Rotolight Stealth RL48 User manual

Rotolight Stealth RL48/RL48-A User Guide
www.rotolight.com 2
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Thank you for choosing the Rotolight Camcorder LED lighting system. In order to take
maximum advantage of the Rotolight RL48/RL48-A‘Stealth Edition’ features and ensure
maximum perfomance and longevity please read this manual carefully before using the Ro-
tolight.
Thank you for choosing Rotolight
Please keep this manual in a safe place for future reference.

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Contents
1 - How to t or remove the Filter Holder 5
1.1 - How to open/close the Rotolight body 6
2 - Batteries 7
3 - How to mount Rotolight on your Shotgun Mic 8
3.1 - How to mount Rotolight on to an Accessory Shoe 9
3.2 - How to mount Rotolight on to a Rail Support System 10
3.3 - How to mount Rotolight on to a Spare Tripod 11
3.4 - How to mount Rotolight on to a Lighting Stand 11
4 - Rotolight Calibration Filters 12
5 - Optional Accessories 13
5 - Rotolight Belt Pouch 13
5 - Rotolight Stand 13
5 - Rotolight Replacement Filter Pack 13
5 - Accessory ‘Colours’ Filter Pack 14
6 - Operating the Switch 14
7 - Specications 15
8 - Appendix 16
8.1 - About Colour temperature and‘White Balance’ 17
8.2 - Colour Filters Guide 18

Rotolight Stealth RL48/RL48-A User Guide
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Rotolight RL48/RL48-A ‘Stealth Edition’ Camcorder LED light simply slips over your
shotgun mic and each model delivers :
- Calibrated ‘Daylight’ 5600K, 4200K and ‘Tungsten’ 3200K on the RL48 model.
- Calibrated 6900K (Direct Daylight), 5600K (Studio Daylight), 4100K (Mixed Light) and
3200K (Tungsten) on the RL48-A model.
The Rotolight is a very fast deployable system and always available when you need
it, so you’ll never miss that perfect shot. Rotolight can be accurately dimmed (using Neutral
Density lters) over a range of 1.5 aperture stops. The 48 Ultrabright LED’s provide warm,
natural light for HD Cinematography, with that great ‘ring-light’ eect but without ‘Red-Eye’
or shadows.
RL48/RL48-A ‘Stealth Edition’ has a matt black rubberized outer coating which mini-
mises reectivity and acoustic resonance, and is weather resistant. The package also includes
a Filter-Holder and custom Lighting Gel Kit made by world renowned Lee Filters.
Key features:
   • Bright-48Ultra-brightLED’s
    • Dimmable-Over1.5stops 
    • Versatile-Weatherresistant
    • Light-Weighslessthan6oz 
    • Fast-Deployableinunder3seconds
    • Convenient-Shootnon-stopfor4hours
    • Accurate-6900K,5600K,4100Kand3200Koperation 
Introduction

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1 How to t or remove the Filter Holder
3) Finally squeeze the lterholder evenly
round the edge for a nice rm snug t.
To remove the lter holder place your
thumb in the middle of the front face of
the Rotolight (near the switch), and use
your other ngers to lift the outer edge of
the lterholder away from the face of the
Rotolight.
2) To x the lter holder on your Rotolight
hold the lter holder in your left hand
with open side facing upwards and push
the Rotolight (face down) into the centre
of the lter holder. (it is a ‘push to t’ de-
vice)
1) This is the Filter Holder. It will hold any
combination of the supplied ‘Lee lters’
ringlters to colour calibrate, dim or dif-
fuse your Rotolight. Refer to the cali-
bration chart to select the closest lter
combination that matches your ambient
lighting environment. e.g. for 5600K (stu-
dio daylight) use a 223 lter

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1) To open the Rotolight, remove the lter
holder, then hold Rotolight in your left
hand face down. Hold the back of the
Rotolight with your right hand, then ro-
tate the back , counter clockwise one
eighth of a turn to open the body of the
light. To close the body, rotate the back
clockwise, one eighth of a turn
2) When Rotolight is open you can change
the batteries, read the calibration chart, or
access the lters stored in the back of the
light
(image shows RL48, the later RL48-A model has a
cover over the electronics.)
3) You can safely store your Rotolight Cali-
bration Chart and Filters (including ad-
ditional lter sets) in the back of the Roto-
light.
(If you lose the lters, replacement lter sets are
available from your Rotolight dealer)
1.1 - How to open / close the Rotolight body

