An inexpensive but sturdy four-color flashlight with continuous brightness control, mounts, shaped gobos, and the ability to zoom the light? We couldn’t wait to use the NEEWER Basics FL10 flashlight for, well, all sorts of applications!
Note: NEEWER sent us the NEEWER BASICS FL10 Portable Photography Flashlight to review and keep. However, this is a completely independent review. All thoughts about this product are our own.
Pros
- Produces four different colors (warm white, orange yellow, blue, and red).
- One-button control for on/off, rotation-based brightness adjustment, and short press cycles to switch through the four color modes.
- The one-button control also illuminates to indicate that it’s been activated, with the button color representing approximate battery life.
Accurate detail and color reproduction for photos and videos (CRI of 95+ and TLCI of 96+). - Gobo set with 20 different shapes that allow you to shape the light creatively.
- Adjustable beam: A pull-push design on the front barrel allows you to zoom the light from a tight 10° spot to a wide 60° flood.
- The adjustable beam’s pull-push design is appropriately stiff and doesn’t slip when used or waved around.
- Continuous brightness control from 0–100% (linear dimming).
- Remembers the last color and brightness level used when powered up again.
- Can be used while charging.
- Integrated large 7500mAh battery provides up to three hours of runtime at full power.
- Charged via USB-C.
- Three ¼” screw holes, making it easy to mount on stands at different angles.
- Sturdy build.
- Good quality carrying bag.
- Inspires you to create without deflating your pocketbook.
Cons
- Slightly chunky build might bea bit large for some who need small flashlights.
- Takes approximately 4.5 hours to fully charge.
NEEWER BASICS FL10 Portable Photography Flashlight — Technical specifications
All of the technical specifications for the NEEWER BASICS FL10 Portable Photography Flashlight are from the official NEEWER website.
- Model: FL10
- Power: 10W
- Power Input: 5V/2A
- Max Illuminance: 1620Lux/0.5m (2000K, Yellow Light)
- CRI/TLCI: 95+/96+ (White Light)
- Battery Capacity: 3.7V 7500mAh 27.75Wh
- Battery Life: 180min at Max Power
- Charging Time: 270 min
- Mounting Points: 1/4″ Thread Hole × 3
- Main Materials: Aluminum Alloy, ABS
- Dimensions: 6.1″×2.1″/155×53.5mm
- Weight: 0.92 lb/416g
Package Contents
- 1 x FL10 Photography Flashlight
- 1 x Silicone Snoot
- 20 x Gobo Filter
- 1 x Velvet Storage Bag
- 1 x USB Type C Charging Cable
NEEWER BASICS FL10 Portable Photography Flashlight — Ergonomics and build quality
Ergonomics
The knurled button has enough texture that it is easy to rotate whether you are turning on the light or adjusting brightness.
Powering on the flashlight takes a little bit of getting used to initially. To power it on, you long-press the button for about two seconds. If fully charged, the button will emit a green light underneath. From here, to further turn on the light, you must rotate the button in either direction. Initially, I thought it was a bit strange, but I like that if you store the flashlight in the bag, it’s less likely to turn on accidentally and run down the battery or get hot if mistakenly pressed.
Another feature I enjoyed is the ability to mount this light three ways via the ¼” thread holes. Nice.
The push/pull feature for zooming the light works very effectively. I like that there is a good amount of friction in the zoom mechanism, which means that as you move the light around, it stays at the same setting.
The indicator light underneath the button shows green when the battery has a 30–100% charge, red for a 10–30% charge, and flashes red when below 10%. This is extremely helpful.
I found that the gobo filters with various shapes were reasonably easy to put in. I also found that I could leave the silicone snoot on the flashlight and change the gobos easily. For some, it might be preferable to leave the snoot on, even when not using the gobos.
Build quality
The FL10 is chunky and solid with a slightly hefty build, and especially feels great if you have large hands. The build in general inspires confidence. NEEWER states that the body is made of aviation-grade aluminum alloy. The flashlight weighs nearly a pound, so it’s not a tiny lightweight flashlight. But then again, you have the ability to mount this on a stand three different ways and use gobos for videos.
The button is not wiggly and feels solidly attached and rotates smoothly. The lens is recessed and therefore, a little harder to scratch or damage.
