Good things in Small Packages? Zhiyun Molus G60 LED Cob Light

The Zhiyun Molus G60 pocket COB LED video light, the light that promises to deliver powerful and versatile lighting in a compact and portable package. But, the question is, does it do that and does size really matter when it comes to lighting up your subject?

This COB light is so small (its size it often compare to a Rubik’s cube) that it fits in the palm of my hand, and it’s light too weighing only 300 grams.

On its own (without the use of the accessories), it has a maximum illuminance of 2376 lux, but with one of the accessories (the Zhiyun mini reflector) that illuminance is multiplied by over 4.5x to give a max illuminance of 11194 lux.

Unfortunately, it’s not an RGB light nor does it have any lighting effects but does have a colour temperature range of between a warm 2700K to a cool 6500K, so if you’re filming in a studio setting (where the optimum standardised colour is generally around 5500K), then that mark is going to be comfortably achieved by the G60.

It has a high CRI score of 96 and TLCI score of 97. The CRI, is a measure of how well a light source can show the true colours of objects to the human eye and the TLCI, is a measure of how well a light source can show those true colours of the objects to video cameras, both scored out of 100, and the G60’s scores mean that this light is going to be able to reproduce accurate and natural colours.

The light has a simple and miniature design, mostly made with plastic, which doesn’t cheapen the feel of this light, but you’ll probably find lower costing lights then this that feel more premium.

On the back, there is a small LCD screen that shows the current settings, such as brightness, colour temperature, power input and mode. There are two knobs that let you adjust the brightness and colour temperature.

If you loosen the adjustable stand, which also has a standard 1/4 inch screw hole (that lets you mount the light on a tripod or a light stand), you’ll see the DC power supply port.

On the top of the light is the power button and on the side, you’ve got a USB-C power supply port which supports PD fast charging up to 100W. This means you can power the light with a compatible high watt power bank or charger (if you can find one), which is very convenient for outdoor and portable shooting.

One of the good things about this light is that, when you you plug in a USB-C cable into the light, it will tell you what wattage you’re getting from the cable and power adaptor. This in turn affects of maximum light intensity that you do get from the light. I tried the light with a cable and power adaptor that produces 18W of PD power and thus the maximum intensity will only go up to 24%. Thankfully, when I film in, I often use it at around 20%, so using this cable would be fine.

In comparison to when it’s plugged in via the mains adapter or with a 100W PD adaptor, the intensity is able to go all the way up to 100.

Scrolling through the intensity (from 0 to 100) can take a bit of time, but if you click in the dial, it jumps up in increments of 50% (50% of the maximum intensity), to the nearest 50, and then back to 0% (if the max intensity was 24%, then the increment increases are 12% and 24% intensity).

Likewise, with the temperature dial, scroll to change from 2700 to 6500, or press the dial to alternate between 2700K, the favourite at 5500K all the way to 6500.

One of the coolest features of the G60, is its DynaVort Cooling System, this consists of a gyroscope modelling heat sink and a FOC fan that keep the light cool and quiet. The cooling vents on the light that are positioned on three of the sides. The fan speed adjusts automatically according to the temperature of the light, so you don’t have to worry about overheating or noise. The only time I noticed the fans on and running, was when I testing for the review video when the light intensity was quite high for about 5 minutes and even then the fan was very quiet.

Another great feature of the G60 and Zhiyun in general is its accessory ecosystem. You can buy this G60 in two configurations, the standard pack which comes with the power adaptor, the power adapter organiser bag, the mini reflector and the small diffusion dome. The other configuration is the combo pack, which as well as those accessories from the standard pack, you also get a mini softbox with removable honeycomb grid, a Bowens mount adapter, a mini tripod and a storage bag.

There are two modes on this light that essentially vary what happens when you power on the light, you’ve got normal mode which when you plug power in, you have to physically power on the light by pressing the power button, which most people would do, and the live mode, where once the power to the light is turned on then the G60 will automatically turn on. Useful for creators who will use these either high up, where getting to the power button could be an issue or if you’re using multiple lights simultaneously and turning each one on individually could get annoying so having all of them connected to one power multi socket that only has to be turned on to power on all of them is a good thing.

The G60 has a ZY mount that lets you attach various modifiers that are specially designed for it, such as the mini reflector, the mini softbox, and other Zhiyun accessories. These modifiers are easy to install and remove, and they help you shape and soften the light according to your needs. The mini reflector simply, once in the correct position, needs twisting to secure and is now locked in place. To unlock this, or any ZY mounted accessory, hold the unlock trigger, twist and release.

With the Bowens mount adapter, you can use any Bowens mount modifier with this light, such as a lantern softbox, a parabolic softbox, or even an umbrella. This is going to give you a lot of creative options and flexibility with this small light. It is recommended if you are going to use this, that a fitted softbox to this adapter should be no larger then 60cm in diameter and no heavier than 1.3kg in weight.

For now, in my small studio room, I find that the mini softbox is perfect for my setup. But if you’ve got a larger room, then you’ve got the option of either buying a larger softbox or using an existing one if it got a Bowens mount compatible one already.

The G60 also supports Bluetooth mesh control via the ZY Vega app, which, if you’ve got a few of these, lets you control multiple lights at once from your smartphone. Where you can adjust the brightness, colour temperature, group settings, and more from the app, which is very handy for complex lighting setups, using presets or when you don’t have access to the physical dials on the light.

So far, I’ve been very impressed with the Zhiyun MOLUS G60. It’s powerful, semi-portable, versatile, easy to use and it’s meant that I’ve fully transitioned from using my old trusty Elgato key light. It’s perfect for creators who need a reliable and functional lighting source for various scenarios and ones who are restricted by space in their setup.

But are there any drawbacks or limitations to this light? Well, there are a few things that I wish were different or better.

First of all, I wish there was an optional battery pack for this light. While it’s great that it supports USB-C PD fast charging, it would be nice to have an option to use an external battery pack that attaches directly to the light without any cables or adapters, a bit like its more expensive brother in the Molus X100 which does, then it would be truely portable, making it more convenient and secure for outdoor shooting or when you need to move around with the light.

And Secondly, I wish there were more features or modes for this light. It would be cool if it had RGB colours or lighting effects, like other LED lights do, even something like this LED light has those features. These would add some fun and creativity to your videos and shoots.

Of course, these are not essential features for most situations, but they would be nice to have as options.

While the look of this G60, might not be to everyones taste and yes you can pick up larger, more powerful lights then this at a lot more affordable price, this little light definitely pulls its weight in its crowded marketplace, I’m sure you’ll not be able to find another light that packs all of its characteristics while weighing heavily on it’s unique selling point, it’s size, everything, the power, the semi-portability, the convenience, all in something the size of a Rubik’s cube.

If you want to see the video version of this video, which features visual examples of the Molus G60 in action, check out my YouTube video by following the link below: