Rotolight’s AEOS 2 is a lightweight, power-efficient, RGBWW LED light with an impressive range of features. It is a follow-up to the original AEOS that was launched way back in 2017.
I really liked the original AEOS because it was color accurate, had a decent output, low power draw, and it didn’t take up a lot of space in a bag.
Please note that this review is of a pre-production AEOS 2 and it wasn’t running the final firmware that will be found in the production units. While I do expect that some additional functionality will be added, for the most part, this review should give you a pretty good idea of what to expect.
So let’s dive in and see what improvements Rotolight has made with the new AEOS 2.
It’s all Greek to me
The origin of the name “AEOS” is from ancient Greek mythology, and like any Greek mythological name, there’s a great story behind it. Helios was the Greek god of the sun and each day he drove a chariot across the sky and circled the earth. Pulling his chariot were four Pegusi, one of which was named “AEOS.”
If it ain’t broke don’t fix it
The previous AEOS was a great light, so Rotolight didn’t need to go and re-invent the wheel. While they have kept the same basic design and shape, they did change a lot of what is under the hood.
The light now has full RGBWW capabilities and it is Kelvin color adjustable from 3000-10,000K. It also features an easy-to-use and intuitive touchscreen display which is essentially a scaled-down and simplified version of the system used on the Titan X1 and Titan X2.
Just like all of the current Rotolight offerings, the AEOS 2 can be used as a continuous lighting source as well as having the capability to be used as a High-Speed Sync flash. As the light features full RGBWW compatibility you can flash in any one of 16.7 million colors or 2,500 digital filters.
Weight & Size
The AEOS 2 weighs 1.4 kg / 3 lbs. It has physical dimensions of 11.5″ x 1″ / 29.5cm x 2.5cm. Rotolight claims that at just 2.5cm (1″) thick, it’s one of the most portable lights on the market.
You do need to keep in mind that the 2.5cm of thickness only applies to the actual panel. If you measure the light out to its deepest point, which is the built-in battery plate, the light is closer to 8cm (3.14″). This is still considerably thinner and lighter than most other 1×1 panels.
What you clearly need to factor in is that the 1.4 kg / 3 lbs weight figure doesn’t include the yoke frame. With the yoke frame attached the weight is just under 2 kg. Even still, 2 kg is very light for a fixture of this size.
So how does this weight compare to some other 1×1 sized RGBW lights? Below you can see:
| Weight | |
| Rotolight AEOS 2 | 1.4 kg / 3 lbs* |
| Litepanels Gemini 1 x 1 RGBWW LED Hard | 6 kg / 13.2 lb** |
| Luxli Timpani 1×1 RGBAW | 3.37 kg / 7.43 lb (Including Yoke) |
| Aputure Nova P300c RGBWW | 10.35 kg / 22.82 lb (Including Yoke, Cable, Frame, Mount, Receiver) |
| Rotolight Titan X1 RGBWW | 8.6 kg / 19.0 lb* |
| Lupo Superpanel Full Color 30 RGBWW | 3.7 kg / 8.16 lb |
| Lupo Superpanel Soft Full Color 30 1×1 RGBW | 3.7 kg / 8.16 lb |
| Creamsource Vortex4 1×1 RGBW | 11.4 kg / 25.1 lb (Including Yoke) |
* Not including power supply
** Features a built-in power supply.
As you can see, the weight of the AEOS 2 is pretty low, considering its size and capabilities.
Most traditional 1×1 LED panels as the name implies are 1ft x 1ft. The AEOS 2 is not square, but round. Its 29.5cm diameter is very comparable to that of a 1×1 LED panel but in a much lighter package. Of course, if you do want an even lighter and thinner 1×1 LED then flexible panels from companies such as Intellytech, Westcott, and Aladdin are available, but they don’t produce nearly as much output.
For anyone who travels a lot, weight is a constant concern. Excess baggage charges are not cheap and every pound you can save keeps more money in your pocket. This makes the AEOS 2 a compelling solution for shooters who would like to use LED panel lights but were perhaps using other options because they were worried about the weight.
The other big benefit of the AEOS 2 only weighing 1.4kg is that you can attach the light to a ball head. By doing this it gives you a lot more possibilities for lighting angles, shadow control, and creative manipulation of the light. Because most other LED panels weigh upwards of 3.5 kg, they have been too heavy for ball heads, so you had to use a yoke frame. The problem with yoke frames on any panel, is they sometimes limit the tilt angle, especially when you attach a softbox.
Not having to carry around a big yoke frame also allows the AEOS 2 to be packed into smaller bags which is always handy when you are traveling.
One of the biggest reasons to look at the AEOS 2 is the lack of weight and its small footprint.
Power Draw
I wouldn’t normally talk about power draw so high up in a lot of lighting reviews, but it was one of the AEOS’s biggest strengths. The original AEOS drew just 42W and that was one of its biggest appeals.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on which way you want to look at it, Rotolight has upped the power draw to 120W. This is a significant increase, however, the upside is that the light is a lot brighter than the original. Yes, you can still run it via a single flight safe battery, however, I would have liked to have seen the light draw under 100W. In saying that, most 1×1 panel style lights these days draw significantly more power and can’t be run via a single flight safe battery.
