Zeniko kindly sent me 2 ultra small flashes for review, and its the ZF04 and the ZF08. They are very similar in appearance, although the ZF08 is slightly larger and 3 USD more expensive than the 30 USD ZF04.
Zeniko ZF04 and ZF08. The ZF08 is a little bigger and the extra size is used for a battery with more capacity plus a more powerful flash output.
I honestly thought my trusty old Nikon SB-400 at 127 grams was super light and compact, but relative to the Zeniko flashes at 20 and 36 grams respectively, the Nikon flash suddenly seemed big and heavy!
Pocketable
The small size of the flashes in combination with built in Lithium batteries chargeable via a USB-C port, makes these super easy to fit in your pocket or camera bag! They hold sufficient capacity to shoot 3-400 shots when fully charged and for my use that is more than enough! I seldom do more than 1-200 shots during a shooting session, but it should be noted that this is at the lowest output level. They both recycle at around 3 seconds, and I would think that could easily fit you, no matter if you are into portrait or flower photography.
Zeniko ZF04 and ZF08 spec sheet. Notice the impressive number of shots available, albeit at the lowest output setting…
The ZF08 offers 5 output levels whereas the ZF04 “only” offers 2, and the guide number is 6-8 meters for the ZF04 and 16 meters for the ZF08. So flower photography, product photography and portrait photography should work just fine, but don’t expect these flashes to light up a large room if you want to do group photos!
Form factor
The small flashes works well with compact cameras. I have tried the flashes on my Ricoh GR3x, and here I found the smaller ZF04 to fit the size of the camera really well. Many pocketable cameras do not have a built in flash, and here the Zeniko flashes comes to the rescue!
Zeniko ZF04 looks very fine on the Ricoh GR3x!
For a larger camera the ZF08 could be a great solution. I have tested it on my trusty Lumix S5 and found it to fit into the size and weight of the camera very well. However, the ZF08 on my compact Ricoh camera felt a little too large relative to the ZF04.
On a more “normal size” camera like the Lumix S5, the Zeniko ZF08 in terms of size fits beautifully!
Keep it simple…
The two flashes will work with a lot of different cameras, and I have successfully tried them on both Nikon, Lumix and Ricoh! How come these flashes are not camera specific? Well, they don’t have all the camera specific contacts! They only have the center contact that is used to fire the flash. So you will have to adjust the flash level yourself, and the more advanced features you may be used to (like TTL) are not available.
My trusty old Nikon SB-400 can tilt the flash head to enable it to light the subject with indirect light. No such option with the Zeniko flashes as they will always send the light directly at the subject. Also, the small size of the flash head will give hard light, and you may want to soften the flash output with a light modifier. There are some options on the Zeniko home page.
What to choose?
First, I assume that if you are in the market for flashes like these, it is because size and weight is vital for you. The flashes will work really well for cases where you have a compact camera without a built flash and want to add a flash without compromising weight and size. They will of course not be able to fill a large room or give the same output as larger and more expensive flashes. So they are designed for a very specific case: keep it compact at the expense of output and advanced features.
I think both flashes deliver well to this specific niche, and do so without breaking the bank. The ZF08 gives more output and if you can stomach the slightly bigger size than the ZF04, then the additional 3 USD are very well spent. In both cases, these flashes will lift your photography in cases where the available ambient light leaves a bit to be desired.
I have for some time been able to manage with only one flash (!) – the Godox V860III. My copy is made for sitting on a Nikon, but because I trigger it off camera with a Godox XPro, I am able to use the same flashlight across my Nikon, Canon and Fuji cameras. I have to invest in a trigger per camera, but the flash can be the same. This is the first reason why I wanted to stay with Godox – their eco system works really well and the protocol is shared across a lot of their newer products.
My Godox V860III has been my only flash – supported by reflectors and mirrors.
