Review on Falcon Eyes SO-68TDX II 360pcs 68W Soft LED Bi-Color Edge Light with 9 Scene Effects - Upgraded Version by Desmin Dickerson

I bought this unit mainly for corporate videos although I was hoping it would do a couple of dual duties for photography. The idea of a very thin device that emits soft light out of the box sounded very attractive, but this product is a complete disappointment from concept to execution. Please note I have 6 smaller side lit units from another manufacturer and I really like them. So the concept of side lighting is certainly useful. In fact, the quality of this light, as well as the size and limited utility make it a failure for me. As you can see in the attached image, there are a large number of imperfections that are visible on the surface that lie beneath the surface. Depending on your use, they can cast shadows. I ordered two units just to make sure it wasn't a defective unit and they were the same in that regard. In fact, the second block was worse, and the top panel showed some LEDs on the side. Either the plate came loose during shipping or there is a manufacturing defect. However, the front panel had the same flaws as in the photo above. Color temperatures across the range were pretty far off. So color correction is still required, which means extra work. This light is not as easy to adjust as a single LED continuous video light or even a smaller LED panel. The brightness was quite acceptable for medium-sized rooms. In a dark room, about 50% would get the job done. However, if there was sunlight in the room, 100% brightness had little effect. It's just missing a pair of juices with probably 2 diffusion stops on top. When working in a closed studio, there are no problems with the brightness. There was no remote control. I would buy one if I kept the devices. The devices also communicate with each other, so if they're on the same channel, they'll all change brightness and temperature in sync. In a large studio, that might not be a bad thing. Unusable as a backlight for video when purchased. But a good possibility. This lantern is very large and quite heavy. It would be difficult to take it out into the wild just because of the size of the case. It would be much easier to pack an LED video light and a soft box for portability and weight. It took a few minutes to set up to avoid lugging around this very large light source. So if the goal is the whole studio, then there's no problem. So back to the use cases. If you are buying a flashlight for a specific purpose and poor quality is acceptable because of the lower price, then this flashlight might be for you. This is a one trick pony though, and if you want harder light at times (higher contrast work), accurate color rendition out of the box, or lighter gel lighting, you want more portability, you'll want brighter light for outdoor use. or for photography you want to put a grid or other modifier on it etc. this light doesn't meet any of those needs. The light is soft enough even for single use, but nowhere near as soft as a 36-inch parabolic mirror, which is much more portable even if it's a lot bulkier to install. For me there are no compromises.