BEST Bi-Color LED Pocket Light (13 Light Battle to the DEATH)
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ก.ค. 2024
- In this video I review and compare 13 different bi-color LED pocket lights.
These lights range from just $26 on the budget end, to over $250 for full kits on the premium end.
I will talk about the most important pros and cons of each light, and give awards for things like the brightest LED pocket light, the best super budget LED pocket light, the best overall value, and more to help you decide which lights might be a good fit for you.
The lights included in this review are the Aputure Amaran F7, Lupo Smartpanel Dual Color, Intellytech Pocket LiteCloth, Litra LitraPro, Genaray Powerbank 64, Genaray Powerbank 96, LumeCube Panel Go, LumeCube Panel Mini, Iwata Genius Light GL-01, Vijim VL81, Vijim VL120, Vijim VL-1, and Sandmarc Prolight Bi-Color.
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== LINKS ==
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Aputure Amaran F7 - geni.us/aputureamaranalf7
Lupo Smartpanel Dual Color - geni.us/luposmartpaneldc
Intellytech Pocket LiteCloth - geni.us/intellytechpocketlc
Litra LitraPro - geni.us/litrapro
Genaray Powerbank PB-64 - geni.us/genaraypb64
Genaray Powerbank PB-96 - geni.us/genaraypb96
LumeCube Panel Go - geni.us/lumecubepanelgo
LumeCube Panel Mini - geni.us/lumecubepanelmini
Iwata Genius Light GL-01 - geni.us/iwatagl01
Vijim VL81 - geni.us/vijimvl81
Vijim VL120 - geni.us/vijimvl120
Vijim VL-1 - geni.us/vijimvl1
Sandmarc Prolight Bi-Color - geni.us/sandmarcprolightbc
See all the brightness and color accuracy measurements here - newlayer.com/gear/lights/compare
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Please consider using these affiliate links if you purchase any items. It won't cost you anything extra, and it will help me create more content like this.
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== TABLE OF CONTENTS ==
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0:00 - Intro
0:48 - LumeCube Panel Go & Panel Mini
1:19 - Iwata Genius Light GL-01
2:02 - Aputure Amaran F7
2:43 - Intellytech Pocket LiteCloth
3:39 - Sandmarc Prolight Bi-Color
4:04 - Vijim VL81, VL120, VL-1
5:04 - Genaray Powerbank PB-64 & PB-96
6:06 - Lupo Smartpanel Dual Color
7:08 - Litra LitraPro
8:09 - "Brightest Light" Winner
8:16 - "Most Flexible" Winner
8:33 - "Most Rugged" Winner
8:43 - "Best Super Budget Light" Winner
8:55 - "Most Portable" Winner
9:04 - "Best Carrying Case" Winner
9:14 - "Most Color Accurate" Winner
9:20 - "Best Overall Value" Winner
9:59 - Final Thoughts
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== CONNECT ==
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If you had to pick just 1 of these lights, which would it be? Or do you have another bi-color pocket light you think is even better?
I will definitely be purchasing a couple of those Lupo's one day. I want those for hairlights and fill lights.
@@AlexMinor Good news for you is they are releasing their "Kickasspanel" shortly, which is an updated RGB version of the Smartpanel with a screen and full color support!
@@NewLayer wait whaaat?! Lupo is planning to release an RGB version in the form factor of their smartpanel? That’s going to be really bright for a pocket RGB! Any rough idea when it’ll release?
@@dwmspace They are! And I think it’ll be even thinner actually. I don’t know the release date, but I’ve heard in the next month or two.
@@NewLayer awesome!
This is the only video I have found which talks about the advantage of bi-color vs rgb. Thank you.
Glad it was useful, thanks for watching!
Thank you for the link to these. Your reviews are more helpful than a dozen of the more popular channels because you quickly mention what's relevant and your summaries are simple for newbees like me to follow. Other youtube reviewers can take a lesson from you!!
Thanks, glad you liked it! Hope it helps you find the best light :)
Such a great comparative and informational video. Love your work!