I wanted to get a second flash to give me more options especially when doing product shoots. I did consider getting an additional Godox V860III, but I really do miss a good modelling light, so I am able to see where the light falls before hitting the shutter. The V860III does have a modelling light, but it sits on the base of the flashlight and hence does not follow the turning of the head. And when the flashlight sits in say a softbox, the modelling light is no good at all.
The modelling light on the Godox V860III sits on the base of the flashlight and does not follow the direction of the head of the flash light.
The Godox AD100Pro solves this problem by having the modelling light sitting at the edge of the flash light itself, and hence solves the issue I have with the V860III. It is not a very strong light at only 1.8W, and when sitting in a softbox this is not very useful. But when the flash is used “naked” it is really a helpful feature and for my flower photography I really enjoy the modelling light.
The Godox AD100PRO has a small 1.8W modelling light sitting at the edge of the flash light itself.
Further, the AD100Pro is not a very big flash. It is marginally larger than a can of coca-cola and as I have only a small studio, having a compact flash is important to me. The flash is not that powerful (only marginally stronger than the V860III) and if you need more power, I suggest you take a closer look at the AD200Pro or AD400Pro to mention a few.
The Godox AD100PRO is a relatively small flash – here compared to the size of a pen.
I was able to get the AK-R1 accessory kit that gives a range of modifiers, including barn doors, snoot and gels. The light modifiers snap onto the flash via magnets, and it is so easy and very fast to mount and swap light modifiers. I really enjoy this addition to my flash, although the size of the light source for my usage (typically product shoots) is small and hence gives hard light. But for a focused beam of light to enhance the brand name or a logo on a product, it is really useful.
Godox AD100PRO and the AK-R1 accessory kit
Finally, the Lithium battery that comes with the AD100Pro is – even when I shoot at full power – able to recycle in a matter of seconds. And the battery easily supports one of my shooting sessions (1-2 hours typically) without a need for charging.
Summary
The Godox AD100Pro works really well for me, but your preferences and use case may vary from mine. If you need lots of power, I recommend that you look to some of the larger models (AD200 and AD400), especially if you want some modelling light that is useful also in daylight when sitting in a softbox.
The SmallRig RM75 video light is actually quite small. At 9.9 x 6.7 x 0.18 centimetres, it will not take up much space in your camera bag. Despite the small form factor, it delivers a CRI at 96 and a colour temperature in the range of 2500K to 8500K.
It is powered with a 4Ah battery, which I find to be a large battery especially considering the small size of the light. The spec sheet promises 3 hours of operation at full throttle, and if you ask me, that is a mind blowing performance! When I think back just a few years what a small LED light could deliver, then giant steps of progress have been made here!
The SmallRig RM75 as it presents itself on the tin.
The box with the light contains very little other than the light: a manual, a user guide, a USB cable and a light diffuser.
In the box you will find the instruction manual (left), the light itself (right) and a diffuser along with a USB cable (middle). The diffuser also protects the SmallRig light.
I must admit that I thought the light diffuser was a case to protect the light mainly, but when I tried to fit the silicone rubber case, I could see that the case is somewhat thicker than the light itself. This design to create a space between the light and the case, so the heat can dissipate. That said, the diffuser will also protect the light, the same way you probably have a cover for your smartphone.
Yes! USB-C charging! And you can also see the small screen top right that shows you the menus and status of the light.
I enjoy USB-C charging very much! It saves me from unboxing yet another charger, and it also means that I can charge the SmallRig when on the go, say via my power bank or the USB plug in my car. So USB-C charging is very welcome! And I am also glad to see that the SmallRig charges with a powerful 65W charger – not all devices can stomach so much power (for the tech savvy: it supports USB-C PD).
In use
There are not many buttons on the SmallRig and that is good news if you ask me! Other than the on-off switch and the USB-C connector, there is only a command wheel to control the light (it is named “SET”). It works simple and smart: push it once to enter/jump a menu, and long push it to exit the menu. Turn the wheel to change the value, say the strength of the light or the color temperature. The menus and options are displayed in a small OLED screen on the middle of the rear of the SmallRig light.
