I received the Nitecore SCL10 from Nitecore for the review
The SCL10 is a Smart Camera Light with powerbank function. The SCL10 can produce light that ranges from 2500 to 6300K, and its 10'000mAh integrated battery can be also used as a powerbank.
The SCL10 comes in this nice carboard box with padded foam inside.
The light comes with a hot shoe mount to be used on cameras, a USB-C charging cable (USB-A to USB-C), manual and warranty card.
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The SCL10 measures 134mm x 65mm x 15 mm (5,28" x 2,56" x 0,58"), and weights 222 grams (7,85oz ).
The SCL10 outer shell is made of beat blasted aluminum, with a very regular finishing. It looks good and helps with the heat dissipation.
On the front we have 96 LEDs, some warm white some cool white, that are behind a plastic screen with frosted finish.
On top side we have the specs and the + and – buttons.
On the side we find the 2 USB ports (USB A for output, USB C for input / output) and the power switch.
On the bottom side we have the information about the model and the manufacturer, as well as the
threaded holed for the mount adapter.
On the back there is the small OLED screen, which gives you the information about remaining runtime (both as a visual with a battery symbol, as a %), the color temperature, the light level %, and the powerbank infos (battery level both with symbol and the %, output power in W).
The display is backlit, the digits and letters are sharp and easy to read even in the dark.
(UI will be explained later)
The hot shoe camera mount is made of anodized aluminum, and the part that goes against the SCL10 has a rubber padding inside to prevent scratches. The Nuts have a light knurling on them to help with the operation.
When mounted, the connection is secure. And the whole setup looks good.
The UI
When used as a light, keep pressed the red switch on the side to turn the light off and on. Press it once to toggle between the setting of the light output (5 to 100%, with 0.1 increments) and the temperature color (2500 to 6300K with 50K increment), and use the + and – buttons to change the value. If you keep pressed the + and – buttons, you won't have to go through small (0.1% or 1K) increments, the numbers will progress fastly.
When used as a powerbank, activate it by pressing the red button on the side.
The powerbank function can be used both with the USB-A port and the USB-C port, and it supports several algorithms, like shown in the specs.
It is possible to run the light while is being charged.
The light has memory, both for output and color.
Output and runtime
Given the relatively low power of the light I had some difficulty in getting an accurate output reading at different color temperatures
Here is a visual indication on how much output (in %) you have when you change the color temperature. As the light gets warmer, the efficiency is lower and the amount of light decreases. As you can see even at a warm settings, the light still emits 87% of the maximum light (considering the 6300K as the 100% output).
I tested the output of the powerbank with a USB load and a USB meter, at 20° of room temperature.
Thermal test
Light run for 6,15 and 30 minutes at 6300K 100% at 19°, without cooling. Please note that due to the reflective surface I had to use electrical tape to increase the emissivity of the surface in order to obtain a more accurate thermal read. This is the cause of the "striped look".
Beamshots
First some 0.5 meters away from the wall, with 3 different temperature colors: 6300K, 4000K, 2500K
Then, in complete darkness I used only the SCL10 to take these zoomed pics of an old matches box, with 3 different color temperatures. Having the camera in auto mode, it decreased the shutter speed value for the 2500K to compensate for the lower light compared to the other settings. No editing was done via software
My thoughts
The light is well built and finished.
I like the box of the SCL10. Compared to the previous squared carboard box with a clear plastic inside, this carboard box that opens as a book with padded inside feels more premium.
The UI is simple but works well. When you keep pressed the + and – switches to change the values of output and color temperature, the values will change pretty quickly (as expected when you might need to switch from 2500 to 6300K with 50K increments); but if you have to make exactly a small increment (for example 1000K or 5%), the speed at which the value progresses when you keep pressed the button, is quite high and I end up passing the desired value; I am better spending a few seconds more by clicking the switch exactly the needed times.
The regulation is flat on the tested level, and there is a system that lowers the power of the LED based on the temperature; but even when running the light without the fan at max power, at 19° of room temperature, the thermal stepdown is very little compared to regular flashlights.
Due to the heatsink construction, the SCL10 when run at 100% output still is not too warm for the touch.
The powerbank function is good and it is in line with the manufacturer specification.
If you are looking for a camera light, the SCL10 should match your needs: easy to use, enough power for closeup shots, easy interface with output and color modification, powerbank with 10'000mAh and USB-C port for output (plus the regular USB-A).
Even if you don't need the light for photographic purposes, the SCL10 is a very good flood lamp with enough output to match the daily needs of most of us; can be mount on a tripod as a utility lamp, and works also as a powerbank.
I wish it came with a small pouch to protect the light from scratches, and prevent from accidental activation.
I will definitely keep the SCL10 in my camera bag to get better light with my pictures.
