Life as a creator is expensive. The old cliche goes that time is money, but the things you use to make stuff also cost money. From software subscriptions to computers and cameras, art works on a budget. That’s why Passion Fruit recommends exploring refurbished gear. This week we’re looking at one of the best lights for creators, Lume Cube’s RBG Panel Pro.
With the release of the Panel Pro 2.0, the original version can be found on Lume Cube’s website for a 35% discount.
What makes the RBG Panel Pro such a killer opportunity for new creators that they’d buy it over the newer model? Let us walk you through the basics, from how much you’ll save buying refurbished to its host of versatile features.
What is the Lume Cube RGB Panel Pro?
Proper lighting is the foundation of making visual creative art pop. From photographers to filmmakers to TikTok stars, everyone needs light. While setting up a home studio is inexpensive, keeping one on the go is a nightmare. That’s why creators who travel need an excellent panel light.
Lume Cube’s RGB Panel Pro is a powerful RGB panel light that provides brilliant illumination, adjustable color light, and effects from a device the size of a cell phone. Its internal battery goes for hours, and it takes up almost no space in your go bag.
What condition is a refurbished Lume Cube in?
You get the box and all the accessories of a standard Lume Cube Pro Panel. It looks brand new outside of two stickers that say “passed,” sealing the box. When you open the box, you’ll find the following.
- RBG Panel Pro
- Diffusion Lens
- DSLR Camera Mount
- USB Charging Cable
- Travel Pouch
- Instruction sheet
The light, diffuser, mount, charging cable, and pouch were all in incredible condition. You’d never know this gear was repaired. The battery on the refurbished RBG Panel Pro is suitable as a new unit. We tested the battery by running it at full power, starting fully charged, ten times through. Each time the unit ran for the promised 2.5 hours without issue.
Besides the discounted price, you won’t notice this gear is refurbished.
What Features Make The Lume Cube RGB Panel Pro Such a Steal For Creators?
There aren’t many pieces of gear everyone who works with a camera should consider getting, but a good panel light is essential.
Whether you’re shooting portraits, recording a TikTok in a dimly lit location, live blogging, doing street interviews, or just needing a last-minute fill light for streaming, panels are a godsend. For some, they’re emergency equipment; for others, they’re the foundation of their workflow.
Let’s walk you through what makes the RBG Panel Pro great.
Bright, Adjustable, and Even Light
The RBG Panel Pro has a 550 Lumen output, creating a brilliant light beam from a small 6” x 3.14” body. With the Pro Panel, you can achieve incredibly accurate color with a 96+ CRI output. CRI is the Color Realization Index, or how accurately color is rendered under white light on a scale of 100. This little wonder lights the way when you need the most accurate color in your images.
You can adjust the panel’s color temperature in a range from 3200k to 5600k. In our testing as a daily carry photography light, the Panel Pro could handle any situation. From street portrait photography to taking group photos of strangers at the beach, there was a light to fit the situation.
When taking TikToks, this is ten times stronger than the iPhone’s flashlight and allows you to adjust the warmth. Depending on your ambient lighting, this panel is bright enough to light you for a web stream or video call. We wouldn’t recommend this as your leading filmmaking light. But the RGB Pro Panel’s tiny frame and bright light make it a perfect fill light or emergency backup.
Incredible Battery
The Lume Cube RGB Panel Pro has an incredible built-in battery that lasts hours under heavy use. When fully charged, the panel can run for up to 4 hours of continuous use at 50% brightness and 2.5 hours at 100% brightness.
We tested the battery life through daily use and timed tests. Even under heavy use, like shooting a long party, the Lume Cube RGB Panel Pro always had plenty of juice left.
Thanks to its dynamic run time display, you’ll never need to guess how much power is left. The Lume Cube will tell you down to the minute how much power you have left. You can almost always squeeze more time out by slightly reducing your output.
This battery life and compact size make the Lume Cube a perfect flashlight to keep in your everyday bag. It can last four dozens of hours on lower settings. That is handy if your car breaks down at night or you drop a memory card.
Durable, Compact, and Light
The Lume Cube RGB Panel Pro is tiny at 6” x 3.14,” roughly the size of a larger modern cell phone, and weighs just .51 lbs. Its solid metal construction is durable and solidly built, able to survive being dropped without disaster. able materials that can withstand the rigors of everyday use. The light is also water-resistant, making it ideal for use in outdoor applications—one-piece aluminum housing.