The interface to the SmallRig is simple: a small command wheel (left), an on/off button (middle) and a USB-C connector (right). At the other end there is a 1/4″ thread for mounting the SmallRig on a tripod or the like.
There are 3 main menus in the menu system and you can control all aspects of the light (light intensity, color temperature, saturation, hue, etc). There are also a number of predefined effects that you can choose between like fireworks and a police car. For my liking, it gets a little bit fiddly to choose between all those options with just a command wheel, and luckily there are 2 QR codes in the manual – one for OIS and one for Google. In other words: the SmartRig has an app! Everything seems to have an app this day and age!
Of course the SmallRig has an app! And you can control all aspects of the light including special effects! Just remember to have bluetooth turned on on your smartphone.
The app is maybe not the most elegant software I have come across, but it certainly gets the job done, and it also secured that the software in the SmallRig was updated to the latest version, before I started to use the app in more detail. For my usage the most important is to be able to control the intensity of the light and the color temperature – and sometimes also to turn the light on and off remotely. So I have not deep dived into the more advanced functions, but it sure looks overwhelming with all the effects that are available and the way you can tweak the hue of the light.
Mount
There is a small 1/4″ thread in the bottom of the SmallRig so you can mount it on a tripod or a boom arm or whatever is to your liking.
The SmallRig on a Manfrotto tripod.
As a new feature (at least for me), the SmallRig also has some magnets that makes it possible for you mount the light on a metal surface.
The SmallRig has magnets that allows you to mount the light on metal surfaces. Here a small lamp on my desktop. The magnets are relatively weak compared to the weight of the SmallRig, so it will not work for all types and sizes of metal.
I found the magnets to be relatively weak when holding the 185 grams light, but if you find some metal that is sufficiently “beefy” and flat, then it definitely works.
Conclusion
The SmallRig RM75 here in late 2022 retails for around 80 USD which I think is a very fair price for a powerful light with lots of features and controls and a battery that will keep you with light for several hours on one charge.
The question is if the 5W of light the SmallRig yields (500 lux at 0.5m) is sufficient for you and if the surface of the light is big enough for your needs. That comes down to exactly what your needs are for lightning. But if you find that the size and the illuminance of the SmallRig will cover your needs, then I have no hesitation to recommend the SmallRig RM75.
When I was in the market for a speedlite flash the first time around, I looked at the prices for flashes from the big brands such as Canon or Nikon. And my conclusion was that they were out of my reach budget wise. I know from many blog posts and users sharing experiences with these brand flashes that they are very good and will (almost) last you a lifetime. Your mileage may vary, but the price simply kept me from the big and well known brands.
The other side of the road is is to go for a very cheap flash, but studying the market and what experience photographers had had with budget flashes, that did not seem to be my path either. As they say, buy nice or buy twice. I was not planning to buy twice.
So my solution was Godox, that I find to deliver solid quality products without breaking the bank. That for me was the sweet spot I had been searching for. And I got a TT685 and later a V860 mk II and now a V860 mk III. And I wish I had started with the latter!
Now, if you are simply after if I can recommend this flash, then it is a big yes. I find the price around 220-230 EUR to be reasonable, and the functionality and light provided by Godox is exactly what I need. If you have a big studio and need to cover a lot of distance or area, then this flash may not suffice (the guide number is 60 (meters)), but for my work mainly being shooting objects (products, stills, etc) at relatively close range, this flash is spot on for that I need.
Notice that this flash is also branded under the name: Flashpoint Zoom Li-on III R2 TTL over at Adorama.
Battery
So this reviewer starts out with the battery on the V860 III – does he not get the point with a speedlite? Well, I do, but when you start working with a speedlite, one of the first things you will notice is battery life and recycling times.
Mk II left, mk III right. Newer is better: Smaller size battery and more power.
I have had speedlites with AAA batteries and external power banks, and I can say from bitter experience: do not travel that road! It is clumsy and cumbersome! The powerful Li-on battery in the V860 III delivers plenty of power. In fact, it has 1.5 times more power than the mk II, despite the battery is smaller in size.