Thanks! I'm glad you found it helpful :)
You're putting out great content! That aputure f7 has been around a long time in comparison, and it still poses a great value against the competition. I remember seeing it on a DSLR video shooter video years ago. I'm at the point of having a pretty diverse lighting kit, and I could see how a lot of these could still add a lot of flexibility for not a lot of scratch. Very cool! Keep up the good work!
Thanks! I’m glad you found this helpful. And that’s a good point, the F7 is a much older light than some and still holds its own easily.
Thank you so much! I was going to buy a Sekonic C-800 to test my own lights as the manufactures never give accurate specs. Your webpage of specs is extremely useful. Thanks again for doing all of this work.
You're very welcome! It definitely took a lot of time to get up and running, but I felt like I had to do it with how much inaccurate information I was finding.
Awesome video. Helped me make a decision on wedding lights. Thanks a lot for the info!!
Thanks, happy to hear it helped!
Great comparison video as usual! 💪
Thanks as always! 👍
This was so helpful! Thanks!
Glad it was helpful!
Just found this channel. Great concise and informative reviews. Will be watching more videos just as soon as I hit the subscribe button.
Thanks, I really appreciate it. Hope you find my other videos helpful too 👍👍
Another great video J.T.....
Thanks again! Always appreciate the support :)
Great review 👍🏽
Thanks, glad it was useful.
Wonderful review. So, so many options. It's just incredible.
I'd like to throw in an "honorable mention" of the Neewer CN-160 and CN-216 for the budget minded. Though I've been upgrading my lighting kit, I will be keeping these lights from what I used to use. The bang for the buck, and the length of usability with a NP-F970 batterie (hours and hours at 100%) is just too good to not have as a resource. I recently did lighting on a narrative project and for some night scenes in the woods, these lights were just perfect for lighting up the trees in the distance for depth in the shot, and sometimes were even used as key lights (GH5). The Director was very impressed by these lights as they really saved the day (night), throwing out so much light while being battery powered. I've also used them as key lights in a horror short I shot for a contest, hidden behind things to cast a mood, and also with bounce for softer light. The CN-216 is getting difficult to find at a fair price anymore though. I also just returned one I got as a replacement, but as the roller switch for brightness was not adjusting the light smoothly, and the LEDs that indicate battery strength didn't work at all. Those LEDs were different than the ones in my older lights; red instead of clear that light up red. Anyway, they've come in incredibly handy for me.
Nice! They look like a cheaper version of either the Aputure F7 or Lupo Smartpanel. Anything small with focusing lenses comes in really handy since they are much brighter for the size.
Thanks for sharing your experience :)
Really nice review. I do food photography, and a pocket light makes all the difference in the world. I chose the Pixel G1S RGB light; it's bright, well built, and has great controls that speed up my workflow; that's important when trying to take food photos without disturbing other guests. The RGB functionality isn't something I use much.
Nice! I can see food photography being a perfect example where bi-color is very useful, since you mostly want natural looking light instead of RGB colors.
Thanks for a VERY USEFUL video! As an old-school guy, used to the perfect skin-tone from tungsten lighting,
I think color accuracy is the single most important issue when buying LED-Lights. Some of the inexpensive LED's
you don't even have to measure as the light look awful to the naked eye. I appreciate you taking
the time to present many different types of meaurements of color accuracy.
Happy to help. Almost everyone shoots daylight nowadays, even in controlled environments, but you're right. If you can shoot in tungsten, you will get better colors, especially skin, so it's definitely worth doing if you have the option.
Thank you, just a matter of time to decide if I should spend $800 to $1,500 for a light, Keep doing good reviews
Happy to help, thanks for checking it out. $100 turns to $1,000, then next thing you know you'll be starting a TH-cam channel dedicated to lighting and wonder how it happened.
Rumor has it, if you turn all of these on at once you can be seen from the international space station
I should've renamed "brightest" to "most likely to be seen from the ISS". Either way, Lupo still wins.
Awesome review, thanks! Super cool to have links and time tags to each "mini review", very pro!
So, I am getting all of these lights and a blender, to make one perfect light panel :) xD
Thanks! But be careful, you might end up with an amalgamation of all the worst features put into one Frankenstein light!
@@NewLayer Ha ha! Good point, I'll filter the juice!
