5 Minute Review - Aputure Light Dome and Mini II
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- čas přidán 9. 07. 2024
- Love Aputure? I do. This is the reason.
Clearly listening to their customers, the Light Dome and Light Dome Mini were totally overhauled and they brought out the Mark II versions, which should just be called the "Mark Final" versions because they can't get any better than this.
Check out the 120D II review here: • Aputure 120D II Test a...
Get your hands on the Light Dome/Mini II here:
Aputure Light Dome (affiliate): amzn.to/2yKHRhN
Aputure Light Dome II (affiliate): amzn.to/2PxNNnT
Aputure Light Dome Mini (affiliate): amzn.to/2Rt5Fh4
Aputure Light Dome Mini II (affiliate): amzn.to/2RnD50w
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Disclaimer: Unless otherwise stated in the video, the products reviewed were likely provided by the maker, either on loan or in exchange for a fair review. However, I do NOT get paid for reviews and I'm never obligated to say anything besides my own honest opinions. In most cases, I reached out to them because the product caught my interest, and they were kind enough to cooperate.
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/ scottdumas_jp Disclaimer: Unless otherwise stated in the video, the products reviewed were likely provided by the maker, either on loan or in exchange for a fair review. However, I do NOT get paid for reviews and I'm never obligated to say anything besides my own honest opinions. In most cases, I reached out to them because the product caught my interest, and they were kind enough to cooperate.
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www.scottdumas.reviews - Věda a technologie
I do love these 5-minute reviews. Keep them coming! Thanks.
Thanks for watching! I'm glad to hear that :)
so helpful. thanks for showing how to setup the dome / lock in the spokes. also appreciate the time efficiency
Thanks for watching! :)
Very nice review Scott and thank you for listening when i asked to review the domes. Keep up the good work bro.👍👍
Thanks so much for watching! :)
We just received a Lightdome 2 can’t wait to use it - thanks for your review
Awesome! Hope you love it :) Thanks for watching!!
Scott man, your videos are super helpful and you have a beautiful family. God bless
Thank you so much! I appreciate it!
Hi Scott ! Great review. B&H Photo just put this on their website for pre-order. What I'm wondering, is this a good choice for a Godox AD200 flash ? Also, I'm guessing you mainly use your Aputure 120D Mark ii for video work ? - would a like like this something I should look into, seeing I do flash stuff most often, food shots, product head shots. Thank you Scott ! awesome tutorial ! love your channel !
Hi! Thanks again. If you have the bowens mount adapter for the AD200, this would be a great choice.
Recently, I do also use the 120D II for photos, not only video. I find it much faster to judge the quality, position and intensity or balance of the lights compared to flash. Of course, it's not quite as powerful so will require a higher ISO or a wider aperture which might not always be appropriate depending on the type or style of photography.
In any case- the Light dome II and light dome mini II are great- can be very soft and the grids help a lot. They pack down and build up pretty easy too which is always nice. I like the Elinchrom Rotalux series too (which you can get with a Bowens mount) but they don't play well with grids.
Let me know if that clears it up or if you have any other questions! :) Thanks as always
No, not a good choice. I have the Light Dome mini II and it does not work well with my AD200 because of the front diffuser made especially for their lower power continuous light. I would recommend the Westcott rapid boxes or beauty dish, or Glow and Impact have also some decent soft boxes.
Mini looks great, nice!
Great video man, helped me make my decision!
Thanks so much! Really glad to hear that :)
Thank you.I appreciated
Awesome review Scott. This will definitely be on the short list when I get my next light.
Thanks so much! You'll be very happy with it :) Thinking of the 120D II?
Scott Dumas I’ll likely be going with one of the Flashpoint XPLOR lights, as I’m pretty heavily invested in the R2 line already. I have a couple hot shoes, a streak light, and one of their cheaper non HSS studio lights. Have a decent softbox, but portable it is not!
P.S. Still rocking that thinkTank camera bag you sent last year. It’s held up great, and it’s surprised me with how much gear I can stuff in it.
@@tarmacd1802 Ah right haha, I was thinking video lights, sorry. The XPLOR lights are solid for sure. I have the Godox versions and they've been doing well. Really glad to hear that bag is working out well for you too! Thinktank bags are nothing if not long-lasting :-D
Love the video! Which light stand are you using? Or is it a c stand?