The hole in the flash is by design! The battery fits very precisely. You release the battery by pushing a button while tilting the flash – then it slides out sideways.
The recycle time after firing full throttle is around 1-2 seconds, and that is more than acceptable in my book. The cycle speed obviously increases as you lower the power, so worst case is 1-2 seconds, but often faster.
The spec sheet promises 480 flashes at full power (76W) before the battery is flat. I must admit that I have never run a battery down – I have a spare battery in the charger, and as soon as there is 1 bar left, I switch, and I have never bothered to count. For me the flash can fire so many times on a single battery that I get tired before the flash does! But of course, if you shoot HHS a lot, then 480 flashes may wear down quickly!
Notice that relative to the mk II, the mk III has 50% more amps available, despite the battery’s physical size being smaller. So if your budget allows, go for the mk III for that reason alone – you will not regret it.
Presentation
So the Godox V860 III is a pretty standard speedlite and from the looks of it, it does not stand out from so many other speedlites.
As with more expensive flashes, you can tilt the head both in and up-down direction, but also turn it sideways. This is great for bouncing the light exactly in the direction you want it to. Cheaper flashes often only allow you to tilt up and down.
Modelling light.
An added feature with the mk III relative to the mk III is so called modelling light. It allows you to see the direction of the light before you hit the shutter – provided the head is pointing the same direction as modelling light does! And when shooting into a shoot through umbrella, I find it less useful as the light is rather weak. The idea is good and probably stems from some of the pro gear where the modelling light can power up entire softboxes and really be useful. Here I find it is more a gimmick than anything else.
On camera
The foot of the flash is designed for a specific brand of camera, and you can get a flash for all the major brands. I have flashes for both Fuji, Nikon and Sony, but I know the list is longer and that Godox probably extend is as this blog post ages. So check if there is one your camera.
One cool detail that I think many have forgotten is the ability to have the flash fire in optical slave mode. This is a budget friendly way of getting your flash off the camera and use the flash built into your camera to trigger the Godox flash. In the image above, just below the modelling flash, you can see a red zone beneath the Godox name, and it is where the flash looks for trigger light if you have activated optical slave mode. Of course the slave flash is not very smart and cannot contribute to TTL shooting or other ways of controlling the light automatically, but as a manual way of getting the flash off camera, I think it is a valid option. And it can be an option while you save for a radio transmitter! Which brings me to…
Off camera
Maybe one of the best things about the Godox flashes is that they share protocol and can talk to each other irrespective of the camera they are intended for. When we are talking on camera, you need to buy a Godox flash made for Fuji if you want it to be mounted on a Fuji camera. The foot is made specifically for that brand only. But when moving off camera, only the trigger needs to fit the brand of the hotshoe. The protocol between sender and receiver is brand agnostic.
Transmitters to be mounted on Nikon (N), Fuji (F) and Sony (S) going left to right.
Sounds complicated? I have 3 so called X-pro tiggers. One for Nikon, one for Sony and one for Fuji. Each pro trigger can only sit on a Nikon, Sony and Fuji hotshoes respectively. But they can trigger any V860, irrespective of what camera it is made for.
The x-pro transmitter.
So I use the same flash for 3 different cameras. That is smart. And it works. But of course the trigger is not for free, but compared to other brands where the protocol between trigger and receiver is brand specific, this is simply brilliant!
Living with a V860 III
Admitted, I will never be a big fan of the user interface on the Godox flashes, and the mk III is no exception. I have come to learn to live with the menus and buttons that I find a bit quirky, so it is not a showstopper in any way, but a better designed user interface is for sure on my wish list for the mk IV!
The weight is around 500 grams with battery, and that is some when mounted on top of the camera, but you quickly get used to it. Be careful with handling the flash when mounted on camera – the foot is made of metal, so if force is applied (you drop the camera with flash on a tile floor!) then you may find your flash survives but the hot shoe on your expensive camera is shredded. So take care or shoot off camera!