So how does the power draw compares to other fixtures:
| POWER DRAW | |
| Rotolight AEOS 2 | 120W |
| Litepanels Gemini 1 x 1 RGBWW LED Hard | 200W |
| Luxli Timpani 1×1 RGBAW | 120W |
| Aputure Nova P300c RGBWW | 360W |
| Rotolight Titan X1 RGBWW | 350W |
| Lupo Superpanel Full Color 30 RGBWW | 200W |
| Lupo Superpanel Soft Full Color 30 1×1 RGBW | 200W |
| Creamsource Vortex4 1×1 RGBW | 325W |
If you combine the lightweight and compact size of the AEOS 2 with its low power draw, it looks to be a good solution for news crews or shooters who travel a lot and need to keep their excess baggage to a minimum. The ability to take a light on location and be able to run it off a single flight-safe camera battery is something that shouldn’t be overlooked.
Build quality
Despite the low weight, the AEOS 2 like all of Rotolight’s latest fixtures is solidly made.
The buttons and controls are all nice to use.
The casing feels robust and the built-in aluminum handles are a nice touch and allow you to have someone hold the light for you if you are moving around with the camera.
The yoke frame locks in solidly onto the sides of the handles, however, when I tried tightening the locking knobs down as hard as I could, I was still able to move the light. This wasn’t a big issue and it didn’t affect how I was using the light. but I thought it was still worth mentioning.
The light comes with a built-in V-lock battery plate (why some manufacturers make this an optional extra on so-called portable field lights is beyond me), which makes a lot of sense given its size and portability.
Unfortunately, Rotolight doesn’t make an AB Gold Mount version, however, you could use an adapter plate if all you had was Gold Mount batteries.
RGBWW
The AEOS 2 features full RGBWW capabilities and it is Kelvin color adjustable from 3000-10,000K.
Physical Controls & Operation
I am glad that Rotolight moved away from the operating system that they used to employ on the NEO/NEO 2 and AEOS fixtures as these were not intuitive or easy to use. The new AEOS 2 features a touchscreen menu and interface.
In a lot of ways, it is a scaled-down, smaller version of the touchscreen operating system they introduced on the Titan X2 and Titan X1.
The new operating system is so much better than on the original AEOS. It is intuitive, easy to see, and most importantly, easy to use. I did find that it can be a little hard to set it to the exact output or Kelvin color temperature you want using the touchscreen sliders.
The light can be adjusted from 3000K up to 10,000K in increments of 20K. The light can also be dimmed from 100% to 1% in 0.5% increments.
What I like is that Rotolight allows you to make some changes using the two dials. You can’t access menus or modes with the dials, but you can make changes to things like intensity and Kelvin color temperature, etc. Not having to use the touchscreen can be handy, especially in colder environments where you have to wear gloves.
The light has a DC input, Ethernet, a port for flash control, and a USB port.
New Rotolight iOS & Andriod App
The AEOS 2 features integrated Bluetooth and WiFi and a new Rotolight iOS and Android app will allow users to switch between lighting modes to remotely adjust color, power, SFX, etc. The app also lets you create custom groups and projects for use with up to 20 lights simultaneously.
Having a wireless app is something that is long overdue. Above you can see a preview of what the app will look like.
This app isn’t going to be available till March so I wasn’t able to test it out in this review.
Mounting
The AEOS 2 has four 1/4 20″ mounting points. This gives the user a variety of ways to mount the fixture. However, most times you will probably be using it with the included yoke frame.
Increased Output
RGBWW 1×1 sized or similar lighting sources are great for solo operators or small-sized crews, but usually to obtain a decent amount of output they feature a high power draw. This can often mean that they aren’t suitable for anyone traveling because they need to be powered by batteries that you cannot take on planes.
What Rotolight didn’t want to do is to limit the amount of output, because that is usually what happens if you use a low power draw. There is always a fine line manufacturers have to walk to balance power draw and output. Rotolight has thought carefully about this and kept the AEOS 2’s power draw to 120W.
Rotolight claims that the AEOS 2 is capable of outputting 9230 lux at a distance of 1m /3.28 ft, however, Rotolight doesn’t list at what Kelvin color temperature this figure was recorded at. This claimed output is vastly more than that of the original AEOS. I will test out these claims later in the review.
Fans
The original AEOS didn’t feature any fans, but the AEOS 2 does. There are two small fans on the back of the fixture.
The fans are quite noisy when the light is on at higher outputs. If you have the light on for about 5-7 minutes the fans start to kick in. The fans, at least to my ear, continue to get even louder the longer the light is on. If you reduce the output level down to 50% the fans do get quieter after a couple of minutes. Eventually, they will almost turn off completely if you leave the output at 50%. If you turn the intensity up again, the fans will start making more noise after a few minutes.
The fans also seem to oscillate in frequency so the noise they generate is more noticeable. Above you can listen to the sound that they make.
Directly behind the AEOS 2 with the output set at 100% 
1m / 3.28 ft in front of the AEOS 2 with the output set to 100%
Above you can see measurements I took from directly behind the fixture and at 1m /3.28 ft in front. This was with the light set at 5600K and at 100% output.