Thanks so much! I do have a mix that I bring with me on shoots, but I think the 120DII/Light Dome in this video are just on an old Elinchrom stand I had, and the 120D/Mini is on a Manfrotto stand that I keep in here because I hate it and never take it out haha.
Have a nice day. Can it afford to use it with an ad200?
I’m trying to get the light 120d mark 1 does this light doom mark2 would work with this light 120d mark 1 ???
Yep! No problem :) It's bowens mount so will work with any Bowens mount light
which side of the diffuser do i use facing away from the light, i notice the thicker diffuser has a different texture on either side? So the side with the velcro faces towards me or away?
To be completely honest, I've never noticed haha. That's a very good question. I'll have a look when I get home but i think I have the velcro facing in :)
Do you know if you can use the aputure fresnel in conjunction with the light dome?
Since they both attach to the Bowens mount on the light you'd have to use one or the other
Thank you for the awesome review! I just bought the Aputure 300d and Aputure Light Dome II. When I placed one of my gels into the gel holder, it totally melted it! Did this happen to you? Is there a way I can prevent that from happening?
Hey sorry to hear that- it did happen to me with a cheaper gel (not totally melted but it was all deformed). I got some from Suntec since then and haven't had any problems and I've heard Rosco gels should be better as well. Although, this is with the 120Dii, not quite as powerful as the 300D so I'm not sure how much difference there would be. At any rate, I can attest to the Suntec gels working fine for me :)
@@ScottDumas Thanks so much for your thorough response! Really appreciate it :) I used cheap gels so I think that's why it melted. I looked into Rosco and I think I'll try out their gels - hopefully it works with the 300d haha. Thanks again!
@@nolitastudios My pleasure! I was relieved myself to see the more "proper" gels did better... I guess you do occasionally get what you pay for haha :)
Anybody know if there is a profoto adaptor por these or even the version I? Thanks
Aputure doesn't make one (as far as I know) but there are bowens mount to profoto mound adapters available from a handful of makers, any should work as far as I know :)
Really good video brother
Appreciate it! :)
Can you leave the rods attached for transport?
Is your presentation lighted with the 120dii with or without grid?
The gel holder has no ventilation openings. Could get hot for the gels?
Thank you!
The rods are permanently attached in this new design, it all just folds down and slides into the carry case very easily. This video's key light was using the 120D II with the larger light dome II and no grid (and the heavier of the 2 included outer diffusions), the kicker light was a 120D mark I, in the Light Dome Mini II, with the gel holder and a grid on the light dome mini. I showed the overall setup for a few seconds towards the beginning of the video but it might be tricky to see. The gel holder can get a little hot for the gels if you have it on 100% power for a while, but there is a little bit of ventilation, around where the hinge is for example, so if you have a proper gel on there I'd imagine it's ok... I put a super cheap no name brand gel from Amazon on there and it did melt a little but not completely melted, just a little misshaped, if that makes sense. I'm actually going to double check this point with Aputure and see if they have had any issues with it themselves and/or if they'll tweak the design. Really not a big issue though in most cases I think.
@@ScottDumas Thank you very much for the video and your great reply. Aperture should really look into the gel thing. Overheating is very dangerous and a no go on every professional set. The huge gel holder seems to cut a significant portion of the light beam from the sides. Maybe they should offer a set of small glas gels which are closer to the emitter.
Sabri Noor I’ll definitely follow up on that with them some more! :)
Hey so after talking with Aputure they did have issues as well with some gels melting a bit, but they found Rosco and Lee gels to be fine for the most part as long as you switch them out every couple hours to be safe. I got a Suntec gel to try so hopefully that will be fine too.
I'm looking for a softbox to use both on location and in the studio but should work with an Elinchrom mount. Can the Bowens speedring be easily changed with an Elinchrom version. I am choosing between this Dome, a Deep Rotalux or an SMDV Speedbox A90. Any thought or recommendations?
I absolutely love the Light Dome, but if you're looking for an elinchrom mount and already considering the deep rotalux, I'd say go for that for sure. It's simple, high quality and also very quick and easy to break down/setup. The only drawback is that it's not really easy to add a grid to it- I think there is a company that makes one for it but I haven't tried it myself.
@@ScottDumas The lack of grid leads me to choose the SMDV speedbox, but including the grid double the price of the Aputure.
@@Ivanneman Ah yeah that's a lot... I found this adapter, but no idea how the quality is: www.aliexpress.com/item/Pro-Studio-Adapter-Mount-Ring-Interchangeable-Mount-Elinchrom-To-Bowen-Mounts-Ring-Adapter-for-Studio-Flash/1634728550.html
The grid for Elinchrom was made by a company called Light Tools I believe, I'm not sure of their availability or pricing but I've heard they're very good quality. The total price might still add up to more than is reasonable, but I guess those are a couple options you could look into. Hope it helps :)
Would you recommend the light dome mini ii for a small space key light modifier? Or would you recommend something else now? Also, I saw a review online that says the bowens mount of the light dome mini ii is a bit difficult to attach onto lights like the godox sl60w or brackets like the godox s2. Where it doesn’t twist smoothly into place and needs some force. Have you shared the same experience? Guess the mount fits smoothly with Aputure lights but not others?
I'd definitely recommend it, and I haven't noticed any problems with it on other lights myself, but there are sometimes lights with tighter bowens mounts than others and that can occasionally cause trouble. Not sure if it's just a new model/old model thing on the light or on the Aputure mount, but I haven't noticed anything and use Godox and other lights as well.
@@ScottDumas thanks!
Do you think that the mini would be ok on a key light or is it really necessary to have the larger light dome for your key?
Totally! Other factors will play a part of course, like how far it is from the subject and what type of look you're going for, but it can totally do a good job as a key! :)
Hey Scott. Quick question. What intensity do you usually set for the lights?
Hi! I can't remember for sure what it was at here, but typically I have my key light (120DII) between 70-100%
whats best for easy used soft box mini2 or doom 2
I think it just depends on how much space you have and/or how close the light will be to your subject. If you have the space, bigger is usually better, but in the right conditions they're both great. As far as easy to use, they're nearly identical in design :)
What do you think about running the mini II on a key light? I kind of want to spring for the 120Dii but that doesn't leave me a ton of room in my budget for the Dome II.
The Mini II does a great job as a key light as well, and it would depend more on the distance from you in terms of softness. I have a video a little while back comparing the standard light dome and the mini as a key light, they're not the version 2 but the comparison should be generally the same :)
@@ScottDumas Thanks man! Just checked out the video and I think I'm going to go with the 120dii and the mini ii. Keep up the reviews, they're very well done.
@@ArkitectFitness I think you'll love the combination :-D Enjoy it!!
So this is just the dome for a light that you buy separate correct? New to all this ....
That's right :) It's a Bowens mount so there are many brands/models of lights that it can fit on, but the Aputure 120D II or 300D etc, for example, are great matches for it.
Scott, will Dome 2 be much better than the 42" cheapish octobox i just tried with by me 120d? Putting both diffuser panel in and egg crate grid, even on full power it wasn't that bright. Thoughts?
Hi! The Dome 2 will probably be a LITTLE better in a LOT of ways. Depending how roughly you use/transport it, the Dome will probably last longer, the quality of the diffusion material may likely be better (maybe less color shift, more even light, for example), and it might be easier/faster to setup and take down (although i don't know which other one you're using specifically, maybe that's easy too). As for the size, the Dome 2 will be a bit smaller, around 32" I think, which will probably help to get a brighter output than a large 42" octabox. With something that large you'll probably need a bit more power- something like the 300D for continuous lighting, or a more powerful flash (for photo). Larger is of course softer, but I've found with continuous light it's better in many cases to bounce the light or shoot it through a diffusion frame instead of just getting a larger softbox... in either case you can even use a fresnel or spotlight attachment to focus the light more and make it a brighter source for bouncing or shooting through a separate layer of diffusion. For video especially, there are an endless number of setups that can work just depending on how you're using the light (location, style etc). I hope this helps but let me know if you have any other questions :)
Thanks Scott. Cant see how the light is bounced into the 'bowl' of the SB but... your comments are very interesting. If I was photographing I would use this 42 softbox with strobes. Larger the SB the softer the light etc... I intend to use it for video mainly and your comments that it might be TOO big is very interesting. I have some 32" SB's. The open like umbrellas. Same as 42". I have a whole range of Lastolite boxes. The 'Switch' which is 90cm x 90cm (and goes to 90x45) but they are square so I was planning to go 'round'. Neewer do a similar ones to my Photo-R boxes. Everyone raves about the 120d and Light Dome so it looks like I am going to have to get the 35" Dome. I do a lot of food photography and use two Godox SBL60w on location with my two Photo-R octoboxs so that's why I am moving toward led lights. Think though they are not as powerful as stores generally, but can't use strobes for video! I use love the way led light show you what your going to shoot, where as strobes need setting up and balancing much more. I will let you know how I get on. Thanks for your help.