The user interface could be better. It is not bad, but not super intuitive either.
I don’t think you will miss any technical features with the V860 mkII. It supports HSS, front/rear curtain sync, optical slave, TTL, exposure compensation +/- 3 stops, zooms between 20 and 200mm, has built in reflector and has a focus assist light. There are so many groups and channels that even 10 wedding photographers working in the same space could find a seperate channel combination to work with! Your demands may be more advanced than mine, but for me this flash has all I need and then some!
The light is as it should be – 5600K +/- 200 K. I have not noticed any changes or inconsistency over time with the temperature of the light, no matter if the flash is just started or has been at it for a long time.
My wish list for the Mk IV, other than a better menu system, is the ability to charge the battery via the USB-C connector in the flash, i.e. that I can charge the battery without removing it from the flash. That would be cool. But it is nice to have.
Conclusion
As you have probably guessed, I like this flash! It gets the job done, and without the quirks that some other flashes have. In short:
Excellent value for money
Powerful and compact battery
Tons of technical features
Great wireless system
And the improvement points are:
More power to the modelling light
Re-designed menu system (by a photographer, not a software engineer!)
Some say that photography is writing with light, and as such the right light is more important than anything else! Here the Ninja 10B LED light from Viltrox comes in handy. It was kindly sent to me by Viltrox for review, but the review here is by me and not Viltrox.
Some prefer flash light in a studio, but for video that is not of much use and also steady light has the advantage that you can see how the light hits your subject(s) before you start shooting or recording; you don’t have that convenience when shooting with flash. In that sense there are many advantages to using steady light over flash light.
The Viltrox Ninja 10B. Here with the lamp cover mounted (yellow triangle in the centre). On the side you see the green handle bar for angle adjustment. At the bottom the handle for hand holding the lamp.
The Viltrox Ninja 10B comes in several variants, and if you want to go mobile say because you shoot outdoors, you should definitely take a closer look at the options with battery supplied over at the Viltrox homepage.
In the box
In the box the main items is the light itself, a reflector (Bowens interface) and a power supply – and it is all delivered in a nice little bag for easy storage and travel. There is also a lamp cover that protects the LED lights during transport – it is important that you remember to always put to cover back on the light during transport so the LED panel is not exposed to dust or hit by anything.
My copy came with a handle to use the light handheld. Weighing less than 500 grams, handheld is a good option, although I often mount my light on a stand.
The adapter retaining clip keeps the power supply at bay.
A really useful item is the so called adapter retaining clip, that allows you to secure the power supply to the stand, so it is not hanging in the power cable on the rear of the light. It may sound like a small thing, but when you first get used to this adapter, you wonder how you could do without it!
A bag is in the box. Nice for both carrying the light and storing at home.
The light is delivered in a nice bag that you can use for both transportation and storage.
The light
The light is a 120 watts (!) LED light with a color rendition index above 95, which is bound to give you precise colors at any color temperature. The kelvin values ranges from 2800K to 6800K.
120 Watts at your disposal!
My current studio light is around 100 Watts and I have never felt that 100 Watts was too little, so 120 Watts is more than sufficient if you like me work in a small studio.
Viltrox Ninja 10B LED light rear controls.
Controls
Other than the on-off switch, the control that you will use the most is the big dial on the rear of the Ninja 10B: Turn it to control the brightness of the light (0-100%) and push it once to switch to control the color temperature (2800K to 6800K). Push it again to switch back to brightness control. A nice clear LCD on the rear will show you your selections.
You have 19 channels and 6 groups (A-F) to choose from, so I don’t think you will run out of options for finding an available combination.
Remote control
You can buy a remote control as an additional item – it is not supplied with the light by default. But I doubt you will miss the remote because Viltrox has an app to control the light entirely. Download the app, and you have a remote control at your disposal!
The number of options and details you can control with the app is much better than what the controls on the rear of the light offers, so I quickly got in the habit of using the app for controlling the light. If you like to have many pre-defined options to choose from, then you will love the app: you can choose between pre-defined scenes such as a campfire, an ambulance, candlelight, etc
The app right is a fine alternative to the physical remote as described on the manual to the left. The physical remote you have to buy seperately.
