I use Godox speedlight and radios and they work like a charm. CTO (Colour Temperature Orange) is used to convert daylight light sources toward the color temperature of tungsten lights. It's just impossible to go after these shady companies that are breaking the law and will simply change their name if caught. wands ExpertPhotography recommends: Manfrotto 5001B 74-Inch Nano Stand, This adapter allows the connection of light units and umbrellas to the stand with swivel control. I could paint them on in PS but what a PIA. apprentice sorcerer All Rights Reserved. 5 Learnable Skills That Every Professional Photographer Must Have, 160 LED lamp beads with 3200k color temperature. The display itself fits a lot of information into a small space, including the light setting, the remaining battery charge, the option to select from sub menus, effective percentage indicators, and descriptive text so you know which light setting you are using. Studio strobes and Speedlights are variations of the same light technology, but studio strobes are large units that require AC power. wand led light This improves the overall colour balance of an image. You can combine and modify them in many ways, and get creative to achieve great lighting. It would be a great addition to have a lock switch on the handle that disables the buttons when engaged. Or are they made in China also? It has been proven again and again. One of my RF-603c dummy triggers went thru the clothes wash cycle last month and the freaking thing still works. Fluorescent lights are expensive and even though they dont get hot, you need more than one bulb to get close to the light power you get out of incandescent bulbs. Its a good and affordable choice when you want to produce a controlled light spot. Give it a try, you might be surprised. I already have np-f batteries so i did not worry about that. The lanyard latch ensures its security if you need to hang the light on your wrist, bag, hook, etc. Expert Photography 2011-2022. Flash has high-power light output and controlled daylight colour temperature. That being said I shoot with Yongnuo Speedlights and triggers. But that doesn't stop you from doing more and pushing further. So if you are starting out, the best choice would be LEDs for situations that require continuous light and Speedlights for flash photography. I'm ok with their products for now and the prices have been a huge help. When you look at other similar companies that make strobes, light modifiers etc., you can't help but wonder why are they so expensive. Charging takes 120 minutes, which highlights an area of development needed, as an ideal product I feel should work for longer than it takes to recharge, but you can use it while charging, which is a great benefit. It was published by Petapixel and then picked up by nofilmschool, but the Yonguo store you linked to says the price has yet to be specified. :) If not, I'll get enough use out of them for the close ups I do regularly. Without getting too deep, the bottom line is they will continue to break copy right laws. Perceived value is about marketing. ExpertPhotography is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Yes, I might save a lot of money, but in the long term, we are all killing innovation, and the work of hundreds of American engineers, designers. Small, light and battery-operated gear allows a lot of freedom and mobility.

It seems that some strobe manufacturers price their product using Nikon and Canon speedlight as their starting point. I can not tell you more about light quality because i have not test it yet. He was impressed by how brazen they were, but understandably pissed off as well. I would argue that they can but It's their profit margin that makes their price so high. The Westcott Ice Light has been around for awhile, and a number of photographers in the community on our site have shown it to be a part of their kits.