When I moved the Kelvin color temperature down to 4650K (where the light has the most output) the fan noise was only marginally louder than when the light was used at 5600K.
RGBWW lights generate a lot more heat than regular LED lights and cooling becomes an issue especially if you are trying to get a lot of output. Rotolight has seemingly traded fan noise for more output.
On the pre-production version of the light I was testing there weren’t any options in the menu to control fan speed. When I reached out to Rotolight they told me that the AEOS 2 will feature a fan control setting (Auto, Stealth, Off) in the system menu, identical to that found on the Titan models. This will allow the user to select a Stealth mode or even Off so that if you are shooting video, the stealth mode would ensure no audible noise at all. Rotolight went on to tell me that the AEOS 2 has intelligent temperature sensors and that often the fan is not even on at all. It is only when the light is being pushed near maximum brightness levels for prolonged periods of time that the fans kick in even in auto mode.
Now, I haven’t been able to test the light with a firmware version that gives you fan control so I have no way of verifying whether it makes any difference to the noise levels. I would imagine that like with most lights that have fans, if you have it set on Stealth mode and it gets too hot, the fan will automatically kick in.
In a quiet room, if you tried to use this light at 100% output for an interview, at least in my professional opinion, the fan noise could potentially be an issue if the light is too close to where the audio is being recorded.
Operating Modes
CCT Mode
The traditional correlated color temperature (CCT) mode allows you to adjust your color temperature from 3000 to 10,000K in 20K increments. This lets you emulate any lighting condition, from the cool hues of bright sunlight to the warmth of a tungsten bulb. Dimming can be done in increments of 0.5%. Unlike some lights, the AEOS 2 actually stays on all the way down to 1%.
Despite being an RGBWW light, CCT Mode is the one most people will find themselves using the most often.
The unit I was testing didn’t have any +/- G/M adjustment. I am not sure if that is something that will be added to the shipping version of the light.
HSI Mode
In the HSI Mode, you can independently adjust hue, saturation, and intensity. This is easy to do on the AEOS 2 because of the nice graphic touchscreen interface.
Gels Mode
If you select the Filter Mode you can select from 2,500 different filters. It is very impressive to see so many filters available in the AEOS 2. There is literally a filter for just about any need you may encounter.
The only small caveat when you are in the Gel Mode is that you can only scroll through the selections using a button. You can’t do it via the touchscreen.
SFX Mode
Rotolight has always been known for its SFX and the AEOS 2 includes an SFX mode with 12 different effects you can choose from:
- Fade
- Lighting
- Strobe
- Cycle
- Fire
- Police
- TV
- Gunshot
- Neon
- Film
- Weld
- Paparazzi
These SFX are nice to have, and depending on what type of work you do they could come in very handy.
Flash Mode
The AEOS 2 combines the benefits of continuous light, with an High Speed Sync RGB flash, for more power or to freeze action.
The AEOS 2 features a HSS Flash Mode. So what is HSS flash? High Speed Sync works by continuously pulsing the flash at very high speeds creating a stroboscopic effect that illuminates the shutter slit as it moves down the sensor. As HSS outputs so many pulses (flashes of light), it creates the illusion of having a continuous light source. The drawback of HSS is that the actual light output from the flash will be lower and the output changes depending on the shutter speed. By using HSS you can create a consistent lighting source on your subject, but the flash (or in our case the AEOS 2) needs to be reasonably close to your subject.
As the AEOS 2 is an RGBWW fixture you can now flash in any one of 16.7 million colors or 2,500 digital filters.
So how does the AEOS 2 use HSS? Rotolight has an Elinchrom Skyport chip built right into the fixture. This 2.4 GHz Elinchrom Skyport Receiver makes it possible to use the AEOS 2 as a remote flash with high-speed sync support up to 1/8000 second. The AEOS 2 can be controlled by an optional Elinchrom remote, to wirelessly trigger the SFX on up to 10 lights in 4 groups at the same time. Rotolight claims this can be done up to 656′ (200m) away. You can also use any other flash trigger with a PC sync port, but you won’t be able to control the power output remotely.
One of the problems with using traditional flash photography is the recycle time. Photography strobes can only keep firing for a certain amount of time before they need to re-charge up to be used again. The AEOS 2 has no such problem as it doesn’t need any recycling time so it can keep firing the flash continuously.
Now, from my tests, I found that if you used the HSS mode on the AEOS 2 (5600K) and compared it directly to a Canon 600 EX-RT flash (set to HSS Mode ISO 400, F4, and 1/400th shutter speed) at a distance of 1m /3.28′, the Canon flash had to be set at 1/32 power to match the AEOS 2 when it was set at 100% (with Max + activated) to achieve the same result. Please note that these tests with the AEOS 2 were done using a battery and not mains power.
To keep this test even, the Diffusion Dome was attached to the AEOS 2 and the Canon flash was punched through the same Diffusion Dome.
One thing traditional flashes can’t do is HSI or change Kelvin color temperature without the use of filters or gels. This is an advantage that the AEOS 2 has. You also can’t shoot video with a flash, whereas with the AEOS 2 you have the ability to shoot both stills and video with one light. This is handy for anyone doing multi-media work. While it isn’t going to have anywhere near the power of a flash or strobe, it will work reasonably well indoors in controlled environments.
