Lume cube Panel Pro with fp L

[Tom Schum]

Preliminary test results show that color temp settings do not quite match up between the camera and the light. However, it is constant light, so high e-shutter speeds can be used without danger of banding.

I need to do some more testing with auto white balance.

Panel Pro is $160. It is a true RGB rechargeable photo light, about the size, shape and weight of a smartphone. Tests were with it set to 100% power in a low-lit room.

fp L with hotshoe adapter and TTartisan 50mm F1.4 lens. Lume Cube cold shoe adapter comes with the light. There are three places on the light where you can mount it. Controls seen at top. Clip-on diffuser is shown not mounted. Without it, you get a little more light on your subject.

Lume cube and fp L white balance both set to 3000K. Lens set to F2.8, closest focus.

Lume cube and fp L white balance both set to 4500K. Lens set to F2.8, closest focus.

--
Tom Schum
"Beware of taking advice from anonymous wise men." Quote from Anon.

 

[Tom Schum]

Looks like the rendering is better when I set the fp L to Auto white balance.

Camera white balance set to 4000K

Camera white balance set to Auto (Light Source Priority)



--
Tom Schum
"Beware of taking advice from anonymous wise men." Quote from Anon.

 

[macabre21]

Hey Tom,

Interesting setup. I thought about doing the same thing with my fp L and a small cheap RGB light I use for video work. Although you can select the color temperature with the dial, I do not know how accurate it is. I can also tell there are slight changes in temperature depending on the brightness. This is typical of many flash units as well. Maybe AWB is the best way to go.

What kind of exposure increase are you getting while using the Lume cube?

 

[Tom Schum]

Hey Tom,

Interesting setup. I thought about doing the same thing with my fp L and a small cheap RGB light I use for video work. Although you can select the color temperature with the dial, I do not know how accurate it is. I can also tell there are slight changes in temperature depending on the brightness. This is typical of many flash units as well. Maybe AWB is the best way to go.

What kind of exposure increase are you getting while using the Lume cube?

I just checked. Without the Lume Cube the exposure was 1/100th second. With it, the exposure was 1/640th second. The light and camera were both about 2ft away from the subject (same subject as shown in the 4000K test shots).

This light is not as bright as my LED floodlight bulb in the nearest fixture though. This LED bulb is 945 lumens at 3000K, using 12.5 watts of power.

The Lume Cube Panel Pro is rated at 1000 lumens but comparing the two it seems to be only half as bright. Color matches the LED light bulb if I set the Lume Cube to 3500K or so.

So, brightness is the basic problem. But it is a small light, too.

I haven't yet tried changing the brightness to see if white balance has to change.

--
Tom Schum
"Beware of taking advice from anonymous wise men." Quote from Anon.

 

[Tom Schum]

White balance differences seem smaller at 5600K.

Camera and Lume Cube set to 5600K

Lume Cube set to 5600K, camera set to auto white balance (light source priority).



--
Tom Schum
"Beware of taking advice from anonymous wise men." Quote from Anon.

 

[macabre21]

I believe the panel, like most, regulate the color temperature by mixing different colored LEDs. They should be more accurate at the color temperatures that only are using a single colored diode (3200K and 5600K I'm gussing?).

I looked into the small Lume Cube 2.0 to use with my fp L for the same purpose you are doing here. It is also rated at 1500 lux, and I thought it had flash sync capabilities, but it turns out it's only an optical slave, and not a very consistent one, unfortunately. The small size would be nice, as is the single diode pure 5600K color temp. The downsides that it will be a smaller, harsher light source even diffused, and that it would only work where the light illuminates practically the entire subject, or used in environments where the ambient light is already near 5600K.

A bi-color light seems more ideal, but I guess presents it's own downsides. It does seem impressive to add a few stops of fill on your subject, however. Looking forward to more of your testing.

 

[Tom Schum]

I believe the panel, like most, regulate the color temperature by mixing different colored LEDs. They should be more accurate at the color temperatures that only are using a single colored diode (3200K and 5600K I'm gussing?).

You're probably right about this.