The Unofficial Photofocus Drop Test
There is no official drop test from Photofocus. Therefore, I performed an “unofficial one.” While light painting at night, I mistakenly dropped the light from the top of a wall about two and a half feet high. It fell onto bricks, and did not even have a scratch.
NEEWER BASICS FL10 Portable Photography Flashlight — In the field
Lighting using NEEWER Basics FL10 Photography Flashlight and one of the gobos with blue light.
The flashlight is so versatile that it would be challenging for us to test every application.
We tested the light while photographing various items around the house. One of the areas where this light shines most would be for quickly creating interesting product photos. It’s quick to set up, flexible since you can mount it to a stand in three different ways, and comes with 20 interesting gobos. We also used it for over two hours, and the green light did not change to red, which would have indicated that it had dropped below a 30% battery charge. We didn’t even scratch the surface of what this can do.
The FL10 can be used to create interesting light for content creation, such as videos, either by using it on the subject or presenter or by creating interesting designs and colors in the background via one of its 20 gobos — or both. My personal favorite is the one where it creates that noirish effect as if night light from a window is streaming in at an angle.
Also, the ability to extend or retract the lens barrel to adjust the size of the illumination worked beautifully. This allowed you to control the projection distance and beam clarity. Furthermore, the mechanism had a good amount of stiffness, so when using this in the field, it held the same setting.
Using The FL10 for Light Painting at Night
Night photo with light painting, lit by NEEWER Basics FL10 Photography Flashlight. Joshua Tree National Park, CA. You might be able to tell that I fell in love with the gobo shape of light streaming in through window panes!
Being a night photographer, I naturally felt compelled to use this for light painting. Here, in part due to its ability to hold detail due to its high CRI (Color Rendering Index), it held detail quite well when testing the light while creating night photos in Joshua Tree National Park, CA.
By pressing the button when activated, you can switch between four colors: warm white, orange yellow, blue, and red. All of these colors translate well on camera and look pleasing, although it was easier to oversaturate the red color, which is quite typical with colored lights and digital cameras anyway.
Those of you who began light painting while using gels in front of flashlights might remember that you often mixed a couple of colors to create another color. With warm white, orange yellow, blue, and red, you can “mix” colors together, as light painting works cumulatively when using long exposures. For example, you could create green by mixing yellow and blue together. Or you could control the apparent saturation in the final photo by using a combination of white light with one of the three color lights.
Observations when light painting at night in the field
To be fair, this light isn’t really made for light painting. Its target audience seems to be more for content creation, video, portraits, or product photography. Consequently, these observations are not criticisms. These are merely observations of how this light performed for light painting despite not being designed for this use, and will not count toward my evaluation of the flashlight.
- I discovered that I could not quickly turn the light on and off. As mentioned, to turn the light on, you must first long-press the button, then spin it to activate it. This may be problematic for certain kinds of light painting, including illuminating headlights, using the light for a quick “pops” of light to attempt to “freeze” subjects, or other similar applications.
- The flashlight has a very wide “throw” for light painting, even when the beam is focused. However, you can work around this issue by placing the rubber gasket on the front without the shaped gobos, and then squeeze it smaller with your hand or shape it. I found that this worked effectively.
- You need to be very close to the surface or subject for the shaped gobos to work. For example, to create the shaped light of the paned window, I had to be within a foot or two of the wall for it to have strong definition.
- If you wish to switch colors, unless the color you want happens to follow the current color, you would need to walk away from what you are light painting or aim the light away from the frame, change colors, and then light paint again.
- You have no control over the saturation of each color.
- The light does not get very dim, especially for high ISO photography.
But as you can see, all the photos came out quite well using the FL10. It’s just not made for light painting.
NEEWER BASICS FL10 Portable Photography Flashlight — Fun, versatile and affordable
One of the first things I notice is how easy and fun this light is to use. But that doesn’t mean the light cannot be used for more serious or professional applications. Due to its ability to hold detail with its high CRI, the light doesn’t wash out details and can be used in many applications. It is well-suited content creation, video, portraits, and product photography. It works quite well and can be adjusted quickly (except for turning it on initially). Its shaped gobos make it particularly interesting for some light painting applications for night photography. And it seems like a durable light, so taking it in the field would not pose an issue.
