I must say I'm happy to see that I'm not the only one that still chuckles when I say, "whatever you do do". A part of me with always be in junior high Lollo!! I was heavily considering the VL150 and hadn't even heard of the UL version until now so I'm excited to have more options. Thanks so much for the awesome review!
Yes - I was the same - bought the VL150 and then heard about the UL150 (to be fair to us it is a newer release). Glad to see someone else appreciates so good low brow humour!!
Thank you for the test of noise level! Ul150 is amazing. Now we moved to the new studio and SL60 sound so loud, and now are gonna change sl60 for the Ul150
Jeez and im still waiting on my SL60w to be delivered!!! this is another great video... Im going to petition my finance department (my wife) to upgrade after the new year lol
Haha. I think I’m done spending for a WHILE. My finance department (wife also) just asked me “how can you be so irresponsible”. It’s an investment in the future, I said. I mean, I have like 70 subscribers - so it’s a matter of time!! :) But that SL60w will surprise you with how good it is. If your space will allow it so the mic isn’t too close to its fan - it’ll do just as good as a job as the UL150.
@@MarkBennettCameraCrisis those subscriber numbers are climbing!!!! Yeah, this is only the beginning for me. I hope to secure a few restaurants here locally and use it for food/product photography. Hopefully I can make it work in my tiny camera room.
Nice review, especially the comparison for the bare light and with softbox! It is particularly interesting to see the softbox cuts less light on SL60W than on UL150 and VL150. Good to know.
It’s quite possibly because the UL150 and VL150 have a better overall spread with their output. Since I measured the center of the light, its likely that the Godox has a “hotter spot” in the middle - which will give you a brighter center, but less of an even spread (less soft light). To be more accurate, you would need to measure the LUX at all points in the beam to dee the amount of fall off from the center - but who has time for infinite tests? Glad you liked it!!
@@MarkBennettCameraCrisis Glad to know this difference. I know with the new intensity reflector the hot spot is obvious. But no reviews brought this up for bare light. On a different note, maybe you can throw in the ML-60 for another comparison review.
VL150 is far more portable because of its size and of course the case. They are basically the same in terms of brightness and color. If you need the Vl150 for the case - don’t hesitate - it’s still a really quiet light.
Wow I envy you man! Now, I can't wait for my new led light to arrive. 😩Congrats on the new light by the way and great comparison man. That UL150 is so quiet!
That 100x is going to be fantastic. These Godox I have are probably overkill for what I’m doing right now - but on my other channel I’m planning a standup comedy doc - so I’ll need some lights for that - at least that’s my excuse - ha!!
@@MarkBennettCameraCrisis I hope so but Aputure is a great company so I'm confident that it'll be a great addition to my lighting kit. It's gonna be one of the best purchases for me this year. Nice! It's great that you have a standup comedy channel! I'll check it out!
Such a good review and such a good setup you have. You will have a fast growth path if you keep making videos like these. Also, the VL has the V mount battery option right? That cuts it for me. This review of yours will be conclusive for my research. Thank you.
@@KrishnenduKes absolutely - I have a shoot tonight and I’m not taking the UL - I will be taking the VL150 with its nice carrying case. You want portability - the VL is the way to go
Thank you!! What makes these lights better than the Amaran is the following: 1. Build Quality - mostly metal instead of mostly plastic 2. Better overall output (Amaran are very bright in the center but it falls off quickly. VL150 and UL150 will have less of a "hotspot" so better overall output, especially when putting on a softbox 3. Noise - The UL150 is completely silent and the VL150 will likely be quieter than the Amaran due to the premium build (but can't be sure until I test). 4. V-mount included so they will be ready for battery power if need be. *also, nice carrying case for the VL150 only. So there are some benefits to the UL150 and VL150, but if you can live with the compromises on some "pro" features then the Amaran may fit the bill. Also, the Amaran has the advantage of the 8 built-in lighting effects. I chose the UL150 and VL150 so that as I grow as a photographer / videographer I will have more versatility.
