Pro-Quality Continuous Light with adjustable color temp and brightness levels!
The ACURIT COLORVIEW LUX ARTIST STUDIO LIGHT is a small flat-panel continuous light source in a plastic shell complete with BARN DOORS on four sides and infinitely adjustable color temperature and brightness ranges from 3200K to 5600K. This provides photographers, artists, content creators, and lighting designers with accurate, rheostat-controlled lighting for portraits, still life drawing, head-shot interviews, or as a modeling light for larger light arrays.
This is a USEFUL device. Its PRICE does NOT reflect its value.
In our studio we use it to do small and large product photography attached to a 16-foot light stand with a boom head allowing us to create classic CLAMSHELL and REMBRANDT lighting for SIMPLE portraits that are quick to setup and knock down and deliver excellent images regardless of gender, age, skin tone, or hair color. THEY JUST WORK!
We used to do these shoots with three lights. Two Octa softboxes and a hair/background light to get some pop off the model’s hair. As with ANY softbox it was a continuous align, test, adjust, using the modeling light in the strobe to get the shadow-free look we want for CLAMSHELL or the RIGHT-SIDE shadows we DO want for noir-style Rembrandt lighting. It was enjoyable photography playing with the light, but Models are NOT free and doing 122 Corporate Head Shots in three hours in a paid gig needed a faster, set-piece arrangement that works EVERY TIME for every “HEAD” that sits on the stool.
This continuous light, rheostat-controlled (or use the remote) flat panel on the boom gave us the control we needed to do the work efficiently, effectively, and with results that pleased the clients…our NUMBER ONE PRIORITY always.
If you are wondering how this flat panel created our clamshell effect it did not work alone. We simply added a white flag held at the subject’s waist to bounce some of the reflected light up and remove the always present forehead-nose-jawline shadow from the primary light above. Simple, inexpensive, permanent. Once you add it to the environment, it is ready to work.
We have this setup permanently prepped for studio work, but the flat panel is small enough to pack left attached to its light stand. The power supply fits in the light stand bag and we have a checklist for the remote because I am old and was known as “the absent-minded professor” when I was NOT old. While I can remember statistical formulas that cover three whiteboards with no problem; putting that very handy remote in the light stand bag is a whole other proposition. So, having a CHECKLIST for location shoots is ALWAYS a good idea.
In ANY circumstance where you have access to AC power (the light ALSO has provision for two NPF batteries to use without AC power, but these are expensive and slow to recharge. Use AC power, if possible!) this flat panel should go on location with you. We take the octas, from 27.5 inches to 53 inches, but the CV LUX Light on its light stand adds just ONE more light stand bag to the mix and the little light’s versatility makes it worth the weight.
The ACURIT COLORVIEW LUX ARTIST STUDIO LIGHT adds a lot of possibilities to photographers in and out of their studio. The color balancing and controllable brightness give it unique abilities NOT found in studio strobes, flashes and in other types of continuous light sources. It has proven to be both useful and timesaving for us. When you add the PRICE of this light to the mix it becomes a simple proposition.
Five Stars for AC power, Adjustable Color and Temp, Remote Control, Barn Doors, Light Stand and PRICE!
Mark in North Carolina
JARELLANO
★★★★★
Not good value for the money
While it works and it will provide enough light for a talking head video, you can get more for your money with other products in the market.
What I like:
Small and portable
Delivers some decent light
Includes light stand
Remote control (I prefer a dedicated remote to an app that you need to install on your phone)
What I do not like:
Not built-in battery so you need to buy or already own
No RGB colors
You cannot remove the barn doors
Plastic construction
Flutterby
★★★★★
Great Light with Many Options for Artists
For fine artists interested in portrait and/or still life painting this light has many options. Whether painting from life or for taking reference photos it can produce more highlights, contrast and detail than other lights I have tried. The three color temperature settings of warm, daylight and cool produce interesting affects. There is a remote (uses 2 AAA batteries purchased separately) but there are also control knobs on the back of the light. I like the remote because I can look at the front of the studio light while adjusting the affects and it even works from across the room. On the box it says the light can easily be attached to any DSLR camera. It is an easily portable size and can be battery operated with two separately purchased NP-F550 batteries, which I will get for added convenience.
