The NEO 2 Explorer Kit from Rotolight is a highly-portable three-light bundle that sets up quickly and provides a lot of versatility for photography and video. The kit packages three NEO 2 LED lights, three light stands, and a comprehensive variety of diffusion and color filters in a water-resistant soft carry case measuring just 21" in width. The total package comes in weighing only 15 lb and can be set up within minutes for events, portrait photography, interview shoots, and most other applications indoors and outdoors.
The NEO 2 offers continuous light and flash modes with a variable color temperature of 3150-6300K in both, adjustable using controls and a display on the rear. It features a CRI rating of 96 and TLCI of 91 and is designed with Rotolight's AccuColour technology, which ensures that optimal color rendering is delivered. The light is also dimmable from 100-0% and has a feature called True Aperture Dimming that helps calculate exposure information by displaying the f-stop for a subject at a given distance, eliminating the need for trial and error shooting or a light meter.
Among the top features of this fixture is a built-in 2.4 GHz Elinchrom Skyport Receiver. This provides support for high-speed sync and remote triggering of the unit from up to 656' away when using a corresponding Skyport Transmitter, sold separately. The NEO 2 has been improved in output by 85% over its predecessor, the NEO 1 model. Flash mode can boost output by 500% for stills and will help freeze action. At max power, this results in an output of 2000 lux at 3' for continuous lighting, and a setting of f/8 at ISO 200 for flash. Another useful feature is a CineSFX mode, which provides custom lighting effects such as police sirens flashing, fire flaming, paparazzi cameras snapping numerous photos at the same time, a gunshot bursting, a TV flickering, and more for use as background effects. Another feature, called Designer Fade, provides custom fade up/down production effects for interviews.
The NEO 2 is powered by six optional AA batteries or an included AC adapter that connects into a 2.1mm barrel power input. Using an optional D-Tap to 2.1mm cable, you can connect a brick battery to the light and get up to 10 hours of continuous power. When running on AA battery power, the NEO 2 allows you to shoot up to 85,000 full power shots, which is a significantly large number in comparison to many other battery-powered lights. Offering three 1/4"-20 threads around the edges, the NEO 2 can be mounted in a variety of ways, including via a shoe mount adapter for use as an on-camera light.
