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LitraPro 1200 Lumen Fully Adjustable Full Spectrum On-Camera Light Review
The LitraPro is a compact, rechargeable, high-output LED light source that offers a broad spectrum of color temperature settings and is fully dimmable from 0% to 100%. The LitraPro operates up to 45 minutes at the highest power setting and, should you land on it when you fall into a 90-feet deep swimming pool, no problem—it won’t break or suffer water damage. Sounds incredible, no?
Let’s dig right in.
Physical Description
The LitraPro is supplied with a soft pouch case, pliable white dome diffuser, shoe mount and Micro-USB charging cable. It’s black and made of anodized aluminum.
Sitting in any camera shoe at about 2-inches tall, the LitraPro is not as wide as an iPhone 6 but is thicker. Actual measurement is 2.75 x 2.0 x 1.2 inches—that is small—and it’s suitably heavy (6 ounces) for an armor-clad accessory light.
The LitraPro even feels very durable. The LED panel on the front is rigid to the touch and nicely sealed against dust and liquid. The unit passes military specification MIL-STD-810G (more about this later) and is fully waterproof to a depth of 90 feet.
On top we see five buttons and a tiny but legible OLED display. From right to left, the buttons control Power, Color Temperature (range 3000 to 6000 Kelvin) and Brightness (dimmable from 0% to 100%). The OLED shows Brightness or Color Temperature in clear, easy-to-read numbers, as well as battery level and Bluetooth status.
The bottom and left hand edges are drilled and tapped for a standard ¼-20 tripod screw. The bottom hole is fitted with a removable cold shoe for mounting on a camera or adapter. On the right edge there is a thoroughly sealed hatch that covers the Micro-USB charging interface.
The black metal back and all four edges are ribbed with narrow channels that I presume help dissipate heat by increasing surface area probably about 300%. Overall it resembles a sleek heatsink.
Features
The LitraPro has a CRI of 95 and 1200 Lumen output at 9.8 feet. Check the Nomenclature paragraphs below for the definition of the terms. Power output is adjustable from 0% (off) to 100% (damn bright).
It delivers a 70-degree beam angle and performs for about 45 minutes at the highest, 100% output setting. At the low power (10%) output it lasts for more than 10 hours before needing a recharge. Power is supplied by a built-in lithium ion battery. External power is possible via the same cable that’s used to charge it.
White balance matching is adjustable by selecting from the familiar color temperature range between 3000 and 6000 Kelvin. That equates to normal tungsten incandescent house lights through noon daylight or thereabouts. Color setting, as well as the Power Output, is shown on the OLED display.
The unit is waterproof to a depth of 90 feet and meets stringent military specification MIL-SPEC 810G.
The LitraPro features Bluetooth connectivity so you can control it with a smart phone or tablet and the Litra app for iOS or Android.
Nomenclature
Lumen is the unit of measurement of luminous flux (for our purposes and understanding let’s call it light output). The higher the Lumen number, the brighter the source. A 40 Watt incandescent bulb produces about 600 Lumens. Since the LitraPro delivers 1200 Lumens at 100% power at 9.8 feet, we can visualize that it’s about as bright as two 40 Watt bulbs at the same distance. Trust me—it’s bright.
CRI stands for Color Rendering Index, a standardized unit of measurement of a light source’s ability to portray colors faithfully in comparison with a natural reference light source. In other words, CRI more-or-less means color fidelity. Since we all know that we cannot trust our eyes (because our helpful brains improve colors to match what we think they should be) CRI is an important way to objectively compare the color rendering accuracy of a light source and compare it to other sources. LitraPro’s 95 CRI rating is very high.
MIL-STD-810G is a Military Standard that describes a series of tests that equipment must pass in order to earn our government’s consideration for military applications. Criteria include protection against moisture and dust infiltration, resistance to extreme temperature fluctuations, drop test, and so forth. In other words, they put the gear through hell and then stomp on it.
Accessories
In addition to the included soft diffuser dome, you can turn the LitraPro into a full-fledged lighting system by adding the optional soft box, color filter kit, barn doors or honeycomb baffle. Since the included cold shoe is an industry-standard size, it’s compatible with an exhaustive variety of mounting options from numerous suppliers including Litra.
Applications
A couple years ago we reviewed the LitraTorch (read the review here). It’s a 1.5 x 1.5 inch aluminum–clad cube that can deliver up to 800 lumens of continuous 5700 Kelvin light. It was awesome and the LitraPro model is all this and much more—50% brighter plus variable color temp. (BTW, the LitraTorch has been updated to Model 2.0 and can be had for about $90—a good deal.)
You can use the LitraPro as a replacement for a camera-mounted electronic flash in most cases, and of course it’s excellent for video use. Add the optional soft box and you have an ideal light source for macro work, videography and many, many other applications.
And if you lose power for 11 days like I did a couple years ago, you’ll find the LitraTorch or LitraPro a very useful and practical emergency tool.
Performance
Operation of the LitraPro is so simple. Just turn it on, adjust the power output, adjust the Kelvin temperature and aim it appropriately toward your subject. The light source is constant, so it’s a snap to prejudge shadows and make modeling corrections.
Because output level and color temp are fully adjustable, the LitraPro is an outstanding choice for a broad range of projects and can be used indoors, outdoors and under trying lighting conditions.
The light output is stable and flicker-free. This is an important feature because not all adjustable LED banks are flicker-free.
One word of caution, which I prescribe for every LED light I review: do not allow anyone to look directly at the LEDs when you turn it on. It’s bright. Like O’Hare Airport night landing lights bright. You can signal UFOs with this puppy from up to about 70 million light-years away—okay, okay, I’m making up the last part, but it is very bright, and might hurt your eyes if you carelessly stare at it during power-up.
Conclusion
The LitraPro retails for about $219 and is well worth the money. The accessories allow you to grow it into a complete and potent system. The fact that the power output and color temperature are both fully adjustable makes this indeed a powerful and versatile lighting tool.
The small size (it can hide under a business card with space to spare) and practically indestructible construction mean you can carry it with you in your working kit and always have a reliable light source for still and video imaging.
If you’ve ever been tempted to experiment with a constant light source, the LitraPro is the bright choice.
—Jon Sienkiewicz
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