Reflex + Optics Kit

Finding the Stella reflex lights has been such a huge breath of fresh air. I don’t even know where to begin but I will tell you my story of how I ended up with these lights. First of all, as an equine and pet photographer, there are some situations where I may not be able to use my strobes, such as a dog that has an extreme fear of storms or while at a performance event with horses. As much as I love being able to use strobes- I needed a solution to fill in when I couldn’t use strobes. After countless hours spent researching continual light and thousands of dollars spent on terrible low-power continual lights that were large, bulky, and just didn’t do the job I was feeling stumped on where to turn. Plus I was stuck carrying both strobes and my continual lights just in case I needed them which wasn’t realistic.

I discovered the CLx10 shortly before the Reflex lights were introduced and as soon as I got my hands on it and realized how much brighter and more durable it was than all of the other continual lights I had been trying to make work, I knew that I had found a brand of lights for me…then the Reflex lights were introduced which were smaller and more versatile as they could replace my strobes and continual lights in one tiny package. I was in love.

The reflex lights blew me away in my 3-week long event where I photographed 150 horses and dogs and they ran for nearly 3 weeks straight on continuous mode, they were such a game changer. No more giant bulky lights to tote in and out each day- no more worrying about lights getting knocked over because I knew without a doubt that these lights are durable and rugged- and I didn’t have to worry about the dirt and dust in the barns impacting the lights.

My next test was at a dance studio using them on burst mode with the battery packs- they worked for a week straight photographing over 1000 dancers, the battery pack on them lasted for what felt like an eternity compared to any other strobes I had used in the past and I rarely had to charge them which was so nice.

At our dog events- we could seamlessly switch from burst to continual mode when we had a dog that was afraid of the lights or apprehensive. It was truly such a great thing to have.

I am now the proud owner of 6 reflex lights (soon to be 8)- and the CLx10. My CLx10 actually lives in my office and is the light I use for all of my zoom calls and for recording courses.

As a traveling photographer that works around thousand-pound+ animals that are unpredictable in dusty environments the durability and portability of the Reflex lights is completely unmatched.

I use these lights to light reporters I work with in TV News and often receive compliments on how nice my lighting looks. I absolutely love these lights in my kit!

The reflex lights are probably one of the best investments I have made for video. Incredible lights! Yeah, they are pricey but you get what you pay for. Every time I use them I am blown away by how much light I get out of such a small compact piece of equipment. With the spot lenses, I feel like I can set up a mile away and still light my subject. It’s incredible! They did it right with these ones.

I was able to use the Stella Pro on two recent projects. One, was photographing a statue at night and two was doing portraits. When I say that this is the power of a sun in the palm of my hand, it is not to defeat Spider-Man, but to create work that reveals the true character of my subjects.

This light is extremely powerful. I wrote an earlier review, but that was before I truly put it to the test. The Reflex combined with a soft box makes skin look so smooth, natural, and the gradient of shadows is very nice transition.

This light is truly changing the game. Shannon, you are awesome and thank you for all your help! Now back to fighting Spider-Man!

I bought the Reflex at a recent convention and love its power and versatility. It works as a video light and a flash, it is small, with a premium build. I will be testing it out in the studio soon.

What I would improve on is the usability. When holding it with the lens forward, I have adjust my thumb to press the small power button on the side. As someone who played video games since a youngling, it would be great to have a big central power button. Also, the light stand connector has an allen wrench with a small screw that could be easily lost. What if you had two screws on opposite sides to secure the connector in place? That way, there would only be two parts, the light and battery handle, that become one.

Another thing down the road would be to make an RGB version. You could get neutral, warm, and cool light and all the colors of the spectrum. This would make the Stella Pro a complete lighting setup the size of a speedlite.

The last thing would be if it came in a case with a hard shell. This is a very expensive and powerful light, so it should come with protection.

I love the power and function, but the user experience can be slightly improved for a truly interstellar (did you see what I did there :) ?) experience! You all have amazing customer service. Thank you!