Promaster Basis B170, Basis Series, Basis B270 Instructions Manual

BASIS B170 & B270 LED LIGHT INSTRUCTIONS

Congratulations on your purchase of this Basis LED Light. It is a great photographic tool capable of
professional lighting results for both still photography and videography. Use this manual to learn the
operation and setup of your new Basis light. Then experiment with different lighting angles and setups.
Because the Basis light is a constant light, you can easily see the ‘look’ of your lighting, including highlights
and shadows as you move the light around and adjust its power setting.

SETTING UP THE BASIS LED LIGHT

Locate the LED light head, AC/DC transformer with attached DC cord, and the separate AC cord (with
household 2-prong end)

You should first mount the LED light onto a light stand. At the base of the light you will see an integrated
tilting bracket. Loosen the large knob on the side of the tilting bracket and orient the lower portion of the
bracket down and away from the light. Tighten the large knob. This position will place the 5/8” hole in the
bottom of the bracket facing a downward position relative to the light head and prepare it for mounting to a
light stand.

Now loosen the smaller knob on the tilting bracket. This is a setscrew on the side of the tilting bracket, which
is used to hold the light firmly onto a light stand. You should loosen it enough so the setscrew is not
protruding into the 5/8” hole. Slide the entire light onto a standard light stand. Now tighten the setscrew to
firmly hold the LED light onto the light stand.

Connect the AC cord to the AC/DC transformer by pushing the ‘figure-8’ style end of the cord into the
transformer. Next, push the small, round, DC connector from the AC/DC transformer into the DC port on the
back of the Basis LED light. Finally, connect the household end of the AC cord to a common 120 V wall
outlet to provide power to the unit.

Use the round dial on the back of the light to turn the light on or off and adjust its power (light output)
setting.

OPERATING THE BASIS LED LIGHT

The round dial on the back of the light allows you to adjust the brightness of the light from approximately
5% to a full 100% output. Rotate the dial from its minimum setting to its maximum setting and back to see
the effect.

Your light includes a white diffusion sock. This sock can be stretched over the front of the Basis light to
soften its light output.

Another option is to slide a photographic umbrella (sold separately) into the umbrella shaft port located in the
light’s tilting bracket for additional light shaping opportunities.

SETTING YOUR CAMERA’S WHITE BALANCE

White balance is a setting used by a digital camera to ensure accurate color for a particular light source. This
means the colors in your photograph will look proper and realistic when the white balance is set correctly.
Most cameras will automatically detect the color temperature (expressed as ‘K’, or Kelvin) of the light
source and use the correct white balance setting. Be sure your camera’s white balance is set to ‘A’ /
Automatic for this to occur.

If you prefer to manually set your camera’s white balance you can use the ‘daylight’ setting or, more
specifically, you can set your camera to 5600 K color temperature (your camera may or may not have the
option to set a specific color temperature).

For more advanced photography you can modify your white balance setting to create a warm or cool effect.
The ProMaster CREATIVE WHITE BALANCE FILTER kit is an excellent tool for this purpose. You can
purchase this tool from your local ProMaster dealer.

OTHER HELPFUL TIPS

The Basis LED light uses a specially designed internal cooling system, which produces nearly no noise. For
this reason the Basis LED lights are an excellent way to light videos as well as still photos.

Because the Basis LED light has a round shape it creates a natural-looking round catchlight in the eyes of
your subjects.

The color temperature of the Basis LED light is permanently set to an ideal, photographic, 5600 K color
temperature to mimic daylight. It can be used alongside other photographic lights having a 5600 K color
temperature (both constant and strobe type lights) without any negative colorcast.

Although the Basis LED light remains relatively cool during operation, the AC/DC transformer may become
warm or hot. This is normal. However, be cautious of the type of surface you have the transformer resting on
while the light is in use.

Be sure to turn off the Basis light and unplug it from the wall outlet when not in use.

LED lights have a ‘warm up’ time to reach full power and proper color temperature after they are turned on.
This can take up to 5 minutes. Be sure to account for it before you begin taking photographs to ensure the
best quality of light.