360 Color Options
Beyond its ability to replicate a vast range of white light, the RBG Pro Panel can replicate up to 360 color options. Quickly add flourishes to your photos, color backfills to your stream, or creative tints to your Stories. It doesn’t matter if you use the app or its on-panel controls; this Pro makes playing with color light fun. Best of all, the results are beautiful.
Special Effects For Creative Video
Beyond providing a wide range of lighting options, the Panel Pro includes a few simple lighting effects. Simulate a Police light, Fire, TV, or Lightning, or let the color shift continuously as you work. You can also create a customizable strobe effect across its color spectrum.
Lume Cube App
Getting lighting right when filming by yourself or setting up multiple lights in different locations is difficult. Especially when you have to run to each light individually to change them, using the Lume Cube App, the Lume Cube RGB Panel Pro can be controlled remotely over Bluetooth.
Change the brightness, warmth, color, effect, and strobe of your Lume Cube directly from your smartphone. This is particularly useful when lighting a stream that requires you to see yourself on camera.
Three Mount Points
Stabilizing the RBG Panel Pro is simple, thanks to its three 1/4″ 20-mount points. Please attach it to your camera, tripod, selfie stick, or other common camera mount. Each panel comes with an included hotshoe mount to get you started.
Included Diffuser
When building a collection of camera gear, it’s essential to save money where possible. There are panels that don’t come with a diffuser, but it’s not necessarily an essential piece of gear. However, having a diffuser to soften your light output for specific filming and photography situations is excellent. We love the Lume Cube includes one.
You’ll Keep Using It Even After You Upgrade
There will come a time when you get another panel light, most likely. Something will come along that meets your needs better or allows you to do more. However, the Pro Panel will remain a powerful piece of backup equipment in your kit. You never know when a shoot or video will need extra light.
Everyone should have a panel light if they’re traveling
A panel light makes life easier, even if you’re not making content. This is the flashlight you always wished your phone had. Whether you’re scouting a location, looking for your keys at night, or need a roadside light this wonder ensures you’ll always have enough light to see.
If you are looking for a high-quality, portable light that can be used for various creative projects, then the Lume Cube RGB Panel Pro is a great option.
How Does the Lume Cube RGB Panel Pro differ From the Lume Cube Pro Panel 2.0?
When it comes to battery life, the Pro Panel 2.0 and the RGB Panel Pro are on equal footing. However, you might be surprised to learn that Pro Panel 2.0 is several times more powerful than the standard RGB Panel Pro.
It features a full spectrum of RGB color options, boasting up to 16 million color options, particularly when you’re using the app to fine-tune. Version 2.0 is also more powerful, with 595 Lumens compared to the RBG model’s 550 Lumens.
On the durability front, the 2.0 version has a one-piece aluminum housing for extra protection. Finally, you can use the Panel Pro 2.0 has a power bank to charge your devices in a pinch. Are these features worth the added cost of the $179.99 RGB Panel Pro 2.0? Absolutely. Does that mean the original RGB Panel Pro isn’t still incredible at $110.99? No, it doesn’t.
Two great ideas can exist in one space. Especially when the newest version is regularly sold out in stores. You won’t be able to tell the RBG Panel Pro is refurbished, thanks to Lume Cube, including the original box and accessories.
How Much Does the Refurbished Lume Cube RGB Panel Pro Cost?
The original RGB Panel Pro is no longer for sale new but sold for $169.99. Lume Cube is selling it refurbished for $110.49, a roughly 35% discount. On the other hand, purchasing the Lume Cube Panel Pro 2.0 costs $179.99 brand new. However, its popularity means the 2.0 is also regularly sold out.
So what makes this light such a deal? Even if you someday upgrade to the Panel Pro 2.0 or some other high-end panel light, the humble RGB Panel Pro will still be a great light.
We’d also like to note that Passion Fruit does not have affiliate links like many websites. If you buy through this link, we are not receiving money for the sale. Our recommendations are based solely on how useful we think creators may find the tool.
Remember, you don’t always need the newest gear to make incredible art. The only person who knows you’re using refurbished gear is you. Save money wherever you can.