Connectivity
The AEOS 2 has an Ethernet port, a Flash Sync Port, and a USB input for firmware updates.
There is WI-FI & Bluetooth via iOS & Android app and you can use the fixture as a transmitter or receiver for HSS flash.
Beam Angle
The AEOS 2 has a pretty tight beam angle of 50 degrees. Tight beam angles can be found on quite a few 1×1 RGBW lights.
Below you can see what the beam angle is of other 1×1 or similar sized lights:
| BEAM ANGLE | |
| Rotolight AEOS 2 | 50° |
| Litepanels Gemini 1 x 1 RGBWW LED Hard | 46° |
| Luxli Timpani 1×1 RGBAW | 78° |
| Aputure Nova P300c RGBWW | 120° |
| Rotolight Titan X1 RGBWW | 68° to 150° |
| Lupo Superpanel Full Color 30 RGBWW | 40° |
| Lupo Superpanel Soft Full Color 30 1×1 RGBW | 115° |
| Creamsource Vortex4 1×1 RGBW | 20° |
As you can see, the beam angle of some other 1×1 style RGBWW fixtures varies dramatically.
Photometrics
So now let’s get to the photometric results. I always test lights in this way so that I get a reference to how they compare to other fixtures. Results only tell part of the story and should never be used alone to judge a light. I have found from extensive testing over the years that certain lights that have good photometric results don’t always look good, and lights that have worse photometric scores can sometimes look better than their results indicate. It is important that you don’t judge a light from one individual result. You have to gather all the data to make a comprehensive conclusion.
Different lights can also look different depending on what camera you happen to be using.
Output & Color Temperature Accuracy
I tested the Rotolight AEOS 2 at a variety of Kelvin color temperatures with a Sekonic C-800 Spectrometer to find out how much output the light had and how accurate the Kelvin color temperature reproduction was.
All readings are taken at a distance of 1m (3.28ft) in a controlled environment.
The most output I could obtain was when I measured the light at 4700K where it produced 9500 lx. This slightly exceeded Rotolight’s claim of the light having a maximum output of 9230 lx.
Below you can see recorded results at a variety of Kelvin color temperatures.
5600K (no diffusion dome)
Above you can see the AEOS 2 when set at 5600K recorded an output of 7060 lx (655 fc) when set at 5600K. As a comparison, the original Rotolight AEOS had an output of 3370 lx (313 fc).
The light recorded a Kelvin color temperature reading of 5674K which was reasonably accurate. As a reference, the original Rotolight AEOS recorded a figure of 5629K.
So, how does the output at 5600K compare to some other 1×1 style RGBW lights that I previously reviewed? Well, let’s see.
| OUTPUT | |
| Rotolight AEOS 2 | 7060 lx |
| Litepanels Gemini 1 x 1 RGBWW LED Hard | 15700 lx |
| Luxli Timpani 1×1 RGBAW | 3380 lx |
| Aputure Nova P300c RGBWW | 9600 lx |
| Rotolight Titan X1 RGBWW | 8210 lx |
| Lupo Superpanel Full Color 30 RGBWW | 16900 lx |
| Lupo Superpanel Soft Full Color 30 1×1 RGBW | 4380 lx |
The Rotolight AEOS 2 certainly has a good amount of output, but it isn’t going to have as much output as a Lupo Superpanel Full Color 30 RGBWW or a Litepanels Gemini 1 x 1 RGBWW LED Hard. However, it does draw quite a lot less power and it is significantly lighter than both of those fixtures. What you need to take into account when looking at the output of any light is what the beam angle is. Comparing different lights that have different beam angles and power draws is never an apples-to-apples comparison.
What you also clearly need to take into consideration, and this goes for any light with a decent amount of output, is that if a light doesn’t feature any type of diffusion it is not going to be suitable for lighting situations where talent needs to look towards its direction.
As far as an accurate rendition of creating a 5600K source here is how it compares to those other lights:
| CCT | |
| Rotolight AEOS 2 | 5674K |
| Litepanels Gemini 1 x 1 RGBWW LED Hard | 5370K |
| Luxli Timpani 1×1 RGBAW | 5367K |
| Aputure Nova P300c RGBWW | 5426K |
| Rotolight Titan X1 RGBWW | 5512K |
| Lupo Superpanel Full Color 30 RGBWW | 6322K |
| Lupo Superpanel Soft Full Color 30 1×1 RGBW | 5423K |
As you can see, the AEOS 2 was the most Kelvin color temperature accurate at 5600K that I have tested so far, although it only beat out the Titan X1 by 4K! You shouldn’t jump to any conclusions just yet, we need to look at all of the data to come up with an accurate assessment of a light.
5600K (Diffusion Dome)
Above you can see the AEOS 2 when set at 5600K with the diffusion dome attached recorded an output of 4440 lx (413 fc). This was 37% less than what it put out without the diffusion dome.
