Godox SL100Bi - bicolor light review.
In this video, I will tell you about the LED constant light source with adjustable color temperature, which is affordable, compact and powerful. It is called Godox SL100Bi and was introduced in the summer of 2021. The number 100 indicates its power, measured in watts, and the abbreviation Bi means two-color mode. I have long needed to upgrade the old studio light to a modern LED, which I will use not only for recording YouTube videos, but also during photography. Additionally, I will tell you how to use a smartphone to control this light source.
Good afternoon! My name is Sergey Prokhorov-Kuntsevich, I am a photographer. There is no doubt that light plays an important role not only in life, but also in photo-creation. Because it is here that we speak the language of visual images that arise and disappear under the influence of light and shadow. It is extremely important to work with light, because with the help of it attention is paid to the character and background, you can convey the mood, and of course it helps to focus attention at the necessary point of interest.
This video will be part of a new playlist on the channel, in which I will share my knowledge and talk about light in photography.
Despite the fact that one light source can be used to shoot a portrait or similar video, I immediately bought two, since I can diversify the lighting schemes. But knowing my needs, I will say that this is not enough, over time I will have to buy a few more devices. Most likely they will differ from these by the power or type of power supply of the illuminator, I have not yet decided.
To record this video, I use my working camera – Canon EOS R6, about the settings of which I share on this channel and two illuminators: a reflector is installed on one, and an octobox on the second.
Most LED illuminators have a fixed color temperature of 5600K, balanced by daylight and the light of most other studio flashes, but the feature of the SL100Bi light is a smooth adjustment of the color temperature in the range between warm 2800K and cold white light 6500K. Obviously, the two-color mode is universal - it allows you to compare the temperature with other light sources, and expand the boundaries of creativity. You can experiment by working only with warm light or cold, you can combine them or match the ambient lighting in nature and provide a natural image.
This illuminator has a version called Godox SL100D and differs from the one under consideration in that it produces a luminous flux of a constant color temperature of 5600K and supports 8 modes of light special effects, instead of 11.
At the time of recording this video, the cost of my illuminator in Russia is 22,000 rubles. And the mentioned version of the SL100D is about 17,000 rubles. This small overpayment is precisely because of the ability to adjust the color temperature, since the other parameters of these illuminators are identical.
Color rendering is the most important part of a lighting device. Any professional will say that if your light doesn't look good, its brightness doesn't matter.
Let's look at the parameters that check how accurately a light source is able to reproduce natural colors. This is important because most lighting devices are not able to reproduce the full spectrum of color, so they eventually give an unnatural color, more often with a shift to green or purple, as well as an unnatural skin tone.
CRI (Color Rendering Index) (Color Rendering Quality Index) was developed to predict how color is perceived by the human eye, in Godox SL100Bi the index is more than 96 units out of 100.
TLCI (Television Lighting Consistency Index) (light Compatibility Index) – predicts how color is perceived by the camera sensor and in this illuminator is equal to more than 97 units out of 100 possible.
Such a high color rendering index provides lighting with accurate color reproduction, so the objects in the captured frames look as natural as possible, which is important when using two-color mode.
Thanks to the universal and popular Bowens mount and the built-in umbrella hole, the illuminator is compatible with a wide range of light modifiers, such as reflectors, softboxes, portrait plates, not only from Godox, but also from other manufacturers.
100 watts of power of this illuminator allows you to use it, for example, as the main light source for shooting YouTube videos, shooting interviews, for artistic slow motion, for working on photography, as well as in other situations where abundant effective light is required.
The light power is adjustable from 0 to 100% in increments of 1%, so you can easily choose the necessary amount of lighting for absolutely any task.
I never cease to be surprised by the small size of this strong LED chip, which, fortunately, has additional protection, so without fear for its safety, you can connect light-forming accessories to the illuminator.
Read more in the video.