Today we will be taking a look at the Godox LD150RS Pro LED panel, which is part of a family of similar panels announced by the company last year and we have been using in our studio (as well as on a number of commercial productions outside our studio) in the past few months.
In the past year or so we looked at many lights by Godox including the Godox SZ150R,TL30 LED Tubes, Godox S60 with projector attachment, and Godox ML60. Today we are taking a look at the LD150RS which is a big jump for the company, straight into the truly professional arena, competing with much more expensive options from a variety of manufacturers.
Godox LD series
The other units included in this series are the smaller and less powerful LD75 and the large 150R. These panels boast powerful output, precise color control, and portability.
The 3 different sizes of LED panels from the Godox LED series
Build and design
Godox ships the light panel in a semi-hard carrying case with a set of barn doors, safety cord, power brick, and cable. On the top of the panel’s fixture, there is an integrated metal eyelet to connect the safety cord with the included carabiner.
The LD150Rs come in a plastic and metal fixture with plastic handles on the sides and a sturdy metal bracket. Including the bracket, the fixture measures 54cm x 51cm and weighs 5.1kg. The tension is controlled only by one knob on the left side.
The Godox LD150RS panel
Controls
On the back of the panel, there is a small color screen for menu settings, 4 clickable control knobs, 4 customizable color-coded preset buttons, mode and menu navigation buttons, and a handy settings lock button.
Godox LD510RS back panel
Ports
The ports on the bottom of the panel include ethernet and XLR DMX ports and a 3-pin power connector. The on/off switch is also on the bottom of the panel.
Godox LD510RS ports
Fans
The LD150RS uses two fans for cooling. These are very quiet as is, but there is also a silent mode in the panel’s menu that shuts the fans off while limiting the light output to 50%. These fans do a good job at dissipating the heat, and the fixture doesn’t warm up very much even after prolonged use.
Power options
To power the LD150Rs, Godox provides a power brick. This piece is pretty big, and you wouldn’t want it to just hang from the panel. Somehow Godox didn’t foresee the need to attach it. In our configuration, the bracket is a good place to store it, so we just fixed it in place with some zip ties. Not the most elegant solution, but it works for now.
This panel comes with a V-mount plate on the back, so, technically, it is a portable panel. The only caveat is that it only functions with a 26v V-mount battery. All of our V-mount batteries are 12v, so we weren’t able to test this feature.
The LD150RS huge power supply
Features
In CCT mode, the color temperature ranges from 2500K to 8500K. Godox also included green/magenta levels to match different lights. There is, of course, an RGB mode, 2 gels modes, and an effects mode with 14 customizable RGB effects.
Led array and shadows
The LED panel is an array of individual LEDs, it’s not actually a uniform light source, so this panel produces peculiar shadows, especially when you restrict the light with barn doors. Godox sells a softbox to soften this effect and to spread the light beam, but this softbox makes the whole setup a lot bigger.
We decided to make our own modifier out of translucent plexiglass. The front of the panel features an integrated modifier holder with spring tabs that keep the modifier in place. Our diffuser just pops into place and softens the beam considerably. We will test how this modifier affects the light output later in the review.
The LEDs on the Godox LD510RS (next to the barn doors)
Menus
The settings menu is accessed by pressing the menu button to the left of the screen. There is a back navigation button on the right of the screen to exit the menu. Within the menu, there are options to control Bluetooth and wireless access, change the DMX, channel, and group settings, and turn on silent mode.
Memory functions
The preset buttons can quickly remember the configuration, letting you navigate easily between modes or color settings. To assign the settings to a specific button, long-press it until a confirmation message appears on the screen. You can also overwrite previously assigned settings. In this case, a warning message appears.
Quick-lock
Another useful feature on the LD150Rs is a dedicated quick lock button. Pressing this button deactivates the controls in order to prevent the settings from being unintentionally changed when repositioning the light. When the lock is activated, a small icon appears on the screen.
In lock mode, only the onboard controls are deactivated, so you can still change settings with the remote.
Controls
The four knobs control the light’s settings. The knob on the right navigates through the modes after clicking the mode button to the right of the screen. A single click on this knob enters the mode. In RGB mode, clicking this knob switches to RGBW.
