UPDATE 1: Looks you you can get a nice soft box for these lights after all! You can find those options here on Amazon: Menik Softboxes on Amazon: geni.us/eoaA Thanks to Paul for the heads up! Yet another lighting video! Getting tired of these yet? ;-) You can find these Menik lights here: Menik CB-68A on Amazon: geni.us/krS2Z Menik CB-102A on Amazon: geni.us/WW7x
Video looks great btw - what camera / lens were using ? Looked great during the comparison section! Are there any other similar led lights like this other than Westcott that are worth looking into for a key light? cheers
kane01337 I am sure he was using a Panasonic GH5....lens, no idea......other light options like this are the Falcon Eyes RX-12T, RX-18T, RX-29T. There are also another cheaper brand with a 1x1 and 1x2 called Travor FL-3030 and FL-3060. There is a Neewer brand one on amazon for $69.99. Here is a video from Caleb comparing these lights. m.th-cam.com/video/e1o-9gbgmpY/w-d-xo.html
I vote Yes for the cooking video. These lights seem better than the Falcon Eyes and are tempting since I have a tiny kitchen and the Aputure 120d is out of my budget.
FoodTechLife the dimmer packs are smaller and the whole unit seems a bit better, but the soft boxes with the grids are so handy with the Falcon Eyes and produces softer light.
A cooking guide from Caleb? We need to see that! :) These flexible LED lights look ideal for that kind of shoot. I've been looking more in the Aputure direction and found the Godox SL60 as a much cheaper alternative.
@@dslrvideoshooter No Sir, thank you! Just as a side note this is just my personal account (as opposed to AlphaPheProductions) to give some context haha. Stay awesome dude!
DSLR Video Shooter Caleb.....you sold out the light on Amazon Prime store! The CB-68 (daylight only) is gone period. The prime Cb-68A and CB-102A are gone.
That last quick shot of you outside; that would be a good tutorial, lighting outside shoots. I had a tough time taking employee photos outside, if I get to do some outside shoots, that would be some good info.
Yes, I want to see your cooking videos, I just started TH-cam here and mainly I am on Instagram. I am going to shoot cooking videos in my kitchen, what is the best lighting for my videos? This big LED or soft box? Thank you!
Thanks for this, Caleb. The Menik lights look very impressive. Previously, given my druthers, I would have bought the Falcon Eyes, but they are just too expensive. These Menik lights seem to be a viable alternative.
Hi Caleb, love your channel, informative and fascinating. Keep up the good work! Fantastic audio too. Could you please tell us about your audio setup: what microphone you use, and what do you connect it to etc.
What am I missing? The Falcon Eyes (with the same power output roughly) is actually LESS THAN the Menik.. $60 LESS. Menik CB-102A vs Falcon Eye RX-18 is roughly same output at 1m, yet you get that awesome softbox and grid. IF you go with the HUGE 36-TDX sure it's way more, but more than 2x the output. I would love to see a comparison as well. I don't need bicolor I would rather full daylight balanced with more output. Where can I get a light that has huge daylight balanced power and THIN. I am looking at the Aputure Light Storm LS 1s which has more than 3x the power at 2m for a bit more money. Any thoughts on this? Naturally it's NOT paper thin, but still massive output.
Looks like the metal cable with the carabiners is actually for hanging the controller on a light stand! Or at least that's what is shown in the Amazon product photo
Hey bud! If you only had one light, and you almost exclusively lit talking heads, would you always reach for your 120D over these? I’m filming a weekly show and am very hopeful to purchase the best light for the narrative portions of the videos. Thank you for the help!
Caleb you should do a new cheap to mid range ultimate light comparison guide. They are so many new lights on the market now including the new Godox lights. Please, help me make an informed decision because I can not afford to test them all myself
Hi Caleb, good review as always. Can you try to dim this lights down to 0 with regular LED dimmer switch from Home Depot? Very interested if that will work. Thank you!
Cool Video ! I got a question about this kind of lights to got warm and cold LED, I understand that if you use only warm leds, you got 3200k, and for the cool ones, yo got 5500/5600k, but what temperature do you get when combine both? as sometimes you need extra power and you have to use both at the same time. thanks you!
the most interesting to me was when you held it over your head outside. since the light is kinda flexible, you could shape an overhead U form which gave you a nice surrounding light like in daylight. ok of course you then don't got this set up studio light with a key-, a fill- and a back rim light, but in certain situations outside you also don't need the fancy studio look, right? overall an interesting solution for example for hosts standing outside where you normally use a reflector which you now can use as fill light from underneath.
Sweet video! I have super cheap 30-50 dollar lights from amazon that work fine, but one broke and now I'm left with only one. I want to upgrade and go big! I do video production commercially and am wanting a setup that is versatile, quick, easy to use, has adjustable color temps, etc. I shoot lots of interviews and such. The 120D seems great, but not sure if that is the right one for me or not. Any suggestions?
A but off topic but i cant think of anyone that would know this besides you. Are there any alternitives to the rotolight that also functions as an hss flash ? Thanks in advance.
Random question, not anything to do with this video (but seeing as I'm here early). Have you got a production version of the Atomos Ninja V yet? If so, are you having software issues, like I am with mine? e.g. issues with LUT highlights, having no Atom HDR and the battery indicator being problematic?
I have the falcon eyes 12T with the soft box/grid i love it.. very useful tool. It feels pretty durable with that plastic layer covering the lights. Are the LED's on this out in the open does it feel cheap?
Great review Caleb - look fantastic for the price - just wondering if you had an idea on approx battery life via the 1x V mount battery? Also would be interested in seeing the physical Silk + diffuser setup at 8:35 - How did you attach the silk etc... also could you link the Silk you used ? lastly did you find a slight magenta tint (or green) compared to your 120? cheers
We bought 2 of the Menik 102a lights which were amazing for about 6 months, then one of them just stopped working while on set. The control box keeps restarting by itself every 2 seconds. The other control box broke at the connector base, so we have to keep it connected to the power brick for fear of losing the connector altogether. And we're only three people who use the lights mainly for interviews. They haven't been through much physical abuse, if any. When we received the lights, one of them had a color knob that wouldn't push in to activate the individual color brightness. We tried returning it but the company has yet to reach back out to us. That was 6 months ago. I really like these lights but with all these things just falling apart, it seems like they're not built to last. So I can't recommend them.
have you thought of adding an extra layer of diffuser sheets onto the Menik prior to applying on the velcro diffuser? I was thinking of that, but wanted your take on it prior to buying it.
thanks so much for your reviews. I have based a lot of my purchase decisions on them. I saw this review a bit too late and already purchased a new light panel. One of the checks in the plus column for the menik lights is the inclusion of the controller for powering from a battery source, but I assume I can purchase a similar power source for battery mount to use on my current light. Have you done any reviews on battery power sources?
What camera/lens combination is used to shoot this? Sharp as a knife. I'm afraid I haven't watched many of your videos so I'm a little out of the loop.
Thanks for the review Caleb! I'm looking for a light that I can rig up as an overhead light on a C-stand and boom arm. The cable between the light and control panel seems a bit short. I'd prefer a loooooong cable to keep the controller within easy reach and not put strain on the rig when using with a V-mount battery. Do you know if an extension cable can be used with this product? Do you have a link to Menik's website or customer support email address?
Off Topic… When I connect my Panasonic GH5 to the Bestview S7 camera monitor, with an HDMI cord, the image appears but there’s a HORRIBLE screeching sound. Have you heard of this problem or experienced this?
Hi Caleb, very nice channel and content for filmmakers. I'm starting in filming, and I'm looking for the cheapest and almost perfect LED KEY LIGHT. Can u recommend me something ?
Hi Caleb - compelling lights! Can you please do an update to your three light kits at various budgets? For example, what do you think of a Godox SL-60w Bowens mount with Softbox and two of these?
