By Jake Hellbach, Shutterstock Footage Contributor

Shutterstock contributor Jake Hellbach recently acquired a MicroPro Litepanel, and agreed to write a review of the equipment from the perspective of a stock videographer for Shutterstock. All Shutterstock Footage clips featured in this article were shot using the Canon EOS 5D Mark II and Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 lens.

Let me get this out of the way first: The MicroPro Litepanel is a great piece of equipment to have. If you shoot frequently, it will come in handy almost every day.

The following clips allowed me to give it a good test run:

http://footage.shutterstock.com/video.html?id=660934

http://footage.shutterstock.com/video.html?id=660928

I wanted to take advantage of the MicroPro’s small size to create the mood for these clips, which I had been planning for some time. I used the Litepanel as the main light source. I mounted the light on a small tabletop stand directly in front of the computer monitor. As you can see, the camera angle creates the illusion that the monitor itself is generating light.

Why didn’t I simply turn on the computer monitor and use its light? Quite simply, the monitor is a prop and doesn’t work! However, the other reason is that I can control the amount of light from the MicroPro light using the dimmer.

The only other light I used was one 60 watt fluorescent light behind the camera to put some light on the back of the monitor.

For this clip, I used the light again as the main source, about three feet from the subject.

http://footage.shutterstock.com/video.html?id=660925

The dimmer feature of the Litepanel MicroPro makes it quite versatile.

During the making of the following clip for my ongoing police and CSI investigation series, the dimmer was very useful. I wanted a very shallow DOF to create the mood. Without the dimmer, I would have had to use ND filters or place the light further from the subject.

http://footage.shutterstock.com/video.html?id=660931

The Litepanel MicroPro LED light runs off six standard AA batteries, or an optional five to 12 volt power supply. The kit comes with a hot shoe swivel adaptor and three filters.

The basic LED is dimmable, which is a huge plus, with a 5600K daylight temperature. It was perfect for me as a fill or background light, because I also use 5600K fluorescent lights in my studio. The Litepanel comes with daylight to tungsten conversion filter, and a ¼ CTO warming filter. It also includes a diffuser – I keep this on all the time, as it softens the light.

This light is a perfect size and weight for traveling. I keep it in my camera bag all the time. It works great as a quick light to use in an interview setting or as accent lighting.

I used it again on location during the filming of a commercial we did for a local 24 hour Emergency Room:

http://vimeo.com/8397413

During the interview segment, I placed the light approximately five feet from the interviewee to eliminate shadows on his face created by overhead lights, and to provide catch light in his eyes. This particular example speaks well for the battery life of this light, as the entire interview took over an hour with camera angles, retakes, etc. (Editor’s note: this interview was shot using the Canon EOS 7D and Canon EF24-105mm f/4L lens.)

For shooting stock video, I highly recommend adding one of these to your arsenal.

You can view Jake’s Shutterstock Footage gallery here, and see more of his work here.