Zhiyun Fiveray F100 LED Mild Stick Overview: 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 check, I’m able to share my ideas. Whereas it’s an amazing LED-based picture and video (and no matter else you’d like to make use of it for) mild, it has one giant flaw that noticed me stashing it again in its case a couple of occasions.

However don’t fret; not all is misplaced! The Zhiyun Fiveray F100 is a really succesful mild 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 mild 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 coloration accuracy. It additionally has a variable coloration temperature of 2700-6200K.

The exact coloration adjustability permits you to match ambient situations and different lighting fixtures; it additionally permits you to produce artistic results. You’ll be able to select between CCT, HSI, and FX light-effect modes with variable mild intensities from 0% to 100%. There are additionally six artistic lighting results: SOS, Fireplace, TV, Flash, Defective Bulb, and Candle.

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

The stick mild has a 1/4″-20 mounting thread gap so you possibly can connect it to your suitable helps. The bundle additionally contains modifiers particularly designed for the F100 mannequin, reminiscent of 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

To start with, for these of you that haven’t used lots of LED lighting earlier than, the F100 Mild Stick’s CRI of 96 is taken into account simply high quality (Shade Rendering Index, or CRI, is a measurement of how pure colours render below a synthetic white mild supply when put next with daylight).

As for the TLCI: It’s not one thing I’ve paid any consideration to prior to now, however some say it’s crucial. (TLCI, or Tv Lighting Consistency Index, is a single averaged rating as much as 100 that’s decided by the coloration response that might end result when utilizing a video digicam. A TLCI within the vary 85-100 doesn’t want any coloration correction, a 70-85 rating would want a easy correction, and a 50-70 rating would wish complicated coloration correction.)

That’s lots of phrases that mainly say, “It’s the proper coloration.” Having used the product myself, I agree: It does fairly properly! 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 pictures publicly.)

The most important factor for me when utilizing a lightweight bar on a meals shoot is with the ability to management the illumination successfully. I need the sunshine popping out of the LED to go to the place I need it to go, and whereas it’s definitely not as simple to direct as a traditional set of lights (I sometimes 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 mild. It additionally comes with a helpful set of barn doorways; whereas these supply much less management than the grid, they definitely will let you cease among the mild spill that’s sometimes produced by lighting fixtures just like the Fiveray F100.

Observe that you should use the Fiveray F100 to realize a variety of coloration temperatures. Right here, the identical mild stick has produced a really heat mild in addition to a a lot cooler mild:

The 100W-rated LED mild 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 when you’re making a movie or a TikTok to your pictures enterprise, perhaps you might use one of many results (or perhaps 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. Nonetheless, 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 definitely isn’t waterproof or splashproof, so don’t take it within the pool!

With the CCT mode providing you with coloration temperatures from 2700-6200K (heat to chill whites) and the HSI mode providing you with loads of colours, the sunshine is a extremely helpful addition to your digicam bag. Make no mistake, it’s not going to switch a set of studio lights or perhaps a well-powered pair of flash models, however for including artistic mild and for doing pictures nearer up, the Fiveray F100 is a well-priced possibility that you must think about.

The primary disadvantage

I did begin this text by mentioning an issue with the Fiveray F100, and I actually really feel like I want 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 understand that others are having an identical expertise.

Particularly, the principle dial that controls the entire 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 coloration or an influence output setting, the sunshine would change modes or flick into an impact.

If I had on a regular basis on this planet and I have been working alone on a venture with these lights, they might be high quality. Nonetheless, if I have been utilizing them in a manufacturing setting with others, the time spent fiddling round would simply be an excessive amount of, I worry.

The Fiveray F100 LED Mild Stick: last phrases

The Fiveray F100 LED Light Stick is a superb mild for smaller initiatives (although if it’s essential to flick between modes, it’s vital that you simply’re not confronted with time constraints). And when you can simply set and overlook these lights – as an example, when you’re utilizing them to mild your dwell stream with one constant coloration and energy output – they’re wonderful!

They arrive in a pleasant compact carry case with their modifiers, they usually can be charged by way of USB-C (PD). PD signifies that charging is quick, and you may as well 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 can be a significantly better product.