As a seasoned studio strobe shooter, I put the Zhiyun Molus B Series LED lights in their footsteps. Moving on from my usual larger, heavier studio strobe lights, will these be powerful enough for my needs?
Whether you’re shooting portraits, still life, or anything else, a photography studio gives you the opportunity to have complete control over the lighting in your images. Starting in the dark and slowly designing how the light illuminates your subject is always a puzzle to solve, and one that I enjoy immensely. Balancing the quantity, quality, and intensity of light with the right direction can be a long process, but once you find the right formula, the results are worth all the effort.
I was intrigued by the specifications of the new design. Zhiyun Molus B series LED lamp and decided to put the B200 and B500 models to the test. The Molus B series offers portable and professional lighting solutions with units ranging from 100W to 500W. These lamps feature an innovative industrial design that integrates a cooling system inside the lamp, inspired by the vortex flow for greater compactness.
What is special about these lights?
The Zhiyun Molus B Series has COB LED lights. COB (Chip on Board) LEDs have multiple LED chips packaged together as a single lighting module. This design creates a uniform and efficient light source with enhanced brightness, increased heat dissipation and energy savings. This combination provides an excellent choice for many lighting applications in photography and videography, where consistent and high-quality lighting is critical. Despite their high output, these lights are up to 70% lighter than comparable products, taking up just a fraction of the space. Zhiyun’s B Series lights boast the MK V type DynaVort™ Cooling System, which significantly improves thermal efficiency. The system includes two pressure sensors to eliminate turbulence and optimize airflow, resulting in better heat dissipation in a smaller volume.
B Series lamps operate within a color temperature range of 2,700K to 6,500K, providing professional color rendering suitable for a wide range of uses. With easy-to-use and intuitive dials, you can quickly adjust color temperature and brightness from 0-100%. The ZY Vega app and K1 Controller control panel provide more ways to control lights remotely, enhancing user convenience.
Weight and size
If you’re used to studio strobes or larger LEDs, you’ll definitely find these to be smaller and lighter than what you’re used to. The B200 measures 146 x 181 x 160mm and weighs 1.4kg, while the B500 is still compact at 245 x 190 x 159mm and weighs 2.8kg.
Output and color accuracy
The small size of these lights meant I expected a low power output, but they really pack a punch. In terms of light output, B200 provides 8,370 lux at 5m500 K without reflector and 39,900 lux with reflector, while B500 providing 19,200 lux without reflectors and 76,400 lux with reflectors, which is impressive when you consider that this is within the lux range of sunlight.
Both models have high Color Rendering Indexes; the B200’s CRI is ≥96 and the B500’s is ≥95. These high values mean that the lights produce very accurate colors, so you can be sure that you’ll get the results you want.
These features, combined with a compact and lightweight design, make Zhiyun Molus B product line LED lights were a great choice for me, and I’m sure there are many other photographers and videographers looking for a high-quality portable lighting solution like this.
Check the lights
When to use LED lights on wardrobes
It is said that you should never work with children or animals, but if you work with either or both, an LED setup may be a better choice for you than a strobe light. Babies, young children, and animals can be easily startled by sudden flashes of light. Constant LEDs provide a softer, less distracting light source, helping them stay calm and comfortable.
Taking photos of children
Photographing young children can be challenging, and just when you think you’re interacting well with your child, flashing lights can actually distract them and cause overstimulation and tantrums. Use Zhiyun Molus I use the B500 as my main light and the B200 as my secondary light to provide a non-invasive light source, keeping the children calm and comfortable. This steady light allows for realistic moments to be captured without startling them, allowing me to guide children in posing through play and imagination.
Pet Photography with LED Light
Using a continuous LED light for dog photography proved to be very effective. Animals, like children, can be easily startled by the sudden flash of light from a regular strobe light. The steady light from the B500 ensured the dog remained calm and relaxed throughout the session, allowing him to concentrate on commands and waiting for his next reward. This allowed me to capture his attention and focus on illuminating his beautiful eyes. A key addition to this session was an endless supply of smoky cheddar cheese to reward him for good behaviour and patience.
Fashion photography
During the two hour fashion shoot, I used the lights mostly at full power. They handled this extended use very well. Although the fans did come on as expected, this was a normal part of the operation and importantly the equipment did not overheat. I was able to focus on interacting with my models, making them comfortable and ensuring that each look was captured as intended. Additionally, an unexpected benefit of this long shoot was that the studio remained much cooler than traditional flash shoots, which was a welcome change.
Still Life Photography
Moving away from portraits, I wanted to experiment with still life photography with these lights and ended up completely hooked on the process. I love still life photography; it allows me to slow down and sit with my subject without interruption until I get the shot right. I set up a few still life scenes with flowers, spending hours enjoying the experience. The B200 handled these scenes perfectly, with enough power to allow me to see my lighting in real time rather than having to rely on the camera preview screen as with flash. Adjusting still life scenes is a breeze with these lights. Unlike with flash, there is no need to take test shots to see how the light will hit the subject; I can directly adjust the position of each subject and of course the lights through both the controller and the app. This real-time visibility not only makes the process easier, but more fun.
Easy to use
Simple operation of the lights using the controller, along with the ability to change power settings remotely via a phone app, adds to the convenience. While I usually prefer manual adjustments, I realized the potential benefits of the remote control feature as I became more familiar with it.
Transportation and storage
After a busy week of photography, shipping and packing these compact lights was another highlight. One of the most convenient aspects of these LED lights is the ability to pack them immediately after shooting without having to wait for the bulb to cool. This efficiency is a significant advantage, especially for photographers with tight schedules.
They fit in a much smaller bag than a regular flash case, making them easy to transport to and from location. No more lugging around large, heavy bags before you start shooting. My old flashes fit in a travel case the size of a large suitcase, while the B200 and B500 fit in a small travel case with room for accessories. For me, this is a much better solution.
Move away from Studio flash
As a photographer, I learned how to use strobe lights in the studio and that’s something I’ve always pursued. If you have your own dedicated studio, you may not mind using larger, heavier lights, but when shooting on location or frequently installing and removing lights, the size and weight of a traditional studio strobe can can become a burden. In the past, I’ve tried 60 W and 150 W continuous LED lights, which were about the same size as my old closet lights, with extremely noisy fans that turned on after a short period of use, and I didn’t experience any problems. convinced to convert because they were not strong enough. While Zhiyun Molus B Series LEDs aren’t exactly the cheapest option, you get what you pay for, and the power of these lights is really impressive. I would say this would be my go-to light unless I need a flash for specific reasons like freezing motion.
The Zhiyun Molus B series LED lamp delivering a flexible, efficient and high-quality lighting experience. I was impressed with their compact size, ease of use, and build quality. The many benefits of these lights make them a great addition to my photography toolkit.