FAST. Strobe lighting is usually used in studios, while Speedlights are small relatively lightweight units powered by AA batteries that are usually mounted on the top of the camera. It just got here. In natural "3200K-5500KColor TempMode" the YN360s 320 LED lamp beads can be adjusted from 3200K to 5500K as required. I'm sure you're still running a benefit with you flash discs so it's not all a loss! I understand from Tim Payne, who runs YongnuoUSA.net that the $62 is the wholesale price. I got the Polaroid model. Which Is Best, Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, or Final Cut? There is nothing out there for the working photographer/videographer that presents more features at a reasonable price than the Yongnuo solution and for those that have said of inconsistency in their manufacturesimply buy the USA version so far not a single problem with the lights. Might be more useful for product, bouquet and rings. This new product is the YN360 LED Light Wand, and has been made by Yongnuo, who you may recall also makes flash triggers, as well as some Canon lens clones, among other products. If I get some shots with it, I'll be sure to post. How is the build quality of the units? On my 2nd day at Interbike 2008, a guy showed me a flyer given out by a Chinese vendor. Total output isn't the end all though, as there are many other factors to consider, such as the angle, softness, falloff, and more. They had taken his flyer, scanned it, and printed new ones out at Kinkos overnight, which they then gave out at their booth. I bought a couple of Shanny SN600SN flashes because I couldn't afford the ridiculous price Nikon gets for their flashes. They are small diodes that do not get hot, and work because of the constant movement of the electrons located in the semiconductor material. charger is $5-10. I understand that but that is why we got a patent before bringing it to market. However, CRI seems accurate. Lee, I'm not sure if you applied for International copyright, or US? Whether you are an amateur or a professional photographerwanting to upgrade your craft with lighting sytems. It produces a white brilliant light that is daylight colour temperature. The mix of these two light sources requires some knowledge regarding colour temperature, flash duration, sync speed, motion drag/freeze and lots of other considerations that will make you learn while you experiment. This light wand combines 40 full-colour RGB lamps, 160 LEDs with a colour temperature of 3200K, and 160 LEDs with a temp of 5500K. Once you throw in the NP-F battery, a charger, and the AC power the price point is nearly 1/2 of the Westcott Ice Light 2 that includes all of it. Privacy Policy Terms of Use. From what I can tell, you are able to control luminance on the wand itself, but varying the color/kelvin might only be possible from the app the details aren't specific in this regard. Agreed. illumination angle: 55 degrees and 110 degrees, Applicable battery: A lithium battery NP-F series, External DC power supply: 8 V DC power supply 5 A, Defying the Sahara - A Photographic Adventure With Audray Saulem, Sony Announces the Xperia 1 Mark II: A Powerful Smartphone With Technology Taken From Its Best Cameras, Fstoppers Compares Profoto HSS and Elinchrom Hi-Sync, Fstoppers Awards the Best Photography Gear of 2017, 6 Things to Consider When Assembling a Video Rig, A Portrait Photographer Takes Another Look at the EOS R, but Thats Not Why You Should Watch This Video, https://www.photo-store.net/photography/led-lights/yongnuo-yn360-led-wand/, 5 Quotes That Will Change Your Approach to Photography, The Best Full-Frame Camera and Lens Combo Under $1,000 for Professional Photography. That being said I doubt the ice light is patentable considering it's just a dimmable led panel. Incandescent lights are cheap, but they get really hot and are banned from some countries due to their energy inefficiency. Unless the US company can't make enough profit off of their knocked off product to fund the next one. Yongnuo, in my eyes, has structured themselves around providing the FUNCTION for that cheap of a price while sacrificing the build quality. Keep moving forward and reinvent yourself, never rest on your laurels! I have Nikon SB-900 and SB-910 and they are hardly used for the past two years. Do you need a wide range of colour? It's much like photography. There is a very good chance we will not make another physical product simply because it will get ripped off. Coloured filters, or gels, are used on accent lights, or to add colour to backgrounds or selected portions of a scene for artistic effect. I'm glad to see an option to high-priced lighting for those of us on a budget. If you use one of these and buy something, we make a little bit of money. We were the largest advertisers in the building industry. :). You can remotely adjust colours through a smartphone app, either by selecting from a provided colour palette, or adjusting manually to create your own preferred colours. They are great people and I hate to see their baby being ripped off like this!! I work in a US manufacturing company and have seen many Chinese companies copy years of expertise, test, investment, time, to come up with some knockoff product for half the price. AND, are those Ice Light wands or the Wescott modifiers or Profoto strobes, or any of those expensive product makers, made in the US? You can also select your interests for free access to our premium training: So youve had your camera for a while now, but your photos dont look quite as interesting as you wish they would. I really could not justify $500 price tag for icelight. I will use mine next week. I see your point. This is always a difficult aspect to convey of any light. these are really cheap, $15 for np-f750.

All that being said the VL119 RGB Light Wand offers lots of illumination for its size, weight and cost. One thing I'm not crazy about is the catchlights it makes.

The four control buttons: Mode, Select, + & - sit together but slightly separated which is helpful. The VL119 also offers a constant and adjustable Kelvin light temperature setting, with adjustable temperature from 2500K 9000K, 5500K obviously being daylight. I found it hard to read the display when the light wand was turned up to full power. I bought a transmitter and the battery cover broke, but I got a replacement in a week for about $6.00. I don't think the product should be taken off the market but I believe Lee Morris should be compensated justly for his product being ripped off and I think Ghionis deserves to be compensated too. This creates a spark between two electrodes that excite the xenon gas inside the bulb.

