Have had a decent play with this light now, and happy to say it exceeds my requirements!
Throws a lot of light, and while I can't compare it directly to other lights I was considering, research lead me to expect this to be the brightest in the price/size range, and I could believe it. In a room with the QLD midday sun outside, it makes a difference even 4m away at its brightest. In controlled (dark) conditions, I'm using it at 20% brightness with a soft-box AND colour gel on as the key light for a "mood lighting" YouTube video.
Very lightweight, think the battery is actually heavier than the light itself, but it locks in well and is sturdy on a tripod (even works on my 140cm Eocean lightweight "selfie stick" tripod), or a scissor arm (I have the Neewer Logitech one with the 1/4 screw, it's great). Also like that I can easily replace the batteries or use external power if the batteries die over time (something that shortens the useful life of many rechargeable things). Brightness very adjustable too, very pleased with the potential of that. The natural light diffuser sheet doesn't really do anything (minimal difference), so the Neewer mini softbox (not designed for this light but you can make it work) is a must.
Biggest letdown is the case and the packaging. I got the full set with double-battery charger and case in a lightning deal, but they don't show you the inside of the case in the product photos for a reason. For one thing, it's clearly been cut to fit the single battery and single charger, not the double, so the slots don't fit the items I got. I have made it work - one battery in the battery slot, one in the charger slot, the charger in one side of the mesh pocket and the warm diffuser sheet in the other - but this is a weird arrangement where the charger is not padded where it rests on the light when closed, which I am not exactly happy about. I will have to add a layer of bubble wrap.
Even if you got the single charger set, though, the internal padding is shoddily done. It's just a block of foam with cut-outs that go all the way through, so when you take those out to put in the gear, everything rests on the inside of the hard shell, providing no vertical cushioning in a very deep case. The button on the back of the light clicks on the case shell at any bump or pressure (unless you face the bulbs outwards!) which was unacceptable to me. So I cut the cut-outs into thirds with scissors to provide padding above and below the items (could only fit below for the light), which worked but it's pretty rough. The foam is pretty nasty and I hope I didn't breathe in any of the particles.
The case is also very large for what you put in it. The cut-out for the light is across the broad side landscape-ways, but it could easily have fit in one half of the case portrait-ways, leaving a whole half for another light, never mind the batteries. If you had another light, the mesh pocket on top would be deep enough to hold the batteries and charger with some slim cushioning against the shell and on top of the lights, so that tells you how oversized this pocket is for a 1.5mm thick warm diffuser sheet for a single one of these lights.
The outer case seems well-made enough, but if you were hoping for a well-fitting custom case for your new gear, this isn't it, and you might as well come up with your own. [Update: I am still using this case, because I bought the mini softbox, some gels, and a mini COB light, all of which fit in it (with a bit of editing) along with the original parts. So it's useful to me, thank goodness. But still not a selling point.]
There is also a LOT of junk single-use plastic in the packaging. The batteries and charger and cable all come in individual plastic sleeves inside their individual compartments in their cardboard box. The warm diffuser sheet comes in a plastic slip inside the box, as does the light. None of these are sealed enough to protect anything from knocks or damp any better than paper would, and in the case of the battery set any individual packaging at all is totally unnecessary. This is silly and wasteful, and just because I'm not buying hand-knitted vegan sandals doesn't mean I don't care about this stuff, Neewer!
Still, only knocking off one star for these issues, as the main thing is the light itself, which seems to be working just as expected and which I am so far quite happy with. It's actually probably overkill for what I need, but for a reasonable price and convenience, it's nice to have a "real" light, and one that has room to grow with me at that!
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Reviewed in Australia on 5 December 2019
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Reviewed in Australia on 1 January 2020
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Reviewed in Australia on 12 February 2020
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Reviewed in Australia on 10 January 2020
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Top reviews from other countries
Gary Plumley
Brighter than expected
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 January 2020Verified Purchase
Amazon Customer
Functional Product
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 October 2020Verified Purchase
Orlando
Versatile and cheap!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 June 2019Verified Purchase
Amazon Customer
Faulty device - huge disappointment
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 November 2019Verified Purchase
Rob
Total lighting power.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 April 2019Verified Purchase
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