Packing 40W of power and up to 14,000 lux, the Zhiyun Fiveray M40 is a great portable light. Despite its small size, it outputs a lot of light. You can use it for video or photography, and it supports a colour temperature range of 2700K to 6200K. It's a great fill light if you're planning to create content or look better for online video meetings.
Quick specs
- Max output: 40W
- Colour temperature range: 2700K – 6200K
- 176 LED lights (88 PCS cool light, 88 PCS warm light)
- Battery: 2,600mAh, 1hr 50m charging time
Mostly known for their excellent gimbals, Zhiyun's new lights are impressive. The M40 is compact, packed with 176 LED lights and a 2,600mAh battery. This means it can last around 29 minutes at max brightness. At 10W, it can easily last for more than 1.5 hours. Those are pretty good numbers, and you can also plug in any USB Power Delivery battery bank or charger to keep it powered. Note that while it can produce up 14,000 lux of brightness, this is measured at a 4300K colour temperature.
I quite like the M40's no-nonsense black and white design, and sturdy plastic build. There are two bright orange buttons — one for temps and one for brightness. There's also a battery indicator below the buttons. The 360-degree hinge features two 1/4 threaded holes, which should work with most tripods and selfie sticks. You can also use it as a stand to prop up the light. The fan at the rear uses Zhiyun's DynaVort cooling system, which does a great job of cooling the light. Even after being in operation for 20 minutes at max brightness, the light was just slightly warm to touch. The fan starts off quiet, but it gets a bit loud when the heat builds up. If you don't need max brightness, you probably won't even hear the fans.
Light quality is fantastic. At the lowest settings, you get a nice soft light that casts a very soft shadow. Looking directly into it at max brightness can be blinding, so I don't recommend that. You get a very nice glow at 25%. I really like how it's not as harsh as some of the other compact LED lights I had previously used. And if you find the lights casting still too harsh, there's a separate silicone cover you can buy to help soften the lights even more. You probably don't need it though, as you can see from my test shots below.
Credit: Aloysius Low/Can Buy or Not
Credit: Aloysius Low/Can Buy or Not
At S$159, the Zhiyun Fiveray M40 is a great portable light. As camera accessories go, it's pretty affordable. I honestly think you can't go wrong with it if you need a portable light for your content creation. Get it from Shopee or Lazada.
Note: Review unit provided by Zhiyun.
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