If the speedlites weren't ridiculously expensive I would have bought Canon brand, but when the thing in question is 4x the price for a very similar product, its kind of a no brainer. I love cheap photography gear but as someone who made the "Fstoppers FlashDisc" and worked for 2 years getting a patent and the product produced only to have it ripped off by multiple Chinese companies it sucks. Case in point, their Canon 600ex knock-off performs just as well as Canon's for a quarter of the price ($500 vs. $120) and though I've seen some lamenting the unit's overheating issues, I've put mine through the same paces as the 600ex and have noticed nothing different. We'll see. Here are a few more specs on the Yongnuo LED Light Wand: Release date is expected to be around Spring of 2016. Manufacturers have to improve their product when these knockoffs are released to differentiate themselves. The Select button enables you to navigate through the options of the mode youve chosen. Even though you can hold colour filters in front of the speedlight with duct tape, most speedlights generate high temperature when fired at full power. Mostly because I can't afford the $600 Canon wants for the comparable device. Ed.] Pros: These generate light by running electricity through a tube containingargonand a small amount ofmercuryvapour. :).

Portability and easiness of assembly/disassembly are also key factors when it comes to equipment. With flash light, these correction filters are typically used to adjust the color temperature to better match other light sources. For some context, the light from a full moon is 1 LUX, the average illumination in a family living room is 50 LUX and the average illumination in a school classroom or lecture theatre is 250 LUX and in a supermarket is 750 LUX.

I agree. I really like the design placement of buttons for the VL119 Light Wand. Not to mention my speed lights have always been reliable and two are connected to an external battery pack. When the Yongnuo released their 50mm 1.8 all of a sudden Canon develops their 50mm 1.8 with improved image stabilization, closer focal distance, metal lens mount and so on. It creates invisibleultraviolet light. Different photographic situations require different lighting kits. I can fire in TTL mode with the 622c and switch to manual. ExpertPhotography recommends: Yongnuo YN360 Light Wand, The YN600EX-RT is a cheaper clone of the Canon 600EX-RT speedlight. If $62 is the wholesale price before shipping costs, it should sell for $140 - $150 by the big retailers and perhaps less elsewherestill a very good bargain. No one want to buy a 900$ reflector (exageration) but NO ONE want to pay 0.1% of market price for chinese copied drugs the good nes? I started my photography business in 2013, after retiring in 2009. I agree with Barry, listing a price when one is not mentioned anywhere is a bit irresponsible. After using the light in a variety of circumstances, I found it easy, if not being careful, to accidentally press the buttons and change the light setting. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. These choices allow you to have a small light arsenal. Mike Wilkinson is an award-winning video director with his company Wilkinson Visual, currently based out of Lexington, Kentucky. In this article, we willshow you how to choose the right lighting equipment to start with, without breaking the bank. The on and off switch is very handy for situations where you cant see or remember where all the buttons are. This isn't good for Jerry and Melissa. In any case, our approach was to continue to innovate and build our brand. The VL119 RGB Handheld Light Wand from Ulanzi is a wonderful addition to your camera or film kit. There are many affordable options for flash filter holders on the market, so you should always consider one that is compatible with your speed light head size and shape. Most common uses of colour filters are to convert the colour temperature of tungsten light toward daylight, known as CTB (Colour Temperature Blue). Its lightweight and feels easy to use, effective in the hand, offers lots of easily selectable lighting options and the 330mm light bar means you can stretch your creativity even further. While $62 does sound a bit low, I would anticipate it being in the ballpark of $120 considering Westcott's Ice Light and Canon's 600ex speed light are priced identically. These will cover most lighting situations and give you control with modifiers that will shape the light according to your needs.

Continuous lighting and flash light require different camera settings and light control. That'd be super. LED wand technology is still scoffed at by some, joking that they are best used for directing planes on the tarmac, but in reality it's another tool in a kit, and all that matters is how a photographer or filmmaker chooses to creatively use that tool. I only tried my friends sample which already arrived (ordered last Friday when they came out), I am an avid Youngnuo user (9 560-III, 1 560 TX, 4 transceivers TTL plus the main L HHS module, 3 YN 468, 2 YN-300-II, 2 YN216 1 YN 900 and believe me the only time i had an issue with any was when III let one of my speedlight fall from a light stand that was not sand baged.. (lesson learned) Youngnuo offers excelent quality for the price and features found only in way more expensive items (blue tooth remote compatibility in there whole video lights as an example.). There will always be a cheaper photographer and sometimes your work will get copied. Here you have a few options that would be ideal for beginners. First things first. This unit is a great option for beginners, taking into consideration its price, compared to its Canon counterpart and the fact that it has a built-in radio system.

