In 2019, we launched the Lume Cube Panel that took the photo/video market by storm. We saw tremendous success with the Panel within our Lume Cube community. As a company that strives to constantly innovate, we saw areas of growth for this newest member of the Panel family. The Panel Mini was built off of the feedback of our customers and a desire to bring the latest and greatest technology to the table at an affordable price. This panel may be small, but it sure is mighty.
The Panel Mini is the size of a credit card and is packed with 60 Bicolor LEDs for maximum output in its pocket-size form. We've included some exciting new features, including 1%-100% brightness adjustability (in 5% increments, so 21 total brightness levels), making it our most freely adjustable product yet! Similar to the original Panel, the Panel Mini offers a complete range of color temperature adjustability from 3200 Kelvin to 5600 Kelvin. The built-in intelligent display screen shows you all of your key settings such as color temp and brightness level, as well as your battery run time down to the minute. Additionally, the Panel Mini comes with a built-in frosted lens for internal diffusion, along with an extra softening diffuser in the box for those situations that call for a softer light. This product is perfect for vloggers, videographers, photographers, and anyone looking to create content on-the-go.
We sat down with Riley Stricklin, Co-Founder and President at Lume Cube, to give us his personal insight about how the Panel Mini came to be.
Many other brand's products get more expensive over time, why did you decide to go low-cost on the Panel Mini?
Our goal here at Lume Cube is two-fold. Firstly, to provide high-quality products to our customers with features that we believe they will value and help them become better creators. Second, to help educate the world on the value of light, and why it's such an essential part of the creative process. For this product specifically, although it's got the build quality and value of many products in the $99 range, we felt this was our opportunity to help introduce the masses to quality lighting. The affordable price point will help allow those younger and early-stage creators begin to experiment with lighting, without forcing them to break the bank.
What has been your favorite use for the Panel Mini and why?
To me, this is just the perfect on-the-go fill light during the creative process. We've taken it out on product shoots, conducted a few interviews, and shot some brand videos with it and it's come in handy in different ways every time. We designed it based on the size of a credit card, so it's small enough to fit in your pocket and always easily accessible. It's always in my back pocket whenever we shoot, so a quick fill light on a face, or to balance the shadows on a product shot, it's just been perfect. The combination of size and power is the perfect blend.
Who was the Panel Mini made for?
The Panel Mini was made for the on-the-go creator, the vlogger who's building their YouTube channel, and those who just have a passion for creating content. Whether it's your weekend hobby to go shooting with friends, or your everyday hustle shooting weddings and brand videos, this little guy will likely become your best friend. The size was intentional to make it nearly weightless and easy to carry. Then, we added some specific features to really speak to the creative audience, such as 1% brightness for the long-exposure photographer, and the frosted lens with an additional in-box diffuser to soften the output for those who are vlogging or shooting interviews. We collaborated side-by-side with some professional creators in the space to ensure we could provide not only the features they wanted, but the features they NEEDED, all at a fair price point.
Is the Panel Mini truly the size of a credit card? That is one small light! Why did you decide to go so small?
Yes! The credit card is the universally sized object that is "pocket-sized" and can fit in a purse, pocket, small bag, etc. It's the perfect size for manipulating in your hand, and we wanted to create a portable light source that was the ultimate light for on-the-go use. You don't need a light stand, don't need a tripod, yet still has TWO 1/4" 20 tripod threads built-in for additional mounted use.
Why would someone buy this over the original Panel?
Price and size are the main differences here. The name really says it all... it's the Lume Cube Panel, but mini version! The benefit for the newer creators is that they now have an amazing light available at an affordable price point. The benefit for the professional creator is that it can either be a great compliment to their original Panel, or they can now just buy 2 or 3 Panel Minis for the same price! What's more fun that having multiple light sources to create different moods and looks as you create!
Any new features Panel Mini to improve ease-of-use?
Of course! We added a few new features listed below:
- Frosted lens - Since this product is great for vlogging and video, the frosted lens softens the light to provide a more professional clean look
- 1% Capability - The previous Panel only went down to 5% brightness. On this one, we adjusted the firmware to allow for a 1% brightness for those times when you just need the softest of fill light
- Offset Diffusion - The new Diffuser provided in the box sits off the front of the light a few centimeters to allow for the cleanest output possible. This not only improves the light quality, but allows it to be much easier to look into while vlogging or filming people
- Adjustment Dial - We're excited about this new feature! We've migrated from the previous +/- buttons to a sleek adjustment dial for controlling your settings. This allows for a more intuitive control experience, as well as removes any problems that buttons may cause (getting stuck, turning on unintentionally, etc.)
- Blue Button - This was just for some branding flare. We made the power button "Lume Cube Blue" to bring a little custom branding to the product
If I buy the Panel Mini, what comes included in the box?
The box includes: one credit card sized LED (The Panel Mini light itself), a USB Type C charging cable, a softening silicon diffuser, DSLR Shoe Mount for mounting your light on a camera, and instruction manual on all Panel Mini features.
What are your thoughts on the Panel Mini being used for TikTok?
It's a perfect solution! The TikTok crowd is just another massive group of video-based creators who are in need of light. The small size and adjustable settings make this a great lighting solution to the TikTok creator.
