I’m fast becoming a big fan of pretty much anything Hobolite produces these days and this little Micro 8W LED Lighting Kit by Hobolite is no different.

I adore the ease of use and convenience for still life. I took it mushrooming in a forest, in product shots and even creative portraits. The fact that it’s so small it easily fits in your hand or pocket and well, and looks so cool too. Hobolite products just work straight out of the box, brilliant. I recently got to check out the Hobolite Micro 8W Bi-Colour continuous LED.

The Hobolite Micro fits easily into your camera bag, luggage, backpack or pocket making it the perfect companion for all your adventures. Lightweight at 0.52 lb, the Micro delivers a dazzling 8W output across the entire color spectrum, ensuring the perfect complement to the light of your story. With up to 500 lumens of brightness, it’s perfect for any task, from photographing mushrooms in dimly lit spaces to adding ambience to studio portraits. Let’s have a closer look!

Note: Blonde Robot (Australian Hobolite Distributor) sent the Hobolite Micro Creator kit to review and return. However, this is a completely independent review. All thoughts about this light are my own.

Pros

• Runs on batteries and is quite small, it comes with three batteries (Creator and Master Kits only)
• Very cool and funky, great retro design
• Variable controls for power and color temp (2700K — 6500K)
• Minimalist design, Small and lightweight
• Intelligent cooling with heat sink and fan
• The fan is whisper quiet, great for video
• Easy to turn dials for power and temperature, and simple on/off switch
• All accessories, the diffuser, the grid, gels and barn doors are all magnetic.
• Weather resistant, great for use outdoors

Cons

• Battery (on full power) only lasts 15- 20 mins, which can be a pain on a day trip but you can swap out the batteries and it gives you over an hour

Hobolite Micro 8W Portable Bi-Color Continuous LED Lighting Kit — Technical specifications
All technical specifications are from the Hobolite website/marketing material.

• Output Power (Max): 8W
• Color Temperature Range: 2700K~6500K
• Luminous Flux: 500lm (@6500K) / 360lm (@2700K)
• Beam Angle: 200 – 450 spot of floor
• Magnetic Property: Yes (from Barn door mount)
• Cooling Method: built-in Fan
• Max Illuminance: 1808 LUX (@0.5m, 6500tK) with Freshnel Lens/ 4280LUX @0.5m, 6500tK) with Zoom lens
• Input AC – 100-240V, 50~60HZ / DC input power 5V
• App Control: Yes (Bluetooth 65.6 feet)
• Battery run time: 50 mins on full power, 3 hours on 25% power
• Charging time: 2 hours, 10mins
• Dimensions: 2″ X 2.7″ X 3″ (without accessories)
• Net Weight: 0.52 lb (without accessories) Creator Kit 3.7 lbs
• Operating temperature: 14-104F
• Screen: LCD Full Color
• Lighting effects: 8 Special FX
• Materials: Aircraft-grade aluminum

Hobolite Micro 8W Portable Bi-Color Continuous LED Lighting Kit — Versatility
You can adjust the light intensity and the color. I like it set to 5600k. But that is really just a personal choice. You can change the color temperature, so it’s effectively adding gels, which could be handy in certain circumstances. It also has eight different lighting special FX like sirens, candle and TV.

Ergonomics are great. It does have a fan, which is very quiet. The diffuser and grid work quite well to soften and direct the light. It’s fine on its light stand, I’m not sure I would want to place it on top of the camera, but I guess it’s possible you could. You can even get an optional magnetic light mount for attaching to metalwork for stability up high. Has a whole range of (optional) accessories too. Being weather resistant means you can safely take it out in the field.

Build quality
Small and sturdy, dials are firm and stable but easily turned. The accessories are all magnetic, making it a breeze to add and remove. Feels very sturdy and compact. Made of aircraft-grade aluminium. Funky retro look, a bit like an old-school film camera. Non-slip surface on sides.

Out of the box
It comes in a handy carry pack with the light, barndoor, Fresnel lens, Frosted Dome, power adapter and power cable (USB C-type), 6 x color gels, 1 x charging dock and 2 batteries (Creator and Master Kit only)and Quick Start guide. The Master kit also has a V-mount ball head adapter and extendable desk tripod. (Creator Kit pictured).

Hobolite Micro 8W Portable Bi-Color Continuous LED Lighting Kit — Power in the palm of your hand
Thanks to some innovative technology this little light might just change the way you see LED lights (if my other reviews haven’t already). Small and compact but powerful enough for macro, a fill light for video and for so many other uses – like still life, product photography or even in the studio. Versatile and adaptable to whatever you want to use it for. And the best part, it’s simple to use.

Mounting
I mounted mine on the supplied (from Mini Kit) light stand on my desk. For macro and product photography (with small objects), its great straight on the desk or holding it in your hand.

Setup
It’s so simple to use. However, to turn it on you press the power button and a little message appears, to turn the dial, ie; to turn the Micro on use one quick press and twist the dial. This is handy so you’re not wasting the battery accidentally pressing the power. Adjust the dials for power and color temp. Add the barn doors, diffuser, grid or gels and you’re ready to shoot. It’s that simple.

Gels and diffuser
The Hobolite Micro comes with a grid, dome diffuser and six gels: pink, purple, red, yellow, blue and green.

Hobolite Micro 8W Portable Bi-Color Continuous LED Lighting Kit — A terrific lighting addition to your kit
I have been using this light in the studio for a variety of shoots from macro, still life and product photography. It’s a terrific little light and very handy. The fact that it is so small, lightweight and easy to use is a big plus for me. Sample images below on Sony A7RV at 5600K. I used it for some Mushrooming out in a forest, it gave beautiful soft and natural-looking light. Especially when using the diffuser. I also used it as a side light on some creative portraits in the studio with gels and a smoke machine.

Hobolite Micro 8W Portable Bi-Color Continuous LED Lighting Kit — Sample images

You can check out the unboxing video below: