LED lighting technology continues to advance at an impressive rate, offering photographers new options all of the time. I was excited to take advantage of an opportunity to review Zhiyun Molus X100 COB LED Light as I’m always searching for portable lights with enough power to illuminate scenes effectively.
The Molus X100 Bi-Color Pocket COB Light meets many of my criteria when choosing an LED light. While not ideal in all circumstances, I can envision using it for various tasks and scenarios – and as an FYI it has now become my primary light on video sets!
Pros Cordless light with 100 Watts of power, color rendering index of 95, small package light weight of only 5lbs and DC Power adapter are among its main benefits, while also featuring an internal fan that keeps temperatures under control during long shoot sessions. Whilst these attributes may make the unit attractive to many photographers and videographers. However, there may also be drawbacks. For example: its noise pollution.
Bulb generates accessible heat (please use with caution), is non-weatherproof, and lasts 30 minutes of light at full power before dimming is extended at reduced output levels (time may extend under certain conditions). A 28 Watt USB-C charger should charge the battery in 2 1/2 hours for fast PD charging; otherwise an adaptor and cord are needed. Zhiyun Molus X100 COB Specifications outline Output Power: 100W while Active Cooling Method must also be provided.
Power Adapter: Operation Voltage AC100V240V (50/60HZ). DC 24V,PD > 9V. Max Input Power 18W. Colour Temperature 2700K6500K. Brightness Adjustment Range 0-100% CRI > 95 and TLCI =97
Illuminance 4300K/100% Brightness (1 Meter) = 3881 Lux, 25deg Temperature and Indoor Illuminance lower than 0.1 Lux were attained over 1M Test Distance using Bluetooth App Control Method as Power Source via PD adapter or power adapter and Grip Battery Grip Battery Supply Method as Power Supplies, while Operational Temperature Range was from -1040 C.
Extension: 1/4; 144.594*36.1mm WDH of X100 size. Net Weight is 385g for this grip battery with voltage set at 22.2V and capacity set at 2600mAh 57.72Wh.
Charge Time for an X100 Grip Battery in 2 Hours 33 Min (19.6V/1.4A 28W). Condition of 25deg Temperature; When powered off charging commences automatically. * PowerMax of 30W from Type-C Power Supply is expected
Condition: Utilising a fully charged X100 grip battery, setting 100% brightness at 6500K color temperature and recording when power was turned on and when battery ran down (maximum power 30 min runtime; charging temperature = 0-40); size = 52.89461mm).
Zhiyun Molus X100 COB LED Light — COB LED is an innovative lighting design which makes for compact yet powerful lights, ideal for displays where more LEDs need to be packed in one area of a display than with other packaging approaches. I encourage further investigation if this interests you, just know that technology continues to push boundaries and make lighting easier!
Zhiyun bills this light as a pocket light, yet my pockets don’t accommodate its dimensions and battery. Still, its light output from such a compact package is certainly impressive.
Zhiyun Molus X100 COB LED Light and Controls are now available!
Red button must be held down briefly to activate this light, and at first I thought the volume control took forever to go from 0-100% lighting. But then, reading through the directions helped clarify its movement – moving slowly as you turn is to help dial in exactly the power setting you require; and there’s even a quick trick; pressing in power button will cycle to 50% power first click and 100% then back to zero, so more precise settings can be dialed quickly after that point. Ditto for color temperature setting which cycles through 2700K, 5500K and 6500K while remembering last settings used!
Zhiyun Molus X100 COB LED Light — Workarounds Zhiyun offers their ZY Mount Ecosystem series of modifiers for precise light shaping, but I have yet to use any. Unfortunately I can’t make an assessment beyond saying they exist and appear well-designed; for those already using Bowens mount modifiers the Pro kit provides an adapter.
If you don’t own a Bowens mount kit, there’s still an effective workaround available to you. For $10 you can acquire an umbrella holder; two will set you back $15! Pair that with a small shoot-through umbrella (33 inch available at around $10; 43″ is less). Shoot through umbrellas are great because you can control where and how the light hits subjects for flattering light patterns.