As a comparison, the Lupo Superpanel Soft Full Color 30 1×1 RGBW which has a non-removable diffusion panel in front of it puts out 4380 lx. The Lupo has a beam spread of 115°, but I am not sure what the beam angle of the Rotolight is once you use it with the diffusion dome. You also need to factor in that the Rotolight draws 120W and the Lupo draws 200W.
The light recorded a Kelvin color temperature reading of 5409K which was almost 200K from being accurate. This clearly shows me that the diffusion filter is altering the Kelvin color temperature by a few hundred Kelvin.
3200K
Above you can see the lights output when it was set at 3200K. It produced 4860 lx (452 fc), which was 45.26% less than the 7060 lx it produced at 5600K. As a comparison, the original Rotolight AEOS had an output of 2970 lx (275 fc).
As far as Kelvin color temperature accuracy goes, it recorded a reading of 3237K. This was an excellent result. As a reference, the original Rotolight AEOS recorded a figure of 3234K.
So, how does the output at 3200K compare to some other 1×1 style RGBW lights that I previously reviewed? Well, let’s see.
| OUTPUT | |
| Rotolight AEOS 2 | 4860 lx |
| Litepanels Gemini 1 x 1 RGBWW LED Hard | 12500 lx |
| Luxli Timpani 1×1 RGBAW | 3480 lx |
| Aputure Nova P300c RGBWW | 8500 lx |
| Rotolight Titan X1 RGBWW | 8480 lx |
| Lupo Superpanel Full Color 30 RGBWW | 13900 lx |
| Lupo Superpanel Soft Full Color 30 1×1 RGBW | 4150 lx |
The Rotolight AEOS 2 has a lot less output at 3200K than it has at 5600K.
As far as an accurate rendition of creating a 3200K source here is how it compares to those other lights:
| CCT | |
| Rotolight AEOS 2 | 3237K |
| Litepanels Gemini 1 x 1 RGBWW LED Hard | 3145K |
| Luxli Timpani 1×1 RGBAW | 3380K |
| Aputure Nova P300c RGBWW | 3087K |
| Rotolight Titan X1 RGBWW | 3150K |
| Lupo Superpanel Full Color 30 RGBWW | 3181K |
| Lupo Superpanel Soft Full Color 30 1×1 RGBW | 3065K |
As you can see, the AEOS 2 has a very accurate Kelvin color temperature reading at 3200K and it was right up there with the best results I have seen.
How does it perform at various Kelvin color temperatures?
Summary of results
| SETTING | OUTPUT | CCT READING |
| 3000K | 4470 lx | 3043K |
| 3200K | 4860 lx | 3237K |
| 4500K | 7520 lx | 4454K |
| 4700K | 9500 lx | 4730K |
| 5600K | 7060 lx | 5674K |
| 6500K | 5070 lx | 6683K |
| 8000K | 4870 lx | 8323K |
| 10000K | 5190 lx | 11107K |
These results show me that the light’s Kelvin color accuracy is pretty consistent up to 5600K. Only at 6500K and 10000K is it a little off. As I previously mentioned, the light has by far the most output when it is used at 4600/4700K.
The AEOS 2’s output varies by a whopping 112.5% across the whole Kelvin spectrum. You clearly need to be aware of this when using the light. It might be very bright at some Kelvin color temperatures, but at others, it can be way less. I personally would have liked to have seen a bit more consistency across the Kelvin color range even if it was at the expense of output.
Now, I reached out to Rotolight about this issue and they told me:
As with Titan, the shipping firmware for AEOS 2 and NEO 3 will feature a selectable brightness mode control for “constant lux” or “max lux” mode in the system page, with Max Lux as factory default (as with both Titan’s). In Max lux mode, the Rotolight system extracts the maximum possible output from the LEDs at all times, at all color temperatures. This is significantly advantageous where raw power is critical and very useful in closed studio environments (and photographers wanting more power) where camera white balance can be set to match 4600K and therefore utilize all available power. To test peak lux output, please set the light to 4600 Kelvin “midpoint”, where both the warm and cool channels of the RGBWW chip at set to max power (as per the technical specifications).
In constant lux mode, the light will deliver an entirely consistent lux output across all power settings, at the expense of a raw performance peak at the midpoint.
By providing customers with the choice, you maximize the opportunities for users to get the most out of the light depending on their usage. Photographers would almost always prefer raw maximum output, whereas videographer/filmmakers may prefer totally consistent lux regardless of CCT.
Titan has always worked in this way with exactly the same performance characteristics and customers really appreciate the choice in our experience (in Titan system menu you’ll find the Brightness Mode > Constant Lux/ Max Lux ).
RGB Output
With most RGB lights if you use them to generate or create colors the output gets massively reduced. So how does the AEOS 2 fare?
I decided to do a test to see how much output the light had when I created a super-saturated color.
In the HSI mode, choosing a saturated red, and set to 100% output, the light recorded an output of 2110 lx / 196 fc. This is something you need to be clearly aware of when using the HSI mode. The output is going to be significantly lower than when using the light in CCT mode. In saying that, this is an impressive amount of output from a light of this size.
What I found is that the light was able to create an accurate fully saturated RED.
