Litepanels Lykos+ BiColor LEDs Are Small and Punchy

Litepanels introduces a new compact LED, the Lykos+. 

One of our favorite on-camera lights of all time when it was introduced was the original Litepanels Croma LED. It was small, easy to use, didn't drain batteries, and was a great fill light for run-and-gun and red carpet interviews. The company has since introduced Croma 2 and several mini LED models in Spectra, Brick, Micropro, and a previous Lykos generation.

Lykos+ is their new digs, and it's still small enough to mount on top of cameras, yet has 40% more output. 

The Lykos+ is a bi-color LED panel that produces 2000 lux at 3ft/1m and can be tuned from 3200-5600K. The previous model topped out around 1500 lux at 5600K. The LED technology inside is based on Litepanels flagship Astra series which provides flicker-free performance with no color variation even when dimming from 0-100%. 

Similar to the Croma models, Lykos+ has separate dials located on the side to adjust the color temperature and brightness. But what's physically different about Lykos+ compared to Croma is the hand grip. This makes it easier to operate handheld without getting in the way of the light source. For additional control, the fixture can be paired with an optional Bluetooth dongle. Downloading the Litepanels SmartLite Director app for iOS will allow you to adjust the parameters from afar. The app can be used with iPhones or iPads making it easier to adjust lighting on-the-fly. 

A single unit weighs approximately 1lb (0.5kg) which shouldn't add too much strain when mounting the camera on a gimbal. The top and bottom feature a 1/4"-20 thread to mount on a tripod or cage. There's also an additional cold shoe mount available. The rear of the unit features an LCD display for reference, and for the color accuracy peeps out there, Litepanels suggests it has a TLCI and CRI color accuracy of 96. The light is powered via an L-Series battery or the included AC adapter, drawing a max of 23W. 

The Lykos+ is available as a single unit for $450 or in kit form. Find out more over on the Litepanels website.