@@MarkBennettCameraCrisis Wow, thanks so much for the in-depth reply! Those reasons make a lot of sense. My key light will be about 3 feet from my face (UA-cam vids), so I would like a light with: 1) zero noise 2) bi color so that I can experiment with warmer tones. 3) I also don't think it needs to be very bright (since it's close) With these things in mind, what do you think would be better - the UL150 or the Amaran 100x? I have heard the 100x will be passively cooled. Maybe I could use a gel in the UL150 to get more warmth.
@@HopeProphecy I have read a couple of times recently that the Amaran Lights are passively cooled, but I don’t think that is true. On Aputure’s website, when you click on the preorder button and go to the specs, it says all lights are “actively cooled”. Also, on the announcement, Aputure took a question about fan noise and they said the fan in these is no louder than the 120d. So I think people may be misinformed about the passive cooling. And even looking at the light, it looks too small to be passively cooled. I can’t tell you for sure if it’s passive or not, but it seems to me they will be actively cooled. Since it’s your key light, there won’t be a lot of point in having a bicolour light, because once you white balance properly, your image will be the same whether you shoot with a warm or cool light. Now, if you want to get the bicolour light so you can have it in the background casting a different temperature light behind you or on some product you want to highlight, then that’s a different story. In that case, the bicolour light will save you the trouble of gelling. If you want to experiment with warmer tones for your shot, you should still white balance properly, and then you can change a colours you want in post - you can warm it up or colour grade anyway you want. So, in a nut shell, if you want a totally silent light, the UL150 from Godox is likely the only one that will do that for you. But, if you don’t need a lot the fans from the Amaran will likely not come on for quite a while. They tend to kick on after you ramp up the power or use them for lengthy periods of time. All I know I’d that I could not get a light in my small space that stayed quiet until the UL150.
@@MarkBennettCameraCrisis That makes sense. Thanks again! With this is mind (about the white balance), this looks to be a killer deal for the key light!: (SL 150 II for $239 at B&H) www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1559563-REG/godox_sl150w_ii_led_video.html/overview I was concerned because this light actually tests a bit on the cool side (5759K), but it sounds like your are saying that does not matter?
@@HopeProphecy yes - the temperature of the light only matters if you’re trying to match it to other lights (example: lights in the room that you cannot turn off or mixing a bunch of different lights or if you want a different shade of light from your key light). You can set your camera to auto white balance for the Godox and generally it will do a good job. But manually white balancing will give you the best results. Then in post change the colour temp to suit your taste. You can make it look sunny or moonlit or anything in between. It in camera, the white balance should always be done correctly (ie white will actually look white - not orange or blue). The SL 150 will have plenty of light for your needs. And that is a great price. But remember that will have a fan and it could possibly be picked up by the mic. But why not test it out, and if fan noise is an issue, send it back and then look at the UL150. Oh, and don’t forget to get a nice big soft box to give you that nice soft light. Essential!!
The ifootage do look good, but the Godox are very accurate too - and silent. until ifootage or Aputure or anyone else comes out with a fully silent light, I’ll be sticking with the UL line
Haha!! Thanks. Yeah - I just took the VL on a shoot - compact with a carrying case, and I almost never run the light bright enough that the fan turns on. If I had to pick one - VL all the way. I can use it everywhere.
Not quite as exciting as the drunken review but well said! The video quality of your videos is really good, it's clear that you really know how to dial in the settings. Any behind the scenes tips on how you dial in the GH5 and A7III? Could make a couple of decent videos. You could title the mini-series something like this: How a pro would do it... but since I'm not a pro... this is how I do it anyways and you might get some value from these videos.... perhaps... yes b'y! :P (Side note, you're totally a pro, I was just suggesting humour.. even though guaranteed you're about a million times funnier)
Thanks for saying that!! Yes - there will be plenty of videos about the GH5 and A7III and their settings. But maybe a series is a good idea. I’m working on a basics series right now. We’ll see if that works
And after they release vl150 ii bicolor and we will buy it again :) Though, Godox just say that CRI/TLCI for "sl150 ii bicolor" is high, never saying the numbers.
I am so torn between those two lights... I have been using my set of Neewer NL660 LEDs for quite a while and I am in the market for something better. I will keep my 660s since my UA-cam studio is extremely small and a pair of LEDs is never a bad thing to have (e.g. hair light) I definately need something better though for my other projects, mainly Interviews and talking head. Most of the time, I will be using the light at home, but for some projects I need to lug the light around. So being able to use batteries and a carrying case would be something important...
The UL150 still has a v-mount just like the UL150 - the only thing you’ll miss is the carrying case. But if you have to transport the light, the VL is the way to go. And as much as I hate the fan, these days I use faster lenses (around F2.8-f4) and my light never goes over 30% - so the VL150 fan never kicks on actually. So in your situation, I would get the VL150 because it’s smaller, lighter, and has a case. I mean, you could always buy a case for the UL150, and have the assurance of silence - but that’s an extra cost and bulk.
@@MarkBennettCameraCrisis I just ordered the VL 150! I am pretty excited about it. I have to wait a couple of days, but that's alright, because that leaves my with enough time to finish my script for my new video (iFootage Shark Slider Nano review). Since I have two kids, I only have time in the evening, so having a good light is crucial for me.
@@ElBoyoElectronico ohh - I’ll be watching that Shark Slider video - I was literally just looking up sliders. Also have two kids (under 5) so I’m the same. I set up my lights in my little studio and go record when everyone’s in bed!! 😎
@@MarkBennettCameraCrisis That's great to hear! My kids are also both under 5 years, which makes for some bumpy nights. Really cool to hear about other dads doing UA-cam stuff!
@@MarkBennettCameraCrisis About the slider: My video is going to be in German, but I am actually thinking about doing a version in Englisch. Should be quite a challenge! Short version: It's great, easy to set up and super portable, but it doesn't hold a lot of weight and sometimes the firmware can be a bit buggy.
You can hear the fan when it’s on, yes. But the fan doesn’t kick in until the light is around 50%. If the mic is not next to it, you probably won’t have much of an issue even if the fan is on. It’s a quiet fan compared to most, but if you want total silence, you should do the UL-150. I love having the silence.
Dude, you completely glossed over the fact that the VL150 can be run off v-mount batteries!!!! So not only is it cheaper, smaller, lighter and equipped with a sturdy carry case it's also portable, and doesn't need a mains power point to operate!!!
I trusted you when I bought my Sony ZV1, now I'm trusting you again with my lighting equipment. Love the video as always!
Well, I made this video over a year ago and I am STILL using the UL150 and VL150 everyday. So I guess I can be trusted after all 🤣🤣
I must say I'm happy to see that I'm not the only one that still chuckles when I say, "whatever you do do". A part of me with always be in junior high Lollo!!
I was heavily considering the VL150 and hadn't even heard of the UL version until now so I'm excited to have more options. Thanks so much for the awesome review!
Yes - I was the same - bought the VL150 and then heard about the UL150 (to be fair to us it is a newer release). Glad to see someone else appreciates so good low brow humour!!
This guy is going to be huge! Great review
That’s very great to hear!!
Thank you for the test of noise level! Ul150 is amazing. Now we moved to the new studio and SL60 sound so loud, and now are gonna change sl60 for the Ul150
You’re welcome - the noise was such a big factor for me. The silent UL150 is fantastic.
I truly appreciate your enthusiasm for silence. Great review!
Thanks!!
Jeez and im still waiting on my SL60w to be delivered!!! this is another great video...
Im going to petition my finance department (my wife) to upgrade after the new year lol
Haha. I think I’m done spending for a WHILE. My finance department (wife also) just asked me “how can you be so irresponsible”. It’s an investment in the future, I said. I mean, I have like 70 subscribers - so it’s a matter of time!! :) But that SL60w will surprise you with how good it is. If your space will allow it so the mic isn’t too close to its fan - it’ll do just as good as a job as the UL150.
@@MarkBennettCameraCrisis those subscriber numbers are climbing!!!! Yeah, this is only the beginning for me. I hope to secure a few restaurants here locally and use it for food/product photography. Hopefully I can make it work in my tiny camera room.
@@kingpixmedia Food and product photography is a great business. I know a woman in my area who's schedule is always full because of it.
thank you. thank you. thank you I was wondering what the difference
Nice review, especially the comparison for the bare light and with softbox! It is particularly interesting to see the softbox cuts less light on SL60W than on UL150 and VL150. Good to know.
It’s quite possibly because the UL150 and VL150 have a better overall spread with their output. Since I measured the center of the light, its likely that the Godox has a “hotter spot” in the middle - which will give you a brighter center, but less of an even spread (less soft light). To be more accurate, you would need to measure the LUX at all points in the beam to dee the amount of fall off from the center - but who has time for infinite tests? Glad you liked it!!
@@MarkBennettCameraCrisis Glad to know this difference. I know with the new intensity reflector the hot spot is obvious. But no reviews brought this up for bare light. On a different note, maybe you can throw in the ML-60 for another comparison review.
@@zhenyucai I will add the ML-60 for sure if I can get one in!!
I loved this review, very usefull, very precise. Please, continue with this video, you just have won a new sub!!
Thanks, Diego!!
I bought the UL-150. Can't wait for it to get here and start using it. :)
I’ve used my everyday for a month now - it’s amazing.
Thanks for this man. Really torn between the two. Would go for the UL150 but then will need a case for it. Silent Light though! Wow.
VL150 is far more portable because of its size and of course the case. They are basically the same in terms of brightness and color. If you need the Vl150 for the case - don’t hesitate - it’s still a really quiet light.
Wow I envy you man! Now, I can't wait for my new led light to arrive. 😩Congrats on the new light by the way and great comparison man. That UL150 is so quiet!
That 100x is going to be fantastic. These Godox I have are probably overkill for what I’m doing right now - but on my other channel I’m planning a standup comedy doc - so I’ll need some lights for that - at least that’s my excuse - ha!!
@@MarkBennettCameraCrisis I hope so but Aputure is a great company so I'm confident that it'll be a great addition to my lighting kit. It's gonna be one of the best purchases for me this year. Nice! It's great that you have a standup comedy channel! I'll check it out!
Thanks for the video, very helpful!
You’re welcome!! They’re great lights
solid review. godox is my goto lighting system!
Thanks!! Loving Godox right now. Flash and continuous.
You can use the vl150 case for the ul150 when you need to bring the ul150 to a gig.
My god, you’re right. I just checked and it fits - barely - but it fits!! You’re a genius.
@@MarkBennettCameraCrisis looking forward to your next video.
@@gafferngrip5407 thanks, man!!
Such a good review and such a good setup you have. You will have a fast growth path if you keep making videos like these.
Also, the VL has the V mount battery option right? That cuts it for me. This review of yours will be conclusive for my research.
Thank you.
Thanks, I think I needed to hear that today!! 😀and yes, the VL and the UL both take V-Mount batteries.
@@MarkBennettCameraCrisis Oh! Both of them have the option of a V-mount? Thank you for your reply and clarification.
@@KrishnenduKes yes, very similar lights except for the size and the fan. I use both for my setup. 😁
@@MarkBennettCameraCrisis I think I will probably go for the VL because of the compact form and the fan lol.
@@KrishnenduKes absolutely - I have a shoot tonight and I’m not taking the UL - I will be taking the VL150 with its nice carrying case. You want portability - the VL is the way to go
Nice review! What would make these lights significantly better than the Amaran lights?
Thank you!! What makes these lights better than the Amaran is the following: 1. Build Quality - mostly metal instead of mostly plastic 2. Better overall output (Amaran are very bright in the center but it falls off quickly. VL150 and UL150 will have less of a "hotspot" so better overall output, especially when putting on a softbox 3. Noise - The UL150 is completely silent and the VL150 will likely be quieter than the Amaran due to the premium build (but can't be sure until I test). 4. V-mount included so they will be ready for battery power if need be. *also, nice carrying case for the VL150 only. So there are some benefits to the UL150 and VL150, but if you can live with the compromises on some "pro" features then the Amaran may fit the bill. Also, the Amaran has the advantage of the 8 built-in lighting effects. I chose the UL150 and VL150 so that as I grow as a photographer / videographer I will have more versatility.
@@MarkBennettCameraCrisis Wow, thanks so much for the in-depth reply! Those reasons make a lot of sense. My key light will be about 3 feet from my face (UA-cam vids), so I would like a light with:
1) zero noise
2) bi color so that I can experiment with warmer tones.
