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shemona –
1.0 out of 5 starsIf you are buying this product please beaware that it is poorly made. It instruction does not line up with the product in the box. I’ve only had this item to a day before I started setting it up. GHonestly, it is going back today. It is a horrible product the ligt looks like a toy. Very cheaply made. The umbrella does not make sense. The parts does not go with the softbox light. I would recommend you get neewer or godex. That is where I’m going to spend my money. IT IS NOT EAST TO INSTALL. Save your money.
Phil –
3.0 out of 5 starsThe light works well and does come with a nice soft box and honeycomb, but the stand that is included seems like it is not paired well with this light. The stand is flimsy and seems very cheap and when you install the light onto the stand, the set screw mars the stand and over time leaves the aluminum post disfigured. You have to tighten it constantly otherwise the lamp is loose or droops. This needs to come with a better stand.
Manda Reviews ♠️ –
3.0 out of 5 starsThis is fine for dramatic lighting, but I expected more from this light. Especially for how it looks. The light does not get very bright. (I had a cheap set of umbrella lights that did the job way better at half the price a couple years ago: https://amzn.to/3TZYrBY ) And actually I had to use my house lightbulb lamp as supplemental support and it felt just about as bright, though not as hot. The light does get hot. (Standing in it, like your room will heat up and you will heat up as the subject and/or photographer.) The stand is actually pretty flimsy for the light as well. The paper-roll backdrop stand I bought ( https://amzn.to/3DDBw8N ) is actually sturdier than the base on this light. I’d be worried to put it any higher than eye level of a 5’er. The plug adapter would dangle then as well, I don’t know why they do that. It doesn’t make sense to have a big box pulling on the tiny-end plug that’s secured to the actual lamp. Most ring light makers do that, too. Also the light box was a huge pain to put together and came with no instructions so BE ADVISED: the directions for putting the light box (cover) together are visually demonstrated in the VIDEO at the top of the item listing with the main product photos. I’m glad I went searching and found it and figured it out after watching/pausing a few times. Also be advised I had to USE MY FEET (for strength in stretching the “fabric”) to put it together because it’s a *BLEEP* putting those pole ends into the flat velcro slots made for them. Holy helicopter, bring some patience with you to the party and hear me telling you YOU CAN DO IT. Or have a buddy help you, but honestly I think a second person “helping” me would have brought out even more frustration. Maybe give it to the handy person in your life and ask them to bring it back when it’s done. Delegate this task wherever possible. That said, if I can do it, you can do it. Just use all your might and willpower and watch that video over and over until you get it. Okay, all that said, it works and I’ll continue to use it because by God I earned it putting that lampshade together and wouldn’t want to take it apart just to return it and try again with something new. But if you’re looking for brightness, seek elsewhere. You want dimmable moodiness? Have a go at this one and get ready for one adventure of a construction project.
Rebecca –
5.0 out of 5 starsMy husband does photography so I got this for him. It’s easy to set up and does a beautiful job lighting subjects. It’s very easily adjustable also.
Jeremiah Green –
2.0 out of 5 starsThe first time I used the tripod/stand broke when opening the it. I didn’t even get to put the light on it because it broke the first time out. The stand doesn’t have enough weight to carry the light with it at a 90 degree angle. I am using the light with a more sturdy stand.
monica raphael –
1.0 out of 5 starsVery bad experience with this buy. I used the light once and next time I wanted to use it it wouldn’t turn on, really disappointed about this purchase
R. F. Sousa –
5.0 out of 5 starsThe lights have worked great so far.It has a little LCD panel on them to check the brightness so I can consistently set them up the way I want.It’s true the fan has a little noise to them with gets picked up by the lav mic, but I can effortlessly de-noise it with Davinci’s noise gate. With an SSL gate from Softube it’s even better.The lights work for me.
roman navarro –
5.0 out of 5 starsGreat budget light is my first light and it really make a difference on my videos and photographs
Prime Reviews –
4.0 out of 5 starsThe headline for me is literally that the new remote controlled version of these lights, the P80S II, have no security at all for the remote control feature. Anybody within bluetooth range can see your lights in their bluetooth set up screen, and connect to them. And there is nothing you can do about it. The remote function has no off switch. And the lights cannot be updated. They have no data input to flash the device to change the firmware.The lights are bluetooth controlled. You turn the lights on manually. Then go to the phone app and connect to them one at a time through bluetooth to the remote app to control the brightness. That’s it. There is no number code, or switch sequence, or anything you have to enter in the app to show that you are the legit owner of the lights. And because you can only connect to one light at a time, you can’t preemptively lock other people out from connecting by connecting to all your lights at once first.Now on to the rest:Both the old P80S I and the new P80S II 80 Watt GVM LED lights give you a lot of light for a relatively low cost. They are a fair value, with some pros and cons. Suitable for home use.The original version 1 GVM P80S lights I bought last year have worked well for me, other than the noticeable fan noise. One had intermittent flicker and was quickly replaced by GVM with a new, working light.When GVM started selling the upgraded version, the P80S II with improved heat sinks, a digital readout for brightness on the back of the unit, and a bluetooth remote app, I bought a pair of them. Previously, I found out quickly with the original lights that it would really be convenient to be able to adjust brightness remotely when the lights are high up on a stand and hard to reach but the original version did have a remote control feature.Confusingly, as of 6/8/2021, this Amazon listing shows photos of the new version of the light, but this listing, and all of the reviews before June or so are originally for the *old* version of the light. The listing has been hijacked so that all the old reviews look like they are for the new light. Vendors are supposed to create a *new* listing for new versions of products.GVM P80S II Pros:* Using LED lights instead of strobes makes it easy to use the lights with any kind of camera, including my cell phone for quick eBay shots and such, as well as for videos* Light weight – really helpful when you are using the lights on a boom (The new P80S II version, at about 2 pounds 4 ounces is 5 ounce heavier than the old version.)* Bowens mount works with a wide variety of accessories like soft boxes and snoots* Really bright for the price (getting a daylight-only light also helps with this. Bi-color lights only give half max wattage when in 3200K full indoor or 5600K full outdoor color modes)* Stands have a 1/4 20 thread on the 5/8 stud. This is a handy feature for home use stands because there are some consumer lights that use 1/4 20. The aluminum threaded end isn’t good for commercial use, though, because the rubber cover would get lost and it would get trashed rather quickly.GVM P80S II Cons:* Cheaply made using the absolute least amount of material possible. Housing is made of thin plastic. The strong looking handle is actually hollow underneath. The tilt adjustment is plastic and may break if I use a large soft box on the light. Not durable enough to hold up under field use. On the other hand, this frugal use of materials is also why the unit is so conveniently light weight.* “Silent” fan is quite noticeable, more so with each additional light you turn on. The fan is always on matter what brightness setting you use. The new version isn’t any quieter than the old version. Remember that even “whisper quiet” fans are also “whisper loud”, and you wouldn’t want people whispering 5 feet away from you while recording a video or a zoom call.* The remote app has no pairing security whatsoever. ANYBODY WITH A PHONE CAN REMOTE CONTROL YOUR LIGHTS AT ANY TIME. And there’s nothing you can do about it. You can’t disable the light’s remote control feature.* The remote app will only connect to one light at a time. To adjust another light you have to disconnect the bluetooth connection from the current one and then connect to the next one, making it slow and tedious to adjust multiple lights. And the app won’t let you rename the different lights, making it very difficult to know which light is which. They are all identically named as “BT_LED.”*The remote app requires permissions for location, all files and media, and camera, without explanation of why it needs those permissions. And it will not work if you disable any of those permissions in the Android app settings.*The app keeps running in the background even after you quit it.*Short 5’ cord from power supply to light means the power supply will dangle precariously from your light unless you attach it somehow to your light stand. It’s just a generic, repurposed computer power supply so it has no loops or hooks that would let you hang it from your stand.*The stands have a very narrow foot print, so they aren’t as stable as they could be.*The 5/8 spud is aluminum, which gets chewed up every time you clamp a light to it. Brass or steel would be much better.Please note that my photos are only of the head units and not the other accessories, which haven’t changed with the upgrade to the version II of the lights.
Daniel C. Schlack –
2.0 out of 5 starsI’ve been using this light for several months usually to supply soft back light but I recently used it as a primary fill light. What a mistake! When I got the footage out of the camera and into the computer I got guite a shock. My subject either looked like a red faced clown or a totally dead person on the verge of decompostion. I’ve spent the last 3 days animating temp, tint and a few other corrections to get the footage usable. My advice DON’T BUY THIS LIGHT UNLESS YOU ARE INTERESTED IN GARBAGE FOOTAGE.
Eli Rubel –
5.0 out of 5 starsI have a background in photo/video having studied commercial photography in college. Those days are long behind me but this light setup came on recommendation from another photographer. I use it to have the *best* lighting of all my colleagues on our Zoom calls.Recently, something went wrong with the power supply. I called the support number expecting to wait on hold and have to chase someone down. WRONG. The phone was answered on the first ring by a guy named Ken. Without any convincing or need for a back-story, Ken let me know he was going to ship out a replacement power supply later that day. In a world were poor customer support runs rampant, I’ve got to give Ken and the rest of the team a shout out for running a fantastic operation and selling a very well put together product.Thanks Ken!
James –
4.0 out of 5 starsThis light is pretty bright and not too shabby for travel as it’s smaller than most comparable lights. It does look and feel VERY cheap.All plastic body, not great mounting lock, but in all honesty, looks don’t matter if it gets the job done, and it does. One con is the power connector is a small pin that isn’t very secure.I do with this came with some sort of travel case or a way to keep it together on the go.
jason –
1.0 out of 5 starsOverheat after one hour of use, stand doesn’t stand.
Gadfly –
5.0 out of 5 starsNo, it’s not super bright. But it does a great job as a fill light.The problem with all LED lights is that they are not bright enough.The small size, is really handy if you are cramped for space.I wish it came with a remote, that would be really handy.Having to wrap the power pack with duck tape and stick it to thelight stand is also not very nice.Still, very much worth the price.
Richard G –
5.0 out of 5 starsLight is sturdy and robust. Diffusion hood is okay, a little cumbersome to install. It’s fine as long as you leave it permanently set up. Light color is good, dimmer is smooth. Cooling fan is incredibly quiet – I didn’t even know it had one until I leaned near the light while doing something else and barely heard it. I don’t think ANY mic could pick it up unless it was an inch from the light, and even then…Good compact light and a great value.
Beauty Expert –
1.0 out of 5 starsI bought this for my son when he graduated at New York Film Academy so he can start building his equipment. He used this twice and the second time when he used it the plastic piece broke on the tripod and now its difficult to use it properly. The product is poorly made. I hope the company stands behind their product and fixes issues.
Misty Flota –
5.0 out of 5 starsI had seen other of these for over $300 dollars and for half the price I found this and the quality was just as great. Makes our pictures look so much more professional and clear. Definitely won’t regret spending the money because it’ll pay off for sure!
Chris Leone –
5.0 out of 5 starsExtremely satisfied with this light…if you are looking for a low cost , bright , video light with a high CRI Rating . This is your light ! Color Temperature & Reproduction is right on … simple to use with one knob that adjusts the intensity, not having an led readout does not seem to be a problem for what I need it for … the fan is extremely quiet and does not cause any background sound issues…I have not issues with over heating … the softbox is made very well and not like some other soft boxes that are lower quality for a higher price…I particularly like the Bowen’s mount which allows me to use it with my flash/strobe setups as well.
Poc Network // Tech –
5.0 out of 5 starsThis is a wonderful studio light to joint the collection with. We actually have a number of these GVM lights and they all get along quite well. This one is no different.The light can get pretty bright and stand its ground within your setup. It’s not the brightest, but those cost a little more anyway, so its to be expected. This is a good mid-range light. The build of the light is pretty sturdy and operation involves one simple knob that turns it on and off and controls brightness as you continue to turn it.Setting everything up doesn’t take much time. Tripod->light-> plugin it in! It’s the softbox that takes a little time to set up (this can be common with some of these brands). At first, you might scratch your head on how it goes together, but the poles slide into the softbox enclosure with the end with the attached tip sliding through the loop and into the little black pockets toward the front of the softbox. The other end slides into the round holes of the mount. Run all of them around like this and you’ll start forming the softbox out. Then attach the two diffuser sections (this part is obvious and needs no intel to accomplish). Then the mount spins and locks into place on the light.We did find that one of the end-pieces of one of the rods was not attached. Looks like the glue failed on that one. Nothing a little gorilla glue didn’t help with.The tripod has good height to it, which should get you through most situations. Anything higher and you’d likely be hanging it from a bar or stick of truss. The tripod feels sturdy enough to take the weight of the light just fine.For what you get with this kit, we found this to be a good deal for an LED solution like this. All-in-all, we really liked this light.**If you have found our review helpful, please vote it as helpful below so we know. This helps us to provide quality feedback in the future.