Broncolor F160 LED review

The Broncolor F160 LED studio lighting head might be expensive, but you can’t argue with the quality of this light

By Phil Hall, Digital Photographer
published
Broncolor F160
(Image: © Digital Photographer)

Digital Camera World Verdict

The Broncolor is a premium studio light, and comes with a price to match. But for your money you get plenty of pro touches, including a wide colour temperature range, focusable beam and 1.69-inch OLED display. The build quality is hard to fault too, with a compact design that’s finished to a high standard, with plenty of metal – and perhaps more importantly is super-quiet too. It is not the powerful LED light designed for the professional photographic studio around, but what it has should be more than enough for most photographic scenarios

Pros

  • +

    Superb build quality

  • +

    On-board information panel

  • +

    Can be controlled via an app

  • +

    Good color temperature range

Cons

  • -

    Lacks the power of similarly-priced rivals

  • -

    Premium pricing

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The Broncolor F160 LED studio light has an illumination output of 12,000 lumens. That’s the equivalent to 650 watts halogen, so there’s plenty of kick here for most shooting applications. This is supported by a broad color temperature range of 2,800-6,800K – providing a warmer maximum setting than most of its rivals.

be adjusted in 50K steps, while there are two temperature presets as well (Daylight and Tungsten). It also has a brilliant Color Rendering Index (CRI) rating of 97+, making it incredibly accurate.

As you’d expect for a light that comes from Broncolor, the build quality is high-end. The clean and uncluttered styling looks professional and follows a similar design to Broncolor Siros flash heads. 

Specifications

(Image credit: Digital Photographer)

Color temperature: 2,800-6,800K
Illumination: 12,000 lumens
Color Rendering Index (CRI): 97+
Display: 1.69-inch OLED
Control: DMX (with optional DMX adapter box), WiFi (bronControl app)
Power source: Mains (optional Lithium battery)
Max power consumption: 160 watts
Compatibility: Broncolor bayonet
Dimensions: 28.8 x 16.5 x 12cm
Weight: 1.745kg
In the box: LED F160 lamp, umbrella reflector, 120 mm cover for umbrella reflector, 120 mm diffusion attachment, mains adapter, mains cable

(Image credit: Digital Photographer)

Broncolor’s managed to keep the LED F160 fairly compact as well, and at just 1.745kg it will be relatively easy to pack when on location. Speaking of which, it’s mains powered, but there’s an optional 36V battery available, though the streamlined design of the light means you’ll need to clamp the powerpack to the light stand. There’s a sharp 1.69-inch OLED display on the back, while the Wi-Fi connectivity of the light means it can be controlled via the bronControl app as well. 

The LED F160 features a dome-shaped LED lamp design that’s quite different to the COB LED chips used by both the Aputure LS 300X and NanLite Forza 300. The LED F160 is also compatible with Broncolor’s extensive lighting modifiers, while the focusing wheel sees the light move back and forth to focus the light for different light modifiers.

Performance was hard to fault, with excellent color consistency through the range, while those shooting video will love the whisper-quiet running of the light.

Read more:
The best photography lighting kits in 2021: for studio, location and video

The best LED light panels

The best backdrops for photography

The best ring lights in 2021

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Phil Hall
Phil Hall

Phil is the Managing Editor of Top Ten Reviews, and is a former Editor of Techradar's camera channel. He is an accomplished photographer, and specializes in shooting cycling and fast cars.