The second knob is the dimmer. Clicking the dimmer in any mode turns the intensity down to 0%, while keeping the rest of the settings active.
The next knob is color temperature control. In CCT mode, you can quickly move in increments of 1000 degrees by repeatedly clicking this knob.
The knob on the left is for green/magenta control. In CCT mode, there is a click function for this knob that maximizes the magenta setting. But for some reason, there is no secondary click to return this setting to zero. We’re not sure if this is a firmware bug or just something that Godox didn’t think to include.
Our “DIY” light modifier for the Godox LD150RS
Connections
The LD150RS has both Bluetooth and wifi connections, which means you can control it through the app and with a remote. We’ve talked about the Godox app in other reviews. It works without glitches and gives you full control over this light panel, and also other Godox lights.
The Godox RC-R9 remote that controls this panel is sold separately. It features preset buttons to quickly change to a specific color or color temperature.
There are, of course, mode buttons and settings dials. One thing to be aware of, when changing the intensity setting with the dimmer buttons, the remote will only register the operation when you let go of the button.
The Godox 2.4 GHz Remote Control
In Use
The LD150RS has been our main light in the studio for a few months now. It’s a very powerful light that doesn’t get very hot and in an easy-to-use form factor.
The integrated modifier holder works great. Even though in our setup we usually don’t use the barn doors, whenever we do need them, the installation is very quick. Godox also provides a grid that goes inside the barn doors frame, but we didn’t get this accessory, so we can’t really comment on it.
Output tests
We tested the light using our Sekonic C-800 spectrometer and we got the following results from 1m away with the Godox LD150RS.
We tested the light in 2 color temperatures – 3200K/5600K with and without our DIY modifier and also measured the output – here are the results:
No Diffuser:
3200K (3139K measured):
- 16,000Lux.
- CRI – 96.5 (R9 – 93.9; R12 – 84.4).
- TLCI – 98, SSIt – 83.
- TM-30 RF – 94; TM-30 Rg – 103.
5600K (5702K measured):
- 18,000Lux.
- CRI – 94.5 (R9 – 78.8; R12 – 77).
- TLCI – 98, SSId – 71.
- TM-30 RF – 92; TM-30 Rg – 103.
The color results in 3200K are better than at 5600K (especially for R9/R12) although the output is slightly lower and in both cases, the color temperature is almost spot on.
Results – no DIY modifier – light set to 3200K
Results – no DIY modifier – light set to 5600K
With our DIY Diffuser
3200K (2930K measured):
- 7720Lux.
- CRI – 96.3 (R9 – 94.8; R12 – 85.8).
- TLCI – 98, SSIt – 84.
- TM-30 RF – 95; TM-30 Rg – 102.
5600K (4922K measured):
- 8910Lux.
- CRI – 96.5 (R9 – 87.7; R12 – 72.1).
- TLCI – 98, SSId – 72.
- TM-30 RF – 94; TM-30 Rg – 103.
The output with our DIY diffuser is cut in about 40% or so and the color temperature shifts significantly (especially at 5600K) You also get some tint which we will need to account for (and luckily we can do that with this light). We still hope that Godox will come up with its own diffuser for these lights though.
We also tested the light in RGB mode and here are the results we got in terms of color output:
- Red – 4480Lux.
- Green – 7910Lux.
- Blue – 1100Lux.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Godox didn’t disappoint. Their latest light fixtures have all been very well made, and the LD150Rs is in line with all of the Godox lights we’ve worked with. It’s well constructed, powerful, and quite portable and to our big surprise basically silent even at full power.
The output coming out of this panel is amazing. We used two of these lights to shoot a slow-motion commercial, and they provided plenty of light. Color temperature is very accurate and while it would be nice to see slightly better color accuracy at 5600K (especially with those R9/R12 scores) color accuracy is good and the tint correction function is great.
The only thing which is missing in our opinion is an optional diffuser – our DIY solution is OK if you know its limitations – but Godox can create something better and add a special correction mode in the light via firmware to account for the addition of this diffuser.
Finally, if you are buying this light (especially more than one unit) get the new optional remote – it is fantastic.
Pricing
As for pricing, the Godox LD150RS sells for just under $1000. The remote costs $35, and the softbox goes for $70.
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