Great lights for your photography!

What are the Luxli Viola LED Panels? Can they help your photography or videography?

About Luxli Viola lights

Luxli Lights has two generations of lightweight yet effective lights. While the photos here are of the original Luxli Viola, the Luxli Viola² has similar features.

About the Viola

The original Viola features a dimmable output that can be adjusted from either 3000 to 10,000K or 0 to 360° RGB. The unit incorporates two endlessly rotating knobs. One knob controls the flicker-free dimming adjustment from 100% to 0% brightness, while the other knob controls the color output of the unit. As the Viola is flicker-free, you may also use the LED panel for video as well as photography without any strobing, banding or flickering effect. 

Useful and functional by itself, the Viola shines brightest when used in conjunction with the free mobile device app, the Composer. Bluetooth is always active on the fixture, and the app allows you to individually control or link together up to 6 units.

As with all Violas, you can mount this to a stand, tripod or even on-camera.

Comparing Viola to other LED panels

There are numerous LED panels that have been released since the Viola that are more inexpensive. However, the manufacturer points out that the color accuracy in their line of LED lights is more accurate. Also, you may adjust the LED panel from 100 to 0% brightness. Being able to set this light at specific brightnesses is extremely beneficial, and being able to set it to 1% allows for things such as high-ISO astrophotography while gently illuminating foreground subjects without blowing them out. Each Viola² fixture comes with a Photometric datasheet that shows that unit’s tested output. This sheet is generated at the factory from testing each light fixture after calibration.

iOS or Android App for full color and lighting control

The Luxli Conductor offers full control over brightness and color temperature on your Android device, or iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch with iOS 8.0 or above. 

The app gives you access to light color control and effects. A standard color picker lets you choose the light color that you want, opening up a world of creative lighting possibilities. You can also use your phone’s camera to sample colors from the environment around you.

An integrated info screen enables confirmation of color temperature, color output, battery and Bluetooth strength.

Animated lighting effects library and sampling

The Luxli Conductor app also allows you to choose from a library of built-in effects, or sample video effects from an existing video stored on your phone. Simply open a video from within the Conductor app, move the cursor over the light effect you want to sample, and the app will stream that effect straight to your Viola. The effects library contains sampled light effects.

In the field

You may also use the Luxli Viola with a softbox with diffusion filter. If I am using it for light painting, I usually don’t use the diffuser. However, it does work quite well at diffusing the light effectively.The diffuser is smartly designed. You may leave it on the light when storing it if you wish.

The light is pleasing for handheld light painting when doing night photography. I sometimes use it with Rosco Matte Black Cinefoil to help direct the light while keeping the light from shining into the camera lens. 

For light painting, because the light is a high quality light, it retains the detail in the subject. Luxli Light claims a CRI of 93 for the  Viola², which is holds a high amount of detail.

Video

Since the Luxli Viola does not flicker, you can use it for podcasting or videos. And as a bonus, you may use the light with a diffuser and does not require gels. You may also dial in replicable light with either the unit itself or by using the app.