It is with some sadness that I write this review, I’ll admit my sense of loss is pretty big and it may take me some time to get over it. The problem I have is the lighting ‘Novelight’ I had on review has been returned and well…..frankly, work just isn’t the same without it.

So why am I missing the ‘Novelight’ so much? The simple answer is I thought this light was brilliant, it’s an excellent design that genuinely works, my working day was enhanced greatly by using it.

The ‘Novelight’ is a versatile and powerful controllable soft light. It is cleverly designed to fold away into a briefcase sized casing. When I first took the light out of the packaging I was surprised to find such a compact unit. Intrigued I set the unit up on a lamp stand and followed the simple instructions (don’t ignore them, they are worth knowing). To my amazement a one metre diameter soft light box opened up from this small casing and I slotted the sides together in a matter of seconds. I now had this large soft light box on a stand and it had taken me no time at all!

Looking behind the diffuser cover I saw at the heart of the light were three individual 1K tungsten lamps. Moving round to the rear of the light there are two full length panels on the casing that open up to reveal a compartment housing the mains power cable, various blue gels, and a holder with a spare 1K bulb. The second compartment has three separate on/off power switches for each bulb. In addition to the on/off switch for the first bulb there is also a rotary dimmer control.

What this means is there are several combinations of lighting power available allowing everything from a low powered warm glow to an amazing amount of light that allows you to compete with sunlight streaming in through windows. In front of the three bulbs is an integral gel holder for colour temperature correction.

In addition to this, the review model also came with the optional extra ‘honeycomb’ grid that easily attaches to the exterior rim of the opened out light-box. The extra control gained by using this makes it a worthwhile purchase.

I took the ‘Novelight’ out on some jobs and using it revolutionized my day. I was constantly amazed at how I could light shots nicely in hardly any time. The light from this unit is beautiful, I loved it, it’s nice and soft and wraps around subjects really well with pleasing shadows. If someone sat against a bright window, no problem, I simply switched on an extra lamp and easily managed to expose for the outside view and the interior subject. You’ve probably gathered by now that I was in love! This was a dream product, but not just for me. The sound recordist was delighted when he discovered that no boom shadows were cast even if he crossed the light. The director also liked the result and appreciated the lack of hassle and speed and ease of set up. More importantly, the people we were shooting found the light comfortable and had no problems with harsh glare. So, all round we were a happy crew.

I enjoyed the speed and control with which I could light a shot. As I work mainly on tight schedules the ‘Novelight’ enhanced the look I could achieve with little time available and took a lot of hassle out of my working day.

I’ll admit it did take me a few attempts to learn how to fold the soft-box section away, but once you’ve cracked it it’s a breeze. The ‘Novelight’ also cools quite quickly so again when time is short this helps.

This light is a very well thought out product and it will probably come as no surprise to learn it was designed and built by a working cameraman. It is not until you personally use this light that you can fully appreciate just how good it is. I am suffering major withdrawal symptoms since it was returned and I can hardly face up to using my hard lighting kit and trace again, it’s like I’ve gone from a Ferrari to a Lada.

I know I’ll just have to buy one, I miss it that much.

For more information please visit www.gtvlighting.co.uk

©Ged Yeates, Freelance TV Cameraman, Scotland