In-Depth Review: CAME-TV 1200 Watt HMI

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If you’re in the market for an HMI light but don’t know whether or not you can trust the quality of the Chinese HMI Arri clones, then look no further. In this detailed review I cover all of the pros and cons of the 1200 watt (1.2kw) Chinese HMI by CAME-TV that costs a fraction of the genuine Arri unit.

This review is for the cheaper $1,000 USD version of their HMI light dubbed the “economic” unit. Everything from packaging, to build quality, to power consumption numbers, noise levels, to overall awesome factor of the unit are covered. The review was shot entirely on the Panasonic GH13 (hacked GH1), an old but trusty camera, using nothing but the kit lens (Panasonic 14-140 f/4.0-5.8), an old but trusty lens! I also have to give Dennis Hingsberg a shoutout. He originally recommended me to photolight/Came-TV and has also been very happy with their 575 watt HMI, so that’s two people happy with them!