Lightcore – Compact One-Point-Source LED Light With 5800 Lumen Output – Now on Kickstarter

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by Jakub HanOctober 30^th, 2019

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Lightcore is a portable one-source LED light designed by the Swedish company Approach Design studios and it is promoted now in a Kickstarter campaign. The light produces 5800 lumen of 5000K color temperature light with a 120° spread. It is flicker-free, 1-100% dimmable, and multiple units can be controlled with a smartphone app via Bluetooth mesh. Lightcore has active cooling and it comes with two 1/4″ UNC screw mounts and it is compatible with custom made light modifiers. There is still a chance to pledge and get the light.

Lightcore – Compact LED light. Source: Approach Design

The Swedish company Approach Design studios is based in Stockholm. They launched a Kickstarter campaign for their new product – a compact LED light called LightCore. It has not been fully funded yet, but there is still enough time to meet the funding goal. What are the features of this tiny LED light?

Lightcore – Compact LED Light

Lightcore is an ultra-portable video light with patent pending tech which fits most existing Bowens S-mount adapters to accept a wide range of light modifiers. With the dimensions of 51 x 110 x 51 mm (~2″ x 2″ x 4″) and the weight of ~250g (~9oz) really is very compact.

At 5800 lumen (480W tungsten equivalent) the Lightcore is also quite strong. It has a 120° spread that works great with softboxes. The color temperature is a balanced daylight 5000K. The Japanese custom made LED COB is good for a minimum of CRI 97. The light is dimmable between 1% and 100% and it is flicker-free along the whole intensity scale, even at 1% power and in 120fps slow motion.

There is no built-in battery to keep the compact size. Lightcore can be used with any 60W USB-C power adapter. Users can use one from a laptop, a power bank or a compact adapter which is included with every Lightcore.

Lightcore USB-C adapter. Source: Approach Design

To deal with the heat produced by the powerful LED, Lightcore has an active cooling system with a fan that transports the heat away from the LED and prevents the case from getting too hot to handle. The heat is constantly monitored by the Lightcore’s microcontroller and the fan speed is adjusted to suit the output power and ambient temperature.

To enable users to easily shape the light, Lightcore creators designed compact and stackable light modifiers that snap on to the Lightcore with magnets. These currently include a Fresnel lens, color filters, and a dome attachment. Further light modifiers are in development. The light modifiers can be bought at the time of shipping.

Lightcore – Magnetic light modifiers. Source: Approach Design

Lightcore has two standard 1/4″ UNC screw mounts so that the Lightcore can be easily attached to a camera, cage, tripods, light stands, etc. Since there are two screw mounts, it can be stacked with monitors, mics, or additional Lightcores. It comes in a standard purple color, but more colors like black and green can be unlocked as stretch goals if the funding goes really well. Lightcore is designed in Sweeden and it will be manufactured in Japan.

Light Control App and Bluetooth Mesh

Approach Design studios also made a light control app for iOS and Android, that controls the LED units, remembers settings and self connects after turning off. Lightcore LED lights communicate with the smartphone through Bluetooth Mesh, which allows users to connect as many Lightcores as they like and not all units need a direct connection to the phone, they can connect via another Lightcore unit.

Lightcore Color ID. Source: Approach Design

Every Lightcore unit has a thin Color ID LED stripe at the back which is visible from any angle. Color ID is used for grouping so users can instantly see which group which Lightcore belongs to. Users can also switch groups and control the power of the group directly on the control panel of the Lightcore.

Lightcore Key Specifications

• Light output: 5800 lumen (480W tungsten equivalent)
• Color accuracy: 97 CRI minimum
• Color temperature: 5000K
• Light spread: 120°
• Power range: 1%–100%
• Dimensions (WxDxH): 51 x 110 x 51 mm (~2″ x 2″ x 4″)
• Weight: ~250g (~9oz)
• Wireless control: Bluetooth 5, Bluetooth mesh
• Microcontroller: ARM Cortex-M4
• Power delivery: USB-C PD (20V 3A)
• Power consumption: <50W

Kickstarter Rewards

The rewards on the Lightcore Kickstarter campaign start at $229 for the limited super early bird kit. After these are gone (at the time of writing there are only 12 pieces left), the early bird price for one kit is $250. There is also an option for a two-piece set for $478 or four-piece set for $914. One set always includes one Lightcore LED light with a 60W USB-C power adapter and a 3m USB C PD Cable.

Lightcore – Compact LED light. Source: Approach Design

In case this campaign gets successfully funded, the creators of Lightcore are aiming to start sending out the rewards to all Kickstarter backers in March 2020.

We are saying this at the end of every crowdfunding-related article: Please be aware of the risks when backing a project on a crowdfunding platform. Please read Kickstarter’s terms of use – especially Section 5, “How funding works”. Keep in mind that there can be significant delays when delivering the product. Some projects even don’t get delivered at all.

What do you think of the new Lightcore LED light? Do you use some portable LED light for your productions? Let us know in the comments underneath the article.