Product Review: Lume Cube Broadcast Lighting Kit [u]

Posted on by Larry

[Updated April 15, 2021, with technical specs from Lume Cube on the two lights.]

“I really like the look of your new light,” said my son after a recent video conference. I recently purchased the Lume Cube Broadcast Lighting kit and Video Conference light for my own work. This was the first chance my son had to see them in action.

NOTE: Lume Cube has now combined these two units into the “Work From Home Bundle.”

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The “Work From Home Bundle,” combines a tripod-based LED light panel along with a slightly smaller unit mounted via a suction cup.

The Broadcast Lighting Kit features a telescoping tripod (12″ to 30″ height) with a ball head mount that supports both horizontal and vertical positioning, adjustable LED panel with two diffusion filters and USB-C charging. Everything is portable – rechargeable batteries are built into each light.

The Video Conference light is a smaller LED panel – equally adjustable – along with a suction mount to attach the light to the back of a monitor or any other flat, non-porous surface.

Manufacturing quality is outstanding, light cases are made from aluminum, while the quality of the light is clean and smooth and the built-in rechargeable batteries support hours of use. (The total duration depends upon how bright you set the light – more about this in my review.)

These lights may not be bright enough to light an entire set, but they are more than bright enough to light a small interview, video conference guest, or all kinds of playful lighting for still image shoots. I like these portable lights a lot.

Manufacturer: Lume Cube
Products: Broadcast Lighting Kit & Video Conference Light
Warranty: 12 months
Website: https://LumeCube.com/products/work-from-home-combo-bundle
Price: $149.95 (US)

ABOUT THE KITS

The Broadcast Lighting Kit includes:

The Video Conference light kit includes:

ABOUT THE LIGHTS


Making changes to temperature or intensity settings is as easy as pressing the power switch then rotating the knob. The readout clearly shows the precise setting.

The Lume Cube Panel Go specs:

The Lume Cube Panel Mini 1 specs:

While lights can be operated with the USB-C cable connected, they are designed to be fully portable and cord free.

The side panel holds:

UPDATE: TECHNICAL SPECS ON THE TWO LIGHTS

Finding technical information on these two lights on the Lume Cube website is really difficult. So, I contacted Lume Cube for more information. Here’s what I was told.

Larry: What is the light output of the two lights at 100% in lumens?

An intelligent LCD on the rear of the Panel GO displays the color temperature, brightness level, remaining runtime, and battery level.

Larry: Is the light regulated or does light output diminish as the battery declines? For example, if I am recording a 30 minute interview with the light at 50%, is the amount of light ( in lumens) the same at the start of the recording as it is in the end, or does it start to fade immediately as the battery drains?

The Panel Mini typically delivers battery life at least equivalent to what’s stated on the spec sheets:

NOTE: I re-contacted Lume Cube to see if light output or color drops as the battery drains. I’ll update this review when I learn more.

Larry add: Both lights are rated with a CRI of 96+, as a color rendering index. However I was not able to get an answer if color output changes as the battery drains.

ABOUT THE MOUNTS

The first thing that struck me about these units was how well made they are. Light cases are aluminum. Tripods are a combination of steel (pole) and substantial plastic (legs and mount). The vacuum mount is substantial plastic. All three feel like they can handle regular use without breaking. I especially like the feel of the telescoping tripod shaft. I extended it to its full height with the light on top several days ago and it has not moved since.

Lights can be mounted five different ways:

It is not obvious, nor covered in the very brief setup instructions, but the bottom of the tripod has a ring that twists to lock the legs in place. This took me a call to tech support to discover.

PUTTING THE LIGHTS TO USE

I bought both lights to give me some lighting flexibility for some shoots I have coming up. But, for now, I’m only using them for video conferencing.

There are many things I like about these lights:

SUMMARY

The Lume Cube panels are solidly built, easily adjustable, and come with flexible mounting options for different situations. They provide a soft, even light ideal for video in small spaces or lighting larger areas for still photography.

I’m looking forward to seeing what all they can do. I recommend them.


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One Response to Product Review: Lume Cube Broadcast Lighting Kit [u]

  1. Yes! I have been using these little Luma Cube lights for my Zoom calls and video projects for a few months and love their versatility and compact size. Nice products and very portable.

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