Gear

BALLED Pro LED Photo Lights

The Hasselblad of Small Lighting Kits

The BALLED Pro lights are LEDs that output a fixed 125 lumen. They're suitable for object and food photography, can help with portrait shooting, and are great as a portable lighting kit when shooting video interviews.

BALLED Pros are aluminum cylinders with a crystal lens. With a diameter of 40mm and a height of 30mm, they're extremely portable. Their bottom plate is a strong magnet that holds the mini-USB interface and a 1/4″ thread to mount the BALLED Pro directly onto a tripod. The lens is extremely clear and has been cut for a light circle of 70°. The lamps are set to a color temperature of 6500K.

The BALLED Pro system comes in a small, Pelican-look-alike case. Except for the two lamps, the kit contains two ReVolt battery packs, cables, and two steel mounting plates with a 1/4″ thread to click the magnetic lamp base onto it.

Four AA batteries power the BALLED Pro, but I preferred using a sturdy and eco-friendly Power Monkey Extreme USB battery pack with a split cable.

I tried the BALLED Pros while shooting jewelry, a watch, and other small objects. They worked great. I was also enthralled with their performance as fill light for a portrait, and supporting light for a video interview in a dimly lit room. Add-ons to change light characteristics and output, such as the Rogue diffusion filters, greatly expand on creative capabilities, and add to the pleasure of using them.

Company: Bamberger Lebenshilfe-Werkstätten gGmbH
Price: €349 double set; €239 single set
Web: www.balledpro.com
Rating: 5
Hot:  Made in Germany; even light quality; longevity; portable
Not:  Case should have a lock

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