P96L RGB Video Light by SmallRig, Portable Metal LED Camera Light, 2500-8000K, 21 Effects, CRI 96+, OLED Display, Photo and Video Lighting, Long Battery Life, Fits Phone and Camera

This is a review of the simorr Vibe P96L, with an ASIN of B09G98NRQZ.UPDATE(2022/10/04): My previous burn time value was incorrect - I think I must have accidentally changed the brightness while testing it, as I’ve now found it to be less. I’m correcting the battery section below, accordingly. I am very sorry for the mistake. END OF UPDATEI’ve been working on reviewing a similar product, and realized I kept comparing it to this, so I thought I should probably come back here and write this up to reference. Also, it’s worth noting that simorr is a sub-brand of SmallRig, and, for a bias alert, I have a bit of a corporate crush on SmallRig, but this is one of the products that’s produced that effect.In summary, if you understand the limitations of these, you’ll probably love them. I got one, used it for about a week, and promptly ordered a second one.To the best I can determine, there are a total of two negatives, but both seem due to tradeoffs on keeping these as small as they are, while doing their key functions as well as they do.* Battery - burn time is around 52 minutes at full brightness and 4700K (my usual test color temperature).* Diffuser - If your subject is within a few inches of the light, you might want a supplemental diffuser. The built in one is very decidedly biased toward output over spread.As for the positives, it’s quite the list:* Size - the listing includes the measurements (108mm x 60mm x 11mm), but, to put that in better perspective, these are smaller than any smartphone since about 2011. You will almost always be able to find a spot for one or more of these in your bag or pockets.* Build - their housing is an aluminum casting that’s then been (beautifully) precision milled in the right places. I’ve been far less kind to them than I’ve intended, and they’ve proven to be quite rugged so far.* Controls - all of the controls are quick to find with your fingers and easy to tell apart by touch. Given that simorr hasn’t buried anything important in a menu system or such, you can operate these lights rather easily without having to focus on them, if needed. Further, each control is well suited to its task. A button cycles modes. A physical slider switch (with a nice click to it) is the on-off (and settings are retained). A simple wheel adjusts the brightness. Finally, a multi-function rocker/button hybrid cycles between extra variables in each mode, if relevant, and then lets you adjust them … including hold-to-accelerate functionality. It’s all shockingly intuitive.* Firmware - it’s not only super-snappy at responding to the controls, but, *very* importantly, the system also provides battery estimates, both in terms of burn time and charge time, which err slightly on the conservative side - i.e. short for burn and long for charge, while still being close. I’ve found this to be very useful so far. Oh, it also appears to do tricks in terms of battery health maintenance, but don’t take my guess regarding that as gospel.* Display - if the light is on, so is the display (this is important, I’ve found) and you can easily read it in virtually any lighting condition. This is possibly one of the best uses of an OLED screen in an embedded context that I’ve ever seen. Also, especially with the ease of distinguishing the controls without looking, this makes it dead simple to operate in the dark.* Brightness - regrettably, I don’t have a good way to measure it, but these are the brightest lights of their general size class that I’ve gotten to play with so far, and that’s including things that’re significantly more bulky. I’ve been very positively impressed.* Price - despite all the good things I’ve listed here, these are within a small percentage of many products that don’t have even half the positives. I’m far from having comprehensively explored the product space, but, so far, these seem like the clear winner on bang for buck.Obviously, I’m calling these a solid 5-star product. I’d be really surprised if there’s anything similar that’s significantly better at an all nearby price.P.S. I’ve omitted coverage of the video effects modes - I feel I don’t know that subject well enough to comment, but I also think that’s something which is quite unlikely to be as important to most users as the points I did cover.

The SmallRig P96L RGB Video Light is an impressive little tool that punches way above its size. It’s compact, lightweight, and perfect for anyone needing portable lighting for video shoots, photography, or even livestreaming. Despite its small footprint, it delivers bright, vibrant light with excellent color accuracy (CRI 96+), and the adjustable color temperature range from 2500K to 8000K lets you dial in the exact mood you need.The full RGB mode is easy to control via the intuitive dial and OLED display, and you get a wide range of creative effects—everything from flashing police lights to party strobes and candle flickers. These effects are a fun bonus and can add some great atmosphere to your content.Battery life is solid—about 1 hour at full brightness, and much longer at lower settings. It charges quickly via USB-C and can be used while plugged in, which is super helpful for longer shoots. The magnetic back and included mounting accessories give you lots of flexibility in how you use and position it.Overall, this is a fantastic, well-built light that’s incredibly useful for creators of all levels. Whether you're shooting at home or on the go, the P96L gives you professional-level lighting in your pocket. Highly recommended!

An essential part of our gear kit, these little beasts produce some colorful power (with tons of colors and tones- gorgeous!) for a tiny, lightweight light. We travel with three of these for video filming, interviews, music videos. We’ll always own these powerful lights. See pics for examples of how we use as accent lighting in our studio. 😊

This was purchased for macro and still life photography. It is sturdy, made of metal and has simple controls which I appreciate while I am setting up a studio shot. I have a few different small led lights, but this is one of my favorites as it is quite bright and easy to manipulate. I now have two different small LEDs from Small Rig and impressed by the quality.

I bought two if these to use for small item photos. My roommate had a $120 equivalent and i couldnt pass up what seemed like the same light for a fraction of the cost.Well.. as great as these are, especially for the price, there is a reason theyre cheaper than some other options...Mainly the battery doesnt last very long on brighter settings. Set these bad boys to 1% brightness, and on a warm color setting and itll last 10 hours. But... 1% isnt really usable in a "studio" setting. Once you start increasing the brightness you lose considerable battery time. About 45-50 minutes on 100% brightness. Not bad, but kind of a hassle at times.Also the light effects, like color strobes and such, arent really very useful. Infact, one of the settings (cant remember which.. candle? Fireworks?) Is duplicated but with two different name, so thats a bummer.But all in all, these have a sturdy aluminum case, are super brigh, the buttons feel good, and they get the job done at a 3rd of the cost of the original products they basically copied.Not a bad deal.

I used this light to illuminate a tower for a high ISO night photography (3200) workshop. I only needed to run it at 1% and it was on continuously for four hours. The screen claimed it would still last another 9 hours.The light has a nice wide throw making it great for large subjects or lighting landscapes. And it puts out quite a bit of light even at low power.Feels very well built and is small enough to fit in a pouch or in a pocket. Case seems like metal. Easy to operate and the screen is easy to read. I didn't need the instructions to operate it.Besides various whites and rgb, there are several effects like strobes, breathing and flashing. Not sure if I need those but interesting anyway.For the price, this is a no brainer. I'm glad I got it as it really lights things nicely.