I have seen Dedolights around for years, both at NAB and in movies, such as Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, X-Men, Red Dragon...well you get the idea...so I was happy to finally get the opportunity to get to try them for myself.

Dedotec USA, Inc. sent me two of their lights to “Test Drive.” One was a standard tungsten DLH4 with a bunch of attachments and the other was a DLH400D HMI kit, which is daylight-balanced. Let's talk about the DLH4 first.

I believe the reason that the DLH4 is so popular ─ and has won so many awards ─ is that is very adaptable. It can be used as a key light, fill light, back light, hair light, or a background light. Then, you can unplug it out of the wall, change the 24v bulb to a 12v bulb, and use it inside a car. Now, what could be more versatile than that?

Personally, I prefer large light sources, like soft boxes, as a key and fill. So for me, the DLH4 is used mostly as a background light or lighting in a car.

The cool thing about the DLH4 as a background light is that it can highlight a single object from clear across the set. I wanted to highlight a Ming vase that was in the background of a shot. The area was washed with a low level of softlight and the DLH4 popped the vase out of the shadows in a truly organic and natural way, blending it perfectly into the shot. The really cool part about this is that it did it from over 25 feet away. Getting this type of result requires power, quality, and precision, and Dedolight has it all. 

By using low voltage bulbs, the Dedolight DLH4 has almost double the light output of a standard 120v light. This allows it to have a lot of power for a small light. When you add in the fact that the Dedolight lens system delivers a perfectly even light from edge to edge, you already have both power and quality.

The DLH4 also has a focusing range of 23:1. That means that the light intensity changes by a factor of 23 ─ from a full open flood ─ to a closed down spot. Most other lights that are similar only have a 3:1 range. This gives the DLH4 a huge advantage when precise lighting from a distance is needed.

The DT24-1U power supply has settings for 3400K and 3200K color temperatures, and a built-in dimmer for brightness. The barn doors for the DLH4 work well and add to the light control possibilities.

Another attachment that I really liked for background work was the DP1 projection attachment with the gobo holder. A gobo is a piece of material with a design cut into it. The light is projected through the design, and ends up on the back wall. I found this setup very handy for turning a blank background wall into something very interesting for interview situations. 

In the car, the DV6B vacuum mount held the DLH4 firmly in place on the windshield or side windows. The DCAR3 car battery adapter allowed me to power the light from the cigarette lighter outlet. It was really nice to use the DLH4 in the car, knowing that I could also take it back inside and plug it into the wall.

The other light that I tested was the DLH400D HMI kit. The kit comes with a DLH400D lighting head, and a DPOW400D cable that connects it to the DEB400D electronic ballast. The kit also contains a DEB400H bracket, a scrim kit and pouch, a spare bulb, and a nice transport case.

Indoors or outdoors, the DLH400D performed flawlessly. The light had plenty of power, and could be dimmed by 40 percent, or run up to 575 watts using the same bulb.

Along with building a high-quality product, Dedotec USA, Inc. has pretty much idiot-proofed their DLH400D. The ballast may be used on 90v to 260v AC and will use its auto-sense feature to automatically adjust to the proper voltage.

If you have ever blown a ballast while on a job, you know what a pain that can be. Their DEB400D electronic ballast has overvoltage, overload, overheat, and short-circuit protection. That's just nice stuff to have in the tools that you make your living with.
 
Overall, I was very impressed with the Dedotec USA, Inc.’s products. They were high-quality, easy-to-use lights that did an exceptional job. They also manufacture a line of softlights as well.

MSRP: Varies with accessories and kit.
Contact: (413) 229-2550
www.dedolight.com