Review: Lume Cube RGB Panel Pro 2.0 light

Lume Cube released the updated RGB Panel Pro 2.0. About the size of a smartphone, it produces high-quality RGB and white light.

Note: Lume Cube sent us the RGB Panel Pro 2.0 to review and keep. However, this is a completely independent review. All thoughts about this product are our own.

Pros

• Small yet bright, whether using CCT or RGB
• With a CRI of 96+, the light holds detail
• Simple to use, particularly through the Lume Control app
• Classy, durable build and design
• Charges via USB and includes a high-quality braided charging cable instead of a cheap cable
• Offers a meaningful estimate of the remaining power based on the current setting rather than a tiny segmented bar.

Cons

• The panel’s LCD’s blue lettering is difficult to see in bright sunlight (this would be good reason to use the Lume Control app instead)
• It lacks magnetic attraction
• It’s expensive

Lume Cube RGB Panel Pro 2.0 — Technical specifications

All of the technical specifications for the Lume Cube RGB Panel Pro 2.0 are from the official Lume Cube website.

• Panel Pro 2.0 vs. Original Panel Pro — 11% brighter bi-color | 400% brighter RGB | 10% more Lumens | 96+ CRI vs. 90+ CRI | 20% longer battery life | wider temperature range 2700K — 7500K vs. 3200 — 5600K | new green/magenta tint control | more durable design | built-in power bank | brand new app
• Dimensions — 6″ (width) x 3.14″ (height) x .43″ (depth)
• Full Spectrum RGB Colors — Over 16 million color options, allowing you to transform any photo or video shoot effortlessly
• 204 LEDs — Powerful high-quality LED lights
• 2700K — 7500K Color Temperature — Set the mood or maintain true-to-life skin tones in any environment
• 835 lux at .5 meters — Ensures well-lit, detailed shots with enhanced clarity and definition
• 595 Lumens — Provides the optimal level of brightness to illuminate you or your subject in unpredictable lighting conditions
• 96+ CRI Rating — Impeccable color accuracy ensures that you or your subject appear natural and vibrant
• Lume Control App — Bluetooth control of your Panel Pro 2.0, including a Photo Eyedropper to match your light to any color with one touch.
• Pre-Programmed Special Effects — Seven pre-programmed special effects, with 10 stepless speed settings for each
• Rechargeable Lithium Battery — Up to 4 hours at 50% power and 2 hours at 100% power
• Dynamic Run Time Updates — Battery run time will automatically update as you change settings
• Camera Mount — Compatible with Nikon / Sony / Canon / Fuji / Panasonic DSLR cameras. (author: yes, it fits Pentax cameras too!)
• Diffusion Lens (Included) — To soften your light and add dimension
• Power Bank Functionality — 16.72 Wh Battery Capacity with a 12.54 Wh Output can charge an iPhone Pro Max ~ 0.8 times (up to about 80%) or a regular iPhone ~1 full charge

Lume Cube RGB Panel Pro 2.0 — Ergonomics and build quality

Ergonomics

The light is easy to hold or mount. There are two threaded 1/4″-20 holes so you may screw this on to a tripod or other stand. You may also attach this to a camera via the included cold shoe mount. All switches are easy to use, even with large hands.

Build quality

The light has a classy build and finish to it, partially due to its one-piece aluminum housing. The buttons and switch feel solid and do not wiggle. The light panel is the approximate size and weight of a smartphone. At 6″ x 3.14″ x 0.43″, it is almost the same size as an iPhone 14 Pro in a case.

This small light delivers a 595 Lumen output and 96+ CRI for excellent color accuracy. The 204 LEDs packed into this light are rather bright, especially in RGB mode.

Instead of the cheapest possible charging cable, Lume Cube sent a quality braided cable with rubber shielding to reduce the area where the cable meets the connector from being bent and broken.

RGB Panel Pro 2.0 vs. the previous model

The RGB Panel Pro 2.0 is 11% brighter in CCT ((Correlated Color Temperature) mode and 400% brighter in the RGB function. Its battery life is 20% longer. The CCT mode is wider now, ranging from 2700K — 7500 Kelvin vs. 3200 — 5600 Kelvin. It also has tint control and a more durable design.

Lume Cube RGB Panel Pro 2.0 — In the field

Mounting options

Because it is the size of a smartphone, I found that I was also able to mount it on a selfie stick or tripod with a smartphone mount. Of course, you can use it with a stand, tripod, or hot shoe mount as well. Because of this flexibility in mounting it, the RGB Panel Pro 2.0 is very easy to use for a variety of situations, including product photography. 

