When the Rotolight package arrived at my doorstep, I was extremely excited. I was nervous because light is everything in photography, and LEDs are notorious for letting me down. But I was not disappointed. To say I had to rip myself out of playing with it in the studio to rate my review wouldn’t be an exaggeration. This light is extraordinary.
Let’s start from the outside and go inside to talk about AEOS 2 and NEO 3. Although the press material does not talk about the bag, the bag is particularly important. Many of us photographers travel and shoot in a multitude of conditions, and if the bag doesn’t protect what’s inside, that’s a huge oversight for me. I do my first test: I pour a cup of water over it and let it sit for a few minutes while making the coffee.
When I turned around, I was surprised to see a puddle of water still on the top of the bag. I opened the bag to see if it had soaked through, and the inside was completely dry. It has passed the water resistance test with flying colors.
Overall the bag is extremely well made: water resistant, sturdy zipper, three large outer and one interior pockets, thick padding and a sleek black finish. A+.
Now, to the good stuff: lights.
I started by setting the bigger one: AEOS 2. I pressed the power button and immediately, my studio was flooded with light. The output is very impressive. The touch screen offers five operating modes and intuitive navigation.
CCT (Continuous Light Mode) has a slider on the touchscreen that allows you to change the temperature from 3,000 Kelvin to 10,000 K by sliding your finger. Two of the modes: HSI (Hue, Saturation, Intensity) and GELS provide 16.7 million RGB colors, and GELS for 2,500 digital filters. If that sounds too technical, let me simplify: you can literally make any color you want. My biggest surprise was the smaller light: NEO 3. After setting up the AEOS2 as the main light, I set the NEO3 as the crosslight and turned on the switch. Woah, light output! That compact lamp packs a punch and it’s loaded with all the same operating modes as AEOS 2.
The reason I’ve generally gravitated toward using strobes over continuous light is that the continuous light output isn’t strong enough to support a shutter speed fast enough to stop motion without pushing the ISO. If an LED panel is powerful enough, the lights are often blinding and hot that I don’t mind working for hours on end. This light is easy on the eyes with diffusion across it and also gives off very little heat. I tested the lights in the studio. With my ISO at 500 max and my aperture at f/7.1 for depth of field, I was able to stop the motion and create some nice splash shots using the GEL functions .
Another test I wanted to do was the flexibility of the panels to produce hard and soft light. Clients or creative directors often have a specific look at shadows. Sharp, hard shadows are the new modern trend and I was curious if I could create a hard shadow by removing the diffusion on the light.
The VFX menu is sure to be a favorite among videographers. With effects including strobe, fade, party, paparazzi, film, cycle, fire, shooting, flame, cycle, etc., these pre-programmed lighting effects will provide High-quality scripts to enhance feature films or music videos. Rotolight teams up with award-winning visual effects designer Stefan Lange (James Bond Skyfall, Batman, Tombraider) to create these realistic lighting effects.
Rotolight has provided another industry first by designing an integrated high-speed synchronous flash that is compatible with Godox and Elinchrom flash receivers. This development allows photographers to wirelessly integrate Rotolight into existing systems using transmitters they already own. With this new technology, you can use your Godox/Elinchrom emitter to shoot out light like a bolt of lightning. No need to spend extra money for a separate transmitter.
Fifth menu panel: System Settings allows you, among other things, to establish a connection between your LED control panel and the Rotolight application. The app easily allows users to control the lights from their phones.
Who is this light for?
As I shoot and explore the different settings, I can easily envision multiple uses across the industry. Here are a few.
Portrait photographer
A quick scrolling through Rotolight’s Instagram feed shows just how popular this light is among photographers working in portraiture. Renowned Educator and Portrait Artist Jake Hicks created this image using lights.
Wedding and event photographers and videographers
The light design and portability of the lights make them ideal for event work. Whether shooting weddings, bars, life in night light or anything on the go, the light is easy to carry, set up and control. The NEO3 can be attached to a camera, providing light as professionals move around.
Cinematographer
Videographers may be the most obvious benefactors of the upgrade to the already highly successful NEO and AEOS lights. With a few almost easy steps, a professional setup can be designed with custom colors and pre-designed effects.
Content creators
With businesses from skin care to food and beverage feeling pressed to deliver high-quality content on a weekly basis, creators have become an in-demand niche in the industry. Creators can use these lights to easily enhance the look and feel of their photos, videos, and motions with no space requirements or hassle of setting up strobe lights with modifiers.
Stop thinking
I’m not going to pressure you with statements that end “this is the new must-have …” Is this the right light for you? It can. You will know better than me. The big appeal for me is the power output and versatility of the lamp, while remaining portable and compact. Retails at $1,399 for AEOS 2 and $599 for NEO 3, they are not likely to be a compelling purchase. As a professional photographer, I tend to invest in new equipment when it does one of two things: if it makes my job significantly better or if it makes my job easier. significantly more. If you range from hobbyist to amateur, this could be the all-in-one upgrade you’ve been looking for to give your images a more professional look. If you’re a more established photographer and find yourself tired of transporting a huge truckload of goods to each shoot, this could be a one-stop exchange to lighten the load for you. Overall, for the continuous light category, I’d give the AEOS 2 and NEO 3 a serious A+. What is your impression? Is this a part you might find yourself adding to your setup? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
