Rotolight AEOS
£750/$995 A feature-rich but bare-bones affair
The pro-grade AEOS is pricier than the budget LED panels on test, but is tough and rugged. It also has some clever tricks up its sleeve but, even so, the ‘kit’ only includes the circular LED panel, a mains power supply, a heavy-duty ball head and a filter pack. The carrying case costs £150/$165, and a V-mount Li-ion battery costs £290/$300 (without charger) for up to four hours mains-free use. Good for stills, the AEOS excels for video capture, with customizable fade up/down and a range of effects including flickering fire, lightning, TV, strobe and emergency vehicle lights.
Performance
The bi-colour LEDS have a 100,000-hour lifespan and, as with competing panels on test, deliver flicker-free output, this time with a colour temp range of 3150-6300 Kelvin and CRI of >96. Max output has a rating of 5750 lux, albeit at a shorter distance of 3ft. Twice the output is available in flash mode with zero recycle time, complete with high speed sync if you buy an extra Phottix Odin II TTL RF trigger.
Power Output
The required aperture in our one-metre test equated to f/4.5 – respectable, but still two-thirds of an f-stop down on the stronger and cheaper Neewer LED panel.