I am a former professional graphic artist transitioning back to fine art with the goal of painting in a photorealistic style. There are open access sites for reference photos that I use for practice but I really want to paint from my own compositions/subjects and have been struggling with the lighting in my home, especially during gloomy winter with shorter days. I have purchased a number of other studio type lights but they haven’t worked well for lighting what I am painting. They have added too much glare and washed out colors. I am on a budget so buying a more expensive studio light system is not an option and this reasonably priced light is what I need for my projects now. Being LED it stays cool; it will last longer and use less energy than conventional bulbs.
There were no instructions in the package (many thanks to the other reviewers who mentioned this because I was searching the house, trash and even internet for the instructions until I read their reviews). It’s okay with me though; in my search I found a couple YouTube videos about this light that are helpful and I will have fun learning more about how to use all the features on my own. I have added experimental photos taken using an iPhone of shiny objects. The one that is more monotone is without the light. These photos were not done for composition, just playing with the light settings. I don’t have a good quality DSLR camera yet to try with the light so can’t verify how attaching one works. I am considering getting an additional ColorView LUX artist studio light for multiple angle lighting.
C
Canis
★★★★★
Well Thought Out
I have acquired several small studio lights over the past few months...most of them have performed well.
This one is a bit better however.
I like to have options, and this light gives me that.
Two battery slots in the back for NPF batteries...so you can put any size back there you wish to...but you will need to place two in the slots for the light to work.
Staying at the back of the light, you can control each color temperature separately. Options again.
Barn doors...do you need them? Perhaps not, but they are there if you do...nice.
There is an a/c power cord provided, and if shooting indoors, the easiest way to get going.
Here we hit a small snag. The power wire coming off of the transformer is too short. In the image I have provided, you can see that I have tied it up on the stand. That is with the stand at it's lowest.
If you raise that light stand up...you are going to have to cinch up the power cord. Batteries solve this, but for indoor work...it's a problem. All they had to do was add two or three feet of wire. I can live with it, but I will be looking for a longer power setup. I suggest they fix that moving forward.
It has a great wireless controller that does come in handy...you can make the light do anything it is capable of from a distance...you don't have to stop what you are doing to adjust...nice.
Overall, barring the short power cord, this is the best light I have so far.
Thumbs up...but fix that power cord length please.
Jon Deutsch
★★★★★
Studio Light
Acurit Colorview Lux Artist Studio Light is easy enough to set up. The stand gets it plenty high enough in my smaller space. It’s almost too bright for my smaller space. When it is on AC power, I had to zip-tie the power adapter to the stand to keep the weight of it from pulling on the light and re-orienting it.
M
M.F.
★★★★★
Not bad for older style LED w barn doors
I refer to this as an "older style" because it's an array of smaller LEDS in rows and columns. The more recent COB (chip ob board) options are much better. But, assuming those didn't exist, this is pretty good. The problem with these kind of LEDs with bran doors is that there were weird, multiple shadow issues when the barn doors start to close. It basically ruins the light for many photos, especially when a background with the shadows is visible in the shot. However, the barn doors are still a useful feature for a different reason- to be used as a convenient way to hold colored gels.
The good: price is competitive, I like the battery power option (batteries and battery charger not included), I like how when the batteries are inserted, they naturally block the power switched from easily being accidentally pressed (when in a carrying bag for example), the bi-color light option is very important to me, as I would almost always use this in combination with other lights of varying temperatures and this lets me match the other lights, the included stand and angle adjuster are of sufficient quality for this light, and I see nothing of concern regarding build quality.
The bad: as noted before, this array of smaller LEDS spread out in rows and columns is not ideal, and use of the barn doors doesn't really create the sliver of light effect as desired, and it produces weird and distracting multiple shadow lines.
S
SIDNF
★★★★★
Looking good
The light is small but very powerful. It is useful for a small studio or even to complement bigger ones. Ideally for photography and video. It comes with a remote control which allows you to control the temperature from cool to warm. It comes with a light stand and cold shoe adapter that allows you to tilt up or down the light and has 4 Metal Barn Doors to control the direction of the light. It also comes with a power adapter however you can operate it with one or two NP 550 batteries.
Lucrenda
★★★★★
Good for home use
I’m not a professional photographer so my review will be basic and my plans for this light might be different than those of a professional photographer. I plan on using the light to take pictures of items that I hope to sell online and for pictures of food dishes my husband likes to make. Another, non-traditional use is that I plan on shining the light on our campground picnic table when we want to game into the evening. It emits a nice quantity of light, and we will be able to see our cards and game pieces nicely. Not a usual use but one that I think it will work nicely for.
