Customer Reviews

Canon VL-5 Video Light for Mini Advanced Accessory Shoe

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I just bought the Vixia HF100 camcorder and the built-in video light is adequate if in a situation where you MUST shoot in a very low light setting. Unfortunately, the HF100's light is very much on the cool-blue end of the light spectrum and makes for some ugly skin tones and just plain awful video in general. The VL-5 light, while perhaps emitting only 25 to 50% more lumens than the onboard light, has a distinctly warm tone, which translates into better skin tones and an overall acceptable image. The VL-5 is small but not "tiny" (protrudes 2 3/8" from top of camera, and measures 2 1/2" from front to back at the widest point). The light has a switch for "On, Auto, and Off." You can't use both the onboard light and the VL-5 at the same time (the HF100 won't allow it). IMPORTANT NOTE: You'll have to update the firmware of your Vixia camcorder to 1.0.2 in order to use this light (download from Canon's website). I attempted to use the updater on my Mac Pro and had a glitch with the update: it said that my camera could not be updated. I think I needed to disconnect all of my computer's connected USB devices (other than keyboard, mouse) so the updater would get a clear "read" on the camera). I used my MacBook Pro to install the update and it worked fine (took about 8 minutes). Though it's a certainly overpriced, I'm going to keep it; my night-time videos will at least progress from the camera's default unacceptable and dreadful blue tone to an acceptable warm tone. Note: I think that this is the only accessory light that will currently work with the new Canon Vixia camcorders' "Mini Advanced Shoe."

Length:: 8:25 Mins

This is my video review of the Canon VL-5 Video Light. I am using a Canon VIXIA HF200 and a Canon WD-H37II 0.7X Wide Angle lens. I have my camera setup up on a small tripod on a chair which is 64" away from a desk, computer monitor and desk lamp. I start the camera with accessories attached. I dim the room lights and turn on the on board LED lamp and pan a little. I then go to full darkness and pan a little, then bring up the room lights to full intensity. I repeat this process with the Wide Angle lens attached. I repeat it again with the lens removed and the VL-5 attached and finally I have both the VL-5 and the Wide Angle lens attached.

The light itself is small and unobtrusive, measuring about 2.5" long, 1.5" wide and 2.5" high. When mounted, the light is approximately 2" above the body of the camera. The light weighs 1.5 Oz or 42g, which almost exactly the spec weight of 43g. The bottom of the light has four slits and the top has 12 holes for ventilation. The light gets warm with use and hot with prolonged use. The lamp itself is covered with a translucent plastic lens that diffuses the light. The light has a warm tone that looks much better when reflected off skin than the on board lamp which is quite cool and can give subjects a cool, pale appearance. The back of the light has a three position switch with the following settings: OFF, AUTO and ON. With Auto, the camera controls the light and turns it on or off depending on the amount of ambient light. The ON position turns on the light continuously and OFF obviously turns off the light. Once the camera detects the light is mounted, it will disable the on board LED light even if the VL-5 is off. One thing to note is that the VL-5 housing is symmetrical and is perfectly centered on the camera. I bring this up because from the pictures I saw of the VL-5, I thought the lamp was slightly to the right of the housing, it is not.

As you can see in the video, the light works well and because it is center mounted, the center subject is always well lit. Surrounding objects are illuminated less so, but still very much visible. The on board lamp is mounted on the left and tends to illuminate slightly to the right (at least on my camera). The color tone is much warmer than that of the on board lamp and looks much better on skin. It's also really nice that the camera's battery life meter updates the instant the light turns on or off. The spec says this is a 3.3 Watt light and from my tests, the VL-5 will cut your battery life in half. With a BP-819 battery pack you can expect 90 minutes of continuous use. With the standard BP-809 battery pack you can expect a little less than half that. Perhaps the most useful feature of this light is that it can be used with the wide angle lens. I find this critical because this light is meant mostly for indoor use and the wide angle lens increases the viewing area by roughly 40%. With the wide angle lens, the on board lamp is essentially useless. The VL-5 allows you to use the wide angle lens with minimal shadowing from the lens housing. The only disadvantages I see with this light are the price ( $90 for an LED and a switch )and the fact it is a power hog. Overall, I like this light because it enhances low light indoor performance with my HF200. I would definitely recommend this light, but just beware you are going to need at least two battery packs if you are going to do a lot of indoor shooting.