Scott Maclean I am not Caleb Pike, but you couldn’t go wrong with that setup. The SL-60W is a great affordable light comparable to the 120D (a little less output). SL-60W with softbox as key light and two of the CB’s for random small spots and background/kicker/fill lights can’t go wrong.
Scott Maclean no problem....I actually wanted the Godox, but my room is 8x8 and my wife would not allow a big light in the room. So I am going with one of the meniks or Falcon Eyes with softbox grid.
Quadcopterguide if you want softer light then yes. The softbox grid will separate the LED panel from the diffusion and should provide even softer light.
thanks for the reply. But it looks like the honeycomb sits on the outside so ontop of the diffuser. So it's the light, then the diffuser, then the comb. How would this make it softer? I understood your reply to mean that the comb sits literally inbetween the light and the diffuser.
Quadcopterguide looks like it comes with its own set of diffusion....in the description, “The soft box and soft Grid can be used respectively to meet you need.” If you look at the softbox pictures on amazon it shows the grid going in front of a diffuser that is on the edge of the softbox. In the pictures you can see there is more separation from the light.
UPDATE 1: Looks you you can get a nice soft box for these lights after all! You can find those options here on Amazon: Menik Softboxes on Amazon: geni.us/eoaA
Thanks to Paul for the heads up!
Yet another lighting video! Getting tired of these yet? ;-)
You can find these Menik lights here:
Menik CB-68A on Amazon: geni.us/krS2Z
Menik CB-102A on Amazon: geni.us/WW7x
DSLR Video Shooter nope I have been waiting for this review for three weeks! Thanks! Lol
Haha! Roger that!
Video looks great btw - what camera / lens were using ? Looked great during the comparison section! Are there any other similar led lights like this other than Westcott that are worth looking into for a key light? cheers
kane01337 I am sure he was using a Panasonic GH5....lens, no idea......other light options like this are the Falcon Eyes RX-12T, RX-18T, RX-29T. There are also another cheaper brand with a 1x1 and 1x2 called Travor FL-3030 and FL-3060. There is a Neewer brand one on amazon for $69.99. Here is a video from Caleb comparing these lights. m.th-cam.com/video/e1o-9gbgmpY/w-d-xo.html
Looks like a Grid/Softbox was just released on Amazon.....68A with softbox - amzn.to/2RWdRrq
102A with softbox - amzn.to/2CMtJsh
I vote Yes for the cooking video. These lights seem better than the Falcon Eyes and are tempting since I have a tiny kitchen and the Aputure 120d is out of my budget.
FoodTechLife the dimmer packs are smaller and the whole unit seems a bit better, but the soft boxes with the grids are so handy with the Falcon Eyes and produces softer light.
A cooking guide from Caleb? We need to see that! :) These flexible LED lights look ideal for that kind of shoot. I've been looking more in the Aputure direction and found the Godox SL60 as a much cheaper alternative.
Exactly... That is the main draw to the Falcon Eyes mats. Their modifiers are great!
I only wish the soft box on this unit was like the falcon eyes! That aside, these lights are great.
So is almost good like falcon eyes but the falcon eyes are softer? There isn't any way to soft these? The difference in price and size is big.
You know what is perfect though? This video. Awesome job, Caleb!
Aww thanks man!
@@dslrvideoshooter No Sir, thank you! Just as a side note this is just my personal account (as opposed to AlphaPheProductions) to give some context haha. Stay awesome dude!
DSLR Video Shooter Caleb.....you sold out the light on Amazon Prime store! The CB-68 (daylight only) is gone period. The prime Cb-68A and CB-102A are gone.
Looks a lot like the Fomex panels. I love those, very sturdy. Good for rentals.
That last quick shot of you outside; that would be a good tutorial, lighting outside shoots. I had a tough time taking employee photos outside, if I get to do some outside shoots, that would be some good info.
I am going to shoot IGTV videos, so please share some tips on vertical videos:) (especially for cooking lol )
Ooh so glad i got the notification. Gonna watch it now. Thank s. Ry from Dubai
Yes, I want to see your cooking videos, I just started TH-cam here and mainly I am on Instagram. I am going to shoot cooking videos in my kitchen, what is the best lighting for my videos? This big LED or soft box? Thank you!
Ohhh I’m in the market for some lights! Thanks Caleb!
More light videos please! I'm a light nerd 😂
Ethan I agree never gets old
Thanks Ethan! You know I won't be able to stop!
DSLR Video Shooter we know.....and we are thankful as well.
Yes, I would love to see the cooking video!
another awesome video thanks for all the hard work .... hopefully theres new and cheap rgb lights coming soon...
Dude! You just predicted something that Amazon is doing right now with videos! Crazy stuff.
So similar to the Westcott's flexlights. You should do a comparison video!
You have just opened my eyes to some awesome lights.
Thanks a bunch!
It's time for a best lights 2020 edition!
Thanks for making this video! It's exactly what I was looking for!
Awesome lighting tutorial videos!
I/We need to see that cooking video! Much needed!
Thanks for this, Caleb. The Menik lights look very impressive. Previously, given my druthers, I would have bought the Falcon Eyes, but they are just too expensive. These Menik lights seem to be a viable alternative.
Hi Caleb, love your channel, informative and fascinating. Keep up the good work! Fantastic audio too. Could you please tell us about your audio setup: what microphone you use, and what do you connect it to etc.
Yes, we want to see the egg video... all of it!
Thanks Donnie!
Nice light work!
These look incredible. Thanks for continuing to produce really great review videos.
Ready for another light review! Those are cool.
Nice MKBHD t-shirt man!
Yes to the cookig vid!
Great video. I've bookmarked the links to buying the lights for later purchase.
Yes to cooking video! Also anyone else from Australia find is so hard to source good lights like this? Maybe I need to look harder
Awesome review for my wallet! This goes to my wishlist. Thank you so much and keep the light videos coming!
These sound like a great fit for what I need, thank you for the thorough review as always!
You’re awesome. I value your reviews a lot.
Release the Kraken! And also the egg tutorial please. It would be great to see how your visual eye captures teaching practical skills.
Terrific review. It wouldn't hurt to put a link in the description to your c700 meter, too...
Great video. I have a question will this work for taking pictures for hair ( I'm a hairdresser )
Cooking video?? Nice! Also, I need these lights. Great review.
These look pretty solid! I’ve been very interested in flexible sainted you reviewed the falcon eyes.
Btw, that @MKBHD shirt 😧🤯 Omg I have to get one.
LET'S SEET THAT COOKING VIDEO!!!!
;-)
Love the shirt❤
Gosh, these look amazing! Do you still love them?
Great light, you should release the cooking video for sure.
What am I missing? The Falcon Eyes (with the same power output roughly) is actually LESS THAN the Menik.. $60 LESS. Menik CB-102A vs Falcon Eye RX-18 is roughly same output at 1m, yet you get that awesome softbox and grid. IF you go with the HUGE 36-TDX sure it's way more, but more than 2x the output. I would love to see a comparison as well. I don't need bicolor I would rather full daylight balanced with more output. Where can I get a light that has huge daylight balanced power and THIN. I am looking at the Aputure Light Storm LS 1s which has more than 3x the power at 2m for a bit more money. Any thoughts on this? Naturally it's NOT paper thin, but still massive output.
What's the difference between 0% and just turning it off? Oh, and big YES on the cooking.
Looks like the metal cable with the carabiners is actually for hanging the controller on a light stand! Or at least that's what is shown in the Amazon product photo
Do you need to purchase an extra batteries for the light or do you think one is enough for a one hour video shoot
Great review as always Caleb! Wondering if you can tell us which V-mount batteries locked in better than the Comer?
Hey bud! If you only had one light, and you almost exclusively lit talking heads, would you always reach for your 120D over these?
I’m filming a weekly show and am very hopeful to purchase the best light for the narrative portions of the videos.
Thank you for the help!
How would they compare towards the Apurture HR 672? Price point is matching.
Caleb you should do a new cheap to mid range ultimate light comparison guide. They are so many new lights on the market now including the new Godox lights. Please, help me make an informed decision because I can not afford to test them all myself
Exciting lights, guess i gotta get some!
Hi Caleb, good review as always. Can you try to dim this lights down to 0 with regular LED dimmer switch from Home Depot? Very interested if that will work. Thank you!
What different About Menik CB-68A and Menik CB-102A ?
Love the light reviews!!! Thank you
Cool Video ! I got a question about this kind of lights to got warm and cold LED, I understand that if you use only warm leds, you got 3200k, and for the cool ones, yo got 5500/5600k, but what temperature do you get when combine both? as sometimes you need extra power and you have to use both at the same time.
thanks you!
Skin colors look nicer (on my uncalibrated monitor) on the Aputure. The Menik have a red tint. Same for you?
Good find, thanks!
the most interesting to me was when you held it over your head outside. since the light is kinda flexible, you could shape an overhead U form which gave you a nice surrounding light like in daylight. ok of course you then don't got this set up studio light with a key-, a fill- and a back rim light, but in certain situations outside you also don't need the fancy studio look, right? overall an interesting solution for example for hosts standing outside where you normally use a reflector which you now can use as fill light from underneath.
MKBHD T-shirt there, nice!
Very nice light and this is so tempting! But is it just me or is the output magenta compared to the 120D?
They seem not to be available in the UK ... any alternatives???
love the MKBHD shirt
Foldable LEDs: Menik, aperture, falcon eyes .. I'm lost which one have your preference? ^^
Try and do a review of the new Westcott LED RGB lights kit
If you advise , we ll buy it
Sweet video! I have super cheap 30-50 dollar lights from amazon that work fine, but one broke and now I'm left with only one. I want to upgrade and go big! I do video production commercially and am wanting a setup that is versatile, quick, easy to use, has adjustable color temps, etc. I shoot lots of interviews and such. The 120D seems great, but not sure if that is the right one for me or not. Any suggestions?
A but off topic but i cant think of anyone that would know this besides you. Are there any alternitives to the rotolight that also functions as an hss flash ? Thanks in advance.
Those look great
I have a question do you need to get a battery to make the light work?
Random question, not anything to do with this video (but seeing as I'm here early). Have you got a production version of the Atomos Ninja V yet? If so, are you having software issues, like I am with mine? e.g. issues with LUT highlights, having no Atom HDR and the battery indicator being problematic?
I have the falcon eyes 12T with the soft box/grid i love it.. very useful tool. It feels pretty durable with that plastic layer covering the lights. Are the LED's on this out in the open does it feel cheap?
Great review Caleb - look fantastic for the price - just wondering if you had an idea on approx battery life via the 1x V mount battery? Also would be interested in seeing the physical Silk + diffuser setup at 8:35 - How did you attach the silk etc... also could you link the Silk you used ? lastly did you find a slight magenta tint (or green) compared to your 120? cheers
Why do you prefer these over the falcon eyes?
Very cool ... yes to food video and btw the first link goes to ... I’m not sure what that is :)
brilliant, buying one now! 😀
Could you do a flicker test to see at what frame rates we start seeing flickering?
Could you also check out the GVM lights? They seem to be pretty amazing as well as quite cheap for what you get....
So Kool Caleb
You should try the ROTOLIGHT NEO2 , seriously I love it and it's my favorite portable light/flash :)
Thanks for the great review! How does the brightness of the 68 compare with the Aputure Tri8s?
We bought 2 of the Menik 102a lights which were amazing for about 6 months, then one of them just stopped working while on set. The control box keeps restarting by itself every 2 seconds.
