Shown domestically for the first time at PhotoPlus last October, the $649 LitraStudio is Litra’s first RGB model and one of the first LEDS at a size for DSLRs, mirrorless and video cameras that can offer more than a million colors.

With 36 RGB diodes in a 108-LED array, the LitraStudio doubles the standard luminance levels of their previous on-camera and drone LED solutions for a continuous 2,400 lumens. There is also an overdrive mode available to achieve an impressive 3,000 lumens as well as 6,000-lumens strobe that can be synced to cameras to trigger as a flash.

(A separate $14 LitraStudio Flash Sync PC to USB cable accessory is required for strobing. It can give the maximum 6,000-lumens of output at up to a minute.)

The LitraStudio holds 36 warm-white, 36 cool, 12 red, 12 blue and 12 green LEDs. The panel will mix in RGB with the warm-white and cool-white diodes to achieve the expanded CCT scale of 2,000 to 10,000K.

As the RGB diodes are only a third of the panel, the RGB output was noticeably not as strong as white-light mixes.

Through Bluetooth, the app for iOS and Android allows control of multiple LitraStudio lights and access to settings and presets. These worked very well, despite the app still being in beta.

The LitraStudio can run continuously at maximum from a power source simply by taking out the battery and using an included AC adapter. With runtime of a hour at the top 2,400 lumens, which tested accurately, it also has a built-in, removable, rechargeable 9,000mAh battery that will last up to 20 hours on low.

Extra batteries are available at $99 each. They charge from USB-C connection on computers or from outlets. The weather-sealed output can also charge other devices like mobiles for app communications.

A $79 DMX dongle to Type-C USB will be available to mix the LitraStudio with other lights for theatrical and cinematography needs. There are CCT, HSI, RGBWW, Gel, Effects, and Flash modes. HSI gives hue, saturation and intensity for color controls and dialed-in color combinations.

The Effects mode strobes and flickers colors to simulate patterns like police sirens, lightening, paparazzi and candles.

At 5.5 x 3.9 x 2 inches, the aluminum chassis weighs 2.1 pounds. That’s not a lot for a studio light, but Litra is positioning this as a camera-top model. Two pounds adds a lot of weight during handheld work.

That’s because, unlike most current camera-top LEDS, it is durable. Waterproof to 30 feet, the LitraStudio is drop-proof and crushproof to military specifications for rugged location work and installations in inclement weather. Intelligent thermal management sensors will detect any heat issues and downrate performance to protect electronics.

There are manual onboard controls via button access on the OLED panel with mode-dependent display settings. The menu is minimal and easy to understand. There are power and home buttons as well as a reverse-arrow to scroll through settings. Battery capacity is in the top right.

A “P” selection is a programmable button that can quickly store current light settings. Three oversized dials give quick access to flashing, dimming, color temperature, hue and saturation. The latter dial can be used with green and magenta shift to fine tune the color temperature of the LitraStudio to any preowned lighting solutions that may have had CCT shift from deterioration.

It comes with a quick-charge 45W wall adapter. There is an 1/4-20 thread for light stands and the included rubber-handle which allows the LitraStudio to be used as a handheld solution. 

The 50-degree beam angle can be controlled further with an available $49 LitraStudio Soft Box and silicon diffusion panel that fits over the light. Those are also available with the $119 LitraStudio Light Modification bundle that also packages honeycomb grid and barndoors. These can be used with or without the diffusion panel.

Claiming a Blended / Smooth lux beam that has no hot spots, Litra’s microstructure lenses channel light evenly for smooth output. Multiple diode arrays can often create multiple shadows when used open-face, but that was not the case here. Shadows were strong and well defined.

The features of the light checked out nicely. The price point is pretty high for an on-cam panel solution, but it also has every possible feature available thanks to modern digital and wireless operations.

CRI averages are high and skin tones seemed to translate well across the CCT range. For more powerful needs, Litra has mounts for 2 x 2 and 4 x 4 arrays of the LitraStudio. I would suggest at least two models if RGB spread is your main objective in purchasing the light.

While the RGB output is roughly a third that of the CCT spectrum, the small size of the panel with the large output in CCT mode make the LitraStudio one of the most versatile lighting solutions available in photography and video.

For more affordable on-camera solutions, there are also a number of bi-color on-camera LED models that similar levels of illumination at less cost, like the $299 Rotolight Neo 2, the the $399 Luxli Cello 10″ RGBAW, which has 176 full spectrum diodes, and several models from Aputure. 

In final, while the LitraStudio adds color output to a strong white-light lighting solution as well as versatile wireless options for programming effects by combining multiple LitraStudio LEDs, the RGB output is not as high as desired.

A top CCT output of 3,000 lumens should be enough for most soft-white-light needs, however, and a one-minute burst strobe at 6,000 lumens makes it one of the healthiest, most versatile LED flash solutions available.

(We were sent an engineering preproduction unit for testing by Litra. The Blackout Mode was not available and there were a few external design issues that did not affect testing. Several light modification accessories were prototypes but had no problems.)

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