Frequently Asked Questions
What are soft light options for CL lights?
Light & Motion CL lights are natively a "hard" light which produces a pure light that delivers a single shadow and supports dramatic journalistic and Film Noir lighting styles. The hard light is also perfect when shooting on location in bright sunlight as it mimics the sun and can provide an even fill for "live shots" or portraits.
There are many options to create a soft or softer light using Stella lights:
The portable Dome Diffusion accessory creates a wide diffuse light - perfect for portraits.
The GloBulb can be used to create a soft light for portraits or interviews.
To create a large soft source, CL lights can be shot into a medium to large shoot-through umbrellas or into a parabolic umbrella with a sock. To do this you will need to add an Umbrella Holder Mount Kit. All of our lights can be used with an umbrella with the Umbrella Holder Mount Kit.
Additionally, CL lights can be paired with a number of 3rd-party light shaping tools: DoP Choice Snap Bags (no speedring required), and Profoto Softboxes/Octas and Elinchrom by adding our Profoto Adapter Ring.
Lastly, COB lighting can be used shot through a diffusion panel, bounced off of a wall or modified with available materials - experiment and be creative with Light & Motion lights as so many options are available when starting with a pure hard light.
How do you travel by air with the CL lights?
The Light & Motion continuous lights with integrated lithium-ion batteries can be safely transported in carry on and checked luggage because the batteries are safely installed/integrated in the light (unlike spare lithium-ion batteries). To travel safely just ensure that the master on/off button is in the "off" position.
Most airlines have restrictions for "spare" Lithium-ion batteries and these can't travel in checked baggage. The "spare" lithium-ion batteries also have restrictions for travel in carry on with limits to 2 x spare batteries of 100+ watts. The batteries we use in our products are below 90 watts and most importantly are "installed" in the device which permits them to travel in carry on or checked baggage.
Airline Specifications for Lithium-ion batteries are found in the link below and clearly specify that lithium-ion batteries installed in electronic devices can travel in carry on or checked baggage: Here is an excerpt from the regulation FAQs:
"Question 2. What kinds of batteries does the FAA allow in checked baggage (including gate-checked bags)?"
"Answer 2. Except for spare (uninstalled) lithium metal and lithium-ion batteries, all the batteries allowed in carry-on baggage are also allowed in checked baggage. The batteries must be protected from damage and short circuit or installed in a device." (The Stella batteries are installed).
You can read the full document guidelines here:
Here is our operating manual link for operating instructions:
Battery Life: How many cycles will the integrated batteries provide and how are they replaced?
We use premium Panasonic cells in our lights which are high-capacity, stable batteries. They deliver consistent runtimes with regulated constant output.
Our batteries are specified for 500 cycles but in practice our professional customers using the lights daily are experiencing much longer battery life than 500 cycles.
Batteries that no longer have capacity can be replaced in our Marina, CA factory for a nominal fee. We can provide battery replacement and a full service of the light for $350 (or nominal fee) if and when needed.
In addition to long life, one of the advantages of our integrated battery lights is the ability to travel with these integrated battery lights on carry on or in checked baggage. You can read more about this on our FAQ on "Traveling with your Stella Lights".