Pros: Bright, warm light; compatible with Wide Angle Lens; compact; Automatic function saves power; compact.

Cons: Power hog; gets very warm (naturally); a little pricey.

Overall, I think it is a nice piece of gear, definitely an improvement over the on board lamp. Would recommend for purchase.

I bought this to use with my Canon HG-20 and the light works fine. It will turn on automatically when you begin to record when the light is not sufficient. It can also be set to stay on full time if you wish. The light runs on the camera's power so you don't have to worry about batteries, which is a feature I like alot. It also attaches easily as well without any undo effort. Once you slide it into its bracket, it has a small adjustment you turn to lock it in place, and it stays tight without moving until you unscrew that piece. The purchase was delived on time and I am pleased with the way AMAZON does its business. AMAZON clearly is one the best online merchants I have dealt with, and there are some real nightmares out there in TV land.

While I do love my Canon HF M300 HD camcorder (I gave it 5 stars and made an extensive review about it which you can read here at Amazon.com), I cannot possibly give this Canon certified accessory, the VL-5, a rating better than 2.5 stars. (I've rounded off my rating to 2.0 stars since there's no option for 0.5 stars).

The reason I'm giving the VL-5 a medium low rating is because it is practically useless for video recording beyond 3-4ft. If you take mostly close up portrait-style videos, then this light would be sufficient but for videos of kids in parties in which you are about at least 8 ft away to capture the ambiance of the party and to capture a much wider, more `exciting' view of the event, this accessory video lighting fails miserably. You'll have to jack up the AGC limit to super noisy levels (>16db) for the VL-5 video lighting to illuminate subjects beyond 4ft. This defeats the purpose of the lighting which is supposed to provide ample illumination so you can set the camcorder's AGC/Gain limit to low levels (typically <10dB) for that `silky smooth'
`Blu-ray' like video coverage with minimal video noise even in challenging light situations.

For those contemplating on buying this VL-5 lighting, a much better (and cheaper) option would be to buy on ebay, a 3rd party video light: the 'CN 160-LED 9.6W Video Light for DV Camcorder Lighting' or the smaller '126-LED video light'. Both are at least half the price of this Canon VL-5 accessory video light and provide much higher light intensity: an impressive 100 lux illumination even at 10 ft or 3 meters away for the 160-LED model! Of course, those slightly bulky LED lighting alternatives won't fit in the accessory shoe of the camcorder but you can always improvise. I actually shaved the plastic shoe mount of my led lighting so that the base fits the mini-hotshoe of the Canon camcorder. If you intend to use the 3rd party LED lighting this way, the smaller models (126-led below) will likely do the job better. Alternatively, you can tripod mount the LED lighting or have someone carry it for you if you opt to buy the bigger model (160-led) instead. Both LED video lights come with 3 filters (white diffuser, yellow and magenta filters), are dimmable, and overall, are so much better value for the money and so much more useful than the Canon VL-5 video light.

Having said the alternatives, I'd like to say that I could have given this VL-5 accessory from Canon, `4 stars' or higher if it were only priced reasonably (half its current price or even lower) because its actual lighting performance is really not worth the price. Clearly for me and for many of those who also have the '126-Led' or the '160-Led' video lighting alternatives from ebay, this VL-5 video lighting is not worth the price and will not likely be used in a long time except for the occasional non-serious `you-tube' or `facebook' type HD videos or for 'close up' portrait videos where I would be willing to fiddle endlessly with the custom white balance control to correct the overly `warm tone' of the VL-5's light. Another use would be in case I absolutely wouldn't want to carry just a little more bulk for a dramatic improvement in low light video quality (which is very rare for me). For everything else, I'll be using my LED video lights powered by the well reviewed, low discharging Sanyo Eneloop AA rechargeable batteries.

Oh well, we all learn from mistakes. I've learned mine and hope other buyers will be forewarned before they part with their hard earned money.

The light is quite bright and gives a good color tone. I have two minor problems with the light.
You can't use the light with a wide-angle lens because the lens blocks part of the light. I guess if the light was higher up, it would shine around the lens. I consider the wide angle lens essential for any indoor shooting.
As noted by the other review you will need to update the firmware for your HF10 and HF100 camera. It takes about 20 minutes, some technical expertise, and lots of patience.