3) I also don't think it needs to be very bright (since it's close)
With these things in mind, what do you think would be better - the UL150 or the Amaran 100x? I have heard the 100x will be passively cooled. Maybe I could use a gel in the UL150 to get more warmth.
@@HopeProphecy I have read a couple of times recently that the Amaran Lights are passively cooled, but I don’t think that is true. On Aputure’s website, when you click on the preorder button and go to the specs, it says all lights are “actively cooled”. Also, on the announcement, Aputure took a question about fan noise and they said the fan in these is no louder than the 120d. So I think people may be misinformed about the passive cooling. And even looking at the light, it looks too small to be passively cooled. I can’t tell you for sure if it’s passive or not, but it seems to me they will be actively cooled.
Since it’s your key light, there won’t be a lot of point in having a bicolour light, because once you white balance properly, your image will be the same whether you shoot with a warm or cool light. Now, if you want to get the bicolour light so you can have it in the background casting a different temperature light behind you or on some product you want to highlight, then that’s a different story. In that case, the bicolour light will save you the trouble of gelling. If you want to experiment with warmer tones for your shot, you should still white balance properly, and then you can change a colours you want in post - you can warm it up or colour grade anyway you want.
So, in a nut shell, if you want a totally silent light, the UL150 from Godox is likely the only one that will do that for you. But, if you don’t need a lot the fans from the Amaran will likely not come on for quite a while. They tend to kick on after you ramp up the power or use them for lengthy periods of time. All I know I’d that I could not get a light in my small space that stayed quiet until the UL150.
@@MarkBennettCameraCrisis That makes sense. Thanks again! With this is mind (about the white balance), this looks to be a killer deal for the key light!: (SL 150 II for $239 at B&H) www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1559563-REG/godox_sl150w_ii_led_video.html/overview
I was concerned because this light actually tests a bit on the cool side (5759K), but it sounds like your are saying that does not matter?
@@HopeProphecy yes - the temperature of the light only matters if you’re trying to match it to other lights (example: lights in the room that you cannot turn off or mixing a bunch of different lights or if you want a different shade of light from your key light). You can set your camera to auto white balance for the Godox and generally it will do a good job. But manually white balancing will give you the best results. Then in post change the colour temp to suit your taste. You can make it look sunny or moonlit or anything in between. It in camera, the white balance should always be done correctly (ie white will actually look white - not orange or blue). The SL 150 will have plenty of light for your needs. And that is a great price. But remember that will have a fan and it could possibly be picked up by the mic. But why not test it out, and if fan noise is an issue, send it back and then look at the UL150. Oh, and don’t forget to get a nice big soft box to give you that nice soft light. Essential!!
well that's cleared everything up for me. Thanks Mate! probably go for the Vl. (Still trying to hear the sound from my photos 😂 )
Haha. Great!!
Thanks for the video. Keep up the good work :) Its nice to see other Canadians doing this :P
Thanks, man!! Same to you. Canadians unite!! I just subscribed to your channel.
@@MarkBennettCameraCrisis Awesome! thank you so much! Go Canada! haha
For me the Ifootage lights are the way to go. They have the best rated readings out of any lights. Check those out if you haven't.
The ifootage do look good, but the Godox are very accurate too - and silent. until ifootage or Aputure or anyone else comes out with a fully silent light, I’ll be sticking with the UL line
Great video!!
U had me at nasal voice, keep up the great work, VL 150 FTW!
Haha!! Thanks. Yeah - I just took the VL on a shoot - compact with a carrying case, and I almost never run the light bright enough that the fan turns on. If I had to pick one - VL all the way. I can use it everywhere.
May i know which lgiht that you use in this video?
The Godox Sl60w was lighting this one
Not quite as exciting as the drunken review but well said! The video quality of your videos is really good, it's clear that you really know how to dial in the settings.
