VL119 RGB Handheld Light Wand is the exciting big brother of the VL110 Magnetic RGB Tube Light from Ulanzi. With its extremely creative lighting options that can be used in a variety of situations, the VL119 is definitely worth investing in.
EXTERNAL FUNCTIONS
Ulanzi Light Wand weighs only 205 grams and is 500 mm long from base to tip. It offers the user an illumination intensity of 355 mm, which illuminates half the diameter of the 37 mm rod. This allows for an illumination angle of a helpful 120 degrees. The handle features an on/off button on the side, right where the user's right thumb rests. The USB-C charging port is located directly above and the stick comes with a USB-to-USB-C charging cable. The light is controlled via four buttons, arranged in a square next to each other, under a small LED panel that easily guides you through the settings. If you have used Ulanzi lamps before, you will find navigating the menu more than comfortable. On the bottom of the handle there is a ¼-20" mounting screw and a tab to attach a lanyard or wrist strap.
CREATIVE LIGHTING OPTIONS
There are countless versions of LED lights flooding the market. Therefore, a different perspective is required, pardon the pun, and that's exactly what the VL119 offers. With its lightsaber shape, it expands the creative application possibilities immeasurably, e.g. B:
- Light painting in the background of a subject you want to highlight.
- Creative lighting of a variety of products with every light color of the spectrum, in both direct and indirect ways.
- Creative lighting of a model from the back or front.
- As a main light, edge light, backlight or mood light for any subject to be filmed or photographed.
- Simulation of lighting effects with 20 different lighting scenarios (including... a Emergency services, fireworks, television, fire, defective/flickering fluorescent tubes, strobe lights in white and multi-colored, etc.).
- And of course, among other things, the simulation of a Star Wars battle scene.
Not to mention the applications outside of photography when I think of my children using it to have a disco with their friends.
KELVIN LIGHT OPTIONS
The VL119 also offers a constant and adjustable Kelvin light temperature, with an adjustable temperature of 2500K - 9000K, with 5500K being natural daylight. Together with the light intensity setting from 1 - 100%, you can solve a variety of lighting tasks. The light intensity can be increased gradually in single digit increments, or by holding down the "+" or "-" button you can jump in increments of 10.
COLOR RANGE
Do you need a wide range of colors? Complementing this light wand's Kelvin characteristics, you can choose from the full 360-degree color gamut, with hue, saturation and brightness fully adjustable at each degree. The photo above from Ulanzi shows some of the many color options available.
ILLUMINATOR LEVEL (BRIGHTNESS)
This is always a difficult aspect to convey with any luminaire. At a distance of 33 cm, the experienced illuminance is 395 LUX. At 50 cm it drops to 178 LUX and at 1 meter further to 52 LUX. For comparison: the light of the full moon is 1 LUX, the average illuminance in a family living room is 50 LUX and the average illuminance in a classroom or lecture hall in a school is 250 LUX and in a supermarket is 750 LUX. So the VL119 RGB Light Wand offers a lot of light for its size, weight and price.
THE DISPLAY
All of this can be followed on the OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) display, which is quite small, although Ulanzi uses most of the space available to them on the handle used for this display format. I found it difficult to read the display when the light wand was set to full power. The display itself packs a lot of information into a small space, including the light setting, remaining battery charge, the ability to select from submenus, effective percentage displays, and descriptive text so you know what light setting you're using.
BATTERY LIFE
When I tested the light at full intensity, it ran for 95 minutes, which is impressive for the built-in 2000mAh rechargeable lithium battery. Charging takes 120 minutes which needs some development as an ideal product I think should work for longer than it takes to charge but you can use it while charging which is a big advantage.
THE BUTTONS
I really like the arrangement of the buttons on the VL119 light stick. The "on" and "off" switch is very handy for situations where you can't see or remember where all the buttons are. The four control buttons: Mode, Select, + & - sit together but slightly separated from each other, which is very helpful. They feel like plastic, but there's a satisfying click when you press any of the buttons. The mode button allows you to switch between RGB, CCT and scene selection. You can use the Select button to navigate through the options of your chosen mode. You can then use the + and - buttons to select the desired lighting result within the selected mode. After using the light in various situations, I discovered that if you're not careful, it's easy to accidentally press the buttons and change the light setting. It would be a great addition if there was a "lock" switch on the handle that disables the buttons when pressed. This would improve the user experience even further.
MOUNTING AND TRANSPORT
At the base of the VL119 handle there is a ¼-20" female thread that allows you to attach the light to a variety of mounts and tripods, which increases their versatility. The lanyard closure ensures security when you carry the lamp on your wrist, bag, hook, etc. want to hang up. You can also see in the picture above that there is a slight grip pattern on the back of the handle.
SUMMARY
The VL119 RGB Handheld Light Wand from Ulanzi is a wonderful addition to your camera or film equipment. It's light and easy to hold, offers lots of easy-to-select lighting options and the 330mm long light bar means you can stretch your creativity even further. You can buy it from Ulanzi at a very affordable price of €35.56 here.
