Review of Dynaphos SL-60II Bi and SL-300II Bi Directional Lighting
We are sharing a review from Ivan Maslarov of the new Dynaphos brand directional lighting, which he will also talk about on Photo Cafe.
Literally a few days after Dynaphos imported their new branded line of LED luminaires, I had the opportunity to get acquainted with them up close. I loaded two LED spotlights and one LED panel into the trunk and drove off to the studio to test them.
Today's meeting will be about the spotlights, and the next one about the panel.
Dynaphos SL60II Bi and Dynaphos SL300III Bi are manufactured by the well-known lighting manufacturer Godox and branded specifically for Dynaphos. There is a long-standing relationship between the two companies, and looking around the studio, I see the pulsed monolights I often shoot with are also manufactured by Godox but branded for Dynaphos.
Entering the era of LED lighting more actively, the Dynaphos team has made a choice as to what type of lighting will be most in demand, and accordingly, we have the first 3 representatives.
In recent months, I have had the opportunity to try out a lot of lighting, and as it looks, this trend will continue this year. The competition between manufacturers is great; even companies that we traditionally associate with other goods in the field of video and photography have started to release their own LED lighting.
I'm glad because I'm a tech geek and I'm a bit insatiable when it comes to new technical offerings.
Okay, enough talk. Let me focus on today's guests. I decided to have them together because they have quite similar features and are from the same series, although different… departments, shall I call them.
Dynaphos SL60II Bi and Dynaphos SL300III Bi, as their names suggest, are bi-color LED lights. They are spotlight type with a Bowens/Dynaphos mount to which dozens of accessories can be attached. They are designed entirely for studio or indoor work. According to the measurements I made, they are equally suitable for both video and photography. I deliberately put video first.
Design - Dynaphos SL60II Bi
Very similar to the design of the Dynaphos Expert series pulsed monolights, which I have been using in my studio for 10 years. Smaller in size and, of course, designed with the fact that instead of a flash lamp, it has a micro LED panel that requires good cooling. The body is entirely metal with the exception of the rear panel, and the cooling is designed to flow along the length of the body, rather than across the body, as in other models.
The cooling is active with a large fan, which makes it almost silent. The stand for attaching to a lighting tripod is also metal, which indicates that the light is designed to be able to carry heavy accessories, such as large softboxes or beauty reflectors.
Something I was used to, but I notice a tendency for it to disappear… the tightening handle is now more massive and without the option to reposition it after tightening. This extra obviously affects the strength of the handle and that is why it has been removed. As I said, more massive, large and strong, as is the base itself, which can carry heavy accessories.
Interestingly, but I don't see a system for placing an umbrella. Apparently, the manufacturer decided that such an accessory would not be used for this model.
At the back there is a control including two potentiometers, several buttons, a small information display and a power socket, as well as a power switch. Nothing complicated, even the potentiometers are not double-acting, as in other models.
In terms of size, the SL60II Bi is larger compared to similar class spotlights. Yes, compactness is not the goal here. The focus is on the classic accessory mount, of which there are many, and silent cooling, which is difficult to achieve in a small body.
Design - Dynaphos SL300III Bi
This LED spotlight is big no matter how you look at it. Solid metal body. Active cooling with two large fans across the body. Quite silent. Large U-shaped bracket for attaching to a tripod, which embraces the spotlight from both sides. Tightening is with a bolt on one side, and if desired, you can adjust the resistance on the other side of the bracket with an Allen key.
The well-known Bowens bayonet for accessories, and yes, a place for an umbrella, but… it needs to have a very long handle given that the socket is at the very back of the spotlight.
A control panel at the back almost identical to the SL60II Bi, but with one addition - a button (illuminated) with a fan symbol on it. The moment you press the button, the fans stop working and the power of the spotlight drops to 35%. In short, if you are looking for absolute silence, you can shoot at 1/3 of the spotlight's power.
Perhaps it's an overkill, given that the SL300III Bi is quite silent.
Speaking of a sturdy body, not only was I the first to test the lighting, but I also managed to give it a real crash test. To my regret, a client, leaving the studio, sharply turned around and managed to knock over the tripod with the Dynaphos SL300III Bi attached to it with his backpack… The result - the spotlight, attached to the tripod, fell from about 160 centimeters high to the floor. The tripod's head, which holds the umbrella, broke off. The spotlight only suffered a very slight bending of the U-shaped bracket that holds it to the tripod. No damage to the body or internal components. In short, the crash test was successful for the spotlight (not for the tripod), and I soured like yogurt in the sun.
I'm telling this story with the idea that the lighting is indeed very well-built, and not to make you feel comfortable treating it roughly.
So much for the design of the spotlights; next are the tests for light quality and intensity.
Light Quality
Light quality is important for accurate color reproduction when shooting. According to the standards still in use, video cameras have slightly lower criteria than photo cameras. For photography, the CRI index is used (you can read about it in the book “Get into the Studio”), and for video cameras – TLCI.