Because I haven’t used a photo light in the past, I wish this light would have come with a booklet or directions of some kind. It did not, so I had to do some trial and error to use. It is light weight and comes with a tripod. I would not trust it to not fall over in a windy situation.
It comes with a remote that you can use to turn it on and off, change the lights from cool to warm, and it has a few other settings that I am not sure what they do.
T
Techno-Geek
★★★★★
Bright and cool video light
The Acurit video light has adjustable color temperature as well as lighting power output via dual control knobs. The video light's housing is using lightweight plastic. The adjustable barn doors are made out of metal. The mounting adapter has adjustable angle and is made out of plastic except for the 1/4" mounting screw and female socket. This kit includes the plug in power adapter and a very lightweight light stand. This light allows it to be powered by two common NP batteries. It does require two batteries to be installed in tandem in order to power on this light. The barn doors are used in video shooting to allow you to control the light's output pattern. The adjustable color temperature is a must in order to color correct for different lighting temperature scenarios. The light output is very bright. After an hour of having the light output set to maximum this light stayed very cool to the touch. Overall, I am happy with the performance of this video light.
Item reviewed: Acurit Colorview Lux Artist Studio Light - Adjustable Photography Lighting Kit 3 Color Temps, 4 Metal Barn Doors, 4160 Lumens LED - Remote Control, AC Power Supply, 6ft 6" Light Stand Included
Neodymium Bean
★★★★★
Very light weight but at a cost, beautiful light, so so build and light stand quality.
As a photographer and videographer with a few light panels, I was very interested in this light. Mostly because none of the product images actually showed the back of the light, which was strange since the controls of the light and other options are back there. There are a few product photos up for those who were noticing the same thing.
The panel and the stand comes in two separate boxes, but they are each branded and look like a professional product you would find at an franchise craft/art store like Michaels, Joanne's or Hobby Lobby.
The build of the Light and stand is adequate. I had to remind myself of who the target market of this light is, and if you are looking for a heavy duty light to be used in the field and stored away in a pelican case but still bouncing around with other lights, this light will not last long. The plastic body and overall flimsiness of the light stand is very apparent. The company is selling it as an ultra light solution though, and build density is one of the things they sacrificed to meet that standard. It's not to say the build of the light stand is bad, or the light, it's just one fall or accident away from taking permanent damage. There's no robustness to the material used, which is very apparent in the light stand where the tubes of the light stand (all three rungs) have a small amount of give if you squeeze with your pointer finger and your thumb. It's also plastic on all the cross sections. As long as you are aware of the issues with the light stand, it's actually not a bad one. I would NOT use it for anything heavier than the light panel though. The panel itself has a tougher plastic build, and the flanges of the barndoors are all metal. The panel isn't bad, though the plastic and quality of the molding does feel lacking. The barndoors work well, and fall flat and out of the way when you need to put the unit away. They aren't removable from the lights without taking the screws off.
The panel can be powered by ac adapter, or 2 Sony NPF batteries. It does require both NPF ports to be occupied to be powered. Something I've never seen on another light panel before is the power levels of both the tungsten (3200k) and daylight balanced LED(5500k) is independent. Looking at the back of the unit, the right knob controls the intensity of each of those channels. I guess this is a good way to fine tune the color to what you want, but it's really odd seeing it that way. The color temp accuracy looks to be correct. Current devices such as iPhone, android phones, etc. have pretty accurate auto white balance so they should play very well with this light.
The panel does come with a remote, which would make this extra awesome for people like twitch streamers where they can turn off and on the light without reaching behind their computer screens.
What really is great about the light is the lighting quality. It's a nice brightness along with a nice softness. The diffuser on the panel spreads the light well and I was very happy with both the intensity and quality of the light.
Overall the light panel puts out a very beautiful light, but the build of the light and especially the light stand is not really great. For the target audience of artist, I think of overpriced products such as Ottlites and stuff and taking that into mind this light is actually a pretty good product. It's priced competitively compared to artist targeted products, and if I could just purchase the light and not the stand for say $49.99 I would be happy to get this as an artist, streamer, content creator. The light works well, and the included remote gives it a lot of versatility for it's price. The stand, it works, it's not great, but anyone who will be using this for anything outside of a small art studio or apartment studio will probably quickly replace it with something more robust. Any artist looking at this, if you pair this with a articulating table mount, there's a good chance you will love this light.
