Review: Stellar LED Vari-Zoom On Camera LED Light STL-AF5W + Smart Phone Bracket

*****UPDATE*****

I just went on stellar lightings website to write a review on my purchase, and the light is gone!! I did find another website that is selling the light - click here for the direct link! That site has it for $49.00 which is a few dollars less. Doesn't look like it comes with the phone bracket though.

Hello Beauties!

As promised here is my review on the LED Vari-Zoom On Camera LED Light + Smart Phone Bracket from Stellar Lighting! I've been using the light and phone bracket for almost two weeks now and feel comfortable enough to give a full review on it!

$59 + shipping & handling

Hope you enjoy and hope this helps you out if you are thinking about purchasing lighting for your photos... grab a snack because I feel a long (enjoyable & informative) post coming on!

 
Lets get right into it & start off with my list of Pros & Cons.... Well I want to start off with the bad news first so.... My list of Cons & Pros.

Cons:

Instructions:
The light came with no instructions- this was the biggest turn off to me, because there were also no instructions on the website. I know that I can play around with it and figure it out for myself, but I just feel better knowing that I read the instructions. I actually kinda broke it a little because there were no directions "/ I was shoving my phone in the bracket not knowing it has a button on the side to press to adjust the size! So my bumpers are dented on the top and bottom!! (you can see it if you look closely at the bumper of the phone bracket in the above photo) If I could just buy the phone bracket I would... It still works but it looks really ugly now and at that point I only had it for 5 minutes! I was so pissed!! So yeah... no instructions/ picture diagram nothing.... really annoying.

Reviews:

There are no reviews on the website or anywhere online.  (Anywhere that I've checked at least, and I checked the website of itself stellar lighting, instagram, amazon, google) I really had nothing to base this purchase off of without reading reviews of actual users.

False Information:
On the website it says that the light runs off of 3 AA batteries, it really runs off of 4 AA batteries.

Tracking:
No tracking information was given, when it was given it said it would get to me by Thursday... then after signing back in the tracking information was no longer available; I eventually received the light the evening of the next day- Friday.

Communication:
I called both numbers on the website during business hours & I got someone's cellphone generic voicemail.

Pros:

 

Communication:
Yes, communication is on the pro and con list.... I reached out to the Stellar Lighting Via their Instagram page on Thursday (the day delivery was supposed to be made) and asked for an update because I didn't have the tracking information and I was super excited to start using my light- they wrote back in a timely manner as well as sent me an email assuring that I would receive the next day (which I did)

Uses:
Once I played around with it enough and learned how to make the light and the phone bracket work best for me I love it! I find it handy and conveniently shaped making it easy to travel with.

Temperature:
It doesn't get hot! Big plus for me!! Imagine trying to take 100 selfies with a hot light beaming on your face! Or shining not only a bright but now  a hot light on your client!

 

Adding Accessories To Your Purchase:

Bluetooth:
I purchased a Bluetooth remote for my phone in order to snap better photos. I find that arms distance is still too close for my liking of the light. I ordered mine off of amazon.com for $5! I was debating between the black & green...
 

 
Ended up getting the green just to be different, but I know myself... I would've been happier with the black because it looks more professional and I just really like black. Ugh... gonna order another!

Tripod:
Purchasing a tripod is also a good idea if you are thinking about purchasing this light so you can set it at the distance you'd like and snap away with your Bluetooth remote!

photo from amazon.com

Additional Lighting:
If you want to capture the most "natural looking" lighting it's best to be surrounded with light... just having one light shining on you won't quite do the trick if the rest of lighting around you is off.

You can purchase inexpensive light boxes (2) to place on each side of yourself or your client- OR you can use natural lighting in addition to your LED phone light- that's what I find has been working best for me.

Product Highlights:                   

• 300 Lumens Output
• Flood / Spot Lighting via Fresnel Lens
• Soft Light / Hard Light
• Dimmable, Adjustable Focus
• 5wLED Chip (Cree R2)
• 5600k Daylight Color Temperature
• Low Power Consumption
• Extra Shoe Mounts
• Made In the USA

Fresnel lens at the front to adjust the light output from flood to spot, hard to soft

Dimming and adjustable focus to suit every lighting condition

5wLED Chip (Cree R2) is made in the USA and uses energy saving green technology

Low power consumption with a maximum output of 300 lumens

5600k daylight color temperature

Extra shoe mounts for adding additional lights and microphones

Powered by 4 AA batteries (not included)  ((description from bhphotovideo.com))

Final Thoughts:
I am happy with my purchase. I enjoy having the option of using it if I want. I brought it to a couple of freelance jobs and my clients love that I have it! It also helped me out when I needed a little extra light at one of my clients homes- I didn't shine it directly on her face but bounced it off the wall.

Example:



Light                            No Light

Both photos were taken with my iPhone 6 at further than "selfie" distance- they are both zoomed in.

 

Hope you guys enjoyed this review & found it useful- If you are interested in a post on how to use (How I use) and set up my light let me know! What are your thoughts? Would you consider purchasing something like this?

 
 
 
 
 "To be a star, you must shine your own light, follow your own path, and don't worry about the darkness, for that is when the stars shine brightest"





I have no affiliation with stellar lighting- I was not asked or paid to write this review, these are my own personal thoughts and opinions and photos.