DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

DIYP reviews the SmallRig RC220B LED Light – a small but mighty light

Apr 24, 2022 by John Aldred Add Comment

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

So, it looks like SmallRig is here to stay as far as LED lights go and the RC120 (reviewed here) family got some new double-the-power members – the RC220B and the  RC220D. (Those stand for bi-colour and daylight).

From what I can tell, it seems that SmallRig has refitted the RC120 body with a more powerful LED. And this is a good thing. If you have any bags, cases, or kits that you’ve built for the 120, the 220 would feel right at home for those.

Basic Features

The RC220B is a Bowens mount, bi-colour, COB LED light. It has the same form factor as other COB lights, and if you have ever used an Aputure Light Storm or a Nanlite FS light, you would feel right at home.



 

Here are the features as noted on the SmallRig website:

  1. At a distance of 1 meter (3.3 ft.), the maximum illuminance of the bare light source is 10,100 lux. The illuminance level increases to an impressive 98,700 lux after attaching the hyper reflector.
  2. TLCI 96+, CRI 95+, ultra-high color rendering, truly restore the color of objects
  3. Supports manual light control and remote control with the SmallGoGo App. Intelligent light control offers color temperature adjustment and 9 light effects
  4. Dual power supply system, support AC adapter and 14.4V/26V V-mount battery
  5. The noise level of the ultra-quiet fan is only 30dB±2dB at 1 meter (3.3 ft.).
  6. When the temperature of the lamp body exceeds 60℃ (140°F), the active heat dissipation function is turned on.
  7. Standard Bowens mount: compatible with most light-control accessories
  8. Comes with a high-quality snowflake cloth portable storage bag

Compared to the SmallRig RC120B

As mentioned, the light is very similar to the RC120B. Actually, I could only spot three differences in the light: A bigger COB LED, a different marking on the body (220 vs. 120), and a significantly bigger power supply. Otherwise, the kits are identical down to the power cords and foam fittings in the case.

Now that we have both lights, we wanted to see how they compare, so we measured both with a Sekinic C700 spectrometer. Here are the results:

RC120BRC220B
CCT (@5,600K)54685534
LUX (@1M)40,20062,600
CRI9797.6
CCi0.2M0.2G

Both lights weigh (almost) the same: 1,563g for the RC120 vs. 1,654g for the RC220. And even the bags are identical. Not even a mark of the name, just a nice bold red and back SmallRig logo.

SmallRig RC220B LED Review – RC220b output
SmallRig RC220B LED Review – RC120B output
SmallRig RC220B LED Review – RC120B vs. RC220B
SmallRig RC220B LED Review – side by side power blocks

This makes sense: you pay ~42% more ($369.00 vs. $259.00), and you get about half a stop more. Easy.

So for all intents and purposes, you can look at our RC 120B video to see what we think about this light.

App Control

On our initial RC 120B review, the app was unavailable to us, but since then, SmallRig has made the app work worldwide, and we could have a look.

The SmallRig application does exactly what you expect from an LED control app. And it does so in an intuitive and minimalistic way.

SmallRig RC220B app
SmallRig RC220B app
SmallRig RC220B app
SmallRig RC220B app
SmallRig RC220B app

As you would expect, it supports adding/removing lights, and grouping them together. This allows controlling the lights as individually or grouped together.  Once you click a light or a group, you get your standard set of controls: Brightness and Temperature.

You can also go into the effects mode and select between Paparazzi, Firework, Lightning, Fault Bulb, TV, Breath, Flash, Party, and Flame effects. And within each effect, you can control its brightness, temperature, and frequency. If you like the physical controls on the light, you’ll find the app very easy to use.

We did get a few stability issues and needed to reset the app every once in a while, but I expect SmallRig to improve the app with time and iron out the bugs.

Should you upgrade from the RC120B/120D

Considering that the RC120 series is only two months old, I think it safe to assume that if you bought the light, you are probably happy with the light output. That said if you are getting a new light now, getting 150% of the power for an extra $110 is a no-brainer.

The RC 220B (bicolour) is available to pre-order now for $369 and the SmallRig RC 220D (daylight) is available to pre-order now for $329. Both models are expected to start shipping at the end of April.

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

DIYP Reviews the Manfrotto Element Carbon – Small but mighty DIYP reviews SmallRig’s SONY A7II, A7RII, A7SII cage and loving it SmallRig Forevala W60 dual wireless Lav mic reviewDIYP reviews the SmallRig Forevala W60 dual wireless Lav mic DIYP reviews the Sirui Dragon flexible LED light strip

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: SmallRig, Smallrig LED, SmallRig RC120B COB LED Light, SmallRig RC220B COB LED Light

John Aldred: from diyphotography.net

About John Aldred

John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

« The Prolycht Orion 675 FS is the most powerful full-spectrum colour LED spotlight in the world
The Huion Kamvas Pro 16 (2.5K) is a solid challenge to Wacom’s dominance in the graphics tablet market »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup
DIYPhotography

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Recent Posts

  • Here’s a bullet time video booth you can build yourself
  • Ricoh has discontinued the HD PENTAX-DA 21mm F3.2AL Limited silver lens
  • This “stellar flower” unravels the twilight’s evolution in 360 degrees
  • Strobes vs Continuous LEDs – Which is right for you?
  • Wave goodbye to Apple’s My Photo Stream next month

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy