Permanent lighting has come a long way over the last half-decade. Although intended primarily for video use, photographers are increasingly using permanent lighting. Neewer has significantly more than a toehold in the lighting market. But do these panel lights stand up to scrutiny?
Although I shoot with flash and there are times when that is necessary, there are also many occasions when the convenience of permanent lighting makes me reach for my LED setup instead. Moreover, I sometimes photograph people for whom a flash can be problematic medically. I am also producing more videos for clients, so exploring different LED options has become a necessity.
Although similar in many ways, there are significant differences between these two lights, and your needs will dictate which of these you need.
The Neewer RGB 1200 Panel Light
The 60-watt Neewer RGB1200 is the smaller of the two panel lights. Comprising 480 RGB LEDs that give 22,000 lux at 0.5 meters, it’s bright enough for a small home studio. The casing is entirely aluminum alloy and therefore feels robust. That also gives better heat dissipation properties.
It comes with barn doors for controlling the spread angle of the light, plus two slide-in diffusers.
Like the other lights that Neewer manufactures, the RGB1200 can be controlled by an app that allows presets that enable single-tap adjustments. The app works up to 66′ (20 m) from the light. Multiple lights can be adjusted simultaneously. The light also has a built-in 2.4G system and 99 channels. When you set them to the same channel, any compatible light within 328′ (100 m) will synchronize without having to connect to a network.
On the back of the light are two adjustment knobs to control the lighting settings. These knobs are also press buttons, which change their function.
For videographers, the light has an array of 18 special effects such as lightning, TV screen, candlelight, and so on. Of its 18 video scene effects, 17 can support presets. The 18th will synchronize with music so, using its built-in mic, it changes hue and brightness according to the pitch and loudness of the music.
There are dual power options. Firstly, it can be plugged into the wall power socket and, secondly, powered from one or two NP-F750 or NP-F970 batteries. A single battery will give up to 80 minutes of use, but the power is cut in half. Dual batteries give double that time but up to 112 minutes of use with full power.
Neewer provides generously long power cables with all its lights.
Support for Over the Air (OTA) firmware updates means that firmware can be transmitted wirelessly from your phone to the light.
The RGB 1200 In Use
The Neewer RGB 1200 is bright. At ISO 100, f/1.8, with the light pointing at a gray card one meter from the light, I was achieving 1/500 second. That’s respectable for a video panel light, and even using it for photography, that is more than fast enough for many home-studio portraits and certainly for still-life photography.
Of course, that shutter speed will quarter every time the light-to-subject distance is doubled. Moreover, typical DSLR/mirrorless video log files have a maximum dynamic range at ISO 400. Therefore, at ISO 400 and a distance of two meters, the shutter speed was the same: 1/500. So, for video, where you usually want to have double the shutter speed to the frame rate, there is scope for that even when using a single light.
The simple layout of the back panel makes the brightness and white balance easy to control, and that is even more true when using the app. Changing the simple white balance or the RGB values is easy to apply too, as are the special effects.
Specifications of the Neewer RGB 1200
- Model: RGB1200
- Number of LEDs: 480
- Input Voltage: DC15V 4.8A
- Maximum Power: 60W
- Illuminance: 22,000 lux at 0.5m, 7,300 lux at 1m
- Dimming Range: 0–100%
- Color Temperature: 2500K–8500K
- CRI: 97+
- GM Value: -50–50
- Hue Angle: 0–360°
- Saturation: 0–100%
- Channels: 00–99
- Battery Type: NP-F batteries
- Dimensions: 13.5″ x 13.2″ x 2.8″ / 342 x 336 x 71 mm
Package Contents
- RGB1200 RGB LED Video Light
- Power Cord
- Power Adapter
- Carrying Case
- Manual
The Neewer RGB1200 retails at $199.99.
The Neewer PL60C Panel Light
The Neewer PL60C is the big brother of the RGB1200. It does all of the above and more. With 1,056 LEDs, the Neewer PL60C is a full-color RGB Video Light offering 60W maximum power and 6,400 lux at 1m and 23,000 lux at 0.5m, so 1,000 lux brighter than the RGB1200.
Its pulse width modulation (PWM) technology gives precise 1% increments in a 0-100% dimming range with four dimming curves available. It has faithful color reproduction, scoring an outstanding CRI 96 (any score above 95 is considered excellent) and TLCI 97 (the range 85-100 doesn’t need any color correction).
Using the RGBWW light mixing technology, the PL60C blends red, green, blue, cold white, and warm white to provide its six different lighting modes: CCT, HSI, RGBCW, GEL, XY, and FX.
It supports four different lighting control modes. You can, of course, use the control knobs on the back panel. Like the RGB1200, the built-in 2.4G module allows you to simultaneously control a group of lights, including the SL90, RGB1, RGB C80, RGB 1200, MS60C, MC60B, MS150B, FS150B, BH30S, and CB60B.
It works using the Neewer app on a smartphone. Also, a 5-pin DMX port will connect to a DMX console for more complicated lighting setups.
Its dual silent fans have adjustable speeds.
On top of the power options offered by the RGB1200, the PL60C has a D TAP input so it can be powered by a V-Mount battery, making it ideal for prolonged outdoor shooting.
The Neewer PL60C Panel Light in Use
At ISO 100, f/1.8, with the light pointing at a gray card one meter from the light, I was achieving 1/800 second. So, at 2 meters at ISO 400, that would be about the same speed. Again, that is sufficient for most video applications and many studio applications.
Like the RGB1200, the PL60C light was easy to set up and felt sturdy and robust. It also has a metal case that brings the same advantages as before, and it has twin silent cooling fans.
With both lights, I found the color didn’t shift when I raised and lowered the brightness. Photographing a gray card in an otherwise darkened room, and measuring the resulting color in Photoshop, the shift from the projected light to what Photoshop recorded as reflected light stayed constant across all the hues I tested. There will always be a color difference between those two measurements because no gray card is 100% neutral in color.
Specifications of the Neewer PL60C
- Model: PL60C
- Number of LEDs: 1,056
- Power: 60W
- CRI: 96+
- TLCI: 97+
- Maximum Illuminance: 6,400 lux/1m, 23,000 lux/0.5m
- Color Temperature: 2500K-10000K (±100K)
- Dimming Range: 0-100% (±1%)
- Hue Angles: 0-360°
- Saturation: 0-100%
- GM Values: -50 -50
- FX Scenes: 18
- R/G/B/C/W: 0-255
- Gels: 20 (RESCO), 20 (LEE)
- X/Y: 0.0000-0.8000
- Input Voltage: 19.6V (AC), 14.8V (battery)
- Beam Angle: 45°
- Control Mode: APP/2.4G/Panel/DMX
- Working Temperature: 14-104°F / -10-40°C
- Dimensions: 15″ x 13.5″ x 3.4″ / 380 x 342 x 86 mm
- Weight: 5.3 lb / 2.4 kg
Package Contents
- PL60C RGB Panel Light
- Power Adapter
- Power Cable
- Carry Bag
- User Manual
The Neewer PL60C retails at $299.04.
What I Liked and What Could Be Improved About the Neewer Panel Lights
What I Liked
- Robust build
- Bright
- Easy to use
- Lighting presets are a useful feature
- Wirelessly compatible with other lights in the Neewer range
- Portable and able to be powered by battery
- App compatible
- Neat, robust carrying case
- Good balance between value and quality
What Could Be Improved Next Time
- As always, with almost all gear, less single-use plastic in the packaging would be welcome
In Conclusion
These days, Neewer does a good job of making gear aimed at the enthusiast market, producing equipment that is better quality than a lot of what you will find, and with similar functionality as top-end pro gear but at a lower price point. These panel lamps are no exception.
Like in every market, for some big brands you are paying a premium for the name. With these, you are not doing that but still getting great gear. For smaller photographic businesses and enthusiasts, especially the more powerful and versatile PL60C.
The Neewer RGB1200 can be found here at $199.99. Meanwhile, the Neewer PL60C sells for $299.04.