Diffuser

I’ve used some light panels where the diffuser was difficult to remove. This is particularly aggravating when you’re photographing at night.

Not so with this one. The snap-on diffuser is very easy to remove, and even easier to put on. The diffuser works well like any frosted white plastic you may have used before.

Battery life

The light features a rechargeable lithium battery. Lume Cube states that the battery lasts for 2 hours at maximum (100%) power, and about 4 hours at 50% power. The battery life indicator is also accurate down to the minute, so you can estimate how long you can go at a given setting. This is a fantastic feature, far more useful than battery indicators that only have four or five-segmented indicators.

The unit can also function as a power bank, charging a cellphone. This is a feature I ordinarily wouldn’t use, but if faced with a compelling reason to do so, it’s nice to know that it can do this.

Video and podcasting

The light can be used for creating videos or video podcasting. With its pleasing white light and diffuser, you could certainly use it to illuminate yourself by mounting it to the camera or on a tripod or stand nearby.

You could also use it to create interesting color effects (presumably in back of you, but hey, if you want this flashing in your face, you do you!). This includes the various effects it has, including Lightning, Fire, Candle, Siren, and TV. Set this up in the background to add interest to your video podcasts or creative Zoom meetings.

Furthermore, you may use the light while powering it via USB-C.

Night photography

Of course, I’m not going to review an RGB light panel without discussing night photography, am I? No. Because of the aforementioned multiple mounting methods, mounting it to a stand, tripod, selfie stick, or smartphone mount is easy. Since it’s also small and light, you may also use gaffer’s tape to stick the panel almost anywhere. It’d be nice if this had magnetic attraction.

And since it’s small and light, it takes up very little room in the camera bag.

I used it for two nights of night photography with light painting. I didn’t need to recharge it, and at the end, it still had 5.3 hours based on 22% brightness, the setting I used most of the time for light painting under a full moon with an ISO of 200. I would set a very dim setting if I were doing high-ISO Milky Way photography.

I used the app from as far as 100 feet away. It may go further than that, but that’s how far I was when I walked away with it while controlling it. I used the controls on the unit itself, which were easy to use and read at night.

If you are light painting foreground subjects with the panel, you could use Cinefoil or something similar to block the edges. This would give you the instant ability to light paint with high-quality white or colored lights that hold detail.

Remember, although this small light has the ability to get very bright, you can frequently use it on very low settings to achieve your goal, whether using it as a stationary light or light painting subjects. This is true when photographing near a full moon. And it’s doubly true when using high-ISO settings for the Milky Way. For this, you might want to use the 1% brightness setting, which the light panel offers.

As you can see, the light panel is quite good at handheld light painting. It holds detail, and the light is rather pleasing. It would work effectively as a stationary light as well. I prefer to illuminate my subjects handheld for maximum control, details, and nuance, but as always, your mileage may vary.

Product photography

I did not use the light panel for product photography. There was a reason for this. If the light is as pleasing and detailed as it is for night photography, then using it in a controlled environment will pose no challenges for this light. After all, what is a truck if not a very large product?

Lume Cube RGB Panel Pro 2.0 — Lume Control app

The Lume Control app is extremely simple to use. It’s easier and quicker to use than navigating the menu with the Mode Button and rotary dial on the unit since everything is laid out effectively. Regardless, either way, the light is simple to operate without reading directions. I’m not imploring anyone to ignore directions, of course. No, that would be irresponsible of me. But it’s comforting to know that controlling the light is this simple.

Connecting the light via Bluetooth is simple. It practically does it by itself. Turn on the Bluetooth option using the toggle switch. Then simply select the light from the Device List. Once so far, after a couple of days of not using the app, I had to pair the light panel with the app again. While this was simple, it was surprising that the app initially said the light was online when it was activated and only three feet away.

The app has additional controls. And of course, it offers brightness, color temperature sliders, advanced hue selection, easy access to preprogrammed effects, and a color picker. The color picker allows your light to color match to an image via your phone’s camera.

If you wish to access the RGB light — and you know you do — hit the three-line menu icon to the right of the Advanced Settings header. This whisks you into the wonderful world of RGB. There are three sliders: Hue, Saturation, and Brightness. Simple. You may save settings as presets too. Simply press and hold any of the four + icons at the bottom. It’s very flexible and easy to use. What I really love about this is that to change from CCT, RGB, or effects, all you have to do on the app is hit the control, and the panel switches immediately. This is considerably more convenient than using the Mode Button to change modes and then adjust the color. And as you can tell by my description, there is almost no lag when using the app.