My review of the FIREFLYLITE PL09-MU, 98CRI photography, camping or DIY light. 2200 lumens, magnetic tail cap & lamp diffuser #JensTakesTimeOut
Great review! What are the max regulated lumens?
Regulation behaviour differed with cell choice.
Rare I saw a drop below 250
Thanks for the review. A very niche light. Other than ergonomics, a decent LED panel light is far more useful for photography.
I wouldn’t say pure flood is niche at all. Magnetic tailcap and pure flood is the most useful kind of light to have for close-range work and anything indoors. It’s also the most perfect little lantern light with the diffuser cap.
This is completely based on perspective and the kind of shooting you do and where you do it. Ergonomics is one thing, but the ability to have a light that doesn’t require a plug or constant recharging due to not being able to do battery swaps is huge on its own. Then the momentary power of this is not something a smaller LED panels produce. Then if you’re talking about diffusion, simple DC-Fix or other films address that too. When doing any kind of mobile photography or just something on the fly, most would not prefer a big cube when they can get all of the things I mentioned too if given a choice. But again it’s perspective. If you’re talking studio or event photography, then of course there are better options. But this light is plenty capable for many styles of photography and it can be used in many different ways while providing tons of valuable features in a tiny form-factor. Magnet doest hurt either. You said an LED panel is far more useful for photography. I could argue that a device like handheld mules with far more features are actually whats far more useful for photography. Like I said, it really is about perspective.
Edit: Hopefully I didn’t come off confrontational, not my intent. Just feel like a solid case could be made for the opposite is all.
There are uses and places for both, but in reality, LED panel lights suit the majority of photography use cases where diffuse very floody light is required. Some advantages of each option.
Mule flashlights:
Higher max brightness (usually)
Ergonomic
Magnetic tailcap (depending on model)
Momentary
Smaller size
Interchangeable batteries
LED panel lights:
Higher sustained brightness (in better models)
Magnetic (depending on model)
Variable CCT
Variable colour
Variable colour saturation
Video/long exposure effect modes
Display of settings (such as brightness in 1% increments for consistency)
App control of multiple lights
Cube lights:
Good mounting options (depending on model)
Robust
App control of multiple lights
Not much else
I could throw flashlights with diffusers into the mix as well - that’s what I use for urbex photography, but not for on location portraits.
I don’t disagree with any of the possible features available if you go with dedicated photography panels. I’m more saying photography doesn’t have a handheld pocket go-pro style light that gives you the versatility of the mules we have around here.
And actually because of exactly the differences you describe, I have been pondering a very specific tint-ramping D4v2. I have spoken to Hank about adding the mule spacer to a regular 4-emitter setup so I can take advantage of tint-ramping on a mule while still retaining auxiliaries. He totally said yes. But my problem has been output of 2-219B’s at what Hank runs them at, that is pretty dismal overall performance for a mule on top of that driver being overall even more inefficient than the stock setups. So I’m hoping that with the 519A’s hitting shelves soon, that would just be a better overall for this setup. I may still do this and just dump tint-ramping to take advantage of the new boost driver since you likely can’t have both. But I have yet to decide what I will be doing once 519A’s are available.
For urbex photography I currently use 4 Convoy S2+ LH351D with diffusers, 2 at 2700k and 2 at 5700k. I’m interested to see what Convoy and Hank come up with with using the 519A (or now possibly GT-FC15/30/60?) in different CCTs.
For portraits I use 2 Weeylite RB9 LED panel lights.
I’ve only been truly impressed with my ROT66 219B with diffuser for photography pics. All other high CRI leds seem to cast a noticeable yellow or violet hue. This includes fill lights.
My 4500k E21A Nov-MU seems to have a perfectly neutral duv for photogrpahy. All SW45Ks look pink against it, and most anything else looks green next to it. Ideally I’d use something around 5200k to white balance to though.
The tint mix on this PL09-Mu looks really pink.
I agree that in photos the E21A 4500k looks so perfect. Other rosier LED’s do look less special in photos next to it, but only if you compare them. But in real life, I much prefer all the rosy options and do not like the staleness of the 4500k at all. But again in photos? :+1:
That being said, there are def uses for the warmer rosier mules. For daytime they are amazing with the right subjects. With all the bright light around, they add an amazing color to things and people. An example below.