Any behind the scenes tips on how you dial in the GH5 and A7III? Could make a couple of decent videos. You could title the mini-series something like this: How a pro would do it... but since I'm not a pro... this is how I do it anyways and you might get some value from these videos.... perhaps... yes b'y! :P (Side note, you're totally a pro, I was just suggesting humour.. even though guaranteed you're about a million times funnier)
Thanks for saying that!! Yes - there will be plenty of videos about the GH5 and A7III and their settings. But maybe a series is a good idea. I’m working on a basics series right now. We’ll see if that works
so.... this godox vl150/vl200 or smallrig rc 120/220?🙏
I upvoted for the nasal voice warning.
You gotta warn the people 🤣🤣
And after they release vl150 ii bicolor and we will buy it again :)
Though, Godox just say that CRI/TLCI for "sl150 ii bicolor" is high, never saying the numbers.
You know it!! 🤣🤣
@@MarkBennettCameraCrisis yeah, godox has CRI declared for SZ200 and it is still 97. So, let's just wait when some bicolor variant gets a v-mount :)
I just got hte godox vl 200 I was recently looking at the ul 150 seems like a great quality light! Sucks it does not come with a bag case..meh
The case is very handy - plus the UL is a little bulkier. Plus the fan won’t come in in your VL200 unless you turn up the light pretty bright
I am so torn between those two lights... I have been using my set of Neewer NL660 LEDs for quite a while and I am in the market for something better. I will keep my 660s since my UA-cam studio is extremely small and a pair of LEDs is never a bad thing to have (e.g. hair light) I definately need something better though for my other projects, mainly Interviews and talking head. Most of the time, I will be using the light at home, but for some projects I need to lug the light around. So being able to use batteries and a carrying case would be something important...
The UL150 still has a v-mount just like the UL150 - the only thing you’ll miss is the carrying case. But if you have to transport the light, the VL is the way to go. And as much as I hate the fan, these days I use faster lenses (around F2.8-f4) and my light never goes over 30% - so the VL150 fan never kicks on actually. So in your situation, I would get the VL150 because it’s smaller, lighter, and has a case. I mean, you could always buy a case for the UL150, and have the assurance of silence - but that’s an extra cost and bulk.
@@MarkBennettCameraCrisis I just ordered the VL 150! I am pretty excited about it. I have to wait a couple of days, but that's alright, because that leaves my with enough time to finish my script for my new video (iFootage Shark Slider Nano review). Since I have two kids, I only have time in the evening, so having a good light is crucial for me.
@@ElBoyoElectronico ohh - I’ll be watching that Shark Slider video - I was literally just looking up sliders. Also have two kids (under 5) so I’m the same. I set up my lights in my little studio and go record when everyone’s in bed!! 😎
@@MarkBennettCameraCrisis That's great to hear! My kids are also both under 5 years, which makes for some bumpy nights. Really cool to hear about other dads doing UA-cam stuff!
@@MarkBennettCameraCrisis About the slider: My video is going to be in German, but I am actually thinking about doing a version in Englisch. Should be quite a challenge! Short version: It's great, easy to set up and super portable, but it doesn't hold a lot of weight and sometimes the firmware can be a bit buggy.
can you hear the fan on the VL when you dont have a mic 6inches away from it?
You can hear the fan when it’s on, yes. But the fan doesn’t kick in until the light is around 50%. If the mic is not next to it, you probably won’t have much of an issue even if the fan is on. It’s a quiet fan compared to most, but if you want total silence, you should do the UL-150. I love having the silence.
@@MarkBennettCameraCrisis hahah, would never guessed you liked the silenced one :O i agree, i can see how its better in a studio setting
@@muhameddelic1819 lol :D
Dude, you completely glossed over the fact that the VL150 can be run off v-mount batteries!!!!
So not only is it cheaper, smaller, lighter and equipped with a sturdy carry case it's also portable, and doesn't need a mains power point to operate!!!
love the size of the VL150, but the UL150 can be run off vmount batteries as well. the plate is included just like the VL150
@@MarkBennettCameraCrisis wow I didn't realise that. Cheers.
The UL one has passive cooling not active cooling ha ua-cam.com/video/1p_22Zxj_VQ/v-deo.html
Yes, that was a slip of the tongue because I talk too fast with no script. 🤣 Of course it is passive cooling.
@@MarkBennettCameraCrisis I respect people who dont read the script like the news casters 💪