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Photographer Dustin Abbott shares an in depth review of the Zhiyun Molus X60 RGB COB LED Video Light - an extremely stylish and versatile little light. | Check out the details from the tests at dustinabbott.net: https://tinyurl.com/X60review | Purchase the Zhiyun Molux X60 @ Zhiyun https://tinyurl.com/BuyX60 (use code "10ZYX60TOCXX" at Zhiyun or Amazon for 10% off) | B&H Photo https://bhpho.to/3IZKRe1 | Amazon https://amzn.to/3PNglYz | Amazon Canada https://amzn.to/3PI4w64 | Amazon UK https://amzn.to/3TyQrsG | Amazon Germany https://amzn.to/3TYUwYH
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Table of Contents:
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0:00 - Intro and Concept
1:29 - specs
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
Hi, I'm Dustin Abbott, and I'm here today to give you a look at the Zion Molus X-60
0:15
This is a light that is both incredibly cool to look at and surprisingly versatile
0:20
It weighs less than a pound. It can be remotely controlled. It has full RGB compatibility
0:26
It comes with, depending on the package you buy, comes with this battery green
0:29
that can just clip right into place and can give you 50 plus minutes of runtime even at 100% output
0:37
You can power this via that battery grip, AC adapter, V mount battery, or even a power bank with a good power delivery standard
0:46
It is a 60 watt light. It's chip on board that will produce around 12,000 lux at one meter with the included reflector mounted
0:56
And the whole assembly here is obviously small enough to easily pop into my... camera bag and to bring it along. Because of all of those reasons, I've actually really enjoyed
1:05
using this light and love the versatility of what I can do with it and what you can produce
1:11
as far as the variety of outputs. It's really, really versatile. So we're going to dive in
1:15
take a look first at some specs. I'm going to run through some of the tests that I've done of
1:18
the light and what I discovered when I put it through those tests, I'll show you some portraits
1:22
some video clips, some things along the way, and then give you some things I like, some
1:26
things I don't like in my conclusion. Let's jump in. So as far as the basic specs here
1:32
if you're using just the bare light without the reflector in place, the light produces at a
1:38
distance of one meter, 6,500 Kelvin. It produces 2,010 Lux, according to the manufacturer. It has a range
1:47
of 2,700 to 6,500 Kelvin in CCTV mode. And then, of course, beyond that, it has full RGB. If you're
1:55
buying the RGB equipped model, which we were testing here. As noted, you can run it off AC or battery power
2:03
It very easily can be attached via USBC and run off of a variety of different sources
2:09
And then, of course, the actual battery grip can pop into place. And by the way, those of you that have bought previously
2:15
the battery grip from the X-100. Yes, you can use that here as well
2:20
Now, it has onboard controls here along the back. It also has Bluetooth app control
2:25
control. It is rated at CRI 95 and TLCI of 98. It has an active cooling design with some internal
2:34
fans. You can see it has a very, very compact. You pop everything else here out of the place
2:39
It is a very compact little module here. Now obviously because of the compact size, this is not
2:46
Bowens mount compatible in its native form. It actually uses their Z-Y mount compatibility. So there
2:52
is a range of accessories you can buy with that mount, including in that, however, is an adapter, so you can use Bowen's mount as well
2:59
Now, it comes with the pouch, the case that we show here
3:03
There's an AC adapter inside. It does come with the mini reflector
3:08
It does come with a diffusing dome to go over the top of that
3:13
Now, the battery grip, you can get packaged in with either one or two of them, depending on the package
3:18
It is rated at 2,550 MAH, or right over 55 watt hours
3:24
And so that's ready to give you a little over 50 minutes at 100% capacity
3:29
We will test that. The whole package your weighs in at about 319 grams for the fixture
3:34
or with the battery grip in place. That jumps to about 689 grams
3:41
So there you have the overall specifications, but how does it actually hold up in real-world test
3:46
Well, I did a few different tests, starting by taking a look at the actual output
3:50
And so I used a lux meter testing at one meter distance, and then also
3:54
so at a 3 meter distance, to give you to see how the light fall off is
3:59
So at one meter, it's rated at a little, basically right over 2,000 lux
4:04
And obviously there's going to be some variability in terms of that distance
4:08
And so it's a little less scientific, a little less controlled when I test it. But I came up with right under 1900 lux in that test
4:15
And so, you know, close within about 5% of the rated capacity. Now, they note an RGB mode that obviously you're going to be devoting
4:22
all of the LED to one particular color, you lose some light intensity to get the color shades And so in RGB mode if you shooting in red they rating at 634 Lux green 68 Lux and blue at 194 Lux I should note that all of these figures to this
4:39
point is without the reflector in place. And so that is just your bare light output at a one meter
4:46
distance. I also tested at a three meter distance with just the bare light output. And I saw 759 Lux in my test
4:54
there. Now you add the mini reflector on there and obviously it really
4:58
intensifies the amount of light output. So again, shooting at 6,500 Kelvin
5:02
and a 1 meter distance, instead of about right under 2,000 lux, I got 12,000 lux on average
5:09
and multiple tests. And then moving out to that 3 meter distance
5:12
also 6,500 Kelvin, I got right under 2,000 lux. And so a surprisingly strong and
5:18
useful amount of light there. Now, I also wanted to test how
5:22
it varied with varying light temperatures. And so I got up close. That's about five centimeters away from the reflector and so that I
5:31
could really kind of control the output. And shooting at 6,500, I got nearly 400,000 luxe at that distance
5:39
And so I went to the other end of the spectrum, which is 2,700 Kelvin, so the warmest that will go
5:44
in just that CCTV mode. And I dropped from about 400,000 down to 310,000 range. And then if you put the
5:54
little diffuser in place, the dome diffuser, it does do a nice job of making the light fall
5:59
off much lighter and smoother, less harsh, but it is going to drop your capacity almost 50%
6:05
So from around 400,000 lux, I dropped to about 210,000 lux at that very close distance with that
6:12
diffuser in place. So a very useful amount of light. In real world practicality, I was able to
6:19
use the light for both video and for photo purposes. different things and I was actually always pretty impressed with the amount of light
6:27
output that was there. Now obviously you're not going to be able to necessarily light a full
6:31
set with depending on the kind of the ambient light you're dealing with and outside as a
6:37
portrait light it worked better with you know one or two people as opposed to trying to do
6:40
with the group but that's to be expected with a fixed light like this. I also did some
6:45
test of the included battery grip and so using that internal or battery grip light I
6:51
put it at 100% output with a fully charged battery, and I got about 52 minutes of runtime out before the battery quit
7:00
Now, one thing that I really liked about this, as opposed to the small rig that I reviewed
7:05
kind of a similar like that I reviewed a few months ago, is that this stayed at 100% output all throughout that
7:11
and basically until it died, whereas I found that the small rig, that's the XC60B
7:16
that it actually, there was some kind of step down as the battery life was depleted
7:21
stepped down the output and so to kind of prolong the battery life, whereas this did not do that
7:26
So I appreciated that. I also found that when it was done, I did the test while I was in the room, just working at
7:33
my workstation. The amount of noise produced from the fans is not really all that noticeable
7:39
And so that was nice. And then I noted when I got done and I felt around, you know, that's nearly an hour running 100
7:45
intensity, that everything was still just barely warm. Now, as an alternate power source, I tested with a
7:51
99 watt hour V mount battery, again, starting at 100% capacity until it was fully depleted
7:58
and I got 80 minutes of runtime out of that configuration. So obviously, very useful amounts of runtime in those applications
8:06
Now, as noted, I did use this for some portrait lighting, and I really loved the configuration because everything is so small
8:13
that I was able to just drop it into my camera backpack, just like another one of the accessories
8:17
And what I've done is just through a little QR plate on the bottom, And so I have a very lightweight travel tripod that's in my backpack
8:25
I was able to just pull that out, set it up, set it on this, and then use that as a light source
8:30
And so I was really quite impressed with the flexibility for using it in that kind of setting
8:36
There was good, obviously, color accuracy. And so I used it for, in some shots, for the main fill
8:42
I used it for accent lighting. I used it to offset some back lighting in other situations or to try to fill out where the light was dappled
8:49
and just the end result of using it. I found it very useful
8:54
And it using a light like this as opposed to strobes is useful for two primary things that come to mind One of those is if you wanting to do a bit of a mixture of hybrid shooting which is so common with modern cameras where you doing both some video and some stills
9:07
Obviously, your light source doesn't change from one to the other, and so you can really match your output with that
9:12
