The Rotolight Aeos is a thin, light LED fixture aimed at portrait photographers and “videographers on the move.” The fixture is under one inch thick but manages to produce a claimed 5,750 lux at three feet, making it a practical option for use on location.
Rotolight Aeos: Design and construction
The body features integrated aluminium handles, and because the Aeos is so compact it mounts to a ball head rather than a more traditional yoke. That’s designed to give you more flexibility in terms of positioning, and Rotolight seem confident that the head can take the combined weight of the light and (optional) battery.
The Aeos is a bi-colour fixture, and features independent controls for brightness and colour temperature. There’s also a decent sized LED display built in to the back of the unit.
Power options, accessories, custom functions
Power comes from a mains adapter that’s included in the box, or there’s an optional V-mount adapter that clips to the back of the light. Other accessories include barn doors, a raincover, a soft box and a custom bag that can carry a complete light kit, including a couple of batteries. There’s also an optional yoke if you decide you want to mount the light in a grid.
The unit also includes some of Rotolight’s signature functions, including an f/stop readout for power and some simple lighting FX like a fire flicker and a TV simulation. There’s also a clever mode that mimics a photographic strobe, producing a flash that’s up to 250% brighter than the regular output of the light.
Rotolight Aeos: Pricing and availability
We tested the new Aeos (pre-production model) on the show floor with a Sekonic C-700 and when it was set at 3200k it recorded a kelvin reading of 3351k and a ⊿uv reading of -0.0051. The lights output at a distance of 1 meter was 3920lx. Below you can see the lights colour rendering results when set at 3200k.
When we tested the light at 5600k it recorded a kelvin reading of 5730k and a ⊿uv reading of -0.0073. The lights output at a distance of 1 meter was 3130lx. Below you can see the lights colour rendering results at 5600k.
The Aeos produced the most amount of output when it was set at 4200k where it outputed 5270lx at a distance of 1 meter.
The Rotolight Aeos will be available in May/June, priced at £749 or $999 US. The standard kit includes two diffusion filters, peach skin tone diffuser, a magenta filter, ball head and AC/DC power supply. For more information, head over to the Rotolight website.