@@laurencegrant2882 In the larger Light Dome there is an inner diffusion which lets some through and will bounce back some to fill up the whole box a bit more evenly... the smaller mini version has a solid reflector (fabric) inside that will bounce it all around. It sounds like you have quite a few options already, and although the Light Dome is a great modifier, if the ones you have (32") are bowens mount then you might not need the light dome. If you need a grid and don't have one, want something faster than what you have (although umbrella style must be quick) or if you feel the need for higher quality then the light domes are great- but far from necessary. As for softness, size of course gets a softer light but distance plays a factor too and at close distances I've found there's a point where you can't easily see a significant difference anymore haha. In any case, let me know which route you end up going and how it works out for you. It sounds like you enjoy the process so I think you'll be happy either way :) And yes- working with constant lights after coming from strobes is a really nice experience, besides the output if you need more power. I love photographing with my LEDs lately :) Enjoy!
According to the specs...the gel holder is included :) And it's included in both. I've just ordered the big one and will order the mini next week. Thing is, like all popular gear at the moment (March 2019) everything is on backorder. Apparently the excuse for Aputure is they've changed manufacturers of this. So hopefully they're not now poor quality as it costs a fortune, to me.
That's good to hear! I hope they do include it because it's really useful to have. I did hear they changed manufacturers but honestly I can't remember the exact reason for it. I doubt they'll change in quality though- if anything they'll get better from what I was told :)
Does come with the gel holder or you have to purchaise separatly?
Felipe Vece I believe it comes with it but you should double check the included parts depending where you buy it
@@ScottDumas Thanks!
How can the silver reflection do its job?
Do you mean the silver on the inside of the domes? It will help to reflect that light back around the dome filling it up evenly and shining more brightness out of the front instead of the light just being absorbed by the sides of the box and wasted.
Hi - what size or length does the large one fold down to
Hi! It's about 83cm long and the widest part, the mount, is about 20cm across
@@ScottDumas thanks Scott - have good Christmas 👌
Great job bro! I only finding all these light domes are too deep, really hard to film for set in tight space. I can see using interview for softer look and nice gel holder. If you don't mind, the yellow back light is a bit too bright or change to a cooler K to keep me looking over your shoulders. lol. Thanks for the review and keep it up! #Vancouverfilmmaker
Hey thanks so much... yeah they're definitely very deep haha. Thanks for the heads up about the back lights too- I've been meaning to get a dimmer for them to take them down a notch but haven't gotten around to it yet. Anyhow, thanks again for watching!
Scott Dumas may you get more subscribers for your channel.
Fotodiox EZ-Pro Deep Parabolic is cheaper and faster to setup and breakdown . You won't get a gel filter holder or a grid, but you'll save over $100.
Grids can be insanely expensive, so to have one might just be worth $100 for some people to be honest, plus really really great quality materials here including very high end diffusion. For most people, yeah- the cheaper one will be fine. But then again, Fotodiox products are not readily available where I'm located and I suspect it's the same for a number of other people as well.
@@ScottDumas here you go. $36 too.
www.amazon.com/FOTOCREAT-Honeycomb-Octagon-Parabolic-Softbox/dp/B071GKMPTF/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=light+grid+36&qid=1551836036&s=gateway&sr=8-8
Still hard to say the quality and durability of the materials overall compared to the Aputure without having a hands on with it- and again, not so readily available where I am.
@@ScottDumas Amazon is available just about anywhere.
Lol, of course I know about Amazon, and you're right. Japan does have Amazon too. Only 3 or 4 times the "cheap" price you're talking about for the Fotodiox :-P
Dear Scott, your're cute
Haha, why thank you very much ;)
Be specific: There are now 4 versions: Dome I and II and Dome Mini I and II. Title should be "Aputure Light Dome II and Light Dome Mini II"