SmallRig RC120 vs RC220 | what's the BEST for YOU? | Daylight or Bi-color?

[@oc2phish07]

Nice little review Chris. Sounds like those lights might be a very welcome addition to my setup. Thanks.

[@cris_photography]

You’re very welcome 👍🏼

[@GTphotofilm]

Nice short review. I just bought the RC120B a few days ago and it will arrive tomorrow. The price of the RC120 series you said its a special price that’s running in the last week on Amazon and Bhphoto. Other retailers in USA has them at retail price. But at that price the RC120 series really its the best choice right know compare with Aputure and Godox lights with similar watts of COB.

[@cris_photography]

Thanks! Good to know on the 120 prices going down. I like the 120 lights a lot and I think they cover most of one’s needs. If I compare to the price or my Aputure lights it is definitely a breeze! Take care

[@anupamphotography_official]

Hey Chris, thank for the quick review of 120b vs 220b. I mostly deal with Weddings and House warmings. Is 120b light power enough for those events or should I consider 220b? Appreciate your response.

[@cris_photography]

Hey there, thanks. I presume your shooting video right? It all depends on a bunch of factors, namely: - room size - modifiers - distance from your subjects - how many people in the room - the camera you shoot with (for example my Sony has a native ISO of 12800 so not a big issue for me usually) And more. It’s hard to tell on a « blanket » basis which is best, but just know that the 220 will be giving you that much more power than the 120 and that you can dim it - so taking the 220 means more light if needed and the 120 means if you need more… you don’t have it. I sometimes use my 450s but it is so strong that even at the lowest setting I need less light, but my 220s (that I currently use in my YT setup for example) are great for what I need. Take care

[@anupamphotography_official]

@@cris_photography Thanks a ton for your in depth explanation and response. I believe considering two RC220b would be a good option. Im using CanonR5 and I don’t have any ISO issues(if I bump up to larger value). Also I use this for Candid shots and videography. Room size usually would be 60ftx60ft Usually I place light about 10-15ft from subjects. Awaiting your response. Thanks again

[@barryfinbar]

Nice review, thank you. There are very few people doing comparisons between the 120 and the 220. Would you advise getting the 55cm or 85cm Smallrig parabolic soft box for the 120b/d? I'd like to get the bigger soft box so that I can use it on more powerful lights too, but I'm concerned the bigger 85 would soften the light too much with the less powerful 120. What is your opinion?

[@cris_photography]

Thank Barry, I personally use the 85cm for my 120s (and my 220s and 450s) but the 55cm will give you a tad more flexibility when transporting it around and when you have a tighter amount of available space. Both are great and no, the 85 doesn't soften the light too much with a 120, that said do keep in mind the inverse square law and the distance from your subject in terms of softness and power. Take care ;)

[@barryfinbar]

@@cris_photography Good point re inverse square law. Would you say the 120b is powerful enough for a two-person interview lighting setup (considering that in this scenario it is better to have your lights further away to light both subjects more equally)?

[@cris_photography]

Having one light only for 2 people might not be enough (I’d use 2 lighting each person evenly tbh) but I guess you could pull it off. Depends how much ambient light there is, the ISO of your camera and the aperture you’ll use (in terms of stops of light and needed brightness) but ya, that could potentially work. I do tend to use 2 lights for a 2 people setup tho.

[@morrisonAV]

Cris, you mentioned that you were shooting this video using your 120D light. Was it turned up all the way or were you able to dial it back a bit?

[@cris_photography]

Hey there, I normally shoot at f2.8 on my Sony ff camera so I get a lot of light in. I currently use my 220s at around 20% so the 120s were probably at around 40-50% Cheers

[@woopize]

I usually shot some coffee recipes videos for my work, and the shot we always do, is with a nice terrace on the background but in sunny days it gives a strong white backlighting wich can be difficult to counter with the cheap lights they bought at work. I been thibking of getting one of these smallrigh lights but idk if with the 120 will be enough. The backlighiting it's never direct light tho, any advice? (I tried to change location when it's sunny but one of the bosses doesn't want to change it 🤷🏻‍♂️)

[@cris_photography]

Hello there, thanks for the message. I think 120 can be enough if not in direct sunlight but for noon - bright - sunlight I’d go with the 220D tbh (which also gives you more flexibility for more scenarios). Some NDs on your lens and you’re good to go 😉 take care

[@woopize]

@@cris_photography Thanks a lot!! I would love the 220b really, if I want daylight color I still have more power than the 120d if needed and also the option to warm it up or make it colder too... but we'll see what my budget can do! thanks again

[@alsaqarisa2620]

I am torn between amaran 60d vs smallrig 120d, both cost the same price, I understand that it's like comparing apple and orange due to different power each light has, but because they cost exactly the same I was wondering which one has the best bang for the buck for a temporary home setup (most likely I would use a one light setup because of its practicality). Please advise, many many thanks!

[@cris_photography]

Hello, id say it’s both apples since we are talking light 😊 If you need that extra power the 120D provides (which I would personally suggest to get) I’d say go for it. The amaran is also a great light so really it all boils down to the budget and the power you need. Hope that’s somewhat helpful to you

[@sGBUCKO]

Hi Cris without the H, I'm looking to get my first light but want to use a 120 softbox on it. Would you say the 120 light will be good enough for a softbox at that size?

[@cris_photography]

Hey there, thanks. I can't tell unless I know what you want to do with it. It's like asking "is the Godox AD400 pro better than the AD100pro?" they both work great but if I don't know the needs you have for it I can't tell you. Let me know

[@JoATTech]

Do you still have them all? Seems Smallrig silently updated their firmware and introduced SILENT mode + improved fan control. Are you able to update us on this? I wonder what is the silent mode power threshold.

[@cris_photography]

Thanks Yes I have them all and I recently received the 450B/D as well so I can do a review on that software update. Stay tuned cheers

[@JoATTech]

@@cris_photography Can't wait :).

[@DanieleLanza]

Hey many thanks for your content, very helpful! Some questions from a beginner here, I want to take pictures in a studio (white walls, ceiling and floor) for an e-commerce and I would need to shoot both models and products, both photos and videos. Are those lights enough to take good photos or would it be better to use flashlights (the problem with flash is that I could not shoot video with that, and I would anyway need to buy a continuous light at some point). Also, would you buy x2 RC120 to be able to play around with multiple light sources or would you rather buy just one RC220 instead? Thanks a lot!

[@cris_photography]

Thank you and glad it was helpful to you. I personally use flash for photography - exclusively. But it does take time to learn, space and money and if you want to also do video and can't buy both on an immediate basis I understand the difficult choise. If you can, I'd get the 220s since they are about the same size but will give you a better output and that can be important for both photo and video (especially if you want to shoot objects and if you use modifiers like a soft box with a grid for example and you need to keep a small aperture for DOF purposes). If you can't get 2 220s then yes get 2 120s (better 2 to play around and light up the different parts better). Hope that helps take care!

[@DanieleLanza]

very helpful thanks a lot for taking the time to answer, take care!@@cris_photography

[@Dk20Silver]

thank you for this video.

[@cris_photography]

You’re very welcome

[@youngonestudio]

Are the 120 and 220 the same size dimensions?

[@cris_photography]

Yes 👍🏼

[@LucioBusaPhotography]

Hi, which v mount battery do you council for them? Thanks

[@cris_photography]

Hey, I’d go with a VB90 or VB155 from Smallrig. Take care

[@LucioBusaPhotography]

@@cris_photography how much time them works with this flash? 120w or 220w also powered at 50%. Thanks

[@cris_photography]

@LucioBusaPhotography good question! I’d say at full power on the 120 it’d go for around 45 minutes ish. But hard to tell and I’d have to test it out.

[@LucioBusaPhotography]

@@cris_photography mmh, not enough time for a full shooting, so it Need of a couple of batteries. The 120 Is ever enough Power or there are some situation that It isn't enough for lighting a subject outdoor. Thank you 😄

[@cris_photography]

@LucioBusaPhotography y’a i hear ya. That said, I only shoot with flash when doing photography personally so I don’t have that issue 😊 am currently making a video about the pros and cons of using flash vs continuous if you’re interested Cheers

[@jonathanfang9612]

I hate when people just recite the info from the websites. Bro fucking test them. Use an exposure meter and tell me what the light reading is…. How can you know for sure it’s really 1/3 more powerful just by looking at the brightness. Jesus

[@cris_photography]

Thanks for the feedback and thoughts. Cheers