DL-DV60 Video & DSLR LED Light
Several weeks back B&H sent me a Dot Line DL-DV60 Video & DSLR LED Light to review, so I had a chance to play with it over the holidays. This gadget provides continuous lighting when mounted on your cameras flash connection (it’s a cold connection) and it has its own power source to avoid draining your camera batteries.
Here’s what’s included
It features 60 bright LED lights which work well for doing video on your DSLR or even to some camcorders with a mini shoe connections by Sony as well as the Mini Advanced Shoe on my Canon VIXIA HF M30 Dual Flash Memory Camcorder thanks to the the little adapter shown above with the screw sticking out (that part goes into the DV60).
While you might think this could be used as a flash replacement, it really isn’t suitable for that purpose. Where it comes in handy is when you need continuous light for video and for that purpose it works reasonably well. I wouldn’t call the quality of light stellar, but it gets the job done.
Sample Videos
Here’s my video review of the Think Tank Photo Digital Holster v2.0 where I used the DV60 on my 1D Mark IV:
Here’s another video I did for the Sling-O-Matic in the same spot where I didn’t:
Big difference! Now for this price ($99.99 at the time this was written) you aren’t going to get Frezzolini quality on camera video light, but it is a low cost alternative to much more expensive light panels like the Anton Bauer EledZ 4.5W On-Camera LED Light.
Conclusion
This is exactly what my package looked like
I was disappointed with the build quality of this product because I fear it won’t withstand the abuse that gear can take in a heavily loaded back like I typically carry, so I can’t recommend it for pros or heavy duty use. However, this product got the job done over the last 6 weeks without breaking for a fraction of what a more durable unit would cost so for some it may be a good solution – especially for those just getting started with video. It’s also perfectly fine for low end camcorders like my M30 which can really benefit from the extra light to avoid the grainy video it typically suffers from during indoor use.
Disclaimer
I was provided with a DV60 for review by B&H, and if you purchase anything using the B&H links provided in this article I may get a commission – thanks for your support!
6 comments:
"so I can recommend it for pros or heavy duty use"
Is that really what you meant to say (given the earlier concern about build quality)?
Thanks for pointing that out Steve - my fingers and brain got out of sync.
I've updated the article.
I do not recommend this product for heavy duty or pro use.
Ron
We used one of this to shoot our 2 minutes short film "One hundred minutes of solitude". Until sunrise, it was more or less our only light source and though the result is still very dark with gain pushed all the way up, it still allowed us to get the footage. We wouldn't have had a chance with headlamps only.
Not great for heavy duty and it won't replace proper lights, but it can be handy to have around nevertheless.
Thanks for the feedback Alexandre!
As the saying goes the best light is the one you have, so it's certainly better than no light at all!
Thanks for the helpful review. Would you mind maybe recommending one for pro or heavy duty use? I have this one on my B&H wishlist and was vetting it...
Hi Joe,
In my review I tried to make a recommendation. I haven't used it personally, but the Anton Bauer EledZ 4.5W On-Camera LED Light seems promising. Report back if you get one.
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