Thanks to: Antoled, Won, Zampa
The SCL10 is a Smart Camera Light with powerbank function. The SCL10 can produce light that ranges from 2500 to 6300K, and its 10'000mAh integrated battery can be also used as a powerbank.
The SCL10 comes in this nice carboard box with padded foam inside.
The light comes with a hot shoe mount to be used on cameras, a USB-C charging cable (USB-A to USB-C), manual and warranty card.
The SCL10 measures 134mm x 65mm x 15 mm (5,28" x 2,56" x 0,58"), and weights 222 grams (7,85oz ).
The SCL10 outer shell is made of beat blasted aluminum, with a very regular finishing. It looks good and helps with the heat dissipation.
On the front we have 96 LEDs, some warm white some cool white, that are behind a plastic screen with frosted finish.
On top side we have the specs and the + and – buttons.
On the side we find the 2 USB ports (USB A for output, USB C for input / output) and the power switch.
On the bottom side we have the information about the model and the manufacturer, as well as the
threaded holed for the mount adapter.
On the back there is the small OLED screen, which gives you the information about remaining runtime (both as a visual with a battery symbol, as a %), the color temperature, the light level %, and the powerbank infos (battery level both with symbol and the %, output power in W).
The display is backlit, the digits and letters are sharp and easy to read even in the dark.
(UI will be explained later)
The hot shoe camera mount is made of anodized aluminum, and the part that goes against the SCL10 has a rubber padding inside to prevent scratches. The Nuts have a light knurling on them to help with the operation.
When mounted, the connection is secure. And the whole setup looks good.
The UI
When used as a light, keep pressed the red switch on the side to turn the light off and on. Press it once to toggle between the setting of the light output (5 to 100%, with 0.1 increments) and the temperature color (2500 to 6300K with 50K increment), and use the + and – buttons to change the value. If you keep pressed the + and – buttons, you won't have to go through small (0.1% or 1K) increments, the numbers will progress fastly.
When used as a powerbank, activate it by pressing the red button on the side.
The powerbank function can be used both with the USB-A port and the USB-C port, and it supports several algorithms, like shown in the specs.
It is possible to run the light while is being charged.
The light has memory, both for output and color.
Output and runtime
Given the relatively low power of the light I had some difficulty in getting an accurate output reading at different color temperatures
Here is a visual indication on how much output (in %) you have when you change the color temperature. As the light gets warmer, the efficiency is lower and the amount of light decreases. As you can see even at a warm settings, the light still emits 87% of the maximum light (considering the 6300K as the 100% output).
I tested the output of the powerbank with a USB load and a USB meter, at 20° of room temperature.
Thermal test
Light run for 6,15 and 30 minutes at 6300K 100% at 19°, without cooling. Please note that due to the reflective surface I had to use electrical tape to increase the emissivity of the surface in order to obtain a more accurate thermal read. This is the cause of the "striped look".
Beamshots
First some 0.5 meters away from the wall, with 3 different temperature colors: 6300K, 4000K, 2500K
Then, in complete darkness I used only the SCL10 to take these zoomed pics of an old matches box, with 3 different color temperatures. Having the camera in auto mode, it decreased the shutter speed value for the 2500K to compensate for the lower light compared to the other settings. No editing was done via software
My thoughts
The light is well built and finished.
I like the box of the SCL10. Compared to the previous squared carboard box with a clear plastic inside, this carboard box that opens as a book with padded inside feels more premium.
The UI is simple but works well. When you keep pressed the + and – switches to change the values of output and color temperature, the values will change pretty quickly (as expected when you might need to switch from 2500 to 6300K with 50K increments); but if you have to make exactly a small increment (for example 1000K or 5%), the speed at which the value progresses when you keep pressed the button, is quite high and I end up passing the desired value; I am better spending a few seconds more by clicking the switch exactly the needed times.
The regulation is flat on the tested level, and there is a system that lowers the power of the LED based on the temperature; but even when running the light without the fan at max power, at 19° of room temperature, the thermal stepdown is very little compared to regular flashlights.
Due to the heatsink construction, the SCL10 when run at 100% output still is not too warm for the touch.
The powerbank function is good and it is in line with the manufacturer specification.
If you are looking for a camera light, the SCL10 should match your needs: easy to use, enough power for closeup shots, easy interface with output and color modification, powerbank with 10'000mAh and USB-C port for output (plus the regular USB-A).
Even if you don't need the light for photographic purposes, the SCL10 is a very good flood lamp with enough output to match the daily needs of most of us; can be mount on a tripod as a utility lamp, and works also as a powerbank.
I wish it came with a small pouch to protect the light from scratches, and prevent from accidental activation.
I will definitely keep the SCL10 in my camera bag to get better light with my pictures.
Thanks to: Antoled, Won, Zampa
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