I just got this product for my Canon HG20 and I am very happy that I purchased it. It got rid of a lot of the low light noise that the HG20 has For such a small light, it is very bright and helps show the potential that the HG20 has. Highly recommended. I'm only taking 1 star off due to the price.

Purchased for the Canon VIXIA HF-M30 because the small light on the HF-M30 is useless. (The same can be said for the on-board lighting of the VIXIA M31, the M300, and other similar Canon video cameras.)

Despite mixed reviews, I'm finding the brightness of VL-5 very acceptable. The VL-5 considerably enhances video recording.

Also, the "on/auto/off" switch (located on back side of VL-5) is helpful, as it provides easy access and immediate control, (avoiding the need to troll through the menu laden options of the HF-M30 just to enable/disable lighting).

The VL-5 is overpriced, ...maybe ridiculously so. However, I feel this or other more expensive lighting is necessary for creating quality indoor video.

Would I buy this light again? Yes, but I wish it were less expensive.

Hope you find the feedback helpful.

I have had this video light for about one year now, and it performs well considering its size, functionality and convenience. It is an excellent complement to the (virtually useless) built-in light that is found on my camcorder, the HF-S10, and other similar camcorders. It claims to emit 5 lumens, which is about enough to lighten faces from 10 feet away in a semi-darkened room. It is great for average indoor shooting of people and events and will significantly reduce video noise that would otherwise occur without any external lighting as well as correct the obvious white-balance deficiency that typically results from use of the built-in lights (i.e., blue/green tint). Particularly convenient is the fact that it simply connects to the camcorder's "mini advanced shoe" with no external power necessary.

It's not at all a piece of junk as one other reviewer suggests. Be realistic, however, of what a light in this category is not able to accomplish. It is a small consumer video light - it will not in any manner substitute for professional video lighting that would be used by wedding or event videographers. Those are much more complicated set-ups and cost thousands of dollars. It is not a fair or appropriate comparison. However, for average consumer use, it will serve most video "hacks" such as myself more than admirably. I intend to use it to video tape my niece's bat mitzvah and I expect to get excellent results if past performance is any indication.

First thing: I AM a beginner/hack/hobbyist, not in any way a pro or even a pro-am. I got the light so I could shoot better indoor scenes with my Vixia M31 without dragging a lamp around. Indeed, this little accessory, which weighs almost nothing and pops right into the mini-shoe, is ultra-convenient for when you want to shoot some people or pets indoors or at night and just need some stronger light to get a good image.

The light is a good-performer within the confines of what it was intended to do: give you adequate spot-lighting out to about 7 to 10 feet - enough light in a tight area to light up some faces or pets or small objects. It is NOT in any way capable of "lighting a room". You won't be able to use this to create a roomfull of ambient light. So, really be sure you understand what this light is for, and not for, before buying it. It is more like a low-power flashlight, fixed to the camcorder. Like a shotgun mic, it is very directional - that is to say, it puts light on what you're aiming at, and not at the surroundings of your subject.

You could say that this little light is the difference between being able to shoot decent footage in a low-lit room at night, and not being able to use the camcorder at all. So in that sense, it's a big plus.

A nice benefit of this light is that the spectrum it gives off results in nice, natural colors, by which I mean they things you're shooting come out looking like their real colors, more or less.

There isn't much bad to say about this light, except that it looks and feels like something that should cost $15, whereas it is 6 x more expensive than that. The profit margin on this little accessory seems to be a bit ridiculous. That said, if you have the $90 to burn, it does help in nighttime shooting. Recommended for users of camcorders who don't always have sunny days and well-lit interiors to shoot their subjects.

Yeah, this is a great add-on to my camcorder. I anyway expect Canon to deliver high performance light given the price.

But given the number of steps I need to take to attach it to the camera, I'm not using it...
(1 remove the shoes cover ; 2 plug the light ; 3 screw it ; 4 select the right setting on the power slider ; 5 adjust shooting program and exposure ;...)

What about a plug and play solution ? Wouldn't that be a better experience for regular customer ?