Color Rendering
5600K
So now that we have seen how much output the AEOS 2 produces, how does it perform when it comes to replicating accurate colors? Above you can see that when the light was set at 5600K it recorded an average CRI (R1-R8) of 96.0 and an extended CRI (R1-R15) of 93.29. For replicating accurate skin tones it recorded for R9 79.5 (red), 95.4 for R13 (closest to caucasian skin tones), and 91.7 for R15 (closest to Asian skin tones). These were not bad results, but I expected to see slightly higher scores. The score for R9 (Red) was below 80, as was the score for R12 (Blue).
The light, when set at 5600K, recorded a TLCI score of 98.
How does this compare to some other RGBW 1×1 style lights that we have previously reviewed when used at 5600K? Below you can see:
| EXTENDED CRI | |
| Rotolight AEOS 2 | 93.29 |
| Litepanels Gemini 1 x 1 RGBWW LED Hard | 96.52 |
| Luxli Timpani 1×1 RGBAW | 96.2 |
| Aputure Nova P300c RGBWW | 95.34 |
| Rotolight Titan X1 RGBWW | 95.44 |
| Lupo Superpanel Full Color 30 RGBWW | 93.59 |
| Lupo Superpanel Soft Full Color 30 1×1 RGBW | 93.4 |
The scores from the AEOS 2 were not quite as good as some of the competition, however, any score in the 90s is good for a LED light.
3200K
Above you can see the scores for when the light was used at 3200K. It recorded an average CRI (R1-R8) of 93.3 and an extended CRI (R1-R15) of 91.28. For replicating accurate skin tones it recorded 81.1 for R9 (red), 91.3 for R13 (closest to caucasian skin tones), and 91.3 for R15 (closest to Asian skin tones).
These results weren’t as good as when the light was used at 5600K.
The light, when set at 3200K, recorded a TLCI score of 98.
How does this compare to other similar on-camera style lights when used at 3200K? Below you can see:
| EXTENDED CRI | |
| Rotolight AEOS 2 | 91.28 |
| Litepanels Gemini 1 x 1 RGBWW LED Hard | 93.22 |
| Luxli Timpani 1×1 RGBAW | 95.45 |
| Aputure Nova P300c RGBWW | 95.64 |
| Rotolight Titan X1 RGBWW | 91.83 |
| Lupo Superpanel Full Color 30 RGBWW | 90.7 |
| Lupo Superpanel Soft Full Color 30 1×1 RGBW | 91.86 |
It was interesting to see that the AEOS 2 had almost an identical score to the Titan X1. This makes sense as both lights are supposed to be using the same LEDs and light engine.
Thoughts
The Rotolight AEOS 2 recorded pretty good results, however, the scores weren’t as high as some of the other similar lights that I have tested. Now, we shouldn’t jump to conclusions and we still need to consider a lot more factors.
CC Index & ⊿uv
The CC Index displays the CC correction value and whether any magenta or green need to be added or subtracted. 1 CC corresponds to 035 Kodak CC values or 1/8 Rosco filter values. Any reading less than +1.00 or -1.00 and you’re probably not going to need to make any kind of adjustment. The ⊿uv is the value to show how much this light is away from being an ideal light source (black body radiation = incandescent lamp). As with the CC Index you want this number to theoretically be zero. Kelvin is not a linear value, so we need to convert from Kelvin to MK-1 to compare the values of color temperature. To calculate from Kelvin to Mired is MK-1= 1*1000000/Kelvin. While this may sound confusing, it is the only way of measuring if the Kelvin shift is significant enough to warrant having to use a filter for correction. Below are the results for the AEOS 2:
Kelvin Vs MK-1
| Kelvin | Difference in K | MK-1 | Difference in MK-1 | |
| SET VALUE | 3000K | 0 | 333.33 | 0 |
| ACTUAL READING | 3043K | 43 | 328.62 | 4.71 MK-1 |
| SET VALUE | 3200K | 0 | 312.50 | 0 |
| ACTUAL READING | 3237K | 37 | 308.92 | 3.58 MK-1 |
| SET VALUE | 4500K | 0 | 222.22 | 0 |
| ACTUAL READING | 4454K | 46 | 224.51 | -2.29 MK-1 |
| SET VALUE | 5600K | 0 | 178.57 | 0 |
| ACTUAL READING | 5674K | 74 | 176.24 | 2.33 MK-1 |
| SET VALUE | 6500K | 0 | 153.85 | 0 |
| ACTUAL READING | 6683K | 276 | 149.63 | 4.22 MK-1 |
| SET VALUE | 8000K | 0 | 125 | 0 |
| ACTUAL READING | 8323K | 178 | 120.14 | 4.86 MK-1 |
| SET VALUE | 10000K | 0 | 100 | 0 |
| ACTUAL READING | 11107K | 1614 | 90.03 | 9.97 MK-1 |
These figures might look confusing, but what it tells me is that the light is very Kelvin color-accurate from 3000K up to 8000K. Any MK-1 score of -/+6 or under is considered to be very good.
