The Beamo Studio Deluxe Lighting Kit is designed to be a one-stop lighting solution for your home video studio. The kit includes a key light and a color background light to get your channel started.
In the box you will find a desk stand with a base, a key light, a flexible GorillaPod Arm to hold your mobile phone, and a Beamo Studio Background Light.
It is important to note that this is a desk kit. The light stand could be confused as a full-height stand in the product images. The full height of the stand is about 36 inches.
Note: JOBY sent us the JOBY Beamo Studio Deluxe Lighting Kit to review and keep. However, this is a completely independent review. All thoughts about this lighting are our own.
Pros
- The key light is bright enough to be effective
- The key light features 3 color temperatures
- Key light brightness has 10 levels of brightness
- Desk stand is sturdy
- Backlight features 12 colors
Cons
- Fully USB powered with no power supply
- Backlight is not bright enough to be useful
- Cables are too short
- GorrilaPod Arm difficult to keep at the angle I wanted
JOBY Beamo Studio Deluxe Lighting Kit — Technical Specifications
- WEIGHT: 3.97 lbs
- BRIGHTNESS [email protected]
- Key Light: 650 ±10%: Background Light: 90 (Red color) ±10%
- USB Powered: 5V/2A Power Supply Required (Not Included)
- PRODUCT CONTENTS: Key light with 180cm/5.9′ cable, table stand, phone mount, flexible arm, background light & 120cm/3.9′ USB power cable
- BEAM ANGLE: 120 °
- COLOR TEMPERATURE: 3200K±10%: 6500K±10%: 5600K ±10%
- DIMMABLE: YES, 10-step
- DIMENSIONS: 7.48 x 10.04 x 37.01 in
- MATERIAL: Stainless steel, ABS Plastic, TPE
- COLOR: Black
- LUMENS: Key Light: 350 ±10%: Background Light: 55 (Red color) ±10%
JOBY Beamo Studio Deluxe Lighting Kit — Build quality and ease of use
The kit was easy to assemble with the base being sturdy. The base is made of metal and heavy enough to keep the key light in place. The controller for the key light comes with a magnet on the bottom to keep it in place on the base which is a nice touch. The key light can tilt and rotate to whatever angle may suit your creative needs. The key light also has cold shoe ports for additional attachments like portable microphones or other lights.
The kit overall was easy and to assemble and I was up and running in just a few minutes. The controls for the lights are clear and easy to understand.
JOBY Beamo Studio Deluxe Lighting Kit — Usage
Unfortunately, that is where the positive aspects of this product ended for me. I found the lack of a power supply frustrating. Either a plug, a USB port, or a USB power pack is required. That being said, the cable for the key light is less than six feet long. The cable for the backlight is less than four feet in length. This means you need to be very close to a power source, especially for the backlight which is frustrating.
To make matters worse, the backlight is so underpowered it is nearly useless, so the short cable length likely won’t be an issue for you. Even with the room dark, lights off and blinds closed, using only the key light, the backlight was barely visible even against a white wall. The short cable also severely limited where you could place the light. This limits your options to make it more effective by bringing it closer or higher in relation to your background.
I found the GorillaPod a bit frustrating as well. It is used for holding the cellphone but would shift after I positioned it, causing me to have to adjust it several times to get it right. Bending it to the correct position was annoying as it would shift, and it is so short that it can only move an inch or two at most in any direction. In the end, I found just keeping it straight was the best option which kind of defeats the purpose.
While trying to get this product to work like the images on the box, I found myself trying to rearrange my office so this kit would work as advertised for me. I moved a desk closer to a white wall, changed out a chair, tried to place the backlight on a box so it would sit higher up, but it only led to more frustration.
JOBY Beamo Studio Deluxe Lighting Kit — Conclusion
If you are looking for a great key light with a solid base, then this product may be for you. It is important to note though, that you can find many products just as good for half to a third of the price of the Beamo Studio kit. The backlight I found to be ineffective and is sold separately for $34.95, so that is certainly adding to the higher cost of this kit. Again, there are better options for backlights.
Having my own YouTube channel, I can say from experience that this is a kit that will frustrate you. The short cable length, the lack of power options and the underpowered backlight are deal breakers. In the end, you will quickly find yourself replacing this for something better.
