Rotolight RL48 Creative Colour Kit V2 Review

This baby RL48 LED light measures just 14cm in diameter, but the three AA batteries in the back can power its 48 daylight-balanced LEDs for around four hours, at a brightness level equivalent to an 80Watt bulb.

Designed to fit over shotgun microphones, the hole in the middle isn’t big enough to poke a lens through, but you get a clip-on attachment that allows it to fit onto a camera hotshoe, tripod or studio stand.

The soft diffused light it produces spans a broad 110°, and while not bright enough to use as a sole light source (unless you’re shooting at a four-figure ISO) it makes a great, soft fill light. The RL48 comes with a six-piece ring-filter Calibration Gel Set for Kelvin rated colour plus soft diffusion, which are stored in the back of the light and fit cleverly inside the clip-on clear plastic LED ring cover. In addition, the Creative Colour kit comes with a set of 10 colour filter effects gels.

The RL48 is used extensively in the movie business as a discreet source of soft fill light but it can also be used in stills photography as a soft fill light.

For DSLR video shooters it’s a perfect replacement for bulky video top lights. Not only did we find that it lasted longer than most other Light Panels, it produces a much softer natural light output, and the colour temperature was accurate, so it comes highly recommended.