A cool detail is that the app for this light is exactly the same as for the Weelight light sticks, and it works via bluetooth communications. I don’t know how they do it, but when you download the app, the app and the light is connected automatically. Not setup or connection procedure required! A cool detail is that you can turn the light off using the app!
Price and conclusion
The price of the Viltrox Ninja 10B here in October 2022 is around 330 USD (there is an introduction offer – you can take a closer look at Viltrox homepage to get the details). I think that is a fair price and you get a really good solid light with good build quality.
The handles carved out in aluminium is a nice touch.
The only issue I can find with this light is that the fan is quite loud. Even though it is possible to adjust the fan speed into 3 levels (50%, 80% and 100%), it did not really change the fan speed, and the fan kept on going when the light was dimmed down to 0% or I had turned off the light via the app. For video recording, this is an issue, as the fan noise is picked up by the microphones mercilessly and it is difficult to edit out with noise cancellation in post. So you may find that this light is primarily for photography and video where the sound is added later.
The Weeelite K21 RGB Light Stick is as the name says simply a stick of light. Not much to report here I thought – it is just a stick of light, but it has a few tricks up its sleeve that won me over after working with it for a few hours.
The Weeylite is here hiding behind the dark vase to the right and used to enhance toe shape of the red vase to the left.
The Weeylite K21 gives around 8W of light, and back in the day when we had incandescent lamps, this is equivalent of around 75W of light. So it does give a significant amount of light, but of course it is not enough to light up a large studio or the like. But it will be more than enough if you make Youtube videos and want some light close to your face or want it to light up the background to make it more interesting. I have also used the Weeylite for product shoots, where it is brilliant to backlight a product, as the stick is easy to hide.
Not much, or?
Admitted – it doesn’t look like much! It is just a stick of light approximately 25 centimeters long. But there is more than meets the eye!
When you see the product, it does not look like much – it is just a stick of light, where the light (ends excluded) is approximately 25 centimeters long.
A brilliant little detail: The Weeylite K21 has threads in both ends, so you can mount it on a tripod or the like.
But the first thing I notices when unpacking it was the threads in both ends, making it possible to mount the light on a tripod or the like. And even better, the Weeylite K21 is also magnetic(!) so you can mount it on many surfaces with or made of metal.
The Weelite is magnetic! Here I have put in on my computer screen for demonstration.
That is a brilliant little detail, that I only found out by studying the manual. And the manual is short and sweet, just like I like them. And easy to understand. In fact, it is not a manual, more a large piece of paper.
The manual is short and sweet. You will quickly get familiar with the Weeylite K21.
Interface
The Weeylite K21 chargers via USB-C! Brilliant!
The Weeylite holds a battery, so you don’t need to worry about cables or the like when you shoot. And I was glad to see that it charges via USB-C, the new EU standard – brilliant!
If you don’t want to use the app, there is a small LCD screen with a few buttons to control the light settings. Also notice the USB-C charging port.
The interface is very simple: A small LCD screen and 4 buttons. You can of course control the strength of the light between 100% down to 1%, and the color temperature. The four buttons work well and my only complaint is that it would have been nice had the buttons been backlit, as I often work in the dark when applying the light from the Weeylite.
But here is the thing that really won me over with this little product: the app. It is simply brilliant – and you can of course see all the settings on your smartphone via the app, also in the dark. The app is so good that I hardly ever use the buttons on the Weeylite K21 itself.
The app impressed me! It links to the Weeylite K21by itself during installation, and you can control all aspects of the light via the app!
First, the app connected to the Weeylite K21 without me doing anything but downloading the app! Not sure how that works, but it did. And then you can control several lights is channels and groups, just like you know it if you have worked with wireless flashes – brilliant!
