AndyCine sent this full RGB LED light with color temperature adjustment and 9 effects modes. I put the light through its paces in a mixture of use cases such as macro photography, vlogging, product photography, miniature scene and diorama timelapse/photo/video. I also tested out the light output compared to my Promaster and “Craphy” LED lights that are somewhat similar.
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| Lighting gear! |
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Specifications:
- Model No: BL-P1
- Charging Power: 12W
- Charging interface: Type-C 5V/9V/12V Qc3.0 Intelligent charge
- Battery Capacity: 7.4V 2930 mAh
- Output selection: 0-100%
- RGB Color Gamut: 0-360 full color
- Color accuracy: CRI 96, TLCI 97
- CCT: 2500-8500k color temperature
- Intensity: 1480 lux at 0.5 meters
- Fastest charging time: 90 min
- Full power time: 140 min
- Lithium Ion Battery: 2930 mAh
- Button SET: Menu switch button
- FN: Multi-function button
- DIM: Dimmer button
- Weight: 260g
- Size: 150x70x15mm
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| The light outdoors doing macro photography. |
Key features:
- A full range of RGB output along with color accurate bi-color.
- Compact size so it’s easy to bring along and not too noticeable.
- Solid build with a metal casing and mount.
- Versatile mount system that’s integrated into the light.
- A bright screen with exact values controlled by dials instead of buttons. Push buttons can be slow. Exact values are key to getting consistent results.
Details and what is included:
- Double jointed metal mounting bracket that has 7 screw threads and a lanyard loop. The light comes with a cold-shoe attachment. Both are very solid feeling with the device itself definitely having some weight to it.
- Control consists of an on/off button, a jog dial with a button to control mode plus sub-mode, and a dial for adjusting values.
- The light does remember modes and sub-modes, but I think it’s timer based between 5 to 10 seconds. There isn’t any way to force the light to instantly save a setting. You need to leave it set for a few seconds to make sure it stays on that setting for the next power cycle. There are hard stops on each end of the brightness control dial, so whatever that is set to the light will start up with.
- The light is rated 1480 lux at 0.5 meters. It has three modes: standard bi-color, RGB mode, and effects mode. The bi-color goes from 2500k to 8500k. That’s a large range! The RGB is a complete range with saturation control. There are 9 effects: lightning 1, lightning 2, TV screen glow, slow RGB loop, fast RGB loop, police car, ambulance, and fire truck. Some of these at maximum power are very intense.
- There is a USB-C port for charging. It comes with a USB-C cable, which is nice. It’s rated to use fast charging features of the USB-C specification. Normal chargers work just fine. I was only able to test with normal chargers.
- The light comes with a soft case. Inside the case there is a hex wrench for adjusting the tension of the double jointed mounting arm.
Notes in use:
- The first light sent to me didn’t survive being charged. I’ve seen some reports of people having duds as well. Make sure where you buy it from has a good exchange policy. My contact at AndyCine was very helpful with the process of getting me a second one.
- The power indicator changes a lot based on what you have the output set to. It was jumping from one to three bars toward the end of my excursion to a local state park for vlogging and macro photography. That said, I didn’t run out of power.
- I ran the (second) light for 20 minutes at full output and charged it at the same time. I’ve charged it multiple times so far. No issues with the second light. The light pulls around 12 watts consistently until it reaches capacity. For amps I see around 0.17, again, until it is reaching capacity.
- You can attach the hot-shoe accessory to the light while it’s packed in the soft case, but I don’t see a way to quickly add/remove it in that situation. In this case I attached the accessory to my camera cage instead because it was a lot faster to access that way.
- It’s definitely a hefty light. Full metal casing and bracket. Just keep in mind there is some weight, which can be good or bad depending on your situation. My scale measured at 1lb 5.6oz for M50 + 11-22mm + battery + card, 9.2oz for the light (612.35g vs. 272.15g).
- It has more of everything than the other two similar lights I have. Smaller in size, but more lighting options. Color adds a lot of possibilities.
- You will want to consider mounting options to keep the light from shifting in the connection joint. The included hot-shoe connector does have rubber at the connection points, but it loosens in use. I noticed that while doing macro work outdoors where the light was extended far away from the connection point on the camera’s hot-shoe.
Features I’d like to see or adjusted:
- I’d like to see some type of locking pin setup on the mount arm. With the included cold-shoe mount it can shift, especially considering the weight of the light. It worked okay when I had it extended from a camera hot-shoe, but it was shifting side to side occasionally. I needed to tighten the shoe connector a few times.
- No wireless control? Some lights have power control or even wireless charging now. (adding this potentially would make the light larger and add cost).
- Removable batteries would be nice. (that would require a larger device and make it less convenient in some ways due to added complexity).
Features I like:
- It’s a compact light with a large amount of output types from bi-color to full RGB and effects.
- Output seems good for what I’ve done so far from vlogging to macro and product photography.
- The exterior case and mount are very solid feeling. The mount itself is compact yet versatile.
- The back screen allows for exact settings. That makes consistent output possible. The light does save what the settings are automatically after around 10 seconds, so cycling power doesn’t require re-adjusting the light if you use a specific setting a lot.
I see this light as a solid all-rounder that can do a lot in a pretty small package. The overall design feels thoughtful and features like the mode and sub mode being automatically saved help in usability. I’m looking forward to using the light more.