In 2008, Litepanels introduced the first LED camera light in North America that was powered by AA batteries. This streamlined the process of powering camera lights, particularly for the smaller 7.2V camcorders that typically do not provide a way to tap their batteries for powering on-camera lights. Another benefit that came with the LED fixtures was the liberation of the camera light from the camera. With their own internal power sources, Litepanels’ Micro and now the MicroPro, can be operated and mounted off-camera as well as on, much like other lights. This flexibility permits shooters to be more creative in their use of a single lighting instrument. Low and high angle positioning is now possible, as is side lighting and even backlighting, with additional lights. This greatly expands the head-on, lens-level lighting model most often used with camera-mounted lights.

Litepanels challenged this paradigm with its Micro last year, and this year it has taken its AA battery-powered alternative to the next level. The new MicroPro is a beefier and more refined version of the Micro, which it resembles physically and technologically. However, while the Micro was primarily geared for use aboard smaller camcorders at fairly close range, the MicroPro is beefier physically and illumination wise and, by design, can handle a wider range of applications.

Besides being noticeably larger than the Micro, the MicroPro has a different profile too. This more closely resembles a widescreen LCD video monitor than an older 4:3 model.

The MicroPro has nearly a 15:9 aspect ratio, and is packed with 5,600°K LED bulbs. There are a total of 96 LEDs in all, equally spaced into a tight grid to deliver a bright, directional, yet soft daylight-balanced lighting. And like the Micro, the MicroPro is equipped with an integrated dimming through a 0-100 percent range.

Given its bigger size, greater number of LEDs and superior battery power, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that the Micro Pro delivers a lot of punch. However, the differences don’t become really apparent until you use it beyond point blank range. The MicroPro’s beefier output and extended reach makes it suitable for a wider range of apps including many ENG and event applications.

To facilitate its added output, the MicroPro is well endowed with ventilation to keep it as cool as advertised. All four sides of the screen and back plate are perforated with slits to vent warm air and to permit cooler air to circulate, keeping it cool, even when used at full illumination, for an hour or longer. Incidentally, these spaces also reduce the MicroPro’s mass.

Using long life, non-rechargeable lithium E2 batteries, it’s feasible to operate the MicroPro for five to six hours at full capacity, and even longer if dimmed down. However, this is not recommended without special cooling to remove excess heat buildup. Operating the MicroPro for an hour and a half—the lifespan of standard alkaline AA batteries—is well within the MicroPro’s heat tolerance parameters. The same precautions against long duration uninterrupted use at full strength should be exercised when using the MicroPro with the 5V to 12V AC adapter provided. The latter includes several exotic interchangeable plugs for use anywhere in the world.

In terms of color temperature, the MicroPro is rated at 5,600°K, the numerical value associated with daylight. In reality, this number fluctuates, especially very early and very late in the day, and depends upon atmospheric conditions as well. Nevertheless, 5,600°K is the accepted mean value for daylight on the Kelvin scale, as well for the MicroPro. The unit also comes with a 3,200°K tungsten conversion filter so that it can be used with standard tungsten lighting, as well as in daylight shooting very early and late in the day. Also supplied are a 1/4 CTO warm filter and a white diffusion filter. When filters are not in use they can be stored in a holder on the MicroPro’s back plate.

Some other options for extending the MicroPro’s capabilities include an articulating arm and a ball-head hot shoe mount Both allow the MicroPro to be angled creatively for non-traditional looks, and to eliminate glare and other lighting artifacts. There’s also a base plate for easier off-camera use as either a primary or supplemental light. The company can also provide an underwater housing if there’s a need to capture aquatic video. Some other neat accessories are also in the works.

The control must be dialed back fully counterclockwise to reach the off position; otherwise the batteries will be drained. I learned this the hard way with my first set of E2 batteries.

I first thought that the MicroPro had been damaged when it wouldn’t power up after being stored for a while. However, I noticed that I didn’t feel the switch click “on” when powering it up and then realized that I’d failed to switch if off completely after its last use. This ultimately drained the extended life lithium batteries.

Initially, I tested the MicroPro off camera, using it as a key light, and was immediately impressed with how naturally and seamlessly it mixed with daylight, both indoors and out. This was true whether I manually white balanced or used the auto mode. Either way, virtually all of the colors captured looked much the same on a 26-inch LCD HD monitor as they did in my mind’s eye before capture. Green plants looked just as verdant when illuminated by the MicroPro (mixed with overcast daylight) as they did when shot using ambient daylight alone. In fact, it was nearly impossible to distinguish between natural daylight sources and the MicroPro when reviewing a long series of shots on an HD monitor.