The other control box broke at the connector base, so we have to keep it connected to the power brick for fear of losing the connector altogether.
And we're only three people who use the lights mainly for interviews. They haven't been through much physical abuse, if any.
When we received the lights, one of them had a color knob that wouldn't push in to activate the individual color brightness. We tried returning it but the company has yet to reach back out to us. That was 6 months ago.
I really like these lights but with all these things just falling apart, it seems like they're not built to last. So I can't recommend them.
Are these lights only V mount? Could you get it with a different battery mount?
If I got the smaller one do you think I could cram it into a china ball and light up a 3 person interview?
MKB shirt 👌
have you thought of adding an extra layer of diffuser sheets onto the Menik prior to applying on the velcro diffuser? I was thinking of that, but wanted your take on it prior to buying it.
thanks so much for your reviews. I have based a lot of my purchase decisions on them. I saw this review a bit too late and already purchased a new light panel. One of the checks in the plus column for the menik lights is the inclusion of the controller for powering from a battery source, but I assume I can purchase a similar power source for battery mount to use on my current light. Have you done any reviews on battery power sources?
Dig that shirt, man.
How well do the softboxes you linked for these lights work? I'm assuming better than the paper material but how much better?
What camera/lens combination is used to shoot this? Sharp as a knife. I'm afraid I haven't watched many of your videos so I'm a little out of the loop.
where did you buy the tshirt you re wearing? Very nice
Good video mate. Is there an android app?
Hey Caleb, what stand do you use for your aputure light? Or anyone reading this who has one: how do you mount it?
Thanks for the review Caleb! I'm looking for a light that I can rig up as an overhead light on a C-stand and boom arm. The cable between the light and control panel seems a bit short. I'd prefer a loooooong cable to keep the controller within easy reach and not put strain on the rig when using with a V-mount battery. Do you know if an extension cable can be used with this product? Do you have a link to Menik's website or customer support email address?
Off Topic… When I connect my Panasonic GH5 to the Bestview S7 camera monitor, with an HDMI cord, the image appears but there’s a HORRIBLE screeching sound. Have you heard of this problem or experienced this?
yes, release the cooking video!
Interesting lights - I might give them a try in our kitchen studio. Wanna collab on the egg video?
How does it behave when shooting at 240 / 120fps and 60fps ?
Hi Caleb, very nice channel and content for filmmakers. I'm starting in filming, and I'm looking for the cheapest and almost perfect LED KEY LIGHT. Can u recommend me something ?
Hi Caleb - compelling lights! Can you please do an update to your three light kits at various budgets? For example, what do you think of a Godox SL-60w Bowens mount with Softbox and two of these?
Scott Maclean I am not Caleb Pike, but you couldn’t go wrong with that setup. The SL-60W is a great affordable light comparable to the 120D (a little less output). SL-60W with softbox as key light and two of the CB’s for random small spots and background/kicker/fill lights can’t go wrong.
Paul Feinberg thanks for the reply Paul!
Scott Maclean no problem....I actually wanted the Godox, but my room is 8x8 and my wife would not allow a big light in the room. So I am going with one of the meniks or Falcon Eyes with softbox grid.
I see the 68A is available with a honeycomb. (German amazon store) would it be worth the €45 increase?
Quadcopterguide if you want softer light then yes. The softbox grid will separate the LED panel from the diffusion and should provide even softer light.
thanks for the reply. But it looks like the honeycomb sits on the outside so ontop of the diffuser. So it's the light, then the diffuser, then the comb. How would this make it softer? I understood your reply to mean that the comb sits literally inbetween the light and the diffuser.
Quadcopterguide looks like it comes with its own set of diffusion....in the description, “The soft box and soft Grid can be used respectively to meet you need.” If you look at the softbox pictures on amazon it shows the grid going in front of a diffuser that is on the edge of the softbox. In the pictures you can see there is more separation from the light.
I would like to know show this light work in day light photography. It's strong enough to overbright sun?
Dope shirt 😎