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Corey Soto photo
United Kingdom, Belfast
1 Level
721 Review
41 Karma

Review on Fotodiox Pro FlapJack C-818ASV Bicolor LED Edge Light Kit - 18X18 Inch Ultra-Thin Dimmable Photo/Video Studio 1.5X1.5 Professional Dual Color LED With Case by Corey Soto

Revainrating 5 out of 5

Truly Portable Professional Lighting Set Up

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the build quality on these lights. They are very sturdy yet light weight and compact. I was looking for a way to create a portable studio I could take on the road that still looks very professional and these fit the bill. I bought two of them.I was concerned about battery life on my first shoot with them as I used these for about 2.5 hours on at least 50% and the battery indicator on the back said it had less than 1 bar left. However, I did take them home after the shoot to run the batteries all of the way down and they lasted another 2.5 to 3 hours. I bought two Watson 7800mAh batteries for back up and these will last many hours with no problems.The reach on these lights is good. You can get nice strong lighting at 6 feet away so you don't need these right in your model's face during a shoot. They have a nice softbox feel and even at 100% brightness, they do not blind your model's eyes. I also like the round shape which shows up nicely in the reflection in your model's pupils. Sometimes square or rectangular lights can look a little funky when reflected in the eyes.If you have your own home or professional studio or portability is not an issue then you may want to stick with a more traditional set up with octoboxes and c-stands and sandbags and plug in lights. However, combine two of these lights with another cheaper rim light, an off camera flash, some Manfrotto light stands and you have a truly portable pro-level portable lighting studio for under $1000.Also, on a minor note, but a MAJOR plus. The cases these came in smelled a little musty. The equipment was fine but the cases smelled. I tried airing them out and using fabric softener and it worked a little. However, I called support and asked to send some new cases with a return label for the old ones. The rep on the phone said she would have to get approval from a manager. The manager called me back in about 30 minutes and shipped me new cases and a return label.Great product and great customer service. I highly recommend these lights.

Pros
  • LED-Flpjk-C818ASV
Cons
  • The product's large size may make it difficult to position and adjust during shoots