Otherwise, I have hard times to find a reseller of Genaray Powerbank PB-96 here in Europe - I've emailed Genaray for a little help about that.
@@leemski Haha! Hopefully they can help you out, but there's still some other good options out there if not. Or you could always go RGB, in which case, I have a lot of good recommendations if you want to DM me on Insta @newlayercom
@@NewLayer Awesome, thanks! I' have no Insta but I'll ask a friend to get your recommendations. Cool, till soon! Stay safe!
thanks for the video
You're welcome. Thanks for commenting :)
Hi! We chatted via Ebay about some Sandmarc lights for international shipping, I´m around here.
Hi! Can you DM me on Instagram @newlayercom?
Thx i will buy GENARAY POWERBANK 96 :)
Glad this video could be helpful, hope you like it!
I would've liked to see the Falcon Eyes F7 and Fold but it was very informative!
I've got the F7 Fold for the upcoming RGB video :)
@@NewLayer Awesome!
Buying one Lupo Smartpanel as an ultra portable key and two Luxli Violas for fill/rim/backlight. It should be enough to do talking heads and product shots while still fitting everything in one backpack.
Sounds like a plan! I also have the Actionpanel Action Pack from Lupo, which includes a super nice (albeit large) backpack. I can fit 2 actionpanels and 2 smartpanels + batteries and accessories into it, which is pretty crazy. Definitely the most portable, super bright 4 light kit I can think of.
Problem with the Genaray is that there is no RGB. I'm loving the new Nanlite Litolite 5 C. It's fantastic. Loaded with features, quick, snappy, super bright and color accurate.
Yep! I have an RGB version of this video in the works with 2-3x as many lights. The LitoLite 5C is one of my favorites, if not my current favorite RGB pocket light as well :)
Hi New Layer,
Nice review of the range of bi-color lights!
What do you think of Aputure AL-MW vs the LitraPro?
As for portable RGB lights, I would add to the list Viltrox new RB9 with app ($100 - $20 disc) and the Falcon F7 mini (copy of Aputure MC but made it better and cheaper $59 vs $90) except the body is made of plastic.
Thanks! Glad you liked it.
I’ve never used either of those sadly, but would love to, so I’ll try to get my hands on them.
I have the Viltrox RB9 for my RGB video, and the FalconEyes F7 Fold, but not the mini.
There are some really good dark horse RGB lights for really cheap so I’m excited for that video.
great review, can you recommend a mini softbox/diffuser for IVISII G2 Pocket RGB Pocket LED size?
Sorry I don't ever use softboxes with pocket lights, and if I use a diffuser I just make sure to use a light that has one included.
saw your comparison chart on your site and i did a result check for the Lupo smart panel vs the Godox ml60 and then forgot that with the reflector the lux will change for the Godox
Yep, the ML60 is much brighter than the Smartpanel once you add the reflector. It's 60 watts vs the Smartpanel at just 20 watts, as well as the Smartpanel being bi-color.
@@NewLayer I've seen that without the reflector and with a softbox the light is tremendously weakened. Do you have a recommendation for one of those diffusion that goes in front of the reflector or something else.
@@hoodaffairstv There are diffusion "socks" for standard reflectors, which work well, but obviously not as good as a large softbox geni.us/neewer7diffusion
The best thing to do is to shoot the light with the stock reflect onto an external diffusion source, like a sheet or diffusion fabric (geni.us/neewerdiffusionfabric) hanging from a boom pole or diffusion frame. But, if you are doing that, you'll lose a lot of light output, so it'll be pretty comparable to simply using a softbox.
There's really no way around it, the softer you make the light, the more output you lose. Hope that helps though :)
I'm obsessed with RGB pocketlights because I want aaaallllllll the features. Plus, the prices just KEEP GOING DOWN. With the exception of special pieces like the Lupo, intellytech, litra or generay I feel like I'm doing myself a disservice buying bicolor pocket lights.
We're definitely all lucky with how cheap lighting is getting! SOOO many good options nowadays. I've got about 3x as many RGB lights for the next video, but I still do like a good bi-color light for the times when I need the extra brightness, but like you said, things like the Lupo Smartpanel are in another league where that is concerned.
Hi! Could the Lupo Smartpannel work as a key light, using diffusion? Or is there any light this small that you would recommend more as a key light (with diffusion too, of course)? I'm trying to find the best truly portable light that could work as a key light.
He said in the video that this one is the only one that could possibly work as a key light
I'm so glad I stumbled on this video. I've really had my eye on the Aputure MC, but I am just looking for a good [small] key/fill light for video calls and the occasional fill for some photography and the MC is overkill for that. I want something small and light that I can have in my backpack. I'm thinking the Genaray Powerbank 96 and the VL120 seem to be the closest bi-color version of the Aputure MC in size. The Genaray and VL120 are very similar in size but the Vijim is much lighter (4 ounces vs 8). I guess for the price, I could get two VL120's and have two light sources that would weight the same as one Powerbank 96. What reasons might I choose the Genaray over the Vijim?
Two main reasons, one of which you stated, which is price. You could get a couple instead of just one, which could be nice. The other is that the daylight LEDs on the Vijim VL120 specifically aren't as color accurate as the Genaray lights. For video calls, this would matter about 0/10. For photography, it might matter a little more IF you're using them for people/skin tones. But, these pocket lights are so small/not bright that I can only imagine you'd use them for accents rather than key lights.
The other thing is the build quality with the Genaray being better built, having a nicer carrying case, etc. And the fact that they can be used as portable powerbanks to charge your phone etc if needed. Hope that helps!
@@NewLayer So I've actually discovered there are two versions of the VL120. There is a bi-color one and an RGB version. The bi-color is slightly cheaper, rates a longer battery, and weighs slightly less. They share identical body size and battery. And somehow they both have listed identical brightness levels.
B&H says the RGB is split 42 daylight, 42 tungsten, and 36 RGB. Would the bi-color still be brighter since it splits the difference at 60/60? Or does the identical brightness level simply have to do with improvements in the product? (It appears the bi-color version is the older version.)
I ordered the RGB version, then doubted the brightness levels, then cancelled my order. Is it really going to make that much of a difference? (I don't need RGB, but my thinking is if it's essentially the same product and it's nearly the same price, might as well have the option of RGB if I want it. But I don't want to potentially sacrifice brightness for the sake of colors I won't use.)
Can you share any wisdom?
@@frombrandon Ah, I didn't realize they released an RGB version since this video, good catch!
The bi-color version will be slightly brighter for the exact reason you stated, same wattage on both lights, but on the RGB version you'd have less "white" LEDs running at any given time when compared to the bi-color version.
To be fair, the brightness difference will likely be something like 1/3 stop, so not much at all. Hope that helps, maybe you could get 1 of each? :)
@@NewLayer Challenge accepted! I'm going to order both and compare. I guess the good news is that no matter which one I like better, they're both brighter than the Aputure MC. :o) Thanks for your thoughts and replies. I've subscribed to the channel and look forward to seeing more!
@@frombrandon Thanks for the support! Let me know which you like better :)
Hi, J. T., Thanks for the informative video. I am using NP-F970 for my small GVM LED light and the battery is too top heavy for the setup. Have you tried NPF adaptor plate from SmallRig to mount the battery on the lightstand and run the DC power to the light unit? Just want to hear your thoughts as I am researching for an alternative battery mounting method. Any idea would be appreciated!
Happy to help. I've not tried the SmallRig version, but I have a few various v-mount and NP-F adapters/plates, and as long as you have the right cables to plug the right voltage batteries in, anything will work. I like mounting batteries on a v-mount clamp on the vertical poles on a light stand too, so that's a solid plan in my book!
@@NewLayer Thanks J.T. All the best, Tommy.
Besides brightness, is there an advantage to bicolor pocket lights over RGB pocket lights that also do bicolor like the Aputure MC? I hear that dedicated bicolor is more color accurate but I assume that’s only true when some RGB lights don’t have additional dedicated bicolor lights built in. But if they do, then may as well just go with a pocket RGB light that can do it all?
The brightness difference is the big thing, so it depends on your shooting needs and style. The Aputure MC for example is only about 115 lux, which is quite dim. It's perfect for accent lighting or hints of color, but if you need a real fill light, you might be in trouble. Ideally you'd have both in your kit, but overall, RGB lights are more flexible for sure.
