When creating videos being in control of your lighting gives you so many options and can elevate the end result. As a video creator myself I was very interested to try out the Pixel RGB LED Video Lighting Kit.
The Pixel 2 RGB LED Video Lighting kit offers an excellent balance between price and performance. Video creators will love the range of colours available, the special lighting effects, plus the ability to group them and control both at the same time from a single unit.
I’ve been using this kit for a while, before we get stuck into the details heres what you need to know about RGB LED lighting.
What are LED lights?
Traditional lighting uses large lightbulbs, causing the lighting units to require a deep design to house the bulb. LED panels are made up of lots of small light-emitting diodes. These semiconductors convert electricity to light. RGB LEDs are different from traditional lighting in that they can produce full range of colours without the need for coloured sheets or filters.
As it’s been said before, LEDs have drastically changed the way we use and look at lighting because these lights offer so many advantages over those using incandescent bulbs:
- More efficient energy consumption with no heat generated
- More durable
- Longer life
- Less expensive
Lighting panels made up of LEDs are generally lower cost where the LEDs are white only. RGB (red, green, blue, i.e. colour) LEDs add a cost but also open up a lot more creative options as they allow you to set the light to whatever colour you want when filming or taking photos.
Pixel 2 RGB LED Video Lighting Kit Video Review
What do you get with the Pixel K80 2 RGB LED Lighting Kit?
If you’re looking for a brilliant lighting kit this is for you. On arrival you’ll find everything packed away in a really nice travel case. It looks smart, feels good quality, and makes storing or transporting 2 LED lights very easy.
Opening up the case you’ll find:
- 2 x RGB LED lighting panels
- 2 x power cables
- 2 x lighting stands
- 2 x diffusers
- Manual
The RGB LED Video Lighting Kit is a comprehensive lighting kit that includes 552pcs SMD LED beads (156pcs cool/156pcs warm/240pcs RGB beads) and 0-360° full colour. It features stepless dimming, which allows you to change the brightness of the LEDs without changing their colour.
How easy is the Pixel 2 pack to set up?
Short answer: Very easy! I’m not a lighting expert and I had them figured out in about 10 minutes. It takes just a few minutes to pop the panels on the lighting stand, the rest of the time was spent experimenting with the different modes available.
The panels come preassembled with a barn door design, allowing you control over the direction of light, so all you need to do is mount them onto the lighting stands and add power.
The panels can be powered via a mains outlet (a good length power cable is included) or via battery packs (not included) that clip on the back, meaning you can use these whereever you want, even without a power outlet!
Around the back is the main control panel. At first this looks complicated, but in use it’s a very simple system to use.
The 4 buttons directly under the screen allow you to control:
- Lighting group
- Lighting chanel
- Increase brightness by 25%
- Change lighting mode
Under that is a rotating dial to adjust brightness, and this has a select button in the middle. The control display shows you which channel, group, mode and brightness the light is set to.
Pixel K80 Modes
One of the best features of this set are the different modes you can use. These are preset colours and effects that allow you to set the lighting very quickly and easily depending on your needs. The different modes are:
- White
- Colour
- SOS
- 2 x lightning effects
- TV screen simulation
- Police
- Ambulance
- Fire engine
- 2 x RGB rotation
Setting it to a single colour gives you control over the brightness and temperature. I’ve had a single LED light before, but have two opens up a lot more possibilites. For example you can use one to add a background colour while the 2nd lights the subject.
Control both LED panels at the same time
One of the most impressive features I’ve never had before is the channel/group select options. If they’re on different channels or in a different group the lights work independently of each other, for example you can set one to colour, the other to white.
The powerful grouping feature allows you to pair the two panels into the same group and have them set exactly the same, but only using a single control panel.
I recently did a photoshoot in a Pilate studio, these panels were set up a different sides of the room and were there to provide additional light for the photographs. Once set to the same channel I could control both lights without having to move back and forther between the two to check the settings were the same, genius!
I’ve only got two lights, but I would assume based on the number of channels and groups additional lights could be purchased and added in to this control system.
Is the Pixel K800 RGB Video Lighting Kit worth getting?
Having used this kit for a month, for both photo and video shoots, I would 100% recommend it. All the components are of high quality, the colours are bright and vibrant, the different lighting modes quickly add creative options and the channel grouping feature works brilliantly.
If you’re interested in learning more you can pick these up on Amazon: httpss://geni.us/AmazonPixelK80
