-line) in every possible respect. The ikan IDMX 1500B clearly had more throw (in all fairness, it is a larger light), better color accuracy, and superior controls. I was absolutely flabbergasted and felt ignorant for not trying ikan sooner. Beyond the quality, the price difference between these lights and comparable units from LitePanels is staggering. We knew immediately that we needed to get our hands on more.
Model: IDMX1500B: Features Include
Solid metal construction
DMX 512 Compatible
Variable color temperature
Built-in dimmer
Ultra-wide angle beam pattern
Pre-mounted Barn Doors with Removable Intensifiers
Light stand available
Color Temperature: 3200 – 5600°K (±400K)
Brightness: 3 ft./3811 lux/3200° K
Once we completed our demo we immediately ordered two of the IDMX1500Bs. We also decided to order two of the IFB1024 Featherweight Dual Color LED light kits. What was most attractive to us about these kits was the ability to power them with batteries (Anton Bauer or Sony v-mount versions are both available). These guys have easily been the smartest purchase we’ve made in recent memory. Having wireless lights saves us tons of time on set. Without the need run cables to outlets, our setups are clean and efficient. It also helps keep a low profile on corporate video shoots, where we often need to work in a small space or be as unobtrusive as possible. No more cables laying on the floor. No need to search for outlets or worry about tripping breakers. Its also worth mentioning that ikan offers a wide range of battery options with outstanding capacity for the price.
Model: IFB1024: Features Include
Ultra-light, Dual-color Light
LCD Touch-Screen Controller with Dimmer Knobs
Includes Pro Battery plate for Sony V-mount or Anton Bauer
Includes Yoke Mount, Barn Doors with Removable Intensifiers, and Diffuser
Color Temperature: 3200K (±100K) / 4000K (±100K)/ 5600K (±100K)
Brightness: 3′ / 10344 lux (± 100K) / 4000K (±100K)
We also ordered the D7w-DK monitor. This monitor is miles apart from the one I briefly touched 2008. ikans monitors have made a quantum leap in just a few short years. This is a great little monitor: lightweight, great for focusing and super-sharp. The colors are perfect and it has all the bells an whistles you need in a good field or studio monitor. We love it. An added bonus is that the case is really nice and the whole system is very lightweight.
Model: D7w-DK: Features
1280 x 800 HD IPS panel
Waveform, Vector Scope, & RGB Parade
HDMI, HD-SDI input with loop-through
False color with adjustable under luminance and over luminance warning
Clip guide with adjustable threshold
Peaking with red outline
Underscan
Movable pixel-to-pixel
DSLR Scaling
Aluminum Chassis
Headphone Output
Video Inputs
3G-SDI
HDMI
Nine months ago in Atlanta no one talked about ikan lights outside of the local dealers. When we got our product we shared it with the community and now we get calls and emails every week with people inquiring about the gear. The lucky folks who have gotten to work with these LED lights can’t imagine living with without them on set. This is not marketing bullshit. This is what is actually happening. We believe in the product because we’ve seen what it can do and how it can raise the level of our productions. This gear literally makes every production we run look and run better. They really are an unbelievable group of products at an unbelievable value. Once you go ikan you “kan’t” go back! (Here’s another one: “ikan – so you can!”)
If you are in the Atlanta area please schedule a time to come to our state-of-the-art facility to demo some of ikan’s products! They will blow you away!