The Iwata Genius Light is more than double the brightness, so it's over 1 full stop brighter. Since it's so much brighter, you can run it at half the power instead of full power, and you'll get longer battery life out of a bi-color at similar brightness most of the time since lights are designed with batteries fit to their size, if that makes sense.
And yes, the color accuracy thing is really only true if they don't have dedicate white and tungsten LEDs on top of the RGB ones, but that is very rare nowadays. I only have 2 RGB pocket lights out of 30 or so that have 0 or just 1 set of white LEDs.
@@NewLayer right, makes sense. Looking forward to the RGB review.
Great presentation! I got Iwata genious pro gp-01 24w bicolor light myself. It’s really nice size/power wise. Ever considered that one? :)
I really wanted to get ahold of that one for this video (along with some others) but couldn't. It looks like a great light, and 24 watts is super powerful!
New Layer hard to get em all for one single video. But good variety here! Your videos rock! Keep it going 🤟
@@bushboxer Thanks! I'll definitely try to get a Part 2 up with other options in the future :)
Which of the vijim lights would be best for videos recorded from a phone of people's faces?
It's hard to beat the VL120 for the price: geni.us/vijimvl120
It's not as color accurate as nicer lights, but it's super inexpensive, and should work well for phone videos.
Does the Ulaznzi VIJIM R70 have better color accuracy than the VIJIM lights you reviewed here?
Thanks!
I have that light, but unfortunately haven't been able to test it fully yet, sorry.
Quality content! Would the Genaray work as a key light? Or is the Lupo the only one capable enough?
Thanks! Only the Lupo would really work as any kind of key light if you're using diffusion, and the diffusion would have to be external, or if you had a flash bracket, you could use an umbrella. The rest are way too dim, with the exception of the Aputure Amaran F7, although, for that one, you may find yourself shooting at f/1.8 and ISO 1600 or something, so not the best choice.
@@NewLayer thanks for replying. I’m gonna check out your Lupo review video for more info. Stay safe and keep making great content. Subbing to your channel even though my wallet will regret this decision in the future.
@@zobotrombie Haha! I can confirm the future regrets of your wallet right now.
so coming next is the rgb pocket lights battle?
It's coming, but not the next video. I have about 25 RGB pocket lights, so it'll take a bit to do that one. I hope to have it up within a month.
Thanks for the vid,would the vl120 be ok for zoom,teams calls do you think? or which of the vijim ones would best serve for that?? just wanna fix something to the laptop or desktop,cheers
The Vijim VL120 is a perfect candidate for that. It's very inexpensive, plenty bright for that use case (use the diffuser to soften the light), and even though it's not super color accurate for pro filmmaking, that's not required for simple Zoom calls, etc. Hope that helps!
@@NewLayer thanks so much, appreciate that, I was looking at the vl196 too but thought that would be overkill for my needs, I'm no filmmaker lol
@@Nagfan09 The colors can be fun but yeah, as a basic light it’s hard to beat at the price.
I'm aiming the vijim vl120 as my hair light because it's the only light in this video that available in my country. But, i'm still confused to choose betwen vijim vl120 or the aputure al-m9, what do you think about both of them and which one do you prefer?
I actually have never had the Aputure light, but the VL120 is not the best for color accuracy, so you might as well get the AL-M9. Unless you plan to use the color gels and diffuser that come with the VL120.
Either one should do a good job for you, especially as a hair light.
@@NewLayer thank you for the opinion, it helps me a lot.
@@DaffaApriyuda Happy to help!
I’m new to all this however, I have a Canon TI7 and I would like to start using it for a video is there a budget friendly light you can recommend I know I will need at least two of them anything you can help with would be appreciate
Not sure what else to say that I didn't say in the video. These all made the cut over other options, so just choose based on budget and if you have a special need besides a basic light and you should be happy. You might also want to check out the video I made on RGB options: th-cam.com/video/GBA9_bHcUms/w-d-xo.html
Can you recommend some cargo shorts?
HAHA! I got some cargo shorts for a '90s party last year, and my wife hates me because I continue to wear them!
