Today we are taking a look at one of SmallRig’s new generation of COB LEDs – the SmallRig RC350D which is looking to bring lots of power in a simple and affordable form factor.
Smallrig lights
One year ago, Smallrig launched its first COB LED lights. They’ve now expanded their lineup with a 350w and a 450w daylight and bi-color units. We’ll be reviewing Smallrig’s 350D, which is the daylight-only version that promises up to 149,000lux of output.
SmallRig RC 350D
Advances
Since the release of their first COB LEDs, Smallrig has been innovating to bring new advancements to their more powerful units. One major addition to this light is GaN technology in the power block that helps to keep the size smaller while producing lower heat and allowing for higher power output.
Another important improvement is the COB itself. It’s larger in size and features a highly-reflective base and a specially-coated glass cover to provide a higher light output and a more consistent light beam. To control the heat from the increased output, Smallrig equipped these units with a super-quiet double fan.
Preventing overheating allowed Smallrig to encase their units in a plastic fixture that keeps the unit light and portable. Smallrig also included a detachable mount for better portability. It’s a metal quick-release system with a metal handle and a hydraulic damping barrel that ensures safe tilting.
The back of the RC350D
In the box
The RC350D is shipped in a semi-hard carrying case that includes the light itself, power brick and cable, detachable mount and a hyper reflector. [there is also a shoulder strap and stickers]
Design and build
The unit features a sleek design with a metal chassis and a plastic cover with an integrated hand grip for safer handling.
On the back of the unit, there is a small menu screen and an effects button with two control knobs for frequency and intensity. Below the controls, there is an on/off toggle, a control port, and a power cord connector. Both here and on the power brick, Smallrig added a locking feature to the connectors.
The power brick features a power indicator and a safety cable to hang it on the light stand. This begs the question: “Smallrig, what happened? Don’t you already have v-mount clamps”. I know you can do better than a cable.
The large power brick (no V-mount connector – really SmallRig?)
Features
The RC350D features 9 lighting effects, but since it’s not RGB, we feel that use cases for these effects are pretty limited. With this much power, it’s not effects that you would get this light for. This unit is really bright and can come in useful in a variety of shooting scenarios, from lighting a room to making sure your slow-motion footage is exposed correctly.
We tried to see if the RC350 can overpower the sun. Our Seikonic 800 reading shows 120,000 lux at 2 pm with a partially cloudy sky. With Smallrig’s ND8 filter, with the shot exposed to the sky, the subject is completely dark.
To keep the light out of the frame, we’ll position it about 2 meters away and put on the hyper reflector for added light output. We used Smallrig’s SmallGoGo app to control the light remotely to bring it up to 100% power.
The result was significant. Even at 50% power, the subject was well-lit against the bright sky.
Tests
We tested the Smallrig RC350D and here are the results that we got using our Sekonic C800:
Results for the Smallrig RC350D @1m (5600K), no reflector:
- Color temperature: 5584K.
- Output: 17,100Lux.
- CRI: 96 (R9 – 90.2; R12 – 77.6).
- TLCI: 97.
- TM-30 RF: 93; TM-30 Rg – 101.
- SSI: 73.
Results for the Smallrig RC350D @1m (5600K), included reflector:
- Color temperature: 5665K.
- Output: 125,000 Lux.
- CRI: 97.3 (R9 – 89; R12 – 76.9).
- TLCI: 97.
- TM-30 RF: 92; TM-30 Rg – 101.
- SSI: 73.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Smallrig’s innovations in lighting technology and their vast experience with grip and mounts have resulted in a great product that provides extraordinary power in a pretty portable size. The only thing we’d change on this light is a better clamp for the power brick.
High-power daylight COB from SmallRig
Pricing
Other than that, the RC350D is a solid light with a well-justified price tag of $800. The bi-color version sells for $900, but at the time of this video, you can get these units on B&H with more than $150 discount.
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