Today we will be taking a look at two new 60W and 100W lights from Zhiyun which are extremely compact with USB-C power options as well a variety of useful light modifiers. Say hello to the Zhiyun Molus X100 and Zhiyun G60 COB lights.
Zhiyun
Zhiyun has been offering innovative gimbals for video shooters, and in the last few months has also released a few lights, like this 100W tube light that we reviewed in 2022. Their innovations continue with two new pocket COB lights that we’ll look at today.
Ultra-compact, yet powerful lights – Zhiyun Molus X100 (left) and Zhiyun G60
Concept
Over the last couple of years, COB lights have shrunk in size significantly. These two new COB lights by Zhiyun are surprisingly small and powerful, allowing for a variety of use cases.
The G60 is only 300g. It’s very portable and delivers plenty of light for such a small (5cm x 5cm x 7cm) fixture. The X100 is even more interesting in design. It’s sleek (345g. 9cm x 6cm x 3cm) and powerful and comes with a dedicated 15000mAh battery [which also doubles as a power bank].
Zhiyun G60 – a tiny cube
With this pocket COB, your lighting setup size is reduced significantly without sacrificing any power. Granted, the bigger lights can offer RGB and zoom options, but you can definitely achieve great lighting in a variety of shooting scenarios with these tiny COB lights.
Description
Both, the G60 and the X100 are very portable. Stripped down, they definitely fit into any gear bag. Since they both run on USB-c power (100W PD), having one of these lights in the bag for emergencies can definitely come in useful.
The G60 kit comes with a couple of extra accessories, but there is a line of modifiers available optionally that fits both of these lights [apparently, there’ll be more options in the Molus series in the future].
Zhiyun Molus X100 – looks a little like an old camera
In the box
Both of Zhiyun’s pocket COBs ship in semi-hard cases. They include a power brick and cable and a reflector. The G60’s reflector comes with a silicone diffuser. It seems that the X100 heats up a lot more, so this diffuser is not included to avoid accidents. Also included in the G60 kit is a tiny handle/tabletop tripod.
Accessories
Among other accessories offered with these lights is the Bowen’s mount adapter with a built-in reflector, a telescoping handle, a tabletop tripod [bigger than the one included with the G60], a small softbox, a long bracket to attach multiple lights, and a medium reflector with silicone diffuser (we’ll see how these affect the light output later in the review).
Interesting accessories
Build and design
Both, the G60 and the X100 come in a plastic enclosure. The G60 features a small metal bracket controlled by a thumbscrew on one side. The X100 comes with an integrated metal ¼’’ mounting hole on the bottom and hand strap slots on the corners [also useful if hanging the light is an option].
The smart cooling fan is the technology allowing to make such small light fixtures. Zhiyun featured special heat sinks and fans inside these pocket lights. The fans are audible, but definitely not too loud. [turn off fan??]
Besides the DC power and USB-c ports on these lights, the X100 also has a proprietary port on the side to attach the battery. It just snaps into place and can give about 1 hour of runtime at 50%. We wouldn’t use the battery as the main option, but it can definitely help in a pinch.
Although these two options are very different, they are both very portable. One thing we found that’s missing for both of these is some kind of a cover for to protect the COB in case of packing the light without its carrying case. Should be an easy solution though.
Zhiyun G60 – simplicity in operation
Controls
In terms of functionality, these pocket lights are pretty simple. They only come with two control knobs and a power button. There is a small screen on the back to display the light’s settings. The lights do not offer a menu or effects.
One interesting design decision on the G60 is the CCT controller knob. It’s shaped differently from the dimmer knob. It’s a nice touch and could be useful in some situations.
The dimmer knob has 3 quick click settings, cycling through 100%, 50%, and 0%. The CCT knob click also jumps from 2700K to 5500K to 6500K.
Pressing both knobs at the same time enters into power button mode selection. The live option allows you to simultaneously power on multiple lights through the Zhiyun app.
The app is is called ZY Vega. At the time, it’s only available to download from the Zhiyun website. The app has a straightforward interface. It offers presets and precise control of color temperature and dimmer. It’s one of the only apps we’ve seen that allows for a gradual change of color and intensity.
Our experience with the app wasn’t very seamless. Even after the update, the app had trouble connecting to the lights. We did manage to connect to the G60, but there were some bugs. Zhiyun is probably still ironing out the kinks in this software, and it should all work once they make it available on the app store.
Use cases
These pocket COB’s are more designed for small setups, like vloggers and talking head videos. We tried the X100 in a small interview setup and it worked great, even with the really small softbox.
Testing
We tested the output of the Zhiyun pocked lights with various modifiers, and here are the results that we got.
Results for the Zhiyun G60 LED at 5600K @1m (with reflector):
- Color temperature: 5275K (+0.4G).
- Output: 7690 Lux.
- CRI: 96.6 (R9 – 87.6; R12 – 79.8).
- TLCI: 98.
- TM-30 RF: 93; TM-30 Rg – 102.
- SSI: 73.
Results for the Zhiyun Zhiyun Molus X100 LED at 5600K @1m (with reflector):
- Color temperature: 5362K (+0.4G).
- Output: 17800 Lux.
- CRI: 96.1 (R9 – 88.5; R12 – 80).
- TLCI: 98.
- TM-30 RF: 93; TM-30 Rg – 101.
- SSI: 73.
Results for the Zhiyun Molus X100 LED at 5600K @1m (with Zhiyun softbox):
- Color temperature: 5179K (+0.6G).
- Output: 2070 Lux.
- CRI: 95.4 (R9 – 84.7; R12 – 80.7).
- TLCI: 98.
- TM-30 RF: 93; TM-30 Rg – 102.
- SSI: 73.
For comparison, we also switched out our older 60W LED with the G60 with a 50cm softbox, and it had no problem filling it with light. The output reading that we got from this setup from 1m away was 600 lux. It’s not amazing, but in a small setup, it’s plenty powerful.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Zhiyun’s pocket lights are very powerful for their size. they are well made, quiet, and produce quality light. Portability is a great bonus to all of these factors. When Zhiyun fixes the bugs in their app, these lights will be even easier to use.
Unique design – X100Â
Pricing
As for pricing, the G60 combo kit costs $250 and the X100 pro kit sells for $400. Just make sure to check what each kit includes as some accessories are sold separately.
You can check out more LensVid exclusive articles and reviews on the following link.
You can support LensVid by shopping with our affiliate partners
Affiliates: Amazon, B&H, Adorama and E-bay.
Why should you trust us?