iFootage Anglerfish SL1 200BNA Bi-Color LED Monolight – Field Review

by Graham SheldonJuly 16^th, 2024

iFootage, historically known for tripods and monopods, started making lighting products in 2022 and recently released the Anglerfish SL1 200BNA. This 200W bi-color LED light can go from 2700K to 6500K and features a standard Bowens mount. I took this fixture for a spin over several shoots, ranging from a simple interview to a more complicated commercial to a scripted digital series. Keep reading if you want to know more!

This is my first time working on a review for an iFootage product, and that’s not because I wasn’t interested – there are just a lot of cinema products out there! Earlier this year, my colleague Jeff took a look at their Beava Roller 35 rolling bag in an extensive review that you can read here.

In this review, I tested the Anglerfish SL1 200BNA Bi-Color LED Monolight, the COB 40° Light Projector Attachment, and the Iris Ring accessory. iFootage also makes a fresnel accessory I couldn’t test for this review. From this point forward, I will drop the Anglerfish moniker (especially since this light isn’t waterproof) and call this fixture the SL1 200BNA for short.

In this review, I wanted to answer the following question: in a market filled with 200-watt bi-color offerings from competitors like Aputure, NANLITE, Godox, and others, will the SL1 200BNA find a home?

iFootage Anglerfish SL1 200BNA – first impressions

At first glance, it is clear that iFootage isn’t exactly reinventing the wheel here. For example, the fixture has an identical kelvin range as an amaran COB 200x S Bi-Color fixture. The pricing is also quite similar, as is the lamp head’s exterior.

The SL1 200BNA comes in a cardboard box with cut foam similar to the amaran 200-watt equivalent. Everything in the core kit (single reflector, power cable, and lamp head) fits snuggly inside. However, if you become a long-term user of this fixture, you may want to consider a different case.

The exterior marketing messaging stickers are, to me, a little confusing. On the lamp head are the words “unmatched color spectrum” displayed prominently and in multiple colors. I initially thought this was because the light might be capable of more RGB colors outside the CCT-only realm, but the light is, in fact, bi-color only. I’m not knocking “bi-color only.” I’m just not sure how many filmmakers are using RGB much on shoots these days, that is, outside of music videos or product shoots.

Tilting the SL1 200BNA up and down is easy with the yoke at the base, but I wonder how long that same yoke will hold up to constant use, as it does feel a bit plasticky to the touch. The fixture’s weight of just under 1.8kg/4 lbs means you don’t need a full C-stand for rigging. A small lighting stand will work just fine for this setup.

Control

Controlling the SL1 200BNA is very simple. You use the rear control dials labeled “dim” and “set” alongside a power button on the lamp head. If you hoist this light off the ground, you will have difficulty accessing those same controls, but in that event, you can turn to Bluetooth control using an app available for iOS and Android called “Lumin+.”

The app is simple to use, giving you control over common settings like intensity and the kelvin range. Additionally, you can select any of ten different effects modes, such as Strobe Lights, Fireworks, Welding, and others. Each of these modes is tunable down to the speed of the welding flashes or the number of lightning strikes, for example.

Unfortunately, no DMX options are available here.

Output & Kelvin handling

I grabbed a few measurements on my Sekonic C-700U Spectrometer (now updated with the C-800U) to see how accurately the iFootage SL1 200BNA handles color temp measured in kelvin and output (lx) from a distance of 3 ft. Here are my readings with a target of 5600K and output set to 100%. This test was completed with the 63-degree kit reflector attached, and I measured at the center of the beam.

I hit a kelvin temp of 5691K with a target of 5600K. The output of 29200 lx is also nothing to scoff at. Let’s try a target of 3200K:

The overall output of 24900 lx at 3 ft/1m is a bit less than the daylight target, but not a dramatic drop in output. 3228K with a target of 3200K is excellent.

And finally, let’s test with a target of 4300K:

A result of 4359K here is excellent, and the output of 29400 lx brings the output back up towards our 5600K test. These results are impressive and place the SL1 200BNA at the top of the pack when it comes to my 200-watt tests of COB LED fixtures in general.

iFootage Anglerfish SL1 200BNA competitors

I alluded to this earlier, but there are multiple players in the 200-watt Bi-Color space, and here are just a few competitors to the SL1 200BNA:

• amaran COB 200x S Bi-Color LED Monolight ($349)
• GVM Pro SD200B Bi-Color LED Monolight ($239)
• NANLITE FS-200B Bi-Color LED Monolight ($349)
• Godox Bi-Color Zoomable LED Video Light ($296)

The $349 price tag for the SL1 200BNA sits squarely at the top end of the 200-watt affordable LED fixture category, which includes products of similar build, weight, and CCT range. I’ve only reviewed the amaran option above.

iFootage Light Projector accessory

Like NANLITE and Aputure, iFootage now has a projector accessory, too (sometimes called a spotlight modifier with other brands). This accessory has a very controllable 40-degree beam for $349. Several common gobos are included in the kit, which has a case similar in design to the case for the SL1 200BNA.

The iFootage light projector accessory actually helped save an interview shoot for me. We had been sent many scouting images of a beautiful space, only to show up and find that the property had pulled a bait-and-switch and placed us in a very bland ballroom. At the last moment, I was able to grab the iFootage Light Projector out of my vehicle and project interesting shapes on what was a dull beige wall. So, I owe the success of at least one shoot to this iFootage accessory!

After the interview experience, I used the light/projector combo on another project with the Iris Ring accessory, and it worked perfectly to help enhance a character entrance for a sporting event – lots of potential use cases here.

On a different front, use caution if you purchase this projector and any projection modifier, for that matter, if you use it with other Bowens-mount fixtures. Just because the Bowens mount may click into place doesn’t mean it was designed for all COB fixtures, and because of this, it could potentially cause excessive heat. I’ve noticed this fact over the years from using a variety of Bowens-mount fixtures and projector attachments.

Conclusion

iFootage has created a solid and CCT-accurate lighting fixture in the form of the iFootage Anglerfish SL1 200BNA, and this has done much to support my opinion of them as a competent lighting brand. I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve seen many of the features in the SL1 200BNA somewhere before, but that shouldn’t detract from this light as the Spectrometer tests show some great engineering “under the hood.” It only shows that filmmakers have a lot of choice these days in the crowded 200-watt bi-color category.

Price and availability

All products are available now. The iFootage Anglerfish SL1 200BNA Bi-Color LED Monolight costs $369, the COB 40° Light Projector Attachment is $349, and the Iris Ring accessory is $59.

In my opinion, the real winner here might be the competitively priced iFootage COB 40° Light Projector Attachment that works well and doesn’t show errant light leaks or weird aberrations around the edge of the beam that I’ve seen with other accessories of this type.

What do you think about this bi-color LED light? Will you add the iFootage Anglerfish SL1 200BNA light or the Projector Accessory to your kit? Let us know in the comments below!