Photography News | Issue 62 | photographynews.co.uk
36
First tests
NanGuang Large RGB Tube Light TRGB1412A £390
LEDs studio
have
revolutionised
Specs
lighting stills and video shooters, providing a controllable, versatile, durable and powerful lighting source with low running costs and minimal light output. Chinese brand NanGuang, imported into the UK by Kenro, has a great range of products showing what is possible, from LED lights for on-camera and location use to large panel lights and lighting tubes such as the TRGB1412A, a high spec, versatile light that offers tremendous creative potential. The1412Aismainspoweronly.Ifyou prefer the option of mains or battery power go for the very similar 1212B at £420, which has a pair of built-in rechargeable batteries, so perfect for location use. The 1412A is 1.2m in length which gives it a lightsaber-esque look and feel, and it can be used handheld if needed. Two pipe clamps are supplied and these have a 1/4in screw thread so you can fix the light to a tripod. I used an Arca Swiss plate and used the 1412A on a tripod with a ball head so it was easy to have the light in an upright, horizontal or diagonal position. No spigot mount or bracket to fix the tube light to a standard lighting stand is available. With some ingenuity and gaffer tape, getting this light intoanawkward position is no issue at all if youwant to lighten a dark nook or cranny. The light has an on/off switch at one end and a control panel at the other where, together with the two end knobs, you can get into the menu, for both
Price
£390
In the box NanGuang TRGB1412A Tube Light, AC adapter, master/slave cable, mounting clips, carry bag Number of LEDs 750 CRI (Ra) 95 Brightness control options On-light controls, 2.4G, Wi-Fi, master/slave function Power 30W Power source 100V-240V AC power adapter (included) Illumination 2508 LM Lux 6500K – 771 (1m), 250 (2m), 124 (3m), 93 (4m), 49 (5m); 2700K – 757 (1m), 243 (2m), 118 (3m), 69 (4m), 47 (5m); Red – 260 (1m), 86 (2m), 43 (3m), 25 (4m), 17 (5m); Green – 721 (1m), 229 (2m), 114 (3m), 66 (4m), 45 (5m); Blue – 10 Dimensions 120x5.6x5.6cm Weight 1.5kg Contact kenro.co.uk Colour temperature 2700-6500K; full RGB With the light positioned 100cm from the test chart, a series of test shots were taken with a colour test chart against a white background. The test shots show what is possible in terms of colour temperature control and colour output. Using a Nikon D850 a custom white-balance reading was taken with the tube light at 6500K and on full output. The remaining shots were taken with that value. Exposure settings for all of these shots in manual mode were 1/15sec at f/8 and ISO 400. In HSI mode (bottom right two rows of images) you can choose from 360 colours and adjust saturation from 0% all the way up to 100% in 1% steps. TEST SHOTS
Above The 1412A is long and slim and readily portable.
adjust output and set mode. The LCD readout isn’t especially large but it’s serviceable and usefully, there is a breakdown of themenu structure next to the panel which makes life easier. Adjusting the settings is easy once you get used to themenu andwhat each knob does so handling rates highly. Where the 1412A has potential is in its many output options. It is colour temperature adjustable from 2700 to 6500K adjustable in 100K steps with power adjustable from 0 to 100% in 1% steps. That makes it really easy to fine-tune the output from this light to match others (or to the ambient light) for realistic effects. In terms of output, the tube light one metre gives enough light to shoot at 1/60sec at f/4 and ISO 400. For an LED light that’s a decent
return and certainly practical with the ISO performance of modern digital cameras. That is one really useful aspect of the light but it gets even more interesting. In HSI mode you can set hue (HSI on the display), saturation and intensity (DIM) to give vivid coloured lighting effects, again with great controllability. The HSI setting is adjustable from 0 to 360, so in effect 360 different hues. See the accompanying pictures (below) for examples of this. For video shooting the 1412A has a range of special effects. You can set, for example, red/blue flashing lights as in a cop car, simulate a lightning storm or have an SOS signal provided in light form. Each effect can be refined further in the menu. WC
Verdict
The NanGuang Large RGB Tube Light TRGB1412A would be a versatile and practical addition to a studio photographer or video maker’s lighting arsenal. Location shooters would understandably prefer the slightly more expensive 1212B battery option – power source apart the lights are identical. The 1412A certainly works very well, and build quality is impressive so will withstand heavy use. It’s a serious light for a reasonable investment.
Pros Good power, versatile, build quality Cons No lighting stand mount
Colour temperature settings
6500K
5000K
4000K
2700K
HSI settings
HSI 100
HSI 360
HSI 239
HSI 325
Saturation settings
100%
90%
80%
70%
The build quality is impressive so will withstand heavy use
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