I looked into the small Lume Cube 2.0 to use with my fp L for the same purpose you are doing here. It is also rated at 1500 lux

At B&H, in the Lume Cube 2.0 specs, it is rated 0 to 750 lux. On the Lume Cube website it is said to produce 1500 lumens for 90 minutes. Meanwhile on the B&H website, the Panel Pro is rated 1000 lumens or 1500 lux with a battery runtime of 2.5 hours (this suggests that 750 lux is less than 1000 lumens). On the Lume Cube website, they rate it 1500 lux at 1/2 meter. These specs seem to be all over the place!

According to Wikipedia:

Lux - Wikipedia

the lux is "is equal to one lumen per square metre."

So, the closer you bring the light to the subject, the greater number of lumens are measured.

A bi-color light seems more ideal, but I guess presents it's own downsides. It does seem impressive to add a few stops of fill on your subject, however. Looking forward to more of your testing.

The Panel Mini is bi-color.

The Panel Pro is 3 color, and I'm looking forward to experimenting with red-only, green-only, and blue-only modes, and some of the mixes that you dial in using the control panel.

Another thing the Panel Pro has is a Bluetooth remote app for those smartphone addicts out there. I've turned off Bluetooth though.

 

[macabre21]

At B&H, in the Lume Cube 2.0 specs, it is rated 0 to 750 lux. On the Lume Cube website it is said to produce 1500 lumens for 90 minutes. Meanwhile on the B&H website, the Panel Pro is rated 1000 lumens or 1500 lux with a battery runtime of 2.5 hours (this suggests that 750 lux is less than 1000 lumens). On the Lume Cube website, they rate it 1500 lux at 1/2 meter. These specs seem to be all over the place!

According to Wikipedia:

Lux - Wikipedia

the lux is "is equal to one lumen per square metre."

So, the closer you bring the light to the subject, the greater number of lumens are measured.

Correct, the problem is the specs often change the distance at which the lux is calculated. B&H shows the Lume cube 2.0 at 750 lux at 1.0m and the Lume cube panel pro at 1500 lux at 0.5m. I have seen in other places the Lume cube 2.0 rated at 1500 lux when at 0.5m, so I'm going to assume they have nearly the same output. I wish all were rated at the same distance but the throw pattern is different from light to light as well so it is still difficult to compare.

 

[Tom Schum]

The Sigma fp L was set to sunlight white balance. Color mode was Foveon Classic Yellow. The TTartisan 50mm F1.4 lens was set to F2.8. A tripod was used. I darkened the room, and it was very gray and snowing outside. There was a distant light on in the kitchen, not shining onto the subject.

The diffuser was mounted on the Panel Pro, and Panel Pro brightness was set to 100%.

Panel Pro settings are shown under each photo below.

5600K color temperature

Red 255, Blue 0, Green 0

Red 255, Blue 255, Green 0

Red 0, Blue 255, Green 0

Red 0, Blue 255, Green 255

Red 0, Blue 0, Green 255

Red 255, Blue 0, Green 255

The visibility of other colors in the Red-only, Green-only, and Blue-only images might be explained by the passbands of the color filter array on the sensor in the camera, or maybe partly due to the color mode setting.

--
Tom Schum
"Beware of taking advice from anonymous wise men." Quote from Anon.

 

[Lynxo]

Hi Tom,

I took these when I had the FP. It is with the Litufoto N160, smaller panel. On Auto White Balance.

 

[Tom Schum]

Hi Tom,

I took these when I had the FP. It is with the Litufoto N160, smaller panel. On Auto White Balance.

These are very nice!

I shot handheld mostly, with ISO=6400. I see there is no EXIF for the images you posted. Can you provide the ISO and exposure info?

Also, can you provide a weblink to the light you used?

--
Tom Schum
"Beware of taking advice from anonymous wise men." Quote from Anon.

 

[Lynxo]

Hi Tom,

I took these when I had the FP. It is with the Litufoto N160, smaller panel. On Auto White Balance.

These are very nice!

I shot handheld mostly, with ISO=6400. I see there is no EXIF for the images you posted. Can you provide the ISO and exposure info?

Also, can you provide a weblink to the light you used?

--
Tom Schum
"Beware of taking advice from anonymous wise men." Quote from Anon.

