Continuous - Litepanels MicroPro On-Camera LED

A larger version of the Litepanels LED Micro, the MicroPro LED provides daylight balanced 5600K light but offers about twice the illumination of the standard Micro LED light.

The MicroPro draws 9 watts of power from 6 AA batteries (not included) and can also be powered by a 5-12 VDC source (also not included) via an input jack.

Tungsten warming filters and a diffuser are included.

Most people want to know about the amount of light the various shoe-mount lights put out, since the manufacturers seem to go to great lengths to avoid direct comparison. We shot identical images with each below. Note that the room was completely dark except for the light, the distance was 11 feet (longer than they’re designed for) and the camera set to underexpose the images to show the width of the light beam clearly. The lights are all better than this, the shots are for comparison purposes only. The weakest light is the Litepanels Micro: it is good for fill light, but couldn’t be your sole light source in a dark room, even for an interview situation. The Bescor is brighter than the Micro, and has barn door modifiers built in and comes with a heavy duty battery, so its great for field work when you want a tight beam — say to light just an interview on camera. The Zylight and Litepanels MicroPro are about equal in total light output, although the MicroPro has a more spotlight effect while the Zylight is a bit broader and softer.

Top row: LitepanelsMicro (left), LitepanelsMicroPro (right); Bottom Row: Bescor (left), Zylight (right)

Mike’s Take: A bigger version of the Micro, bright enough to hold its own as a fill light, and battery powered with no heat! It is a bit brighter, but less tightly focused than a Zylight.

Works Well With:
- Sony EX1 or Z7U or JVC HM100
- Canon 5dMkII or Panasonic GH-1 or Nikon D90