Zhiyun Fiveray F100 LED Mild Stick Evaluation: A (Largely) Nice Mild

I used to be despatched the Zhiyun Fiveray F100 LED Light Stick some time again, and now that I’ve spent a while placing it to the take a look at, I’m able to share my ideas. Whereas it’s an amazing LED-based photograph and video (and no matter else you’d like to make use of it for) gentle, it has one massive flaw that noticed me stashing it again in its case just a few occasions.

However don’t fret; not all is misplaced! The Zhiyun Fiveray F100 is a really succesful gentle and has many promoting factors. Let’s dive proper in…

The Fiveray F100 LED Mild Stick: overview

The Fiveray F100 LED Light Stick from Zhiyun-Tech is a light-weight, transportable, and really versatile 100W LED gentle for photographers, content material creators, filmmakers, and vloggers. That includes an output of 1200 lux at 3.3 ft (6200K), it has a CRI of 96 and a TLCI of 97 for colour accuracy. It additionally has a variable colour temperature of 2700-6200K.

The exact colour adjustability means that you can match ambient circumstances and different lighting fixtures; it additionally means that you can produce artistic results. You possibly can select between CCT, HSI, and FX light-effect modes with variable gentle intensities from 0% to 100%. There are additionally six artistic lighting results: SOS, Fireplace, TV, Flash, Defective Bulb, and Candle.

Very best for varied purposes, the F100 is powered by six built-in 2600 mAh lithium batteries that final 31 minutes when the sunshine is ready to full brightness. It helps 100W PD quick charging by way of its USB-C port.

The stick gentle has a 1/4″-20 mounting thread gap so you may connect it to your appropriate helps. The bundle additionally contains modifiers particularly designed for the F100 mannequin, comparable to 2-leaf barndoors, a diffuser, and a grid. It additionally comes with a USB-C charging cable and a storage bag.

The Fiveray F100 LED Mild Stick: efficiency

Initially, for these of you that haven’t used loads of LED lighting earlier than, the F100 Mild Stick’s CRI of 96 is taken into account simply positive (Coloration Rendering Index, or CRI, is a measurement of how pure colours render beneath a synthetic white gentle supply compared with daylight).

As for the TLCI: It’s not one thing I’ve paid any consideration to up to now, however some say it’s essential. (TLCI, or Tv Lighting Consistency Index, is a single averaged rating as much as 100 that’s decided by the colour response that may outcome when utilizing a video digital camera. A TLCI within the vary 85-100 doesn’t want any colour correction, a 70-85 rating would want a easy correction, and a 50-70 rating would want advanced colour correction.)

That’s loads of phrases that mainly say, “It’s the appropriate colour.” Having used the product myself, I agree: It does fairly nicely! I’ve used two of the F100 lights on a menu shoot, and the colours got here out nice. (Sadly, my consumer has requested that I don’t share the photographs publicly.)

The most important factor for me when utilizing a light-weight bar on a meals shoot is having the ability to management the illumination successfully. I would like the sunshine popping out of the LED to go to the place I would like it to go, and whereas it’s actually not as simple to direct as a standard set of lights (I usually use a pair of Westcott FJ400 strobes, that are Bowens mount lights and have an array of sunshine modifiers), the Zhiyun Fiveray F100 comes with a cute little grid modifier that simply attaches across the gentle. It additionally comes with a helpful set of barn doorways; whereas these supply much less management than the grid, they actually assist you to cease a number of the gentle spill that’s usually produced by lighting fixtures just like the Fiveray F100.

Word that you should utilize the Fiveray F100 to realize a spread of colour temperatures. Right here, the identical gentle stick has produced a really heat gentle in addition to a a lot cooler gentle:

The 100W-rated LED gentle additionally has a helpful suite of built-in lighting results, together with SOS, TV, Defective Bulb, Candle, Flash, and Fireplace. They’re all fairly good, and in case you’re making a movie or a TikTok on your images enterprise, possibly you could possibly use one of many results (or possibly not; it’s as much as you!).

Whereas we’re speaking about filming and results, it’s value mentioning that the unit can get heat. Nevertheless, it does have a wise built-in fan array that automagically retains the operation of the LED at a completely workable temperature. With all of the followers and airflow, the F100 actually isn’t waterproof or splashproof, so don’t take it within the pool!

With the CCT mode providing you with colour temperatures from 2700-6200K (heat to chill whites) and the HSI mode providing you with loads of colours, the sunshine is a very helpful addition to your digital camera bag. Make no mistake, it’s not going to exchange a set of studio lights or perhaps a well-powered pair of flash items, however for including artistic gentle and for doing images nearer up, the Fiveray F100 is a well-priced choice that it’s best to take into account.

The principle downside

I did begin this text by mentioning an issue with the Fiveray F100, and I actually really feel like I would like to say it. After experiencing this design flaw myself and performing some analysis (simply to verify I wasn’t doing all of it incorrect!), I’ve come to comprehend that others are having the same expertise.

Particularly, the principle dial that controls all the options of the sunshine is nearly not possible to make use of.

I don’t have particular thumbs – they’re not additional slippy! I simply discovered that controlling the facility output of the F100, in addition to switching between modes and dealing by means of an impact, was a time-consuming and sometimes irritating expertise. Halfway by means of setting a colour or an influence output setting, the sunshine would change modes or flick into an impact.

If I had on a regular basis on the earth and I have been working by myself on a venture with these lights, they might be positive. Nevertheless, if I have been utilizing them in a manufacturing surroundings with others, the time spent fiddling round would simply be an excessive amount of, I worry.

The Fiveray F100 LED Mild Stick: closing phrases

The Fiveray F100 LED Light Stick is a good gentle for smaller tasks (although if you could flick between modes, it’s vital that you just’re not confronted with time constraints). And in case you can simply set and neglect these lights – as an example, in case you’re utilizing them to gentle your dwell stream with one constant colour and energy output – they’re glorious!

They arrive in a pleasant compact carry case with their modifiers, they usually may also be charged by way of USB-C (PD). PD signifies that charging is quick, and you too can use the sunshine whereas it’s charging!

But when the management dial was bigger and had a rubberized end, I actually do suppose the Fiveray F100 could be a significantly better product.