Hi Tom,

Ok. I will post later with exif. I used lower ISO and tripod. This shots were my first experience with the FP. I gave it up. Sold all my Fuji gear then was able to aquire a used FP L.

My pipe dream, we can later send in FP/FP L for replacement sensor that allows normal flash sync.

The purple flower is actually blue. I thought it was the light or White Balance. Come to find out it is sensor related.

The panel is on sale right now. It is not as bright as the lume cube. Cheap enough to buy 2 though.

Amazon.com : RGB Led Video Light CRI 96+ 360° Full Color 9 Lighting Effect 3200-7500K Adjustable 1-100% Stepless Dimming for Camera Photography YouTube Studio Vlog : Electronics

Amazon.com : RGB Led Video Light CRI 96+ 360° Full Color 9 Lighting Effect 3200-7500K Adjustable 1-100% Stepless Dimming for Camera Photography YouTube Studio Vlog : Electronics

www.amazon.com

 

[Tom Schum]

Hi Tom,

I took these when I had the FP. It is with the Litufoto N160, smaller panel. On Auto White Balance.

These are very nice!

I shot handheld mostly, with ISO=6400. I see there is no EXIF for the images you posted. Can you provide the ISO and exposure info?

Also, can you provide a weblink to the light you used?

Hi Tom,

Ok. I will post later with exif. I used lower ISO and tripod. This shots were my first experience with the FP. I gave it up. Sold all my Fuji gear then was able to aquire a used FP L.

My pipe dream, we can later send in FP/FP L for replacement sensor that allows normal flash sync.

The purple flower is actually blue. I thought it was the light or White Balance. Come to find out it is sensor related.

The panel is on sale right now. It is not as bright as the lume cube. Cheap enough to buy 2 though.

https://www.amazon.com/Lighting-320...id=1642694819&sprefix=litufoto,aps,254&sr=8-4

Very interesting about blue flower rendering as purple! What color are the blue things in the background?

Also very interesting to see the link to the light. It seems quite similar to the Lume Cube Panel Pro that I use except the battery MaH rating in yours is substantially higher.

--
Tom Schum
"Beware of taking advice from anonymous wise men." Quote from Anon.

 

[Lynxo]

Hi Tom,

I took these when I had the FP. It is with the Litufoto N160, smaller panel. On Auto White Balance.

These are very nice!

I shot handheld mostly, with ISO=6400. I see there is no EXIF for the images you posted. Can you provide the ISO and exposure info?

Also, can you provide a weblink to the light you used?

Hi Tom,

Ok. I will post later with exif. I used lower ISO and tripod. This shots were my first experience with the FP. I gave it up. Sold all my Fuji gear then was able to aquire a used FP L.

My pipe dream, we can later send in FP/FP L for replacement sensor that allows normal flash sync.

The purple flower is actually blue. I thought it was the light or White Balance. Come to find out it is sensor related.

The panel is on sale right now. It is not as bright as the lume cube. Cheap enough to buy 2 though.

https://www.amazon.com/Lighting-320...id=1642694819&sprefix=litufoto,aps,254&sr=8-4

Very interesting about blue flower rendering as purple! What color are the blue things in the background?

Also very interesting to see the link to the light. It seems quite similar to the Lume Cube Panel Pro that I use except the battery MaH rating in yours is substantially higher.

I should have stated more clearly. The tiny flowers in the background should be blue but render purple.

Iphone did better job in the rendering. Maybe I did have a bad sensor?

Similiar to this:

https://community.usa.canon.com/t5/...e-LED-Lighting-showing-up-as-purple/m-p/51017

I have not tried if FP L does this or not. I should out of curiosity.

Someone mentioned that because my scene is very dark, depending on brightness of the light, it renders as purple. Not sure.

This was reply from Sigma Tech:

The light that you were using may only be effective and accurate at those distances based on the amount of light that the subject is actually absorbing. this is a color science thing. purple is one of the most difficult colors to reproduce.

 

[Lynxo]

Hi Tom,

I took these when I had the FP. It is with the Litufoto N160, smaller panel. On Auto White Balance.

These are very nice!

I shot handheld mostly, with ISO=6400. I see there is no EXIF for the images you posted. Can you provide the ISO and exposure info?

Also, can you provide a weblink to the light you used?

Hi Tom,

Ok. I will post later with exif. I used lower ISO and tripod. This shots were my first experience with the FP. I gave it up. Sold all my Fuji gear then was able to aquire a used FP L.

My pipe dream, we can later send in FP/FP L for replacement sensor that allows normal flash sync.

The purple flower is actually blue. I thought it was the light or White Balance. Come to find out it is sensor related.

The panel is on sale right now. It is not as bright as the lume cube. Cheap enough to buy 2 though.

https://www.amazon.com/Lighting-320...id=1642694819&sprefix=litufoto,aps,254&sr=8-4

Very interesting about blue flower rendering as purple! What color are the blue things in the background?

Also very interesting to see the link to the light. It seems quite similar to the Lume Cube Panel Pro that I use except the battery MaH rating in yours is substantially higher.

These have exif info:

 

[Tom Schum]

Hi Tom,

I took these when I had the FP. It is with the Litufoto N160, smaller panel. On Auto White Balance.

These are very nice!

I shot handheld mostly, with ISO=6400. I see there is no EXIF for the images you posted. Can you provide the ISO and exposure info?

Also, can you provide a weblink to the light you used?

Hi Tom,

Ok. I will post later with exif. I used lower ISO and tripod. This shots were my first experience with the FP. I gave it up. Sold all my Fuji gear then was able to aquire a used FP L.

My pipe dream, we can later send in FP/FP L for replacement sensor that allows normal flash sync.

The purple flower is actually blue. I thought it was the light or White Balance. Come to find out it is sensor related.

The panel is on sale right now. It is not as bright as the lume cube. Cheap enough to buy 2 though.

https://www.amazon.com/Lighting-320...id=1642694819&sprefix=litufoto,aps,254&sr=8-4

Very interesting about blue flower rendering as purple! What color are the blue things in the background?

Also very interesting to see the link to the light. It seems quite similar to the Lume Cube Panel Pro that I use except the battery MaH rating in yours is substantially higher.

These have exif info:

Thanks!

A friend has an fp and I have an fp L. Colors on both are wonderful.

I still have my Fuji X-E4 because I have accumulated a collection of manual lenses for it and it is a lot of fun to shoot compared to my fp L. I do believe that the colors out of Fujis are very good but the fp / fp L colors are a little bit better.

--
Tom Schum
"Beware of taking advice from anonymous wise men." Quote from Anon.

 

[Lynxo]

Hi Tom,

I took these when I had the FP. It is with the Litufoto N160, smaller panel. On Auto White Balance.

These are very nice!

I shot handheld mostly, with ISO=6400. I see there is no EXIF for the images you posted. Can you provide the ISO and exposure info?

Also, can you provide a weblink to the light you used?

Hi Tom,

Ok. I will post later with exif. I used lower ISO and tripod. This shots were my first experience with the FP. I gave it up. Sold all my Fuji gear then was able to aquire a used FP L.

My pipe dream, we can later send in FP/FP L for replacement sensor that allows normal flash sync.

The purple flower is actually blue. I thought it was the light or White Balance. Come to find out it is sensor related.

The panel is on sale right now. It is not as bright as the lume cube. Cheap enough to buy 2 though.

https://www.amazon.com/Lighting-320...id=1642694819&sprefix=litufoto,aps,254&sr=8-4

Very interesting about blue flower rendering as purple! What color are the blue things in the background?

Also very interesting to see the link to the light. It seems quite similar to the Lume Cube Panel Pro that I use except the battery MaH rating in yours is substantially higher.

These have exif info:

Thanks!

A friend has an fp and I have an fp L. Colors on both are wonderful.

I still have my Fuji X-E4 because I have accumulated a collection of manual lenses for it and it is a lot of fun to shoot compared to my fp L. I do believe that the colors out of Fujis are very good but the fp / fp L colors are a little bit better.

I had the Fuji gear. The colors are great. I would have kept them but it is either or.

So I went for the FP L now. The lack of flash is a real bummer but it is definitely a keeper. The extra MP’s is a nice bonus. You could basically throw a 24mm on it for wide shots and later crop to 50mm if suited.