Kelvin Epos 600 Full RGB LED Light Review - Newsshooter

The Kelvin Epos 600 Full RGB LED Light, is a follow-up to the very impressive Epos 300 that I reviewed on the site last year. It was first announced back in 2023 just prior to NAB and it has taken quite a long time to get to market.

Encased in 6mm thick aluminum plates, the Kelvin Epos 600 is a full-color spectrum 600W LED COB studio light, engineered, and handmade in Norway. It is said to be designed and built without compromise and it comes with a 3-year warranty.

Just like its younger sibling the Epos 300, it has a very industrial edge to it which I personally like. I am sure there are people out there who arguably don’t care about what the exterior of light looks like, but build quality and attention to detail can tell you a lot about a company.

The Kelvin Epos 600 looks to be in direct competition with lights such as the now discontinued Prolycht Orion 675 FS, Aputure LS 600c Pro, and Nanlite Forza 720B.

The Kelvin Epos 600 Full RGB light is claimed to have best-in-class LUX output per watt, as well as offering seamless and intuitive control of the light via the Kelvin Narrator Bluetooth app, DMX, or Lumen Radio Skynode.

The light utilizes Kelvin’s sophisticated 6-channel RGBACL light engine Cantastoria, which produces a full spectrum of colors within the 1,700 – 20,000K range.

Lights in this form factor are very popular because of their versatility. We have seen the market flooded by so many similar featured spotlights over the last few years, however, the majority of them are still either daylight or bi-color only. That does help the Kelvin Epos 600 stand out from the crowd.

The concept behind the Epos 600 was to create a fixture that was designed to push the boundaries of cinema lighting. Kelvin set out to make a well-built, very flexible, fully-featured lighting source that could still be run off camera batteries and controlled via an app. It is safe to say that Kelvin’s goal was to make something that stands out from other competing options in the market by paying attention to the little details.

You can only make a COB spotlight in a certain form factor, so in that regard, the Kelvin Epos 600 looks a little bit similar to a lot of other competing LED spotlights, but it certainly has a much more elegant, refined appearance and a very industrial feel. It is almost as if it has the form factor of the Aputure LS 600c Pro II with the build quality of the ARRI Orbiter.

Kelvin doesn’t make any outrageous claims about the Epos 600, nor do they compare it against any other fixture. This is refreshing, as a product should be able to stand on its own, and if it is good enough, then it shouldn’t need to be compared against something else. There is a lot of very misleading marketing material out there when it comes to comparisons, especially regarding output.

Kelvin is a relatively new lighting brand developed by LED technology company Rift Labs from Scandinavia. Rift Labs has been manufacturing award-winning cinema lighting fixtures and lighting software for the global video and photography market in video and photo since 2010 and they have sold more than 50,000 products.

The headquarters of Kelvin is located in Oslo, Norway with offices in Berlin and one in New York.

As well as making the Epos 600, they also have the Epos 300 and the Kelvin Play and Play Pro.

Above, you can watch our interview with Kelvin from NAB 2023 about the Epos 600.

In the Kelvin Epos 600 RGB LED Monolight (V-Mount, Travel Kit with Accessories) that I will be reviewing, you get the following items:

This where the Epos 600 stands out from its competition. The light is beautifully made and constructed and you can tell that a lot of thought and care went into the design. It has an elegant and sophisticated look (of course this is subjective) and it is more like something you would find in a modern Scandanavian house being used as a practical fixture. However, in saying that, the aesthetic choices were also made for operational efficiency and not just to make something look good.

Every fixture is handmade and the attention to detail is very evident. The build quality is as good, if not better than you will see from companies such as ARRI and Creamsource.

The design of the Epos 600 was developed to be robust, reliable, and practical. There is an extensive use of aluminum that allows for sturdy construction, which is also easy to recycle, long-lasting, and provides a solid protective case for the light’s electronics. Speaking of aluminum, the housing of the Epos 600 is 6mm thick. The light also comes with a 3-year warranty.

Just like its younger brother the Epos 300, the design consists of the lamp head and a separate power supply/controller. This is fairly common with lights such as these. Having multiple components can be a pain, but it does allow you to use the light on smaller-sized light stands because you don’t have all the weight sitting just on the fixture itself. It also helps with cooling and minimizing any noise. You can’t have your cake and eat it too. Lighting manufacturers need to balance weight and size with power draw and efficiency.

The light also features an IP54 weather rating. An IP54 rating means that your product will be protected against contamination from limited amounts of dust and other particles. Additionally, you can be confident that it will be protected from water sprays from all directions.

Small touches like putting degree angle markings when you adjust the yoke frame are something you just don’t see on any other fixtures. This is where the attention to detail starts to show.

The yoke frame is beautifully made and exceptionally strong.

It can easily hold large lighting modifiers.

I am glad that Kelvin changed the Bowens-S mount release mechanism from the one that was on the Epos 300. The new release mechanism is more robust and easier to use.

The yoke locking mechanism is extremely robust and the fixture won’t move around at all when it is fully locked down, even when you attach large lighting modifiers.

The separate power supply/controller is just as well made as the light head. I am going to start sounding like a broken record, but again, the attention to detail is very evident.

The power supply/controller adjustment dials are very tactile and easy to use. The whole idea was to make the controls as simplistic and practical as possible.

Small things have been included that most people wouldn’t even glance twice at. Kelvin has made the base of the power supply/controller platform wider than the actual unit so that it provides better weight balance when you are placing it on a flat surface.

They also include a removable protective cover that fits over the top of the screen.

I was disappointed to see that there wasn’t the same attachment on the side of the yoke frame that you can use to loop around the power cable if you want to keep it tidy that came with the Epos 300.

I also like that Kelvin gives you a long 8m / 26.24′ cable that goes from the controller/power supply to the lamp head. This allows you to place it a long distance away from the light and it is also handy if you want to keep it on the ground when the Epos 600 is located up very high on a light stand.

The included rolling case that comes with the light kit I was reviewing is well made and nice and robust. The retractable handle doesn’t wobble around and flex and the wheels are nicely made. Even the additional carry handle has been re-enforced. These little details matter.

The Kelvin Epos 600, like so many of the new lights coming to market, is an example of blending software and hardware. With software playing such a big role, lighting companies can continue to improve and update fixtures over time via firmware updates. This does give them somewhat of an advantage over older fixtures. What I like is that Kelvin has actually released several firmware updates for its fixtures already. There are so many lights on the market where manufacturers make a big deal about them being firmware upgradable, and then never release a single update.

Quite a few LED lights on the market, including the Kelvin Epos 600, are using COB technology. COB stands for “Chip On Board” where multiple LED chips are packaged together as one lighting module. The advantage of COB LEDs being multi-chip packaged is that the light-emitting area of a COB LED can contain many times more light sources in the same area that standard LEDs could occupy. This results in a greatly increased lumen output per square inch. The caveat with COB LEDs is that they produce a ton of heat and that heat needs to be effectively dispersed. In a lot of situations you also need to diffuse them as they are very bright to look at and unsuitable for directly lighting talent.

The Kelvin Epos 600 features a beautifully made and easy to use quick release locking mechanism that allows you to quickly separate the light head from the yoke frame.

Out of all the various iterations of quick release frames I have seen and used, this one is by far the easiest and smoothest.

The total weight of the Kelvin Epos 600 is 12.18 kg / 26.85 lb. Here are the individual weights of the various components:

The light certainly has some weight to it and a lot of that has to do with how well it is made and the materials being used.

So how does this weight compare to some other similar fixtures?

* Doesn’t include the weight of the yoke frame

As you can see, the Kelvin Epos 600 is a little heavier than all of these other fixtures.

The Epos 300 in its included rolling case with all of the accessories that come with it weighs 23.8kg / 52.47 lbs.

The Epos 600 utilizes a standard Bowens S mount so you can use it with a vast array of affordable lighting modifiers. Using a Bowens S mount makes a lot more sense than going with a proprietary mount as it gives the end user far greater options.

What is quite clever, but far from unique, is that Epos 600 has the ability to use quite a few magnetic diffusers and a High-Performance Lens that simply attaches straight to the front of the light.

You can also use them with reflectors, softboxes, or any other Bowens-S mount attachment.

These are great because if you don’t want to attach a softbox or a large lighting modifier to the front of the fixture, they allow you to alter the light’s beam spread and diffusion in a simple, yet effective way.

Below are the ones that come with the kit I was testing:

The Kelvin Epos Light Diffuser D100 is the thinnest diffusion available for the Epos 300/600. It was designed to be just thick enough to mix the colors while still maintaining as hard a source as possible.

The Kelvin Epos Medium Diffuser D90 offers a slightly thicker diffusion but with minimal light loss of less than 0.2 of a stop. It extends the beam angle slightly, which makes it a good match for use with large softboxes or with less precise optical accessories.

The Kelvin Epos Heavy Diffuser D75’s heavy-grade diffuser is the heaviest of Epos diffusers that still maintains a minimum light loss of less than 0.2 stops. It widens the beam by a few degrees, making it a suitable match for use with smaller softboxes or with other optical accessories.

The Kelvin Epos Dome Diffusers can be used in conjunction with umbrellas, parabolic accessories, or softboxes. It allows the light output to spread at a very wide beam angle of 180 degrees. The dome creates a point of light, which makes the most out of the silver in softboxes and other modifiers, in the same way, a tungsten bulb traditionally would.

In addition to the magnetic diffusion attachments, you also get the Kelvin Epos Umbrella Mount in the kit. This attaches quickly to the Epos monolight’s chassis and allows virtually any kind and size of an umbrella to be used. The large clamps make it easy to adjust the umbrella and secure it in place. These mounts allow umbrellas to be used in combination with Epos dome diffusers and other modifiers.

As I mentioned before, the yoke frame is very robustly made and it features a single locking mechanism.

On the bottom of the yoke frame, there is a 5/8-inch pin (Baby Pin) receiver. A Junior Pin also works fine (28mm stand).

You can also attach it to any regular light stand.

The yoke frame allows you to angle the light directly up. If you are angling it down it will depend on what type of lighting modifier you are using and at what angle you will be able to achieve.

There is plenty of clearance for the cable.

You can mount the power supply/controller to a light stand with the included mount.

If you look carefully at one of the the pins that secures the carry strap to the power supply/controller you will notice that bis some writing on it that says Push.

If you actually push and twist this at the same time a mounting pin extends out using a spring mechanism.

Above you can see how this works.

This is the pin you use to attach the power supply/controller to the super clamp.

The light draws 600W. So how does that compare to other competing fixtures? Below you can see.

As you can see, the power draw of most of these lights is fairly similar.

There is a 48V DC input so you can power it remotely from block batteries, etc.

I used a SWIT TD-R230S 48V 750W Light Stand Power Adaptor and two SWIT HB-C420S 28.8V batteries and I could power the fixture at 100% output in any mode.

The light can’t be run directly off camera batteries as the controller/power supply doesn’t feature any V-mount (or AB Gold-Mount, or B-Mount) battery plates.

Large, high-powered COB lights get very hot, and keeping them cool is not an easy task. Using fans is the best solution, but the caveat with fans is that they can create noise.

The Kelvin Epos 600 has 2 large fans, one above and one below the heatsink. These are top-of-the-line silent Noctua fans.

The light gives you the option of changing the fan speed. You can set it to:

The fan in the Kelvin Epos 600 is incredibly quiet. Even if you set it to Regular and put the light at 100% output in its Max. mode you can barely hear it. It is by far the quietest fixture I have come across that has this type of power draw.

Are there any caveats? Yes. Running the fixture in silent or quiet mode reduces the maximum light output in order to protect the lamp head from overheating.