I will not purchase a Chinese imitation. It is available for shipping via yongnuo store. I would love for someone to make a wand that has a flash tube running the length of it. Two color modes are available, for when you need a traditional 3200K-5500K, or if you're just looking for a splash of color that isn't kelvin-accurate. You can pick yours up from Ulanzi at a very affordable $34.95 here. This would improve the user experience even further. In "FullColor RGB Mode" the YN360s 40 RGB SMD lamps can provide richcolors of red, green, and blue. Formally, I was the International Business Manager for a major building supply manufacture in the US. The light can be gradually increased by singular digit increments or by holding down the '+' or '-' you can jump in 10 digit increments.

I have a couple of Yongnuo flashes. This excites a fluorescent coating calledphosphor on the inside of the tube, and emits visible light. I'm not trying to complain here, the FlashDisc was profitable and I'm glad we made it, I'm just trying to give an insiders view.

Price is different that one mentioned in the post but that was false rumor.https://www.photo-store.net/photography/led-lights/yongnuo-yn360-led-wand/. A shoot through umbrella is a nice and affordable way to start to control your off camera flash. It's also alot about perceived value. By the time they'd copy us, we were already coming out with new product(s) and/or service(s). Anyways, enough conjecture, let's get to the meat of what's going on with this Ice Light alternative.

What non-Chinese manufacturers have to do (US manufacturers in particular) is curb their greed. The + and enable you to then select what specific lighting result you desire within the mode youve chosen. The possibilities are endless. One of my favorite quotes from my mentor, my father"there's only one thing constant in business, CHANGE!" ExpertPhotography is part of several affiliate sales networks. Seems pretty well made. It's a cultural thing. If it could lighten my gear load for wedding and portrait shots in low light, I'm on board. When I tested the light at full intensity it ran for 95 minutes which is impressive from the built in rechargeable 2000mAhlithiumbattery. It might look like this setup is just an LED wand, a speedlight and a few accessories, but you produce amazing results with just this and push forward your photography. Youll also notice from the above image that there is a slight grip pattern on the rear of the handle. What I mean is, if there isn't alot of technical hurdle, it's going to get copied. Natural light can only get you so far, so maybe it is time to step up your lighting game and invest in some good light kit or lighting equipment. I own 4 YN600 and 1 of the 580 and they have had no problems. Pros: Taking all these pros and cons into consideration, it all boils down to this: [Note: ExpertPhotography is supported by readers. Incandescent, fluorescent, LED and flash are the main kinds of artificial light sources used in photography. Amazon. Here are 3 of the 7 steps we uncover in this 21 minute video: Camera shake is one of the major curses of handheld photography. They feel plastic to the touch, but there is a satisfying click that comes with a press of each of the buttons. Never give up. Price is $120 without battery (~$60) or AC/DC charger ($28 for Yongnuo's). I liked some of the samples posted taken with the products and it seemed it could work well enough in my kit for some things I do regularly (food and product ads for a regional magazine). If AB can produce such great product for the price, how come they can't? See how it all works here. It wasn't a totally cheap unit$168. It can be changed to a certain degree!

Its a great product for the price, allowing control of light and portability for situations when you need light on the spot. Does the CRI of 95 seem to be accurate? To them, it's not theft. The LED Light Wand is powered by Sony NPF batteries, or an external power supply. As they say though, it's still likely to be considerably cheaper than much of the competition and it has some interesting features.

Easily the most common reason for poor focus and blurry images, Leaving your camera on its default settings will produce blurry results, Post processing wont fix a blurry image from a slow shutter . Product links on ExpertPhotography are referral links.

Spending millions a year to promote our brand. Well to compliment the Kelvin properties of this light wand, you can choose from the full 360 degree colour gamut with fully adjustable hue, saturation and brightness at each degree. These lighting setups range from studio AC-powered equipment to portable equipment that runs on AA batteries. This makes lighting gear affordable and accessible for all photographers, but especially beginners.

This accessory allows the control of the speedlights light spread. The bigger items like lights, strobes, etc are still getting copied but the consistency and color quality isn't there yet.

Mike has been working in production for over 10 years as a shooter, editor, and producer. His passion lies in outdoor adventures, documentary filmmaking, photography, and locally-sourced food and beer. Even though this suggested equipment doesnt compare to professional studio lighting, its a great place to start if you want to improve the quality of light in your pictures. Their name and contact. They generate light by applying a high voltage pulse to both ends of the bulb. His photos, text, and everything else. Case in point, look at the nifty fifty lens from Canon. They produce colour temperatures ranging from 3000 to 3400 K. A flash holder will help you avoid damaging the filters or the speedlight unit itself. Hopefully when this light becomes available, there will be a side-by-side review between these two products. These generate light by running electricity through a tungsten filament until it starts to glow. Whether they're being used to light cars for an automotive shoot, or for food or small product photography, one thing that's been noted more than a few times is the steep price.

