Knog Qudos action video light

What`s the one situation the GoPro camera struggles in? That`s right – Low Light conditions. Knog tries to solve that issue with its Qudos action video light. Knog Qudos is a small waterproof LED light that is waterproof up to 60 ft. Something that should be in every GoPro accessories bag.

Here`s the rundown on the features:

• OUTPUT : 70 – 400 lumens
• DIMENSIONS : 31 x 70 x 40mm.
• WEIGHT : 150g
• LEDS : 3 XB-D CREE LEDS..
• BEAM INDICATOR MODE LED : High (Blue) / Low (Green).
• BATTERY SPEC : 3-7V 1000mAh 3.7Wh. Replaceable USB Rechargeable Lithium Polymer battery.

 

• 100% WATERPROOF : The qudos action is IP68 Tested and waterproof up to 60 metres
• CONSTANT CURRENT DRIVE TECHNOLOGY : Prevents video flicker
• COMPATABILITY : For use with GoPro, action cameras with a GoPro conversion mount and DSLRs.
• LOW BATTERY INDICATOR : Red LED (on battery door)
• CHARGE TIME : 5 -6 hours (LED will turn green when fully charged)
• BATTERY : USB Rechargeable Lithium Polymer
• MATERIALS : Die Cast + CNC Machined Aluminium heat sink and optical grade lens.
• ACCESSORIES INCLUDED : Action Camera Mount Bracket and Hardware, Cold Shoe/Tripod Adaptor (for use with DSLR cameras), Rechargeable battery & USB Recharge Cable.

Knog Qudos Features

The Knog Qudos light is small and pretty lightweight and due to it`s shape, easy to just slip into your pocket to carry around. It has three different modes with two light levels for each- high and low. That makes six different settings in total.

Action Sports mode has a wide angle has the strongest light with up to 400 lumens at High and 225 lumens at low setting. Choose this mode if you need high shutter speeds from your GoPro because the higher the shutter speed the more light you need. The wide angle distributes the light more evenly covering the whole scene.

Target Spot mode has the most narrow beam of light. You can use it as a spotlight when you want to illuminate only the center of the frame.

Ambient mode has Ultra wide angle and is perhaps the most used mode, at least I found it to be the most useful.

Moving between the modes is easy – the Knog Qudos only has one button. Use it to turn the light on and long press to turn it off. A single press will just switch to the next mode.

The light has three modes with High and Low mode for each of them.

 

Action Sports mode has the highest output and is suitable for situations when you need lots of light and a wide angle, I find it the most useful on a sunny day when the overhead sun creates harsh shadows in people’s faces. The Qudos light will act as a fill light and soften the shadows and will help to create more flattering images.

Target Spot has the most narrow angle and is perfect when you really want to highlight your object in the middle of the frame.

Ambient has a very wide angle and low output thus giving you the longest battery life. Use it when the light conditions are not completely low and adding just a bit of extra light will saveyour footage.

Often times, when there is not enough light you need to ramp up the ISO on your camera and that means more NOISE in the shadows. We all hate that…. Clip the light on your pole or attach it to your helmet and avoid that altogether.

 

Appearance

I start to sound like a broken record but i love when people invest time and energy into producing elegant packaging. Knog Qudos hits the mark right in the bullseye with the packaging. The light comes in a metal box with a see-through plastic slip over cover so you can use the case for storing the light and since the inside is made of soft foam with perfect cutouts to fit the light, the cable, the screw and the bracket. Everything fits nice and snug and you have your light nicely organized.

The product itself comes in two colors: Silver and black. I got my hands on the silver version and I think I prefer that version since I mostly use it with my Hero4 in the dive case, so it matches the color. For those wanting to use it with Hero5 or a DSLR ( yes, it works perfectly with a DSLR, but more on that a bit later) you might want to look at the black one perhaps.

The outside if the light is covered with radiator grooves to keep the light from overheating. I had it running for about 20 minutes in room temperature and it got pretty warm, nothing i would feel concerned about though and it`s perfectly normal for a device that powerful. I`m curious to see how hot I gets on a sunny summer day.

The back door is a transparent plastic door the holds the battery and has the indicator lights behind it.
Each of the three modes has an indicator light – when the light is blue it`s on high and when you press the button to switch to low mode the indicator light for that mode turns green. You also get a Battery Low warning light that turns on red when you start to run low on juice.

The GoPro mount is at the bottom of Knog Qudos light unit so you can mount it on any GoPro compatible mount. The package includes plastic mount that fits in any DSLR hotshue and you also get a bracket to mount the light and the GoPro side by side.

 

Using the Knog Qudos video light

Now there are a lot of cases when an external light source can save your life and get you the footage and images you want. That`s why it`s so good to have a tiny yet powerful gadget in your gear bag. You can pretty much use it anywhere else you like also. Attach it to a headband to create a headlamp, put it on your bike’s handlebar for a bike light or get really creative and find cool angles to light your subject.

GOOD TIP – Try to mount the light a bit further from the camera to get a better shot. Any light source that`s really close to the lens will create that “Deer in the Headlights” look.

The battery runtime is pretty decent, when using the Action Sports mode on high the Knog Qudos video light will give you a bit under one hour of runtime. Official number is 0.7h and that`s about what I got from the tests. Ambient Low mode will give you over four hours, so from a device half the size of your GoPro that`s pretty amazing.

The light gets warm when it`s on full power for a long period of time. The grooves on the outside help to distribute the heat a bit but you can still notice the warmth. It`s nothing that will bother you and I haven`t tested the small action camera lights from other brands yet to compare so that`s just a tiny thing to note down but nothing more.

 

What I love about Knog Qudos video light

• Small
• Lightweight
• Waterproof up to 60 meters
• Different modes
• Decent battery life
• Great box to store the light and accessories
• Bracket for DSLR cameras

Neutrals

• Gets warm after long usage

Things I don`t love

• Nothing to report here 🙂

 

Get it from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk