When shooting in low-light settings, photographers and videographers can struggle to get an interesting, well-exposed shot. They may position their camera subject so that available light (such as streetlights) illuminates the subject’s face, but this may limit the photographer’s or videographer’s composition options. That’s where the best video lights (opens in a new tab) Ahead.
By adding the Nanlite PavoTube T8-7X to your kit, you can bathe your subject in light from any angle. In addition to highlighting the shape and contours of a model’s face (which is great for a stills photographer), the PavoTube T8-7X can add animated lighting effects (such as flashes of lightning or flashing emergency lights). of a police car) to a filming. This makes the PavoTube T8-7X a useful piece of kit for photographers and filmmakers alike.
Specifications of Nanlite PavoTube T8-7X
Size: 39 x 1.5 inches
Weight: 0.61 pounds
color temperature: 2700K–7500K with GSM setting
IRC: 96
TLCI: 97
Wireless control: Bluetooth
Mount: 1/4 20 Cup
Firmware update: via USB-C
Nanlite PavoTube T8-7X Features
The PavoTube T8-7X looks like a pretty basic device at first glance. Its hard plastic body is light and rigid. My test unit had a slight dent in the tube body due to bending during shipping by the courier company that delivered it to me. However, once I pressed one of the three buttons on the base of the lamp, the LEDs inside lit up without a problem, rendering the knock negligible.
A second CCT button allows the user to adjust the color temperature so you can match the lamp to the location’s warm or cool tungsten or daylight light sources. The same button also activates Hue mode. With a few button presses, you can cycle through a spectrum of neon-style colors. A third button allows you to adjust the brightness of the lamp. Once you connect the PavoTube to a tripod using the 1/4” socket on the base, the control buttons are hidden.
Fortunately, you can control the PavoTube via Bluetooth using the Nanlink app and this is where the fun begins! The app unleashes the true power of PavoTube by letting you call up animated lighting presets. You can also dial in different shades more quickly and easily by sliding a color wheel. Check out our attached video to see these clever lighting effects in action.
Nanlite PavoTube T8-7X Construction and Handling
Compared to more compact LED lights, such as ZHIYUN Fiveray FR100C Light Wand, the PavoTube T8-7X is much longer, around 3 feet in total. Its sheer length initially made me think twice about lugging the lamp around town all day before my planned evening test session. Once I attached a belt to the PavoTube’s cardboard carry tube, I was able to sling it over my shoulder and carry it around with ease (especially since it only weighs 0.61lbs).
However, it did make me look a bit flashier than I usually do when I’m in an iPhone session. Walking into a gallery I was stopped by a security guard who wanted to know what was in the cardboard tube. Perhaps he thought it was a samurai sword! He promptly motioned for me to continue when he saw the innocuous opaque white plastic body of the PavoTube.
Nanlite PavoTube T8-7X Performance
With its built-in battery, the PavoTube T8-7X runs for 3.5 hours at 20% brightness (or 56 minutes at full brightness) and runs on compatible external batteries with a USB-C charger. I brought a SmallRig VB99 mini V mount battery with me and used it to quickly recharge the PavoTube between the day’s two test shots. The VB99 also loaded my iPhone 14 ProMax (opens in a new tab) at the same time due to its multiple output jacks. As a result, the lamp and iPhone worked perfectly without any power issues until my session ended at 8:30pm.
To test the PavoTube T8-7X I hired a model to be my subject. When we met at 5:30 pm, it was completely dark, so the PavoTube perfectly complemented the available city lights. I shot a mix of stills and clips on the iPhone 14 Pro Max and also used my iPhone to control the PavoTube via the Nanlink app. The lamp’s opaque plastic body hides the individual LEDs within the tube when flat, even lighting is needed.
However, once you use the app to activate the creative effects within the lamp, you can see the individual LEDs and change their colors to create moving patterns of light. As you’ll see in the attached test video, we were able to make the LEDs flash red and blue like a police car (which is much cheaper than hiring a police car on the spot). Another setting made the lamp flicker randomly to simulate a thunderstorm! This allowed us to produce some fun and creative clips for this review.
You can use the app to customize properties such as the frequency of flashes and change the hue of various LEDs. This allows you to create the effect of moving street lights, which would be ideal for clips set at night inside a car, for example. Any of the special lighting effects (and custom versions) can be added to the app’s Preset menu so you can easily activate your favorites.
Nanlite PavoTube T8-7X Verdict
At first glance, the Nanlite PavoTube T8-7X appears to be a basic light source that adds fill or key light to your photo shoots. However, once you link the PavoTube T8-7X to your smartphone via the Nanlink app, then you have a powerful and versatile resource for your video recordings, especially in low-light locations.
is similar to Zhiyun Fiveray FR100C Light Wand on its premise and should particularly appeal to filmmakers thanks to the ability to add custom animated lights and colors to their movie sequences. And for under £100 it won’t break your budget.