We are seeing a lot of lighting companies now using RGBW technology. RGBW stands for Red, Green, Blue & Warm White. There are, however, other types of RGB such as RGBWW, RGBAW, and Aputure’s new BLAIR (Blue, Lime, Amber, Indigo, and Red).

The Epos 600 utilizes Kelvin’s sophisticated 6-channel RGBACL light engine Cantastoria, which produces a full spectrum of colors within the 1,700 – 20,000K range.

Due to the unique Cantastoria Light Engine, a predictable continuity of light across the full color spectrum is guaranteed, and the light intensity is highly precise and controllable to an accuracy of 0.01%

Just like the now discontinued Prolycht Orion 675 FS, the Kelvin Epos 600 has Red, Green, Blue, Amber, Cyan, and Lime LEDs. The Epos 600 doesn’t use any white LEDs, instead, Kelvin are mixing all of those different color LEDs to produce white light. This is exactly what ARRI does with the Orbiter. Hive Lighting has also been using 7 LED-chip blending. Instead of the traditional 3 colors, Hive uses red, amber, lime, cyan, green, blue, and sapphire.

The advantage RGBACL has over RGBWW is that it is capable of giving you a larger CCT range and it can produce more saturated colors with more output. RGBWW lights tend to struggle to create saturated colors like yellow and they don’t always have as much output when generating saturated colors. They can also have a large drop-off in output at different CCT settings.

We will see how well the Epos 600’s light engine works later in the review.

What I really like is that the controller uses a touchscreen interface. The only other lights off the top of my head that I can think of that have a touchscreen interface are the Rotolight Titan X1 and X2.

The touchscreen interface works really well. It is snappy and responsive.

If you don’t want to use the touchscreen or you have gloves on, etc. you can control everything using the dials. It is nice having the option for both forms of control.

The light has 6 key lighting modes:

This is the mode most people are going to use the light in. In the CCT Mode, you have full access to making Kelvin color temperature adjustments between 1700-20,000K. This is a very wide range and it offers plenty of versatility.

You can adjust the intensity right down to 0.1% and the light still stays on.

There is also a Max Mode and a Constant Mode. The constant mode will give you roughly the same output at all CCT settings, while Max Output will give you the most output, but the CCT settings will vary that output.

The fixture also has continuous variable (full minus green to full plus green) correction.

Being able to dial in more or reduce the amount of green coming from your lighting source can make a huge difference. Different camera companies use different sensors in their cameras and they all react differently to light. Some camera sensors may lean towards magenta, and some may lean more towards green. By making CCT adjustments you can dial in the light so that it looks better for whatever camera system you are using. CCT adjustment also helps when you are trying to match lights from different manufacturers.

The Kelvin color temperature range is impressive and it should suit most people’s needs.

The HSI mode lets you create just about any color you can think of. It gives you full hue and saturation control as well as intensity. By manipulating, the hue and saturation you can create some really interesting colors that depending on the project you are working on can really add some creative flair. I quite like using this mode to create a lot of color separation between the foreground and background, or for recreating a really cold or warm-looking image.

The colors are represented as degrees from 0-360. You can also change the white point and the color space.

Because the interface has really good visual aids it is so much easier to dial in the exact color you want to create. On some lights, you have to use dials with no visual reference.

Inside the fixture, there is a huge assortment of industry-standard gels from both Lee and Rosco. In fact, you can choose from 318 Rosco/LEE Gels.

Having built-in Digital Gels not only means that you don’t have to physically carry gels around, but you can also quickly and easily replicate popular gels. Using the gel mode can help you match other lighting sources, especially if you are working with other lights with physical gels.

You can select the white point by adjusting the CCT slider and then the selection of gels you see will change.

In this mode, you can individually adjust the Red, Green, and Blue channels of the fixture. Now, unlike some other RGBACL fixtures, you can’t individually adjust all 6 colors.

You can also choose the Color space.

In this mode, you can adjust the x.y coordinates of the light.

The Cantastoria 6-channel RGBACL light engine allows the fixture to deliver a lot of very realistic full-color lighting effects.

Effects mode lets you recreate a range of lighting effects that can be handy for certain scenarios. The effects are:

All the effects modes can be individually adjusted and tailored to your lighting needs.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Just like the Epos 300, the Epos 600 controller/power supply uses a large LCD screen that clearly shows you information about the light. I love that it can be controlled via the touchscreen or by using the dials.

I really like the touchscreen interface. The only other lights off the top of my head that I can think of that have a touchscreen interface are the Rotolight Titan X1 and X2. The touchscreen interface works really well. It is snappy and responsive. Above you can see a video from the Epos 300 which has the exact same touchscreen functionality.

If you don’t want to use the touchscreen or you have gloves on, etc. you can control everything using the dials. It is nice having the option for both forms of control.

The design and look of the screen are clear and concise and it isn’t overly cluttered. There is good spacing between all of the information on the screen and this helps to avoid any confusion when operating the unit.

With a good light, you shouldn’t have to read a manual to work out how to operate it. You should be able to turn it on and use it straight away. You won’t find any deep sub-menus or complicated way of making changes on the Epos 600. Keeping things simple and easy to navigate is always a good strategy when it comes to menus and controls.

The physical dials that you can use to control the light are very tactile. They all have the same response and feel to them.

Kelvin has a very easy way to save and recall presets. You simply touch on the Save icon on the screen and then a virtual keyboard comes up where you can name your preset. You then hit Save and you are done.

You can then press the Load icon on the screen and recall that saved setting anytime. This is really well implemented and it allows you to jump between saved settings very quickly. My only slight complaint is that it would have been nice to have the Saved preset’s name displayed when you were using it.

The menu also gives you the ability to adjust the Bluetooth, DMX, Display, and Lamp Head settings, Fan Speed, etc.

You can also tell the fixture if you have attached a magnetic adapter.

The light can be controlled via Bluetooth using the Kelvin Narrator App.

The app is reasonably easy to set up and get going. Once you have created a group you can then add fixtures to that group. You simply scan for new lights if you haven’t added them previously.