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2 - Batteries
Model RL48 After opening the Rotolight RL48
(2009 model), you will see all three
AA Battery compartments and the
electronic circuitry. Use Ener-
gizer Lithium (L91) AA batteries for
best results (up to 3.5 Hours). RL48
will also work using standard Al-
kaline (e.g. Duracell) for 3 hours. If
you intend to use rechargeable bat-
teries, use Lithium Hydride models
for superior performance. Normal
rechargable batteries are not recom-
mended as they have a lower voltage
output so Rotolight will be dimmer.
Model RL48-A RL48-A (2010 Model with round
switch) has a cover over the electron-
ic circuit boards. Use 3 x Energizer
Lithium L91 AA batteries for 4 hours
continuous use, or standard alkaline
AA batteries for 3 hours use. If you
intend to use rechargeable batter-
ies, use Lithium Hydride models
for superior performance. Normal
rechargable batteries are not recom-
mended as they have a lower voltage
output so Rotolight will be dimmer.
MAINTENANCE When the batteries are nearly fully
discharged, Rotolight will become
less bright (The colour temperature
will not change, however. )
Battery compartment of original RL48
Battery compartment of model RL48-A
To avoid damage from batteries during storage don’t leave batteries inside Rotolight when not in use
We recommend Energizer Lithium L91

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3 How to mount RotoLight on your Shotgun Mic
a) Align the centre hole of your Rotolight
over the foam windshield of your Cam-
corder Microphone.
b) Carefully slide the Rotolight over the foam
windshield. Please note that if you have a
softie you will need a softie adapter (call
Rotolight for details)
c) Position Rotolight towards the back of the
mic, you can rotate Rotolight so that the
front facing switch is in a convenient posi-
tion for you to operate.
Make sure that Rotolight is not touching
any hard surface of your camera Body.
To remove Rotolight, pinch the back of
the microphone foam windshield with
your left hand and with your right hand
carefully slide the Rotolight o the mic to
the front (leaving the foam in place).

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3 .1 How to mount RotoLight on to an Accessory Shoe
a) Using the optional Rotolight Stand, t the
accessory shoe to 1/4” thread adapter to
the accessory or ‘hot’ shoe on your cam-
era. Tighten the lower thread of the shoe
adapter down onto the shoe so it doesn’t
slip.
(please note that Sony/Minolta DSLR’s use a non standard
shoe and an adapter is required)
b) Attach the Support arm to the shoe
adapter use at least 5 turns, then secure
facing forward by tightening the upper
thread tensioner of the shoe adapter. You
can insert an optional swivel adapter be-
tween the shoe adapter and the support
arm for 360 degree positioning.
c) Put the red Logo Boss assembly through
the centrehole of the Rotolight and clip
the legs into the holes of the support arm.
d) To release Rotolight gently squeeze the
legs together at the rear of the support
arm whilst holding the Rotolight and
Logo boss assembly (take care not to let
the Logo Boss pop out of the front hole ).

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3 .2 How to mount RotoLight on to a Rail Support System
a) Extend your camera support rails to be
level with the front edge of your Mattebox, then t
one of your rail standard ‘lens supports’ inverted with
the 1/4” screw thread pointing downwards. Screw the
Rotolight support arm onto the inverted lens support
thread at least ve turns then secure with a tensioning
ring leaving the arm pointing fully forward just below
the mattebox.
(please note that Sony/Minolta DSLR’s use a non standard
shoe and an adapter is required)
b) Put the red Logo Boss assembly through
the centrehole of the Rotolight and clip
the legs into the holes of the support arm.

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3 .3 How to mount RotoLight on to a Spare Tripod
a) Screw the Rotolight support arm onto the
1/4 inch thread of the tripod support plate thread at
least ve turns or until tight leaving the arm pointing
fully forward.
b) Put the red Logo Boss assembly through
the centrehole of the Rotolight and clip
the legs into the holes of the support arm.
3 .4 How to mount RotoLight on to a Lighting Stand
You can attach the optional Rotolight stand to a stan-
dand lighting stand, using a 3/8th to 1/4 screw thread
adapter (available from Manfrotto , & others) or alter-
natively you could use a 360 degree swivel ball head
with a 3/8 base thread (see illustration). This would
allow you to angle the light to any desired position.
(Rotolight hope to introduce an optional desktop stand
which has a ball head with a 3/8” or 1/4” base thread - see
www.rotolight.com or follow us on www.twitter.com/roto-
light for news)

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4 Rotolight Calibration Filters
4.1 Filter Descriptions
Rotolight ships with 6 special ringlight lters (by Lee Lighting) which store inside the
Rotoight and t ito the lter Holder. These are used for colour correction, dimming and
diusion which allow you to accurately match Rotolight to the ambient light colour
temperature
Lee 223 - 1/8 CTO - (Colour Calibration - refer to calibration chart)
Lee 205 - 1/2 CTO
Lee 285 - 3/4 CTO
Lee 209 - Neutral Density (Reduces light 1 stop, without changing colour)
Lee 298 - Neutral Density (Reduces light 1/2 stop, without changing colour)
Lee 216 - Diusion Screen (A strong diusion used for soft light eects)
4.2 Calibration Chart
To set Rotolight to a particular colour, (e.g. RL48A to 5600K use a 223 lter as shown on
the RL48A Chart). To dim Rotolight you can combine neutral density lters, to diuse Roto-
light deploy the 216 Diuser. You can set the colour temperature, dim and diuse Rotolight
simultaneously (using multiple lters)

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5 Optional Accessories
5.1 Rotolight Belt Pouch
The Rotolightbelt pouch allows you to‘wear’your
lighting rig. Fullylined,and withareinforcedbelt clipit
providesmulti purpose storagefor your Rotolight(s), spare
filterkit(s), 6 x AA batteries(or tools),iPhone, Keysand
RotoStand(s).ItisstrongenoughtoholdaV-lockcamcorder
battery. It hasaconfigurableinternal compartment andcan
also be usedasan AC/griplighting rigging tools beltpouch
5.2 Rotolight Stand
Rotolight Stand allows Rotolight to mount directly
to astandard accessory shoe(including HD-DSLRcameras),
tripod,boom pole,rail supportsystem, ordesk standand via a
threadadapter toa lightingstandormicrophonestand .
The mainsupport leg has a standard 1/4inch tripodscrew
threadand it isprovided withanaccessoryshoe to1/4”adapt-
er.
5.3 Replacement Filter Pack
UsingtheLEE LightingGelsin the combinations
shownbelowallowsRotolight tooperate accuratelyatthe
followingcolourtemperatures: 3200K, 4200K, 5600K,6200K.
Rotolight canbeaccurately dimmedusingNeutralDensity
filters(over a range of1.5 Aperture Stops), a diffusionfilterand
calibrationchartarealso included. Includesthefollowing LEE
Filters: 2051/2CTO , 216DiffusionScreen, 2231/8CTO, 209
NeutralDensity0.5Stop,2853/4 CTO and298 Neutral Den-
sity1Stop.

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5.4 Accessory ‘Colours’ Filter Pack
The RotolightAdd-OnColourFX FilterPackcomprises
10ofthe mostpopularLeeLighting colourfiltergels,manyof
whichhavebeen created bysome of theWorld’sleadinglight-
ing designers workinginStage, Screen,CinemaandTelevision
to capture specific moods orcoloureffects, andtheresult is
asuperb collection designed tocompliment mostcommon
lighting conditions. Perfect foruseonlocation or for studio /
interior shoots.The filter packincludes severalcosmetic gelsto
enhanceskin tones whilesimultaneously softeningthelight.
Awide range of‘ColourEffect’gelsare alsoincluded foruse as
accent lights i.e.side-fill/back-wash/backlight/kicker.
IncludesthefollowingLEE ColourFilters:Cosmetic Peach, MoroccanFrost, PaleBlue,Bedford Blue,
Medium Amber, Light Red,LEE/SunlightYellow, Liberty Green, Light Lavender and BrightPink.
VideographersandPhotographerswilllovetheskintoneenhancementofthespecialcosmetic
filters.(Seethe appendix for moreinformation aboutthe selected colours andfilters).
6 - Operating the Switch
The switch onyour RotolightRL48-Ahas a fullywaterproof grommetoverit. Operating
the switcheasilyrequiresthat youpressthe switch in themiddlewith the tipofyourfinger, not at
the outeredge.This might soundobvious butitcantakealittle getting usedto.Thereare loadsof
advantagestothe RL48switchdesign, it’swater proof andyou cannot accidentallyoperate it.