without having to set up one kind of lighting for one scenario and obviously another set of lighting for the other
9:18
So I really like that. It's also, I think, a really useful option for those that are a little bit intimidated
9:23
by the idea of strobing. you don't have to worry about modeling the light
9:27
You can see the light fall off, you know, through the, with your eye or through the viewfinder
9:31
on the LCD screen. And so it makes it very easy to put the light in the right position and to get the end result
9:36
that you want because you can see it real time. And so I think that it is definitely useful for those that you just aren't as familiar
9:43
with the idea of strobing. Now, for video lighting, I found it useful in a variety of ways
9:49
There's sufficient power here that I could help to offset some maybe bright side lighting
9:54
sun coming through the window and provide enough of a fill light from the other side to balance
9:58
the light. So that was useful. I also found it useful in lower light situations, particularly with
10:03
the diffuser on there, to produce a nice softer light that had less harsh shadows to it. And so
10:09
that was good. Also in RGB mode, it allows you some flexibility, like if you're wanting to, you know
10:15
get some of those kind of extreme accent kind of lighting, as you can see in a few of these shots
10:19
that I've thrown together here. I've also used it, for example, like right behind me
10:24
for another one of my videos. You can see the clip here where I've just added kind of a splash of color to the background
10:30
Obviously very useful for that kind of thing as well. And this kind of light is designed for video work and so you're not getting flickering and it's a very nice stable light source for things like that
10:42
Now most of these lights, as does this one, include effects mode. But typically those effects are kind of more gimmicky because they're limited to essentially just changing light temperature and intensity
10:52
In this case, because of having the RGB mode, for one thing, between the just by color and the RGB versions of the X60
11:00
there is six additional effects that are available on the RGB mode
11:06
and those really are kind of the more compelling ones because you can add that intense amount of color into shot
11:12
So in this shot, you know, kind of a more typical candlelight kind of shot
11:15
you know, that you can typically do with a normal light, just kind of change in color temperature
11:19
But then the secondary shot where I'm emulating the lights from an emergency vehicle, a police car coming out
11:26
you can see that that intense red, it's just not something you can achieve with just a bicolor light
11:32
And so it's just another layer of flexibility. So maybe a little bit less gimmicky
11:36
Now, one thing that is a little bit gimmicky is that one of the modes you can access from the back is a music mode
11:42
where obviously it has some little microphone somewhere. And so it will kind of strobe in response to the beat of music
11:48
I found that the music needs to be fairly loud. And to me, it's more of a gimmicky kind of thing, not something I'm looking for
11:55
But maybe if you're shooting music videos, something like that, it could be useful
11:59
So anyway, there is a lot of versatility in the amount of modes that are available
12:03
You can access all of that via the controls on the back, which both click and then also rotate
12:09
Nice feeling. And, you know, there's a very small screen to allow you to access that information
12:13
It works fine, but you may find that using the app is just a little bit more versatile for that
12:18
So some things that I like, I love the portability. I love that it can be packed into a bag and it's very easy to bring along
12:26
I also love the style here. And obviously this is a light that is designed not just to be hidden, but it's cool enough that it might actually show up in some people's shots because it actually has a vibe to it
12:39
In fact, I've had more than one person asked me when I had it set up on a tripod, what kind of camera is that
12:45
because it kind of looks like a retro camera and it's looked. So for those of us that love photography aesthetic
12:51
that light has some particular value to it. I also appreciate the flexibility of the powering options
12:57
There is essentially four different power options that you can utilize, and so there's lots of ways to get power to this little thing
13:03
to get the light that you need. I also really like the integration of the battery grip
13:08
It's pop it into place, it's ready to go, no wires to run, and then it's just a quick release there button that you depress
13:15
and you can pull it away, you could take it away to charge it, you know, you could swap it out for another very, very well integrated kind of look
13:22
and the fact that it actually gives you something nice to hold on to. If you have an assistant or somebody that hand the light it obviously is very useful in that aspect as well Obviously the fact that it includes a carrying case with room for everything is useful I also find that the battery life is long enough to actually be useful in the battery grip
13:41
It's not just a gimmick, and I will note that another positive thing is that I found that it actually
13:45
recharge fairly quickly with less of a slowdown on the upper end
13:50
These are the kind of batteries that I like to recharge to 100% because I want to have that flexibility of the maximum
13:56
capacity possible when I'm going out to use the light. And so I want to recharge it all the way
14:00
and I found that at the top end, this didn't slow way down, you know, charged to save 90% reasonably
14:06
fast and then really slow to top it off. It stated a pretty good rate of charge. So I appreciate that
14:12
The amount of light is also very useful and the fact that you can use, you know, a decent set of
14:17
modifiers to, you know, change, modify the quality of the light is useful as well. And that includes
14:23
the fact that they do have a Bowens mount adapter, so maybe you already have some Bowens
14:28
mount accessories that you could then use with this little light via the adapter. I appreciate
14:33
the fact that it runs quiet, so you don't have really loud fans that are going to be a distraction
14:38
and maybe get caught on microphone, but also the fact that it runs cool. And so I didn't feel
14:43
any fear of it overheating because of that. The fact that it does have RGB options obviously
14:50
does expand the versatility of the light, so that's appreciated there. The fact that it does have Bluetooth control is a big thing
14:57
That's one thing that I dig the small rig RC60B over. You can only control it from the back
15:02
And so if you wanted to put it at a up high angle, the fact that you would have a hard time getting to it
15:07
to make back adjustments was a bit of a pain. So I appreciate that this actually has app control
15:13
and so you can remotely control it. And then the fact that the AC adapter is in the bag also useful
15:18
So then even if you don't elect to pay for a battery mount, you have a way to power
15:22
it and if you have access to AC power obviously to run it for as long as you need so some things that
15:28
i don't like on the actual battery grip the power indicator is just four indicator lights i prefer
15:35
a little string with an actual percentage so you can know more precisely where you are in the
15:39
battery life so one complaint there obviously if you're wanting to use adapters excuse me
15:47
accessories that you already have modifiers that you already have you're probably going to have to
15:50
buy that Bowens Mount accessory to enable you to use other things. And so obviously it's too small
15:57
to actually have a Bowens mount. Bowens mount diameter is larger than this, but it just means that you
16:02
are either going to have to buy into the X, Y, or I guess it's Z, ZY mount lineup of accessories
16:11
or you're going to have to use that adapter there. It's also more expensive than, say, the small
16:16
rig RC60B that I refer to a few times, even if you're just buying the buy color
16:20
version. As far as a straight up value, I would say that small rig
16:24
is probably a little bit better value in that sense. If your absolute
16:29
budget is your priority. In conclusion, however, I really love the style and the versatility of
16:35
the Zion Molyss X-60. This is a really, really cool light that just does a lot of things
16:40
and does them surprisingly well. It is more expensive than the small rig
16:44
RC60B, but I think it does quite a few things better than that light
16:49
And so as I've used them both, I find that I actually do slightly prefer this
16:54
You can get a pro kit with two battery grips and the softbox
16:58
I think that that is, even though it's the most expensive option at about $400 U.S. dollars
17:03
it actually is the sweet spot when you break down the price of the accessories. You're getting the best bang for the buck
17:08
And actually having multiple of these battery grips to pop in and out would be really, really useful
17:14
If you're someone that isn't going to plug in and you don't want wires on set, I think that that would be really, really handy
17:19
So the price range is anywhere from $200 U.S. dollars up to $400 U.S. dollars, depending on what variation that you buy
17:27
So there's a lot of flexibility there in what you want to spend, and what you're absolutely going to get in every one of these packages is a really cool light that does a lot of things amazingly well
17:37
I'm Dustin Abbott. If you want more information, you can look in the description down below. There are some buying links there and also link to my article that has more of my information from my test there if you want to check that out
17:49
As always, thanks for watching. Have a great day and let the light in
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