Quality lighting in a convenient kit.
You can never underestimate the power of good lighting when it comes to photography and videography. Sure, it’s great when you can use available or natural light, but there are lots of times that you have to supplement a scene with artificial light produced by lighting kits like this RGB LED Video Light kit from Switti.
Switti is a photographic equipment company that specializes in creating lighting solutions for photographers as well as other camera accessories. This lighting kit consists of two RGB LED video light panels, two adjustable lighting stands, two softboxes, two power adapters and power cables, and one large carrying bag. The light is made with aluminum and features good heat dissipation. The stands are constructed from aluminum as well.
The main features of this kit include:
- RGB LED Video Light: The video light has a power of 50W and includes 312 white/yellow lamp beads and 240 RGB lamp beads. The light has a high color rendering index of CRI > 97 and TLCI > 97. It also has an adjustable color temperature 2600K-10000K, stepless dimming 0%-100%, and 0-360 full color.
- Built-in Scenes Modes: The light panels support 9 special lighting scenes including TV screen, lighting 1, lighting 2, police car, fire engine, and ambulance. The light is also designed with 6 groups and features 48 channels for easy adjustment of color temperature, brightness, HSI parameters, and scenes through onboard controls.
- Multiple Power Options: The RGB LED Video Lights can be powered by using two Sony NP-F batteries (not included) or the included DC power supply.
- Wireless Control: While the lights do not come with remote control, they do have built-in FSK2.4GHz wireless control so that all lights can be controlled by a master. With this control, you can set one light to be the ‘master’ and the other to be the ‘slave.’ All lights must be on the same groups and channels.
SPECS
- Power: 50W ; Input voltage:DC14-18V 4A
- Lamp Beads: 552 pieces
- Operating voltage: AC110~240V 50/60Hz
- CRI>97 ;TLCI>97 ; Brightness Adjustment: 0-100%
- Color temperature: 2600K-10000K
- RGB Color gamut: 0-360 full gamut
- Lumen: 7000Lux, 0.5 meter, 2050Lux, 1 meter
- Wireless Channel & Group: 48 channels and 6 groups
- Size: 25cm x 24cm x 3.1cm
- Weightt: 1.42kg
USER EXPERIENCE
The lighting kit arrived stowed away in its carrying bag. The bag is one of the best features of this kit as it keeps all the pieces together in a very sturdy, easy to carry bag. The lighting panels came with bubble wrap placed around them, which I kept for long-term storage of the lights. Once I had all the pieces of the kit on the floor, I put together the soft boxes. The lighting kit does come with a user manual, but it did not make mention of the soft boxes or provide instructions for the lights. When I did a search for them online, I was directed to the Amazon product page and found a nice illustrative diagram that shows the user exactly how to install the soft box.
Using the lights is very easy as well. I like that there is an option for using batteries, but since they aren’t included, I opted to attach the DC adapter instead. To get started, you simply place a light onto the head of one of the stands. Tighten the thumbscrew on the light and then plug the light into power. The power switch has two options — to power with the DC adapter or batteries. After I plugged in the power adapter, I tried to toggle back and forth and the option that is dedicated to battery power did not allow the lights to function.
Once I got the lights powered on, I played around with the controls a bit. Even though you have the option to pair the two panels together as master/slave, I do wish there was an option for a remote control. It comes in quite handy when you are shooting alone and want to adjust your lighting without moving out from behind the camera. The functions of the controls are pretty easy to work through. First, you want to select the mode you want to use. For me, I typically use the white/yellow light so I selected CCT and then tuned in the color temperature I wanted. I really like the wide range of yellow to bright white light that the LED provides. It’s quite a variety and works really nicely when you are trying to light a scene or product with warmer or cooler tones.
One of the best features of these LED light panels is the HSI mode that allows you to select any color on the RGB color spectrum. The lights can cycle through 360º of color and 1-100% saturation. So these lights are perfect for creating a variety of moods. One of the things I really like being able to do is use one light as a primary light and then tune in some mood using the second panel with a color tone. It really brings some life to photos and showcases the drama within a scene.
The FLS mode — or special effects — is a nice feature, but not something I use regularly. It’s definitely a fun option for including a lighting effect in-camera rather than attempting to ‘fix it in post.’
CONCLUSION
The RGB LED Lighting Kit from Switti is a robust set of lighting equipment. The materials used to make the product is top-notch and it has easy-to-use functions. While I wish there was a remote included, it’s not necessarily a deal-breaker for me. I love that a carrying bag is included because it’s easy to lose pieces to kits like this. Given its form and function, this lighting kit is a nice investment for beginners or as supplemental lighting for seasoned pros.
For more information, visit switti.com.