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7 Specications
Model: Rotolight RL48
Size: 138OD/38ID(mm)
Weight: 6oz/90grams
Power: 3 x AA Alkaline or Lithium
Mounting: Shotgun Mic
Hot Light Equivalent: 50W
Colour Temperature: 3200K, 4200K, 5600K
CTO Filters: Lee 205, 223, 285
ND/Dif Filters: 298, 209, 216
Model: Rotolight RL48A
Size: 138OD/38ID(mm)
Weight: 6oz/90grams
Power: 3 x AA Alkaline or Lithium
Mounting: Shotgun Mic
Hot Light Equivalent: 50W
Colour Temperature: 3200K, 4100K, 5600K, 6900K
CTO Filters: Lee 205, 223, 285
ND/Dif Filters: 298, 209, 216

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8 Appendix
To see more information about the Rotolight and Rotolight Accessories, please visit
our site at www.rotolight.com.
Rotolight lters were designed by the world renowned and leading lters maker Lee
Filters. To see more information please visit www.leelters.com

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About Colour temperature and ‘White Balance’
Colour temperature is a standard method of describing colours for use in a range of
situations and with dierent equipment. Colour temperatures are normally expressed
in units called ‘degrees’ Kelvin (K). This scale is used to describe a visible light colour ,
and was based on heating a black object up until it glowed at a precise colour, hence
‘degrees’ Kelvin.
Modern digital photographic and video cameras can adjust the‘white balance’ of their
image capture system mimicking the way that the Human eye perceives colour. This
process allows the camera to accurately capture the colours as the eye sees them.
DSLR cameras tend to optimise the‘white balance’ frame by frame, but that would be
very bad in video or lm as the colours would change throughout a scene, this is why
matchingthecolourtemperatureofacameralightingsystemisimportantforVideoor
Film work.
Most common lighting conditions produce
light in the temperature range from around
2,000K to 8,000K . In practical terms this
usually means selecting lights, gels and l-
ters which are most appropriate to the pre-
vailing light or to create a particular colour
eect. For example, a camera operator will
select a “3200K lter” to use for an interior
shot when the prevailing ambient light is
from tungsten bulbs.
Bright direct sunshine is typically at 6900K,
studio lighting is normally set to 5600K (stu-
dio daylight), Mixed Light is around 4100K
and Tungsten bulbs are 3200K.
Ideally you want all the elements in your image illuminated at roughly the same col-
our temperature, otherwise dierent parts of the picture may have a blue or orange
tint. The human eye can detect a colour dierence of 50 Kelvin, so you’ll be pleased
to know that Rotolight is ‘Studio Accurate’ (i.e. to within +/- 50 kelvin of its calibrated
colour temperatures).
The Kelvin Scale of colour temperature

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Colour Filters Guide
We have selected a wide range of colours and lters specially designed by worldwide
renowned lighting specialists.
A wam highlight or front light, com-
plimentary for most skin tones and
key lighting.
Cool front light wash, good for
creating an overcast look for cold
weather.
Good for afternoon sunlight and
candlelight. Also great for side light-
ing.
Useful for producing a strong sun-
light eect. Designed by Jesper
Kongshaug.
Good for general areas and side
lights. Great backlight and follows-
pot colour.
Smoothes PAR or ood washes of
large areas. Useful for houselights,
good for interior colour washes. De-
signed by Durham Marenghi.
A smoky warm blue. Good for skin
tones. Designed by Chris Davey.
Good for theatre and television ef-
fect lighting as well as cycloramas.
A good green for creating mystery
and suspense. Designed by Jesper
Kongshaug.
Created for use as backlighting and
side lighting. Great for musicals.
184 - Cosmetic Peach
063 - Pale Blue
020 - Medium Amber
765 - LEE / Sunlight Yellow
052 - Light Lavender
791 - Moroccan Frost
712 - Bedford Blue
182 - Light Red
730 - Liberty Green
128 - Bright Pink