Once you hit connect you will be brought to his screen where you can simply click on Open Home Screen.

This takes you back to the home screen and then you need to click on the fixture you want to control.

Once you do, you are taken to the main operating page. In the default mode it will be on CCT. Here you can adjust the CCT, intensity, and +/- G/M bias. You can also choose from the Max. Intensity or Contst Intensity settings. I can also see if the lamp head is attached, the temperature of the fixture, and the battery capacity if I am running it via camera batteries.

Now, if I press on the Max. or Constant Output I can change how the light performs and operates.

To change operating modes I can simply click on the CCT icon and then I will get the above menu.

If you click on HSI you can adjust the Hue, Saturation, and Intensity of the light. You can also change the white point using the CCT slider. In a nice touch, there are also options to adjust the gamut.

If you click on Gel, you can choose from a vast array of digital gels that mimic industry-standard Lee and Rosco physical gels.

If you click on RGB you can adjust the individual Red, Green, and Blue channels. You can also adjust the white point using the CCT slider.

If you click on XY, you can manually adjust the x,y coordinates of the fixture.

If you click on Effects you can choose from a reasonable selection of special effects.

There are some nice adjustments you can make to the individual effects.

If you click on the three dots in the top right corner of the app you can disconnect from the light or go to the Settings page.

On the Settings page, you can see what the firmware you are running is, the temperature of the fixture, how many lights are connected to the app, and the battery level if you are not running it via mains power.

I like that you can save favorite presets and then bring them back up very quickly using the app. What is nice is that any preset, regardless of whether you create it on the controller or in the app, gets saved and can be recalled.

What I like is that when you make a change using the Kelvin Narrator App, it is instantaneously reflected on the power supply/controller. Now, unfortunately, if you make a change on the power supply/controller directly, it doesn’t reflect what you have done on the app.

The app is straightforward and easy to use. I like how they have made it intuitive and visually appealing. Lighting control shouldn’t be overly complicated.

It is certainly one of the better lighting control apps I have seen or used.

The native beam angle when the fixture is used open face is 93°. When you use it with its included reflector the beam angle is 62°

I set up a test where I placed the Epos 600 at a distance of 3m / 9.9′ from a wall and then took measurements at the center, 15cm from the center, 30cm from the center, 50cm from the center, and 75cm from the center.

The 62° Reflector doesn’t have any massive hot spot and the fall-off is quite nice from around 30cm and out.

So now let’s get to the photometric results. I always test lights in this way so that I get a reference to how they compare to other fixtures. Results only tell part of the story and should never be used alone to judge a light. I have found from extensive testing over the years that certain lights that have good photometric results don’t always look good, and lights that have worse photometric scores can sometimes look better than their results indicate.

You can’t judge a light from one set of photometric results. You have to look at all of the different results to be able to come to a conclusion.

Different lights can also look different depending on what camera you happen to be using.

I tested the Kelvin Epos 600 at a variety of CCT settings with a Sekonic C-800 Spectrometer to find out how much output the light had and how accurate the Kelvin color temperature reproduction was. All readings are taken at a distance of 1m (3.28ft) in a controlled environment. The readings were also taken directly from the lighting source. In the case of using the light with the Reflector or softbox, the readings were taken from the end of the attachments.

Above you can see the claimed output figures from the manufacturer.

Let’s first look at the light when it is used open face with its High Performance lens in its regular output mode.

Above you can see that the Kelvin Epos 600 recorded an output of 19,400 lx (1810 fc) when set at 5600K and used open face with its High Performance lens.

The light recorded a CCT reading of 5506K which was a decent reading.

Above you can see the light’s output when it was set at 3200K in the open face configuration with its High Performance Lens was 17,300 lx 1600 fc), which is 10.8% less than the 19,400 lx it produced at 5600K.

As far as CCT accuracy goes, it recorded a very accurate reading of 3183K.

Summary of results (High Performance Lens)

Above you can see a summary of results when the light was used with its High Performance Lens at various CCT settings.

The results show me that the light’s CCT accuracy when using the High Performance Lens was pretty good up until about 6500K. Above 6500K it isn’t nearly as good. Yes, anytime you put anything in front of a light it will alter the CCT, but nonetheless, this is something you need to be very aware of.

What was nice to see is that the light’s output is pretty consistent across the CCT settings I tested. From 3200K to 10000K it varied by 2500 lx. From 4500K to 8000K it only varied by 800 lx. Now this was in its Max setting and there is a Constant setting that I will test the light in further down in the review.

So, now let’s see how much output the light has when used with its standard 62° reflector & High Performance Lens.

Above you can see the light’s output when it was set at 5600K with the standard reflector and High Performance Lens was 75,100 lx (6970 fc). It is important to note that this measurement was made 1m/ 3.3′ from the end of the reflector.

This is a ton of output from a light this size using a reflector.

As far as CCT accuracy goes, it recorded an almost perfect reading of 5609K.

Above you can see the light’s output when it was set at 3200K with the standard reflector and High Performance Lens was 62,200 lx (5780 fc), which was 17.17% less than what it output at 5600K.

As far as CCT accuracy goes, it recorded a reading of 3223K which was an excellent score.

Summary of results (62° reflector & High Performance Lens)

Above you can see a summary of results when the light was used with its reflector and High Performance Lens at various CCT settings.

The results show me that the light’s CCT accuracy when using the standard 62° reflector and the High Performance Lens was excellent from 2500-6500K. The output was pretty consistent from 4500-10000K. These were outstanding results.

Okay, now, let’s look at the Kelvin Epos 600 Standard 62° Reflector & High Performance Lens when set in its High Output Mode to see how much more output it has.

Above you can see the light’s output when it was set at 5600K in its High Output Mode with the standard reflector and High Performance Lens was 83,000 lx (7720 fc). This is a ton of output for a fixture with this power draw and 10.51% more than it output in its Regular Output Mode.

As far as CCT accuracy goes, it recorded a reading of 5666K which was a very good score and only 57K different from its reading in the Regular Output mode.

