Review: F&V R300 Ringlight
I'm revisiting ring lights because I found one that addressed the two things that wanted to be different when I reviewed the Rosco Ring Light http://buff.ly/1u7t08l last year. The F&V R300 is a different design, with LEDs facing the subject instead of into a white plastic. It also has a battery holder on the right of the light, and a built-in power/dimmer on the left. The exact two things I said I wanted in a ringlight. But how does it light?
Operating the Light
The battery (Figure 3) attaches and detaches quite easily. I used only the small 2-cell, off-brand battery that came with it. You can certainly use larger Sony NP-F-style batteries with four or six cells for considerably longer run time.
Do note that if you have something on the right side of the camera, like a cage or big grip, that the battery protrudes back from the front of the light. So, depending on how small or wide your lens is, you'll need the light to be very close to the camera. Depending on the size and position of your camera grip on the right, there may be some physical jockeying for position.
The dimmer (Figure 9, below) is also the on/off switch; the audible click that comes with powering the light on or off probably disqualifies the R300 for covert/documentary use. The simmer rotation is smooth and the brightness of the LEDs seems pretty consistent between 10 and 100%. It's not a smooth ramp, though. There's clear "stepping" that becomes more evident the lower you go. This is because the small steps become a larger percent of change when you're down under 20% as opposed to above 80%. So keep that in mind when trying to make adjustments while recording.
Figure 9. The dimmer doubles as the on-off switch. Click the image to see it at full size.
I've had an opportunity to use some of the new lights with a CRI of 92 and above. In comparison, I can see the difference with the F&V R300's CRI of 85. A person's face feels a bit cooler, perhaps lacking a little color in their skin. Maybe this is the "ring light look" you're after. You can also give it a bit more color in camera or in post. But I find the ring light's best purpose is a shadowless fill.
Use off-camera lights for your key and fill, hairlight, etc., and then use the ring light to fill in the shadows in the face and soften any wrinkles. This is the best purpose for this type of light, especially if you are trying to make use of "available light"-type shooting. Available light is not designed to make faces look nice. Often it is very high, or way off to the side, or coming at an angle that's not flattering. Being able to fill in the harsh shadows can make a huge difference in the quality of your image.
The light is a cool 5600k before adding the tungsten filter. There's no partial correction. So if you want to have a slightly warmer cast, but not a full tungsten shift, use WarmCards or a manual white balance. You could also cut a gel filter to fit under the diffuser filter and use it that way.
Conclusion
I love the F&V R300. From the magnetic filters to the integrated battery holder and dimmer, it's one of the most convenient lights I've worked with--similar to my F&V Z96. It's lightweight and very flexible, with the ability to be used both on-camera and on a stand/off-camera. Filters soften the light on camera, and can be easily removed for longer throw off camera. While it may not have the highest CRI, I expect that in due time, the light will be upgraded with higher CRI LEDs. But then, the price may make a commensurate "upgrade" as well. For the current price, I find it a very nice bit of kit.
DISCLOSURE: F&V Sent me an R300 and rail kit for review. No other connection exists between myself and F&V.