In-Depth Review: CAME-TV 1200 Watt HMI PAR

About:

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 PAR (I’ve also done a review for their cheaper HMI fresnel) by CAME-TV that costs a fraction of the genuine Arri unit.

This light will cost around $2,700 USD on Ebay (compared to around $10,000 for a new Arri fixture and ballast) and there do seem to be multiple resellers offering the same or similar products. I can only offer my experience and review of the product I received from CAME-TV.

Came-TV offers two models of HMI light, this review is for the more expensive HMI PAR light that claims to be an exact Arri clone. Everything from packaging, to build quality, to power consumption numbers, UV radiation levels, noise levels, to overall awesome factor of the unit are covered.

This review was shot entirely on the Black Magic Cinema Camera EF Mount 2.5k and 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!