Hi! Sorry for the rookie questionnaire, I was just wondering: I'm currently looking at the Lupo Smartpanel... That light had an output of 4,200 lux at 1m without the help of any type of reflector. If, for example, I consider that the Amaran 100x specs say it has an output of 3,700 lux at 1m(bare bulb) and 34,300 at 1m (with the hyper reflector)...Doesn't that mean that the Lupo Smartpanel a more powerful bare output? If so, is there some kind of reflector that could help the Lupo Smartpanel increase its photometrics in a similar way the 100x's reflector does? And finally, if so, wouldn't that make the Lupo Smartpanel a more powerful key light than the Amaran 100x? Any advice would be truly appreciated!
I saw your other comments, but am just replying here so hopefully I answer everything.
The Smartpanel is indeed brighter than the 100x bare bulb , but that's because the Smartpanel essentially works like it has a built in reflector. The 100x has a 120 beam angle, while the Smartpanel has a ~45 degree beam angle due to focusing lenses built into the front panel. If you were to focus the 100x down to 45 degrees, it would be brighter.
With that said, you can't further focus the Smartpanel, but you probably don't want to anyways since 45 degrees is pretty tight.
You CAN use it as a key light into relatively small diffusion like a shoot through umbrella, but only in a controlled environment shooting around 1/50, f/2.8, ISO 400-800. And that would be using it at full power. It's only 20 watts after all, AND bi-color, so even a 60 watt light will give you at least 1 stop more brightness when modified down to the same beam angle by adding a reflector.
I have videos on some portable COB options like the Nanlite Forza 60, Godox ML60, and Aputure 60x, so check those out as well for COB options.
I hope that helps :)
@@NewLayer hi! Thank you for such a thorough reply! Yeah I was starting too look at small COB lights too. See, I’m trying to find the best key light I can fit on a 30L backpack next to my camera gear and other travel stuff (this is why it’s very important for it to be as small as posible) for on the field use. I was looking for it to be battery (N-PF preferably) and AC powered as well. Can you think of any particular light that could fill this description 😬? So far I feel the Lupo Smartpanel was the closest, but I’m a lighting rookie truth be told. 😓
@@electrichimp For as small as it is, there's really nothing that matches the size, brightness, and lightweight design of the Smartpanel. The next step up would be their Actionpanel, which is still pretty small and light for what it outputs, but uses V-mount batteries.
Then there's something like this, which is ultra bright for it's size, but much much heavier: th-cam.com/video/wh-pqHXgmUM/w-d-xo.html
@@NewLayer they look great, but yeah little too big and also significantly pricier 😣what would you say of this plan: buy the Lupo Smartpanel for truly minimal travel requirements, and save up for a portable COB (leaning towards the Aputure 60x, but open to suggestions 🥸) to use when I'm able to carry a little for and for use in a studio setting?
@@electrichimp That's a good plan. The Smartpanel will likely come in handy for the next decade, so it's never a bad idea to get one :)
Does the f7 work with any of their remotes?
Unfortunately there's no remote control on the Aputure Amaran F7
@@NewLayer Oh well :(
I know that f7 is bright so the lupo must be crazy bright
It really is, almost comically so. It's brighter than 60 watt COB lights. Granted it's got a smaller beam angle, is not Bowens mount, etc. but it's a huge feat regardless.
OMG, not one single reviewer is testing them on a subject in low light conditions, I'm losing my mind....
Are you wondering about brightness? You can see the brightness measurements for everything here: newlayer.com/gear/lights/compare
Everything is measured from 1 meter, and you can easily calculate brightness from other distances using the inverse square law. When the distance doubles, you get 1/4 the brightness. So if a light gives you f/22 from 1 meter, you'll get f/11 from 2 meters.
You can read more here: petapixel.com/inverse-square-law-light/
An average pocket light only gives you something like f/1.2 @ 1m (ISO 100, 1/50), so they are not suitable for any kind of key light.
??? where are the numbers? what's the point of saying you measured everything without showing a chart?
What's the point of you leaving a comment without reading the description where there's clearly a link?
Which one is the brightest looking for a light like this check out the video example.
th-cam.com/video/IMXAm_yqVTg/w-d-xo.html