Above you can see the light’s output when it was set at 3200K in its High Output Mode with the standard reflector and High Performance Lens was 71,400 lx (6630 fc), which was 14.8% more than what it output in its Regular Output Mode.

As far as CCT accuracy goes, it recorded a reading of 3252K which was a very good score and only 29K different from its reading in the Regular Output Mode.

These results clearly show me that the CCT doesn’t get altered in any significant way when you use the High Output Mode instead of the Regular Output Mode.

How does this compare to some of the competitors? Below you can see:

As you can see, the competing fixtures all have less output than the Kelvin Epos 300 when used with their reflectors.

Below you can see how the output of the Kelvin Epos 600 compares to some HMI fixtures at a distance of 3m.

Please note that the readings from the two K 5600 Lighting options and the ARRI M8 and M18 are claimed figures. I haven’t independently tested these lights.

While the Kelvin Epos 600 is quite different from a light like the Joker2 and M18, at least you can get some idea of how its output compares.

Okay, how about if we now look at the light being used with its 62° reflector and High Performance lens in its Constant Output Mode.

Summary of results 62° reflector & High Performance Lens (Constant Output Mode)

In the constant output mode (which works from 3000K to 20,000K) the light’s output varied by 11.7%. This was a decent result, but I expected a little better. What was interesting is that in this mode, the CCT results were not very good as soon as you got over 3000K. Now, I can’t explain why this was, but that’s the data I got from testing.

As the fixture can be run off a 48V battery source let’s have a look at what the output is when doing so.

Above you can see the light’s output when it was set at 5600K and run via two 420Wh 28.8V batteries was 87,100 lx (8090 fc), which was actually slightly higher than the 83,300 lx it has when run via mains power. This shows me that with the right batteries, you can run this fixture remotely at 100% output with no limitations.

As I am thorough I wanted to see what the output was of the Kelvin Epos 600 when it was used in its various different fan settings.

Kelvin Epos 600 Standard 5600K 62° Reflector & High Performance Lens (Silent Fan)

Above you can see the light’s output when it was set at 5600K in its Silent Fan Mode with the standard reflector and High Performance Lens was 19,900 lx (1850 fc), which was 70.86% less than what it output in its Regular Fan Mode.

Kelvin Epos 600 Standard 5600K 62° Reflector & High Performance Lens (Quiet Fan)

Above you can see the light’s output when it was set at 5600K in its Quiet Fan Mode with the standard reflector and High Performance Lens was 68,600 lx (1850 fc), which was basically the same as what it output in its Regular Fan Mode.

As this is a light that is likely to be used with lighting modifiers such as softboxes, let’s have a look at the output and CCT accuracy when using a DoPchoice Octa 3′ softbox.

Above you can see the light’s output when it was set at 5600K in its High Output Mode with a DoPchoice Octa 3′ was 6710 lx (623 fc).

As far as CCT accuracy goes, it recorded a reading of 5742K.

Above you can see the light’s output when it was set at 3200K in its High Output Mode with a DoPchoice Octa 3′ was 7060 lx (656 fc).

As far as CCT accuracy goes, it recorded a reading of 3193K which was almost perfect.

Above you can see the light’s output when it was set at 5600K in its High Output Mode with a DoPchoice Octa 3′ and High Performance Lens was 4,940 lx (459 fc).

As far as CCT accuracy goes, it recorded a reading of 5657K.

Above you can see the light’s output when it was set at 3200K in its High Output Mode with a DoPchoice Octa 3′ and High Performance Lens was 5,530 lx (513 fc).

As far as CCT accuracy goes, it recorded a reading of 3279K.

Above you can see the light’s output when it was set at 5600K in its High Output Mode with a DoPchoice Octa 3′ and Diffusion Dome was 3560 lx (331 fc).

As far as CCT accuracy goes, it recorded a reading of 5469K.

Above you can see the light’s output when it was set at 3200K in its High Output Mode with a DoPchoice Octa 3′ and Diffusion Dome was 4200 lx (390 fc).

As far as CCT accuracy goes, it recorded a reading of 3203K which was almost perfect.

So let’s now have a look at the output you get when using the various Magnetic Diffusion attachments

Above you can see that when used with its Diffusion Dome at 5600K it recorded an output of 8220 lx (764 fc).

As far as CCT accuracy goes, it recorded a reading of 5452K. This does tell me that the CCT is getting changed when you use the diffusion dome.

Above you can see that when used with its Diffusion Dome at 5600K it recorded an output of 8630 lx (802 fc).

As far as CCT accuracy goes, it recorded a reading of 3212K. This tells me that the CCT is not changed when you use the diffusion dome at 3200K.

Above you can see that when used with its Diffusion D90 at 5600K it recorded an output of 15,400 lx (1430 fc).

As far as CCT accuracy goes, it recorded a reading of 5489K. This shows me that the Diffusion D90 alters the CCT slightly.

Above you can see that when used with its Diffusion D90 at 5600K it recorded an output of 15,800 lx (1470 fc).

As far as CCT accuracy goes, it recorded a reading of 3199K which was almost perfect.

As the fixture includes +/- Green adjustment you can quite easily correct any tint. While there is no exact science to this, and it really depends on what camera you are using as well, it’s just a matter of trial and error to see what setting actually works the best. The nice thing is, any light with +/- Green adjustment can be fine-tuned to deliver better results.

Now, what you should always do when testing lights is to see if the CCT remains consistent when dimming the light. Just because you set a light at say 5600K, that doesn’t mean that the CCT will remain stable as you start dimming the fixture down. I also wanted to see how linear the dimming curve was.

I decided to do a series of tests at 100%/75%/50%/25%10% to see if the CCT being recorded changed. This was done at a distance of 1m / 3.3′ using a Sekonic C-800. These tests were done at 5600K with the light being used with its 62° Reflector and High Performance Lens in its Constant Output Mode.