I was also impressed with how naturally MicroPro-illuminated images blended into low light outdoor scenes near sunset, and under a light overcast. Everything worked as designed and advertised, with closer subjects lit primarily by the MicroPro blending with naturally lit images. To my eye, even closeups lit chiefly or entirely by the MicroPro had essentially the same color values as naturally lit subjects, except in the cases where color saturation was affected. Overall, the images seemed well matched and intercuttable with images shot in ambient lighting conditions.

The easiest way to verify that was to dial back the MicroPro’s output to 50 percent or less for comparison. On the HD monitor, it was often difficult to distinguish scenes shot with different proportions of LED lighting and overcast daylight illumination, and those shot exclusively under daylight.

Much the same was true when I used the tungsten conversion filter to mix MicroPro lighting with ambient tungsten lighting. Generally, it the blend was seamless and the images looked as if they had all been lit by tungsten lighting. This suggests that the MicroPro and the conversion filter both worked perfectly in matching typical tungsten lighting devices, as found in homes and offices.

I was similarly impressed with the intensity of the MicroPro, even in fairly dark rooms with only faint daylight illumination. In such situations, I used the MicroPro as my primary source, shooting medium-sized oil and acrylic paintings that were dominated by dark earth tones. My capture was from distances of up to 14-feet. However the colors captured remained true and vibrant as if shot with under daylight conditions.

I was equally impressed by the tonal contrast and the vivid colors captured when shooting wildlife and nature scenes from tapestries. I was especially impressed with the hues resulting when I used the 1/4 CTO warming filter. Its addition did require boosting the camera gain by 6 dB, but with the MicroPro fixture at 100 percent output, the overall contrast remained strong with vibrant, natural-looking colors and good exposure. This was the case even when shooting from six to eight feet away and without any other light source in a darkened room. Again, the video looked as if it had been shot with the help of low level, but adequate daylight illumination, and not with a single camera-mounted light.

There is one caveat in the use of the MicroPro, though. When testing the AC adapter with a household extension cord, I found the connection on the MicroPro’s back plate to be a bit tenuous. This resulted in periodic power interruptions and blackouts. The solution was to maintain plenty of slack and not to let the plug hang from the light head, but rather to tie it to the camera (or to simply just stick with battery power). Even a set of standard duty alkaline AA batteries got me through a two hour period of intermittent shooting, with a lot of this done with nearly 100 percent fixture output.

I experimented with both mounting adapters: the 3-inch plus camera arm extender, which sits three inches above lens level and also the similar 2-inch unit. Both fasten to a camera hot shoe and both permit a 90-degree tilt in one direction and 30-degrees or less in all other directions. When the MicroPro is mounted on either, it can swivel 360 degrees and tilt up or down by some 30 degrees, due to the ball and socket design of these optional flex camera mounts. Each has a distinctive thumbscrew to lock the ball into the desired position after being rotated in its socket.

I didn’t find any compelling need to request and try the base plate adapter for off-camera use. The MicroPro’s low heat output makes it practical to place it on standard cushions and household objects when shooting without danger of damaging these objects (or of a possible fire). This may be one of the MicroPro’s unexpected additional applications as a component in lighting setup with two, three, or even more off-camera fixtures. As the weather was a bit on the cold side at the time of this review, I didn’t test the MicroPro’s underwater housing capabilities; however, I do plan to take it for a dip in the lake sometime in the future.

Summary
Litepanels’ MicroPro kit is more than just a dimmable fairly potent sungun. It delivers perfectly balanced daylight illumination, or tungsten via a conversion filter. Other looks and effects can be added using the custom-fit white diffusion and warming filters provided. These effects can be further enhanced or modified by changing the lighting angle when using the optional variable angle camera light mounts which can target specific parts of a scene, not necessarily at eye level, opposite the camera. Coupled with the ability to vary the intensity of the light source, this places considerable discretion in the hands of the shooter in terms of achieving a variety of looks, whether shooting an interview or a dynamic event.

The MicroPro’s light weight package and AA battery power makes it very mobile and useable on cameras of all sizes, without dramatically changing balance or handling characteristics.

Lower power consumption means that it can operate a day’s worth of shooting from half a dozen E2 lithium AA batteries or from a couple of sets of rechargeable NiMH batteries or heavy duty alkalines. Coupled with the interchangeable plugs for the AC adapter, the MicroPro is ready for use around the globe, except for a 12V car adapter.

Its flexibility, mobility and illumination output makes the MicroPro suitable for a wide range of applications, including ENG, EFP, events and others. Although it’s designed particularly for use with ambient daylight the fixture works equally well with 3,200°K tungsten lighting.

Despite its plastic shell, the MicroPro appears robust enough to withstand sensible professional use in a wide variety of situations.