Flashpoint LED panel lights are durable, portable and quality construction – and best of all, affordable. I’ve used other higher-priced brands of LED panel lights in the past and found them useful in many situations, but extremely overpriced for what you get. Thankfully, Adorama’s Flashpoint brand has released these sensible and affordable production lights and we used a couple of them in some real-world projects to test their versatility.

Flashpoint CL-1300B LED Panel Light – Bi-Color

The Flashpoint CL-1300B is a great all-around panel light; with 1296 dual-colored LED lamps in a 12×12″ square, you can blend a wide range of brightness and color from 3200k (tungsten) to 5600k (daylight). It works on the provided AC power or a 7.2v V-Mount battery for ultimate DC portability in the field and there’s an optional remote control to change color temperature without having to move to access the light.

Here are some specs from the Adorama page:

LED Panel Count
1296 lamps

Color Temperature
Bi-color 3200k ~ 5600k, 5600k daylight or 3200k tungsten

Dimmer
Wired remote from 10%-100%

Power Source
AC/DC and DC 11v-16v

Power Consumption
38w

Color Rendering Index
CRI) >85% in any color mode

Luminous Flux
4536 lumen per color channel

Beam Angle
60 degrees

Battery
V type 7.2 Sony/Panasonic

Outer Dimensions
12″ x 12″ x 2″

Weight
7 lb.

Current Price (at Adorama.com)
$319.95

You can also link/daisy-chain up to 4 lights with a special bracket kit for under $50. (requires 4 panels) I haven’t tested this configuration yet, but I can only imagine the output potential could be phenomenal. Compare this configuration with 4 complete light kits, including stands, brackets and cables, and you’ll come in about the same price as buying just ONE comparable Litepanels 1×1 Bi-Color LED Panel which has the same LUX output and color range as the Flashpoint CL-1300B. You can choose between a dual or quad configuration with various bracket kit options or even get a barn door kit for you single 1×1 panel light.

Here’s a short video from Flashpoint that shows the light in action:

Here’s an example of the CL-1300B used in conjunction with the CL-1144R (below) to enhance natural daylight coming from window in the lab for a commercial shoot. 

The provided AC power cable is sufficient in most cases but is a bit short when placed on a 6ft stand and the power brick is left dangling in the air. I’d much prefer a longer power cable solution as they provide with the CL-1144R, as shown side-by-side here on the same shoot (CL-1300B on left, CL-1144R on right):

Flashpoint CL-1144R LED Circular Light

The Flashpoint CL-1144R LED Circular Light is like a glowing daylight beauty dish for your studio. With the circular design of the LED pattern produces a soft glow for lighting people’s faces – with or without the included diffusion cloth. The shape makes great catch lights for close-up, that simulate natural sunlight and highlights. The 1144 LED lights emit up to 27,200 Lux and dimmable from 10%-100% in flicker-free 5600K daylight.

Here are some specs from the Adorama page:

LED Panel Count
1144 lamps

Color Temperature
5600k daylight

Dimmer
Wired remote from 10%-100%

Power Source
AC/DC and DC 10v-15v

Power Consumption
75w

Color Rendering Index
(CRI) >85% in any color mode

Luminous Flux
27,200 lux at 50cm

Beam Angle
60 degrees

V Mount Battery
12 volt Sony/Panasonic

Outer Dimensions
14.5 x 14.5 x 6.7″

Construction
Aluminum and Polycarbonate

Weight
3.75 lb.

Current Price (at Adorama.com)
$300

As with the CL-1300B, Adorama offers several kit configurations, including a 3-light interview kit that includes two CL-1144R lights, a CL-500R light, stands, boom and remotes for under $1000.

Here’s a short video from Flashpoint that shows the light in action:

We used both of the Flashpoint LED lights on-location to shoot several projects for a biotech manufacturer, including exterior and interior interviews and set-up shots for a commercial production in the training lab. As you can see from the frame-grabs from the video shot, the results were great!

Thist first shot was using the CL-1144R in combination with a pop-up silk diffuser outside:

Here we used both lights to setup an interview in the hallway of a production facility:

In this setup, we were able to get really balanced daylight on the actor’s face with proper highlights to enhance natural ambient daylight coming through the windows using both lights combined. 

I would highly recommend either of these lights and any configuration/kit combination for the independent or corporate video producer for very affordable, reliable and portable lighting for interviews and general location shooting.

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Jeff Foster is a published author of several how-to books and training videos in the motion graphics, animation and video production industries and is an award-winning video producer and artist. Visit his web site to learn more about his training methods, tips & tricks at PixelPainter.com