Kelvin Epos 600 5600K 62° Reflector & High Performance Lens (Constant Output Mode & Linear Dimming)

The Kelvin Epos 600 maintained excellent CCT consistency as you start dimming the fixture. My testing showed that the CCT readings varied by just 120K from 100% to 10%.

As far as how linear the output is when you start dimming the light, at 50% output it had 46.68% less output than when used at 100%. At 25% it had 71.72% less output than when used at 100%. At 10% output, it had 87.36% less output than when used at 100%. This shows me that the light’s dimming curve is reasonably linear, but it could be better.

So now that we have seen how much output the Kelvin Epos 600 produces, how does it perform when it comes to replicating accurate colors?

Above you can see that when the light was set at 5600K using the standard reflector and High Performance Lens recorded an average CRI (R1-R8) of 97.7 and an extended CRI (R1-R15) of 96.06. For replicating accurate skin tones it recorded 94.0 for R9 (red), 97.0 for R13 (closest to caucasian skin tones), and 95.8 for R15 (closest to Asian skin tones). These are excellent results, and only R12 (Blue) was below 90.

The light, when set at 5600K using its standard reflector and medium diffusion, recorded a TLCI score of 99.

Above you can see the scores for when the light was used at 3200K. It recorded an average CRI (R1-R8) of 98.2 and an extended CRI (R1-R15) of 97.42. For replicating accurate skin tones it recorded 95.9 for R9 (red), 98.4 for R13 (closest to caucasian skin tones), and 98.0 for R15 (closest to Asian skin tones). Not a single value was under 90.

These results were outstanding and slightly better than when the light was used at 5600K. The extended CRI score of 97.42 is the highest I have ever recorded from any LED light I have reviewed.

The light, when set at 3200K, recorded a TLCI score of 99.

How do these figures at 3200K and 5600K compare to other lights that we have previously reviewed? Below you can see:

5600K

The scores were excellent for the Kelvin Epos 600 and it was just marginally behind the Prolychy Orion 675 FS’ extended CRI score of 97.10.

3200K

The scores were excellent for the Kelvin Epos 600 at 3200K were outstanding. The extended CRI score was the best I have ever seen from any LED light when used at 3200K.

So, now let’s have a look if running the light in its High Output Mode changes the color rendering scores.

Above you can see that when the light was set at 5600K using the standard reflector and High Performance Lens and running in its High Output Mode recorded an average CRI (R1-R8) of 95.7 and an extended CRI (R1-R15) of 93.1. For replicating accurate skin tones it recorded 78.6 for R9 (red), 94.3 for R13 (closest to caucasian skin tones), and 92.3 for R15 (closest to Asian skin tones). These results were not as good as when the light operated in its Regular Output Mode. R9 (Red) and R12 (Blue) were below 90.

What these results show me is that when you run the light in its High Output Mode, the color rendering accuracy does take a slight hit.

The light, when set at 5600K, recorded a TLCI score of 99.

Above you can see that when the light was set at 3200K using the standard reflector and High Performance Lens and running in its High Output Mode recorded an average CRI (R1-R8) of 96.8 and an extended CRI (R1-R15) of 95.46. For replicating accurate skin tones it recorded 88.6 for R9 (Red), 96.5 for R13 (closest to caucasian skin tones), and 95.4 for R15 (closest to Asian skin tones). These were still good results, but not as good as when the light was run in its Regular Output Mode. R9 (Red) and R12 (Blue) were both marginally below 90.

The light, when set at 3200K, recorded a TLCI score of 99.

What about if we couple the Kelvin Epos 600 with the DoPchoice Octa 3 Softbox?

Above you can see that when the light was set at 3200K with a DoPchoice Softbox and running in its High Output Mode, it recorded an average CRI (R1-R8) of 97.5 and an extended CRI (R1-R15) of 96.26. For replicating accurate skin tones it recorded 92.1 for R9 (Red), 97.1 for R13 (closest to caucasian skin tones), and 96.3 for R15 (closest to Asian skin tones). These were excellent results and only R12 (Blue) was marginally below 90.

What about if we couple the Kelvin Epos 600 with the Diffusion Dome and the DoPchoice Octa 3 Softbox?

Above you can see that when the light was set at 3200K with a DoPchoice Softbox and the Diffusion Dome and running in its High Output Mode recorded an average CRI (R1-R8) of 96.2 and an extended CRI (R1-R15) of 94.99. For replicating accurate skin tones it recorded 88.9 for R9 (Red), 95.7 for R13 (closest to caucasian skin tones), and 95.4.3 for R15 (closest to Asian skin tones). These were good results and only R9 (Red) and R12 (Blue) were marginally below 90.

The CC Index displays the CC correction value and whether any magenta or green need to be added or subtracted. 1 CC corresponds to 035 Kodak CC values or 1/8 Rosco filter values. Any reading less than +1.00 or -1.00 and you’re probably not going to need to make any kind of adjustment. The ⊿uv is the value to show how much this light is away from being an ideal light source (black body radiation = incandescent lamp). As with the CC Index you want this number to theoretically be zero. Kelvin is not a linear value, so we need to convert from Kelvin to MK-1 to compare the values of color temperature. To calculate from Kelvin to Mired is MK-1= 1*1000000/Kelvin. While this may sound confusing, it is the only way of measuring if the Kelvin shift is significant enough to warrant having to use a filter for correction. Below are the results for the Kelvin Epos 600:

These figures might look confusing, but what they tell me is that the light is very CCT-accurate across its range. Any MK-1 score that is under -9/9 means you wouldn’t have to use any color correction gels. The MK-1 scores for this light were extremely good, especially at 5600K and 6500K.

The CC Index & ⊿uv scores were very consistent, but they weren’t quite as good as those from the Epos 300.

TM-30 is a relatively new color rendering standard that was developed to deal with the limitations of CRI. TM-30 looks at 99 individual colors. These 99 colors are categorized into seven groups: nature, skin color, textiles, paints, plastics, printed material, and color systems.

