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Brittany Webb photo
Cyprus, Nicosia
1 Level
482 Review
0 Karma

Review on πŸ“Έ Falcon Eyes RX-18T: Portable 62W LED Photo Light Kit with Soft Box and Diffuser by Brittany Webb

Revainrating 4 out of 5

Nice addition to the lighting set

I bought this light after seeing many glowing reviews some comparing it to the Kino Flo Diva I own. and it is definitely lighter and more comfortable to carry than the Kino Flo Diva. Due to its lighter weight, Falcon Eyes can be mounted on very light racks such as the Manfrotto 5001B Nano. However, the tripod mount adapter that comes with the Falcon Eyes isn't very practical for mounting on a light stand due to its limited range of motion - basically it can point the panel straight up at the ceiling with a 90 degree tilt range. parallel to the wall. Any critical positioning of this lantern will require some time for a boom and stand capable of such a load. I've seen a few reviewers online using a studio mic boom set to give this light a wide range of positioning. I haven't tested this Falcon Eyes panel on a mic boom, but in a field transport application, I worry about these spontaneous configurations because there are too many different parts, it's too easy to leave things out, and the overall offering is lightweight, easily portable Light is lost in a solution that is too cluttered for successful use. Kino Flo Diva lights are incredibly light, but the sum of a two-light kit with tripods, spare bulbs, accessories and travel case is quite a handful for a one-man crew, especially since I usually use Matthew's single-pole rolling tripods, magic fingers and pouches for shooting with the Diva Kit. The Matthews coaster packs in the Diva Travel Case work, but with difficulty. However, the Diva's headlights are too bulky for air travel, and its body is unwieldy even in a Chevy Suburban. I haven't installed the Falcon Eyes RX-18T alongside the Diva yet for comparison, but if I had to guess I'd say the Falcon Eyes appears to be slightly smaller with slightly less power. Especially when combined with the egg-crate light-shaping accessories available from Falcon Eyes, the performance of this flexible panel doesn't seem sufficient to be used as a key in a one-person interview situation, except in close shots. Without the egg crate (not included in this kit) the panel's performance is more impressive, although expanding the beam nearly 180 degrees requires some control in most situations. i love this light I like the price and I like how easy it is to carry. What I don't like is maybe a few extra minutes of rigging in place, stretching the plate on the frame and installing all the parts with velcro. While the light quality seems excellent after adding diffuse, I don't think this light comes close to the build quality of the Kino Flo. The ballast in particular seems cheap and in fact I had to return the first light I ordered from Revain when the ballast failed within the first 15 minutes of unpacking the lantern. My replacement device arrived yesterday. To anyone buying this light I would suggest letting it run for about 8 hours before taking it to work. My comments are preliminary as the light has just arrived and I have not taken any shots or actual comparisons to other lights such as the cinema. Flo Diva.

Pros
  • This is amazing
Cons
  • Crumpled packaging