LUMIMUSE 8 LED Light Kit with Accessories - Black for Photography, Videography, and Studio Lighting

Versatile and functional, compact and efficient, this well-designed photography light from Manfrotto makes it easy to add creative dynamic highlights, key lights, hair lights, or contrasting portrait lighting in a snap. Lumie is particularly useful on the go, for events, when time is short for setting up remote flashes, and when you shoot a wide variety of subjects -- from individuals or couples, to food to products, table displays, etc.While it's not designed to be a complete substitute for a full flash in terms of field of light, at about 50 degrees wide (compare to a 35mm FX lens field of view at 54°, 24mm at 73°, 14mm at 104°), when placed off-camera, at an angle, this field is useful in that it will wash the subject without unduly lighting the background, achieving a subject-focused composition with "natural vignetting". I find also find Lumie to be helpful for critical focus in dim lighting, allowing you to assess and adjust for aperture and depth of field trade-offs without dropping the shutter or cranking up ISO too much, and for color clarity and dynamic range. You can also utilize the pop-up flash on the DSLR (Nikon D750 or 810), cut back by 1-2 stops, to fill in the front of the subject and still achieve dynamic highlights from the Lumie. Catch-lights are also well formed light pins in the eyes, very nice.I like the light quality right out of the box, it is sharp without being hot. The four-step intensity of light is useful, and the tripod-mounted light is easily repositioned, making it simple to dial in just the right touch. Drape it with a cloth napkin to soften or alter the quality of light, or use the included filters.The Lumie itself has a flat base with a recessed shoe mount slot, and can sit directly on a table. To use it on camera or tripod, slide the included micro-ballhead into the slot. The micro-head has a camera cold-shoe mount, providing a secure fit, albeit without a lock. Or just screw it onto any 1/4" screw, like the Pixie ball head, and you're ready to go.Design and form factor are both well executed, giving the ensemble a premium look & feel, with good ergonomics. Battery life on the USB-rechargeable LiON is fine. I get a couple hours from it using low and high intensity settings, enough to cover a 1/2 day event of varied use.I don't do a lot of product reviews, but this Manfrotto Lumie with the Pixie tripod has already proven its worth on a couple of client event shoots, and is now part of my kit. At about $125 combined, it seems pricey "for just a tiny light on a stand". But it will save you time and add versatility to your creative capabilities. I see this as a viable option, in enough circumstances, to create off-camera-flash results in half the time and space, and without deploying flash triggers and associated complications.