TM-30 scores go from 0 – 100. The higher the score, the more accurate a light is at producing colors. Any TM-30 Rf score in the ’90s is considered to be good. What is interesting and something that you need to be very aware of is that two separate light sources with the exact same CRI scores can render colors very differently. A light with a high CRI rating could have a low TM-30 score. Conversely, a light with a good TM-30 score could have a bad CRI score.

Now, there are two measurements associated with TM-30, Rf and Rg.

Rf (Color Fidelity)Rg (Color Gamut)

With Rf value, ideally, you want a score in the 90’s.

With Rg value, a score below 100 indicates that the light source renders colors with less saturation than the reference source. So ideally you want this score to be above 100.

Above you can see the scores for the Kelvin Epos 600 at various CCT settings. Below I have listed the figures as well.

Here are the results:

The TM-30 scores were excellent for this light and it shows me that it is very consistent at replicating accurate colors with full saturation.

I also wanted to test the light to see how it performed when creating super-saturated colors.

Above you can see that the light when using its reflector and High Performance Lens recorded an output of 3340 lx (310 fc). What you clearly need to know when using RGBWACL lights like this is that the output levels you can produce when creating super saturated colors are a lot less than when using the light in a CCT mode.

As far as creating an accurate 0° RED, the Epos 600 was actually off by 3°.

Above you can see that the light when using its reflector and medium diffusion recorded an output of 4350 lx (405 fc).

As far as creating an accurate 120° GREEN, the Epos 600 was spot on with a 120° reading and 100% saturation.

Above you can see that the light when using its reflector and medium diffusion recorded an output of 3860 lx (1359 fc).

As far as creating an accurate 240° BLUE, the Epos 600 was 2° off with a reading of 242°, but it did have 100% saturation.

Above you can see that the light when using its reflector and medium diffusion recorded an output of 3620 lx (336 fc).

As far as creating an accurate 60° Yellow, the Epos 300 was 8° off with a reading of 70°, but it did have 100% saturation.

With the Epos 600 the output remains reasonably consistent no matter what color you are trying to generate.

SSI (Spectral Similarity Index) was developed by the Sci-Tech Council of the Academy. SSI gives me the ability to set any light as a standard, or use predefined standards (such as CIE D55), and then give other lights an SSI score based upon how well they will match standards such as CIE D55 measure spectral response and compare it directly against an ideal light source.

SSI is a much better way to judge an LED light than CRI or TLCI, although they don’t tell the full story of any light and you can’t judge a light by SSI scores alone.

SSI is useful for seeing how well different lights will play together. As the Sekonic C-800 Spectromaster can measure SSI, I decided to test out the Kelvin Epos 600 to see how it performed.

In this graph, the red bars indicate a perfect Planck 3200K source. The gold bars indicate a perfect 3200K Tungsten source. This lets us compare how close to a perfect 3200K lighting source the Kelvin Epos 600 is. Any SSI score in the high 70’s, low ’80s is very good for a 3200K LED light. These were outstanding scores.

As a comparison, above are the same results for the Prolycht Orion 675 FS.

As another comparison, the results for the ARRI Orbiter are above.

In the graph above the gold bars indicate a perfect CIE D55 source. The red bars indicate a perfect CIE D 5600K source. This lets us compare how close to a perfect 5600K lighting source the Kelvin Epos 600 is. A score in the low 70’s is typical for a 5600K LED source.

As a comparison, above are the scores for the Prolycht Orion 675 FS.

As another comparison, above are the results for the ARRI Orbiter.

The main reason we want to record SSI scores is so we can see how well they match with other lights. As an example, I wanted to see how well the Kelvin Epos 600 matched the ARRI Orbiter and Prolycht Orion 675 FS. Below you can see the results.

As you can see neither lights are a perfect match to the Kelvn Epos 600, but you could potentially fine-tune the lights to try and get them to match more closely. In saying that, a score in the ’90s is still reasonably good.

As another test, I thought I would compare those same lights against the Kelvin Epos 600 at 3200K. Below you can see the results.

As you can see, both lights had similar scores, but again, they weren’t an exact match to the Kelvin Epos 600. In saying that, very few lights from different manufacturers are ever going to be an exact match.

Okay, so now let’s see how well the Kelvin Epos 600 matches itself when used with its Diffusion Dome and in its High Output Mode. In theory, these scores should be very high.

As you can see, when you use the light in its High Output Mode or with its Diffusion Dome it isn’t going to be a perfect match, but it’s very close and you would struggle to see any real-world difference.

Again, at 3200K, it wasn’t a perfect match, but it was very close.

As one more test, let’s have a look at how well the light would match a light with a completely different type of light engine, in this case, the Aputure STORM 1200x.

As you can see, the Kelvin Epos 600 was a much better match at 3200K than at 5600K. Because the Aputure STORM 1200x uses a BLAIR light engine with an Indigo light emitter, the Epos 600 isn’t going to match well because it can’t produce color information in that part of the spectrum.

SSI tests are a great way of telling you what lights you own or use will work well together.

Above you can see the spectral distribution of the Kelvin Epos 600 when it is set at 5600K. The spectral distribution is very full, and it has a lot of information in the 640 nm to 680 nm that you don’t see in a lot of competing lights.

As a comparison, above you can see the spectral distribution of the Prolycht Orion 675 FS when it is set at 5600K

As another comparison, above you can see the spectral distribution of the ARRI Orbiter.

If you want to see what a really good spectral response looks like for a spotlight at 5600K, above is the result for the Maxima 3.

Above you can see the spectral distribution of the Kelvin Epos 600 when it is set at 3200K. The spectral distribution certainly has a slight push towards green but it is very full for a LED light set at 3200K

As a comparison, above you can see the spectral distribution of the Prolycht Orion 675 FS when it is set at 3200K

As another comparison, above you can see the spectral distribution of the ARRI Orbiter.

As I always say, photometric scores only tell you part of the story. So let’s find out if the scores from the Kelvin Epos 600 translate into good real-world performance.

The photometric results can only give me scientific data and it is much more important for me to see how the light looks and performs, especially with skin tones.

As most LED lights perform a lot better at 3200K than at 5600K let’s have a look at a few tests where I set a camera at 5600K and the light at 5600K to see how it looked. I also then did a camera white balance to see how it changed. You can also see how it compares to two lights, the Maxima 3, and Aputure STORM 1200x, which are both excellent at recreating daylight sources.

It is very easy to create a very soft, flattering light source using the Kelvin Epos 600. I found that by using a softbox you could create a very soft lighting source without needing to punch it through a diffusion screen. This makes it a very quick and easy light to use for interview situations or for any scenario where you need soft light.

Above you can see what the light looks like with a DoPChoice Octa 3 softbox being used and the Diffusion Dome. I am not using any other lights in these examples.

The light doesn’t completely fill up a large softbox because the beam angle isn’t overly wide, although that is also the case when using most point source lights. In saying that, there is still plenty of illumination and it works well. Kelvin recommends using the Diffusion Dome attachment with a softbox to get a broader spread, but that will reduce the output. I tried using this combination and it provided good results.

The softbox also produces nice soft shadows as you can see from these examples above.

It also works well when you punch the light through a large diffusion screen or into some polyboard.

Above you can see comparison images showing the light when used with its 62 Degree Reflector. I have kept the camera settings the same for all of these tests.

Above you can see comparison images showing the light when used with its 62 Degree Reflector and High Performance Lens, 62 Degree Reflector & Diffusion Dome, and just with the Diffusion Dome.

Above you can see comparison images showing the light when used open face.

Even with the light dimmed down to 0.1% it was still able to achieve a CCT reading of 5359K which was impressive.

You could use the Kelvin Epos 600 for lots of different applications, but the light is certainly being aimed as a versatile, high-output, well-made lighting fixture for professionals in the TV and film industry.

It is priced to appeal to mid to high-end owner-operators who are looking for a jack-of-all-trades lighting solution. Just like most modern-day LED spotlights, the Epos 600 has the ability to be a hard light source, a soft source, a fresnel, a gobo, a Source 4, or just about anything else you want it to be. I like the magnetic diffusion filters that you can use with or without reflectors, soft boxes, etc. as it further increases the flexibility of the fixture.

This isn’t a super affordable fixture as its hand made in Norway and the build quality and attention to detail are second to none. It isn’t arguably going to appeal to someone who is looking at a similar fixture from one of the Chinese manufacturers.

Is the Kelvin Epos 600 likely to appeal to solo shooters and small crews who are looking for a similar light to say an Aputure LS 600c Pro II? That is hard to say because it is around $1,500 USD more expensive. It is however better built and it offers, at least in my opinion, superior performance.

The Kelvin Epos 600 retails for $3,999 USD. This does make it more expensive than most other competing fixtures that could be considered competition. It is important to note that this light is handmade in Norway and the manufacturing costs are going to be significantly higher than lights that are made in China. The materials being used are also of a higher quality than the competition.

The Kelvin Epos 600 RGB LED Monolight (Travel Kit with Accessories) that I was reviewing retails for $4,299 USD.

Below you can see how the price compares to the competition:

*Currently on sale at B&H as of the 25/9/2024

The Kelvin Epos 600 can be used with a ton of affordable accessories due to having a Bowens-S mount. However, DoPChoice in conjunction with Kelvin also makes its own accessories. Above you can see what is available:

The Kelvin Epos 600 is certainly a very impressive fixture. It is beautifully made and easy to use and operate. With so many lighting modifiers available, it makes it a fixture you can use for so many different applications.

The Epos is fully featured, extremely versatile, and it produces a really nice quality of light. A lot of thought has gone into this fixture and the attention to detail shows.

The interface and operating system are super easy to use, as is the app. By utilizing a Bowens Mount you can utilize a large array of lighting modifiers without having to spend a ton of money. I also like that Kelvin’s own Magnetic Diffusers are relatively affordable.

The fan noise is not an issue, and only in the High setting are you likely to even notice it. The consistency of the light when it comes to output and color accuracy is impressive. In my opinion, the light is priced well given its feature set, output, and capabilities. The color accuracy is some of the best I have seen from any LED spotlight.

My biggest complaint with the light is that if you want to run it remotely without mains power then you will need to use a 48V solution. This arguably puts it at a disadvantage if that is one of the things you are looking for in a light.

The light has more output and better photometric performance than the competition and that is what currently puts it in a class of its own. At least in my opinion, there isn’t a better full-color fixture with this power draw on the market than this one.

The light is on the heavy side, but it’s not that much heavier than some of the competition.

If you don’t need all of the bells and whistles and build quality that come with a light like this then you may well find that lower-priced options from amaran, Godox, or Lupo are a better option given their lower price. If, however, you are looking for a no-compromise full color COB fixture with immaculate build quality and performance then the Epos 600 ticks a lot of boxes.

The direct competition, at least in my opinion, comes from the Aputure LS 600c Pro II. It offers similar capabilities and it is more affordable, however, its build quality isn’t nearly as good as the Kelvin, nor is the output. I would have said that the Prolycht Orion 675 FS was the main competition, but of course, Aputure bought Prolycht and that light has been discontinued.

The Kelvin Epos 600 is an extremely impressive fixture and it does a lot of things really well, without compromising on any of them. You get a ton of output, and that output isn’t at the expense of color accuracy. While it isn’t perfect (no light is) it is one of the best lighting fixtures I have ever reviewed.

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Matthew Allard is a multi-award-winning, ACS accredited freelance Director of Photography with over 30 years' of experience working in more than 50 countries around the world.He is the Editor of Newsshooter.com and has been writing on the site since 2010.Matthew has won 50 ACS Awards, including six prestigious Golden Tripods. In 2016 he won the Award for Best Cinematography at the 21st Asian Television Awards.Matthew is available to hire as a DP in Japan or for work anywhere else in the world.