ZHIYUN is known best for its range of gimbals and stabilizers. However, the company entered the film light market earlier this year with the ZHIYUN FIVERAY F100C LED stick light. ZHIYUN is now expanding the range with two new lights. The ZHIYUN FIVERAY M40 is a pocket fill light, while FIVERAY F100 is another stick light.
M40 pocket fill light
The FIVERAY M40 is a compact bi-color fill light with 176 LEDs and a maximum power output of 40W. It has a color temperature range from 2,700K to 6,200K. It also has high color accuracy with a maximum CRI of 96+ and TLCI of 97+. This means that the colors will look great in your video. ZHIYUN claims the M40’s maximum brightness reaches 14,000 lux. However, this is at 0.3 meters. At the standard distance of 1 meter, the output measures 1050 lux at 4,300K.
Compact
The M40 weighs only 11.3 ounces (320 g). It is also small, measuring 5.4 inches by 3 inches (136.5 mm by 77.8mm) and just over an inch deep (29 mm). The built-in li-ion battery will power the M40 continuously for around 29 minutes at maximum power and takes 1 hour and 50 minutes to charge.
Advertisement
F100 stick light
The FIVERAY F100 is a full RGB stick light with 324 LEDs and a maximum power output of 100W. In CCT mode, the F100 has a color temperature range from 2,700K to 6,200K. In addition, you have full control of hue saturation and intensity (HSI) in RGB mode. Again, color accuracy is high, with a maximum CRI of 96+ and TLCI of 97+. In CCT mode, the maximum brightness is 2300 lux at 1 meter, measured at 4000K.
Controls
The F100 controls are ideally placed if you want to hand-hold the light, as you can easily access the control dial with your thumb. In addition to full RGB control, the F100 has six built-in creative lighting effects, including SOS, TV, faulty bulb and fire.
Build
The F100 is just under 20 inches (502 mm) long; however, this also includes the built-in handle. It weighs around 33.5 ounces (950 g). You can run the F100 for around 31 minutes on a full battery, but you will need to wait for 3 hours while it recharges.
Verdict
The FIVERAY M40 and M100 are aimed at content creators but also look great for filmmakers on a budget. Although ZHIYUN’s advertising shows the lights being handheld, they both have 1/4-inch threads for mounting on light stands. Both lights also use ZHIYUN’s DynaVort Cooling System, so you don’t need to worry about the lights overheating despite their high power output. Unfortunately, battery life isn’t great at full power. However, you may find that you often don’t need maximum output, which means the batteries will last longer.
Pricing and availability
The new lights will be available from 23rd November 2022. The ZHIYUN FIVERAY M40 costs $99, while the ZHIYUN FIVERAY F100 is priced at $249.