At 33cm the light illumination expereinced is 395 LUX.

The specs show the lumen output to be 2560, which is important to note considering the Ice Light has only a 1740 lumen output. This complimented with lighting intensity settings from 1 - 100% enables you to solve a huge range of lighting challenges. At 50cm this drops to 178 LUX and at 1 meter it reduces further to 52 LUX. Yeah, but they're basically telling retailers that they should buy from their factory, because they saw a flyer of the product that someone else offers.

@Lee - please facepalm yourself because everybody knows by now you need to go *Thermo-Nuclear or nothing will happen against those guys /s, * Be careful about going Thermo*s*-Nuclear, which is something completely different (autocorrect!). LEDs are a new and evolving light technology that do not need much power to work and can be colour controlled. On the base of the VL119s handle is a -20 female mounting thread, which allows you to secure the light to any number of mounts and tripods, increasing its versatility.

The CRI or "Color Rendering Index" is stated to be 95 or higher for the natural color temp mode. As Lee points out, its part of the culture. How's the light fall-off/softness for portraits? Need more info? I agree in many ways it hurts the market but I don't agree it's killing innovation. New LED technologies and speedlight units with built-in radio triggers are one of the most significant breakthroughs for photographic lighting equipment. Well, I just ordered a couple of knock off "ice light" type of wands to test them out. ExpertPhotography recommends: Manfrotto 026 Swivel Lite-Tite Umbrella Adapter, Speedlights are like bare bulb flashes, and are considered harsh lights. I expect mine next week. It's very bright, but I haven't shot with it to test color casts and temp issues. If you want to diffuse them, you need some modifiers. Thanks Ulanzi for sending me the product to test and review. My YN-622c triggers can run a circle around a PocketWizard any day of the week. I agree with @Dennis, competition is what drives innovation. ExpertPhotography recommends: Westcott 45-Inch Optical White Satin. ExpertPhotography recommends: Yongnuo YN600EX-RT, This is the smallest light stand made by Manfrotto and is probably the best choice for beginners due to its small size and portability. It's one of the most common reasons why you will have to throw away, Manfrotto 026 Swivel Lite-Tite Umbrella Adapter, Fluorescent aka Photo Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL), Westcott 45-Inch Optical White Satin with Removable Black Cover Umbrella, See all articles in Quick Capture Cheat Sheets, Short life span due to filament sensitivity, Long life span (durable and shockproof unlike glass bulbs). This is not to mention the applications outside of photography, as I think of my children using it to create a disco with their friends. And among other things, of course, simulating a Star Wars fight scene. All of this can be tracked on the OLED, which is Organic Light Emitting Diode display screen which is quite small, despite Ulanzi using most of the handle space available to them for this format of display. LEDs use semiconductors and electroluminescence to create light. What's more is that there is an app that is being released alongside this light, which will allow for control over brightness and color choice. Build quality is quite good. I agree. Using the Mode button you can move between RGB, CCT and Scene choice. This means we may receive a commission if you purchase something by clicking on one of our links. Itsa great option for off camera flash photography with TTL or manual power control of different channels through another master flash unit, or the YN-E3-RT controller mounted on the camera. I have gotten a lot of use from the $40 LED video lights in food and product photography, so I'm willing to take the risk. I would think these would end up being between $100-$200, but I guess Yongnuo does sell other LED lights with around 300 bulbs for about $60so it's possible. It makes their product crazy expensive. Don't take this the wrong way, but most photography "gadgets" are "easy" to copy. I use the word greed because when you look at companies like Alien Bees, they produce an exceptional product for a great price, hence giving us great value. They all output different ranges of light power. Don't hate me, hear me out. The photo above taken by Ulanzi illustrates some of the vast number of colour options available. GOLD COAST PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEO PRODUCTION, HSU 72 IN 1 GOPRO ACCESSORY KIT (GoPro Hero10 Black & Hero9 Black), ULANZI L2 CUTE LITE WATERPROOF LED LIGHT . All of them have pros and cons, and you need to decide on the key factors of your type of photography and choose your lighting gear accordingly.