First look at the Godox Knowled F flexible, folding LED mats

At NAB 2023, Godox launched its new range of flexible, folding LED mats. The range is kicking off with three panels: the F22Bi, F24Bi, and F44Bi. As their names would suggest, these are bicolour LED panels with a colour temperature range of 2700K to 8500K and a CRI of 96+. Designed primarily to mimic large soft overhead light sources, the panels can also be used on regular light stands or even bent around surfaces.

The Godox Knowled F series LED panels don’t appear to have been officially announced yet. There are also no listings for them yet on the Godox website. So, there are no published specs yet. This may mean their specs are subject to change. However, we stop by the Godox booth at NAB to have a chat with them about the new lights and their capabilities.

Godox Knowled F22Bi/F24Bi/F44Bi – Flexible & Versatile

The knew Godox Knowled F series panels come in three sizes of 2×2′, 2×4′, and 4×4′, with outputs of 200W, 400W and 600W, respectively. Each LED mat is foldable to be able to pack it into a bag for easy storage and transport. Despite being foldable and somewhat flexible, the mats are very sturdy when attached to light stands or suspended above a subject, thanks to the supplied frame that comes with them.

This frame ensures the LED mat keeps its shape when opened up and allows you to mount it to C stands or other fixtures. The frame also allows you to rotate the light between horizontal and vertical when used on a stand, letting you tailor the orientation of the light source when in use.

Power and Remote Control

The Godox Knowled F series panels each come with their own control box to supply it with power. The control box allows communication from the Godox app running on your smartphone, letting you get complete remote control over the light. This is particularly handy when you’ve got one or several of these suspended from a ceiling to simulate soft, cloudy, overhead light – way out of reach.

As well as the app, you’ve also got remote control via standard wired DMX, or you can use the Godox TimoLink system (buy here), which adds CRMX wireless capability to wired DMX systems. When it comes to actual power, you can power it via AC, and a cable comes supplied with the light. Or, you can use a V-Mount battery of either 14v or 26v batteries when out on location away from plug sockets.

Softbox and diffusion

Being a large panel, there are lots of visible LED modules on its surface. When placed close to a subject, these can appear as many small light sources rather than a single large light source. This means you get multiple (potentially hundreds) of separate hard-edged shadows on your subject. To counter this, Godox will supply a softbox with each Knowled F series panel to diffuse the surface and provide a single large light-emitting surface. They’re also going to include a grid to let you get some control over spill and the direction it emits light.

Waterproof(ish)

The Godox Knowled F series panels are IP64 rated. This means that they’re completely protected from dust ingress and from sprays of water in all directions. This IP64 rating does not mean you can use them underwater, though. You certainly don’t want to be dragging them into the pool. But they should be able to handle any rain or snow you might run into when using these outdoors on location.

Of course, these are fairly large panels, though, and when the rain and snow come, so does the wind. So, if you plan to use these outdoors in inclement weather, you’ll want to ensure they’re very well secured, or you might just find out you own a very expensive kite.

Price and availability

So far, there is no information available on pricing. We did ask, but it’s just not available. There’s also no word on an official release date yet. Godox did say that they may become available either this month or next, but they haven’t been any more specific than that.  we’ll let you know as soon as we hear more!

DIYP’s coverage of NAB 2023 is sponsored by Sennheiser, Zhiyun, B&H, and SmallRig