The Litepanels 1x1 Bi-Color is an LED light source that's both 3,200°K (tungsten) and 5,600°K (daylight). Listing for $2,995, the Bi-Color is an extremely versatile fixture that consumes very little energy (only 45 watts), gives off no heat, lasts up to 100,000 hours, is dimmable in both daylight and tungsten (or mixes both at the same time), runs on AC or DC, and gives off a soft, even light.

Great for portraits or interviews, I love the fact that you can look through the "holes" in the back of the light to aim it. Our university already has the Litepanels 1x1, but now we can mix color temperatures without resorting to using the slide-in CTO gels. The gels are a good idea, but they cut down the output of the light and most LED lights do not have that far of a throw when it comes to light output.

Fitted with 1,128 light-emitting diodes—564 daylight and 564 tungsten-balanced—the Bi-Color is surprisingly bright. The LEDs reside behind a clear piece of plastic, which has a slot for the optional six-piece CTO or six-piece CTB gel set. The rear features two rotating knobs: The left knob (color), operates either the daylight-balanced or tungsten-balanced LEDs and allows both of them to illuminate if the dial is in the 12 o'clock position. The right knob increases or decreases the intensity of the LEDs via dimming—all the way down to zero. An on/off rocker switch strikes the unit and a small 24V DC receptacle accesses the power.

Placed 4' from the subject at full illumination, the Bi-Color's 100 footcandles of light (1,100 lux) will bathe your talent in a soft, cool or warm glow. Moving the light back to 8' cuts the output by more than half (34 footcandles or 370 lux), but LED lights are meant to be used up close.

I placed the Bi-Color light 3' to the left of Kelly, my model, and got 480 footcandles on the full daylight setting. Illuminating the daylight and tungsten LEDs, the footcandles jumped to 640 at the same distance. Because of its output, the Bi-Color was used as my key source. I had intended to use a piece of foam core as a bounce fill, but by positioning the light closer to the front of Kelly's face, I no longer needed it. Since Kelly has olive skin, I dialed in less tungsten and more daylight to give her an even glow that's not too warm. The light was close enough (3') to totally illuminate her and still give her eyes that sparkle you only can get from a close source of light.

Giving off no heat, the 1x1 Bi-Color is comfortable close to the talent without spilling too much illumination on the background. For our shoot we needed the talent to be lit and not the surroundings.

Again, having a light that's both daylight and tungsten makes it extremely versatile for all shooting situations. If extra warmth or coolness is needed, it is simply dialed in. The dimmer is also a great feature, although I don't use it too often—I'd rather just move the light closer or farther away as the situation warrants.

Drawing less power than a 50-watt incandescent lamp, you can use the Bi-Color all day with no discomfort to the talent and very little impact to your electric bill. The Bi-Color is small enough to fit in any carry-on bag.

This is as close to the perfect source of illumination that I have seen in a while. This could be your only source of high power, long lasting, eco-friendly, indoor or outdoor lighting. For the price, where else will you find something that does this much and draws so little power?

PROS: All the advantages of LED fixtures: low power consumption, virtually no heat, bright soft output. Versatile with mixable color temps, lightweight.

CONS: Illumination drops off dramatically, making it useful for close-up work only.

MSRP: $2,995