This time we are going to be going over our ultimate Neewer 660 review that we have seen requested a fair few times now. We have been extremely busy recently but have finally managed to find the free time required to knock this review out.
As you probably know, the Neewer 660 lighting panel is an extremely popular lighting solution within the community with one of the best reputations going at the time of writing. This is due to its excellent performance, its solid build quality, it easy control system, and it’s very fair price tag.
We just wanted to get that out the way at the start of the review as although we are always fair when reviewing a product, this review will end up being overly positive as there are no real negative points on the Neewer 660. We feel that this is why it has become the go-to lighting solution for so many people in such a short amount of time while also managing to earn and maintain the excellent reputation that it enjoys today.
User Interface And Control System
Thankfully, Neewer has chosen to keep the control system and user interface on the 660 LED light as simple and easy to use as possible as shown in the image above. If you are one of our regular readers then you will know we are massive fans of keeping things like this as simple as possible to allow people to pick the system up quicker while also minimizing the chance of them accidentally making mistakes during set up.
The battery holders have been designed perfectly so the mounting clips will hold each battery in place perfectly and prevent it from accidentally falling out when in use if you are using need to use batteries to power the light while also ensuring it is quick and easy to swap them out when needed. The external power connector is as basic as you would expect as it is a simple plug and power connector letting you plug the light into an external power source if needed too.
The brass colored adjusters on the left and right of the bracket are smooth and easy to rotate ensuring that you can quickly and easily tilt or pan the light as required too. This allows you to easily customize the positioning of the light for each individual photography session while also being able to tweak it mid-session if required.
The actual tuning dial that controls the light output is also very easy to use to allow you to adjust the brightness of the light to meet the needs of each individual session too. That said, it does have a slight level of resistance to allow you to tune it more accurately but we know that some people do not like their tuning dials having resistance on them but we prefer it.
The majority of Neewer 660 bundles come with a fully adjustable lighting stand included with your purchase as standard. This stand has been specifically designed for use with the Neewer 660 but you can use other lights with it while using your 660 on other stands if you choose. The mounting attachment on the light is great quality and we doubt that it will warp in shape or take any damage if used correctly ensuring that you can quickly and easily mount and unmount the lamp from the stands you choose to use with ease.
The barn door style panels on the light can also be easily folded into position to get the effect you want out of the light too. One the flip side of this, they also act as a layer of protection if you are transporting your 660 to a new location when closed over the main LED panel. The actual LEDs are mounted in place securely and we have not been able to find a single report from anyone using the Neewer 660 saying that they have had an issue with their LEDs falling out of place or becoming lose over time.
Performance And Functionality
Although the Neewer 660 can be considered an entry-level to mid-range price point light panel the performance and functionality that it offers really is excellent and is what sets it apart from most of the competition on the market at this price point right now. As we touched on at the start of the article, the 660 light from Neewer has rightfully earned itself an excellent reputation within the community and we feel that this is largely down to its excellent performance and low price tag.
Although you would expect a simple U-mount bracket to be commonplace on modern lighting solutions, even at the lower price ranges, some competing lights to the Neewer 660 use other, older technologies that limit the tilt and pan capabilities of the lamp. Thankfully the 660 comes with a fully variable U-mount bracket to ensure you can always aim the lamp as required for your specific session while also tweaking it as required throughout.
You are also able to mount the 660 on third-party stands, the ground, a desk if needed. On top of this, there are a ton of additional third-party adaptors and connectors for the mounting system available to allow you to mount the light on pretty much anything you can imagine. Although these adaptors are probably not required if you are planning on using the Neewer 660 for studio based photography as you will have decent equipment with you, if you plan to use the light outdoors or on location then they can be great to help you get the lights mounted.