And the app gives you so many options for controlling the light that it is a bit crazy. It has pre-set effects like weld, candlelight, flame, TV, weld etc, and you can also configure the lights Kelvin value, saturation, brightness and individual color channels, just to mention a few. It is very impressive. And of course you can turn on and off the light via the flash.
Conclusion
If you are in the market for a small light that you can use for videos or product shoots, then I think you should really consider the Weeylite K21.
It is compact, gives a lot of light, easy to mount via either threads or magnetism and the app to control it is simply brilliant and gives so many options that I think even the most demanding will find their requirements are met.
At 199 USD this is certainly one of the more affordable video lights. I do have to admit that COLBOR sent me this product for review, but they did not put any constraints on me or what I write in this review!
The build quality is not up there with the high end models, but as long as it gets the job done, I have no complaints. The buttons and dials actually feels ok.
Use
In terms of ease of use a video light is not that complicated – the COLBOR comes with a large centered dial to control the strength of the light – push it inwards once and it now controls the lights Kelvin value (warm vs cold), hit it again and you are back to controlling the strength of the light. The Kelvin steps are 10 and the power % steps are 5. You have a to turn a lot to go from one end of the Kelvin scale to the other, but I seldom do that, so steps of 10 is just fine for me.
In addition to the center dial, there is the on/off button, a mode selector, a group selector and a fan option.
The rear controls on the COLBOR CL100 Video light.
The dials on the back of the COLBOR CL100If you hold the mode selector for 3 seconds the COLBOR will enter boost mode, and for 60 seconds give you more light (120%) at the expense of running the fan at full throttle. Push the mode selector briefly and it toggles between different effects: candle, bonfire, blinking, faulty bulb, flashing and lightning. I never use any of these effect modes – if I would, I think the lightning mode is probably the most relevant as a “party trick” light.
The group selector toggles from A to E and is probably only relevant if you have more lights than one. I did not use it. And then you have the fan options to the very right – either SMART or QUIET. Strangely, I found the smart one to be the most quiet one. In general, and this is super important to me, the fan of the COLBOR is very quiet. I cannot count how many times the fan has been picked up by the microphones and I have had to edit that out in post. Not with the COLOB and that is a huge plus if you ask me!
The COLBOR mounted with my trusty soft box from Godox
I was happy to see that the COLBOR comes with a standard reflector mounted with Bowens mount. This enables me to re-use all the light modifiers I have on stock, as Bowens for me is the standard interface for light modifiers.
A shoot through umbrella.
Also, there is the option to mount an umbrella on the COLBOR as an alternative light modifier. It all works very well.
COLBOR CL100 remote control.
Currently the COLBOR comes with a remote control, and I find that it works really well. An app to replace the remote control is work in progress at the time of writing this review, so you may find that the remote is no longer supplied when you decide to order. I did tell myself that I would not be too lazy to get up and go over and adjust the light, but alas! I ended up using the remote anyway – it is very convenient, and then you just have to be a bit more active in the Gym to compensate.
Some may miss batteries if you plan to go outside for a shoot. I don’t – I stay indoor when it comes to video with light! You can get the COLBOR in an alternative version with batteries, so check that one out if batteries is important to you.
Power and warmth
I have a small studio that measures 3×4 meters and I find the COLBOR delivers sufficiently light for my purpose. My only wish is that I could have more lights to make cross light effects…
Sufficient power for my needs – here at 100%
In terms of Kelvin values, the COLBOR gives full range from 2700K to 6500K and does so with same light intensity. I have some LED panels that can only give full throttle when in the middle of the Kelvin scale; whereas the end of the spectrum they only yield half of that. Not with the COLBOR – same power irrespective of the Kelvin value – great!
Conclusion
What I like
The price
Sufficient power output
Constant power throughout the Kelvin range
The quiet fan
The Bowens interface + the umbrella mount
The convenience of the remote
That I did not pay for batteries
What I did not like
The effect modes – I have no use for these
The build quality (but factor in the price here!)
I have only had the product for a few weeks so I do not know if it will stand the test of time. So far it appears to me to be a durable product.
