The Bumble Bulb PAR30 is a new high-end LED light in the Omni-Color range from folks at Hive Lighting. Being touted as “a cutting-edge tool for film and television production” the new light comes in a PAR30 short neck form factor with a CRI 95 and TLCI 94. It sports modular optics, with both wired and wireless DMX control, a built-in battery and a tough rugged weatherproof enclosure. Hive says this is their most portable and affordable Omni-Color LED light and is compatible with professional or practical lamps with a standard E26/E27 socket. It uses Hive’s Omni-Color LED tech and a 7-spectrum array to create “full spectrum, high fidelity white light” with hundreds of presets that Hive says lets you imitate any light source in the world.
It’s essentially a modular light bulb that comes in a short neck PAR30 form factor and is intended to be used in professional lighting units or in place of regular light bulbs in practical light fixtures on set. It’s designed to let you get more control over the light that comes out of those fixtures in terms of brightness and colour to help it blend in with your scene and give you exactly what you need to achieve the look you’re after.
The Bumble Bulb PAR30 is modular, with magnetic swappable lenses, a grid to control spill and a dome for all-around diffusion. It can be controlled over DMX using wired USB-C, wireless CRMX or over Bluetooth using Hive’s free smartphone app.
7 Channel Omni-Color LED Array Next generationIP64 Weatherproof BodyLimited 2 Year Warranty2000K- 10000K CT Range10° Spot Beam AngleOn/Off ButtonWired DMX Control (USB-C)Wireless Control CRMXWireless Control BLEE26/27 Screw in baseInternal 1000mAh battery15W-21WE26/27 Base 90-264VAC 47 ~ 63Hz AC INUSB-C 5VDC – 16VDC DC INPassive Cooling SystemPAR30 Form Factor119mm Length95mm Width
While it does use a standard E26/27 screw on its base, it also features a built-in 1,000mAh battery. This means that you can run it straight off the socket’s power or use it in a fixture that isn’t even plugged in. They don’t mention how long it’ll run off that battery at full power, but if it’s using around 20W, and it’s the usual 3.7v battery at 1,000mAh, then that’s about 3.7Wh. So, maybe 10-15 minutes – but that’s at full power output. If you’re using a lower wattage output, it will naturally last longer.
They also don’t say how long it takes the bulb to charge back up again, although it can be done over USB-C. Next to the socket, it says “5-16v”, so this presumably means it supports USB Power Delivery and you should be able to recharge it fairly quicky. Perhaps even power it continuously over USB when not being powered from the AC socket. This isn’t mentioned on the product page on the company’s website, though, so this is just a best guess. It’s a similar type of light to the Aputure Accent B7c LED, released in 2020, but Hive Lighting suggests that it’s much higher end. And with a price tag of $275 for the Bumble Bulb vs the usual $70 (but currently $50 for Black Friday/Cyber Monday) for the Aputure B7c, one would certainly hope so! The Hive Lighting Bumble Bulb PAR30 is available to pre-order now for $275.91 from the Hive Lighting website.