CC INDEX & ⊿uv
| CC INDEX | ⊿uv | |
| 3000K | 0.0 | -0.0002 |
| 3200K | 0.0 | -0.0002 |
| 4500K | 0.0 | 0.0000 |
| 5600K | 0.1M | 0.0022 |
| 6500K | 0.2G | 0.0010 |
| 8000K | 0.5G | 0.0011 |
| 10000K | 1.0G | 0.0005 |
The ⊿uv scores were excellent for this light. The CC index readings were also exceptionally good from 3000K to 6500K.
When I asked Rotoloight about the higher CC index scores once you get above 6500K I was told: These will be fully optimized prior to shipping such that the entire range is within 0.2 G/M +/- . Final calibration is the final step once we have a mass of production light such that average values can be taken to achieve optimized calibration maps for the shipping lights.
TM-30
TM-30 is a relatively new color rendering standard that was developed to deal with the limitations of CRI. TM-30 looks at 99 individual colors. These 99 colors are categorized into seven groups: nature, skin color, textiles, paints, plastics, printed material, and color systems.
TM-30 scores go from 0 – 100. The higher the score, the more accurate a light is at producing colors. Any TM-30 Rf score in the ’90s is considered to be good. What is interesting and something that you need to be very aware of is that two separate light sources with the exact same CRI scores can render colors very differently. A light with a high CRI rating could have a low TM-30 score. Conversely, a light with a good TM-30 score could have a bad CRI score.
Now, there are two measurements associated with TM-30, Rf and Rg.
- Rf (Color Fidelity)
- Rg (Color Gamut)
With Rf value, ideally, you want a score in the 90’s.
With Rg value, a score below 100 indicates that the light source renders colors with less saturation than the reference source. So ideally you want this score to be above 100.
3000K 
3200K 
4500K 
5600K 
6500K 
8000K 
10000K
Above you can see the scores for the NEO 3 at various Kelvin color temperatures.
Here are the results:
| Rf | Rg | |
| 3000K | 92 | 100 |
| 3200K | 91 | 101 |
| 4500K | 91 | 101 |
| 5600K | 92 | 101 |
| 6500K | 90 | 99 |
| 8000K | 89 | 97 |
| 10000K | 87 | 97 |
These results are good from 3000K up to 5600/6500K.
SSI
SSI (Spectral Similarity Index) was developed by the Sci-Tech Council of the Academy. SSI gives me the ability to set any light as a standard, or use predefined standards (such as CIE D55), and then give other lights an SSI score based upon how well they will match standards such as CIE D55. This way I can measure spectral response and compare it directly against an ideal light source. This is actually a much better test than recording CRI scores.
In this graph, the red bars indicate a perfect Planck 3200K source. The gold bars indicate a perfect 3200K Tungsten source. This lets us compare how close to a perfect 3200K lighting source the AEOS 2 is. Any SSI score in the low ’80s is very good for a 3200K LED light. As you can see, LED lights have a hard time replicating colors below about 450nm.
In the graph above the gold bars indicate a perfect CIE D55 source. The red bars indicate a perfect CIE D 5600K source. A score in the low to mid 70’s is good for a 5600K LED source. The AEOS 2 scored 71.
The main reason we want to record SSI scores is so we can see how well they match with other lights. As an example, let’s see how well it matches with an ARRI Orbiter and a Creamsource Vortex8. Above you can see the results at 3200K and 5600K. As you can see, the AEOS 2 matched reasonably well with the Creamsource Vortex8, but not so well with the ARRI Orbiter.
SSI tests are a great way of telling you what lights you own or use will work well together.
Spectral Distribution
Above you can see the spectral distribution of the AEOs when it is set at 5600K. The spectral distribution is not overly linear and you can see spikes about 520nm and 640nm.
Above you can see the spectral distribution of the AEOS 2 when it is set at 3200K. The spectral distribution is reasonably full but there is a noticeable push towards green.
Real-World Performance & Quality of Light
As I always say, photometric scores only tell you part of the story. So do the scores from the AEOS 2 translate into real-world performance? The photometric data can only give me scientific data and it is much more important for me to see how the light actually looks and performs.
Light on (5600K 100% output) 
Light off
Above you can see the brightness and quality of light from the AEOS when compared to no light.
The light can be made to look quite soft, but again, anytime you diffuse a lighting source you are going to lose a lot of output.
Despite having a decent amount of output, a single AEOS 2 isn’t going to help you match a very bright background if you are using it outdoors, however, that is the case for quite a few 1×1 style lights. The other issue when using this light or any other light that doesn’t have diffusion is that it is very hard for talent to look towards it. The light really needs to be positioned so that it isn’t in the direct eye line of talent because they won’t be able to look towards it. In most cases, if you are lighting talent for a live cross, etc. and you only have access to 1×1 style lights, it is best to use two lights coming in on angles so you don’t blind your talent.
Above you can see a color checker chart that I shot using the AEOS 2 as the lighting source. I preset the camera’s WB to 5600K to see what the colors looked like with the light set at 5600K and then I did a WB on the camera to see how much it changed. As you can see there isn’t a massive difference between the two images, however, once I did a manual WB the image did become a little warmer.
If you don’t diffuse it you will get cross-hatched shadows if the object you are illuminating to too close to something else. In most instances, you probably won’t be doing this with a light, but it is important that you are aware of it.