I rely on the Sekonic Spectrometer C-800 to measure light quality, making sure there is no stray light that could affect the results.
In the gallery below, you can see the results obtained at the most commonly used color temperatures: CRI, white balance, and the light spectrum.
SL60III Bi
SL300III Bi
Looking at the gallery, both spotlights show similar results. A greater discrepancy in the color temperature as a set value is observed at 5600K and 6500K, i.e., when "cooler" diodes are operating.
The most complete spectrum and high CRI index quality is at 3200K. Mid-range LED lights still have a slight problem with purple (magenta) color, but it is not that common. The red color, which is important when photographing people, has a quite full spectrum, but again, I emphasize that it is most complete at 3200K. When shooting in a studio where you control the light, shooting at a precisely defined color temperature is easily achievable.
For video shooting, the TLCI index is 98, which is very close to the full spectrum, and again my recommendation is to choose 3200K if possible.
Light Intensity
I often rely on the number in the name of the light fixture to determine its power. The SL60II Bi actually has a maximum output power of 75W, and the SL300III Bi – 330W. As you can see, the difference in power between the two spotlights is a little more than 4 times, or about 2 stops.
You can adjust the light intensity from 1 to 100%. Adjustment is done using one of the potentiometers. The annoying thing is that you have to turn it quite a lot, given that the step is one unit and there is no option to press the potentiometer to go through large steps (e.g., in increments of 25%).
I measured the light intensity in 4 ways: without a reflector, with the included reflector which amplifies the light, a standard evenly illuminating reflector, and a 55-centimeter parabolic octa. I chose color temperature values: 2800; 3200; 4300; 5600 and 6500K. These values appear in the control application, so I focused on them, but the application is below.
In the table, you can see the measured results with Sekonic Speedmaster L-858D at one meter from the LED micro panel and respectively at one meter from the surface of the parabolic softbox, to be fair.
The light meter settings are 1/60 sec. and 100 ISO, so everyone can calculate for themselves how the aperture would change at different speeds or ISO. I give the results with the decimal stop value (for example: aperture 4.0.6 is 4 and 6 tenths, i.e., almost half a stop to 5.6). These results were measured by me in my studio.
Dynaphos SL300III Bi
|
Color temperature |
Without reflector |
Amplifying reflector |
Standard reflector |
Softbox |
|
2800K |
4.0.6 |
16.1 |
8.0.2 |
2.8.4 |
|
3200K |
5.6.0 |
16.5 |
8.0.6 |
2.8.9 |
|
4300K |
5.6.4 |
16.3 |
11.0 |
4.0.2 |
|
5600K |
5.6.5 |
16.9 |
11.0 |
4.0.3 |
|
6500K |
5.6.3 |
16.7 |
8.0.6 |
4.0.1 |
Dynaphos SL60II Bi
|
Color temperature |
Without reflector |
Amplifying reflector |
Standard reflector |
Softbox |
|
2800K |
2.8.0 |
8.0.3 |
2.8.6 |
1.4.9 |
|
3200K |
2.8.2 |
8.0.5 |
2.8.8 |
2.0.2 |
|
4300K |
2.8.5 |
8.0.8 |
4.0.1 |
2.0.4 |
|
5600K |
2.8.6 |
8.0.9 |
4.0.1 |
2.0.5 |
|
6500K |
2.8.6 |
8.0.8 |
4.0.1 |
2.0.5 |
This time I haven't shown the measurement in lux. I found that photographers prefer to receive clearer, usable values rather than just a measurement of light flux intensity.
The Dynaphos SL60II Bi and Dynaphos SL300III Bi come with a reflector that amplifies the light output. I'm not a fan of it because it creates a "hot" spot in the middle, but some fashion photographers have started using it as an effect. As an older conservative, I use an evenly illuminating reflector, which is why I'm including its results in the table. The 55-centimeter deep octagon is also quite popular at the moment, but the Dynaphos SL300III Bi can also sufficiently fill a larger softbox.
Hardware and Software Control
Hardware control is clear – via buttons and potentiometers. Software control is via the Godox Light app for smartphone or tablet. In fact, it can also be controlled with a Godox RC-A6 remote control (purchased separately), and honestly, for conventional use, I personally find it easier.
Through the smartphone, I can fully control the lighting. Easy, intuitive, and not just one, but several different models. Effects are quickly activated, color temperatures or intensity are quickly changed. See the gallery for more visual details on controlling via the app.
If you have one type of lighting and you use it more for illumination without any particular dynamics for changes, or using special effects, then the remote control seems like a better option to me. If they had also made it to sit on the flash hot shoe of the camera I'm shooting with, wow…, but maybe later, here's a hint for the development department.
Dynaphos SL60II Bi and Dynaphos SL300III Bi
Classic studio LED spotlights, robust and reliable (proven the hard way) with a good color spectrum. The ability to freely change the color temperature is an extra feature that I recommend having, so you are not limited if you want to combine with flash or some household lighting.
They come without a bag or case for transport, which is another indicator that they are a type of lighting positioned to stay indoors.
