Akurat Lighting LL2120hc3 V-WHITE

Color-Accurate Video- and Photo-Fill LED Lamp

Video lights for on-camera use with a color rendering index (CRI) of 98 are hard to find, but the aluminum Akurat LL2120hc3 V-WHITE fits in the palm of your hand, provides high brightness, has excellent build quality, and two white balance settings, all at a low price.

The V-WHITE video light has a CRI of 95+ (R1-R14 greater than 95, including R9 and R12; Ra=98) and a high luminous emittance. You mount the 270-g lamp on a camera or tripod with the hot-shoe adapter or the1/4″ mount, and adjust the light direction with a traditional yoke. The light bundle extends to a 120° angle, which is sufficient to fill the whole frame.

I tested the LL2120hc3 V-WHITE with a spectrophotometer at a distance of 50 cm, revealing the following values: Lowest dim setting—30 lx at 5770K; halfway setting—470 lx at 5800K; and full setting—850 lx at 5800K.

In a second test, I shot an object at one meter with a LumoPro LP180 flash set at 1/128 and zoom factor 50mm, followed by the LL2120hc3 V-WHITE at its highest setting. The camera was fixed at 1/125 and f/2.8. The V-WHITE proved to be useful as a continuous studio light (a couple of them could replace a softbox) or as an extra fill light when flash alone won't cut it.

For the final test, I used the LL2120hc3 V-WHITE in a huge demo hall with a high ceiling. The hall was well lit with overhead fluorescent tubes, but this job required shooting the internal structure of an industrial printer. Aiming the LL2120hc3 V-WHITE at the printer's insides from a distance of one meter proved the V-WHITE to be quite capable of overpowering the light overhead. For a lamp the size of your hand, that's no small feat.

Company: Akurat Lighting
Price: $ 270
Web: akuratlighting.com
Rating: 5
Hot: High CRI; flicker-free dimming; quality build; price
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