Light On 
Light Off
Above you can see how much output it produces if I punch the light directly into a ceiling. There is also a comparison image with the light turned off where the camera settings remain the same.
The AEOS 2 has a good amount of output considering its size and power draw. It is solidly made and easy to use and operate. The color rendering is good and the Kelvin color temperature accuracy is impressive.
Having RGBWW capabilities, digital filters, and special effects are nice, but most users will just want to create really nice white light, and that is something the AEOS 2 can certainly do.
Firmware Updatable
Like a lot of today’s lights, the AEOS 2 is fully firmware upgradeable. Above you can see a video that shows you how to do the update.
Competition
The main competition for the Rotolight AEOS 2 arguably comes in the form of lights such as:
- Litepanels Gemini 1 x 1 RGBWW LED Hard
- Luxli Timpani 1×1 RGBAW
- Aputure Nova P300c RGBWW
- Rotolight Titan X1 RGBWW
- Lupo Superpanel Full Color 30 RGBWW
- Lupo Superpanel Soft Full Color 30 1×1 RGBW
All of these lights have their strengths and weaknesses. It is important to note that a lot of these competing lights are actually the same light that has just been rebranded under a different name.
The closest direct competitors, at least in my opinion are the Luxli Timpani 1×1 RGBAW and the Lupo Superpanel Full Color 30 RGBWW.
Price & Availability
The Rotolight AEOS 2 is priced at $1,399 USD. The Rotolight AEOS 2 Explorer Kit is $1,799 USD, the Rotolight AEOS 2 Masters Kit is $2,799.00 USD, and the AEOS 2 Ultimate Kit is $3,999 USD.
The AEOS 2 comes with the following:
- 1x AEOS 2 & Diffuser Dome,
- 1 x PSU & regional power cable
The AEOS 2 Explorer kit comes with the following:
- 1 x AEOS 2
- 1 x Diffuser Dome
- 1x Softbag
- 1x 95wh Battery & charger
- 1 x PSU & regional power cable
The AEOS 2 Masters Kit comes with the following:
- 2 x AEOS 2
- 2 x Diffuser Dome
- 2 x stands
- 1 x Softbag
- 2 x PSU & regional power cables
The AEOS 2 Ultimate Kit comes with the following:
- 2 x AEOS 2
- 2 x Diffuser Dome
- 2 x stands
- 2 x 95wh Battery & Charger
- 1 x Softbag
- 2 x PSU & regional power cables
The AEOS 2 is around $400 USD more than the original AEOS.
Below you can see how the price compares to the competition:
| PRICE | |
| Rotolight AEOS 2 | $1,399 USD |
| Litepanels Gemini 1 x 1 RGBWW LED Hard | $2,246.75 USD |
| Luxli Timpani 1×1 RGBAW | $849.99 USD |
| Aputure Nova P300c RGBWW | $1,699 USD |
| Rotolight Titan X1 RGBWW | $3,999 USD |
| Lupo Superpanel Full Color 30 RGBWW | $1,698 USD |
| Lupo Superpanel Soft Full Color 30 1×1 RGBW | $1,698 USD |
These are the current listed prices on B&H as of 1st February 2022.
Accessories
Smartsoft Box
The Smartsoft Box lets you switch from a soft output to a harder light source. According to Rotolight, Smartsoft Box is the world’s first intelligent softbox. It has been designed specifically for the AEOS 2. SmartSoft Box electronically adjusts your light’s diffusion, focus, and spread without the need for gels. You can control it via the touchscreen display or by using the Rotolight app.
The Smartsoft Box mounts onto barndoors. The Smatsoft Box will likely come in at around £399.
Rotolight Universal Speedring Adaptor
The Rotolight Universal Speedring adaptor lets you use a wide array of Bowens-mount modifiers on the Rotolight NEO and AEOS fixtures.
The Bowens mount adapter is anticipated to come in below $100 USD.
Final thoughts
The AEOS 2 offers a decent amount of output, coupled with a low power draw. The build quality is good and the light has excellent Kelvin color temperature accuracy.
Yes, the beam angle is quite tight, but that is fairly common on quite a lot of high output 1×1 fixtures.
Given the light is targeted pretty much directly at news crews and shooters who travel a lot, it’s fair to say Rotolight has tried to make a good compromise between output and power draws. With the increased output, the AEOS 2 is now a lot more versatile and could be used for a variety of lighting applications. To be honest there are very few if any 1×1 panel lights available that you can use for every lighting scenario. A 1×1 panel is never going to replace an HMI, but some of the high output choices that are available can make for a good alternative.
The ability to use the light for both stills and video makes it appealing to anyone who does multi-media work. The integrated v-lock battery plate and the ability to run the light at 100% from a flight safe battery is something that shouldn’t be overlooked.
The negatives for me are the fan noise when running the light at full power, the lack of +/- green adjustment, and the inconsistency in the output depending on what Kelvin color temperature you are running it at.
Despite these complaints, I still really like the AEOS 2. The low power draw and output are features that other companies offering similar solutions just can’t compete against. Having a portable, lightweight, low-power draw RGBWW fixture that has a decent output makes the AEOS 2 a very compelling option.
What do you think about the Rotolight AEOS 2? Let us know in the comments section below.