The lamp comes with 330 individual White light LEDs as well as 330 individual Yellow light LEDs with both sets of LEDs having the modern long lasting bulb technology. Coming with two sets of LEDs allows you to tweak the illumination of the lights output to meet your ned by mixing variable outputs of White and Yellow from 3200 to 5600k color temperature. The image below does a great job of showing the contrasts between the White only and Yellow only outputs too.
A comparison of the Neewer 660s output between its Yellow and White LEDs through the various adjustable output levels.
The video lights beam spread can also be manipulated as required via the barn door covers on the lamp to allow you to target the beam to your subject for optimal lighting. The included light diffuser can then be used to soften the light as required to ensure that the lighting of your subject is as optimal as possible to help reduce any post-production editing required for your session.
The LED panels included lighting stand is also fully variable and can have its highest adjusted from 26 inches up to 75 inches too allowing you to further tweak the performance of the light to meet your needs. The 40W power range is ideal for the majority of studio-based photography niches making it the ideal addition to your collection of camera accessories.
The lightweight of the Neewer 660 also makes it ideal for use as a video light too and although the majority of owners do seem to be based around various photography niches, the 660 seems to also hold a great reputation amongst videographers too.
Build Quality
Although the cheaper lighting solutions on the market still tend to have a reputation for having a poor build quality even though this realistically stopped about a decade ago, we still see people instantly presume that anything under the Three Hundred Dollar mark will have a low build quality. Although this is not specific to just the Neewer 660 but pretty much all modern lighting units at its price point these days, the build quality really is great for the price you are paying.
The 660 is made from an excellent quality aluminum alloy that ensures that the light unit is lightweight to make it easier to mount while also being robust enough to take a fair few knocks without breaking. In addition to this, the alloy also helps the lighting unit to dissipate heat to help it stay cooler and prevent any overheating issues.
As we mentioned earlier in the article, the LED bulbs in the lighting unit are great quality and have modern technology to ensure that they will last you for many years to come even with excessive daily usage. In addition to this, they have been placed securely and do a great job of staying in place to keep optimal initial light distribution.
The barn doors and their mounting bracket have also been both designed and built well to keep their weight as low as possible while making them as easy as possible to mount and unmount from the main lighting unit too. The same goes for the mounting unit to the lighting stand and we doubt that it will seize of jam helping you to prevent any issues when it comes to unmounting the light.
We are happy to report that we would not actually change a single thing when it comes to the build quality of the Neewer 660 and feel that Neewer has done a great job of putting the system together. Everything in the box with your purchase, including the lighting stand have been designed to work seemlesley together without issue. This helps to save you time and know that you are getting an out of the box lighting solution that will get its job done.
FAQs
Question – Why does the Neewer 660 come with both White and Yellow LEDs?
Answer – This is actually common practice in this day and age as it adjusts the light output to Tungsten 3200K while also offering better customization of the lights output capabilities by being able to play the White and Yellow light off against each other.
Question – Can the Neewer 660 be used for wedding photography?
Answer – This is without a doubt one of the most commonly asked questions that we see and unfortunately there is no straight answer. Let’s take something as simple as the wedding venues dance floor for example. Different venues will have different sized dance floors as well as different levels of ambient lighting too meaning there is no one size fits all answer. That said though, we feel multiple Neewer 660 lamps should be able to get the job done while also keeping the costs of your camera accessories low.
Question – Do you recommend people do any aftermarket customizations to the Neewer 660?
Answer – No we do not. Although we know there are a number of YouTube videos out there that teach people how to modify their lighting units it does void your warranty and if you break the light while modifying it then you are unable to get your money back.
Third Party Reports
Our Verdict
That brings our Neewer 660 Review to an end and as we mentioned at the start of the article, the review would be overly positive and rightly so as we feel as well as many other people that Neewer really have done an excellent job with the 660 and created a great light that will make a great addition to your studio lights.
Its price tag, ease of use, and great performance make us feel this would also be a great light for beginner and advances users alike and we would highly recommend that you consider picking it up.
This article was originally published on Photography PLS.