It’s no secret that we’re not the biggest fans of LED lights. Often, we’ve found them all to not have very much in the way of innovation for photographers. Traditionally, Rotolight has been the most innovative — but we cannot support them due to their unethical work with a specific photographer. And today, that’s changing — not for Rotolight though. The Hobolite Mini Max has an IP54 durability rating — perhaps that’s one of the most innovative and incredible things about this light. In turn, it means that it’s also one of the most durable LED lights on the market. With that said, you’re less likely to need to rely on something like the Photograph Care Program. But otherwise, it’s small, lightweight, and capable. While it isn’t a bright as the Hobolite Avant Max — it’s still pretty capable and can help you create beautiful photographs as long as you’re using some creative genius and extra add-ons.
At 40W of power, the Hobolite Mini Max is smaller than many of the company’s other more powerful lights. While many will put an emphasis on it for creators, we’re steadfast in our photography roots. So, how does it work for photographers?
Admittedly, I didn’t get to do the fuller testing that I truly wanted to for this review. During my period with the light, it didn’t rain. And most importantly, I only had it for a few days before the non-disclosure agreement broke. So, while using the Sony a7r III, Tamron 17-28mm f2.8, and the PrismFX GhostFX filter, I was able to do a quick shoot. My idea was that I have been making steady progress in my meditations — and I recently tested this out when attempting a spicy wing challenge. So, while wearing the shirt to celebrate that, I photographed myself in my bedroom using the filter, specific lighting, and in a meditation pose.
Because we’re a journalistic publication, we’re also stating that the first version of this light that we were shipped had issues and didn’t work. So Hobolite rushed us another one which worked perfectly.
With more time, I think I would’ve been able to make something even better. But using the Hobolite Mini Max made me realize something: I truly wish that it had more power. I placed the Hobolite Mini Max into a Westcott 7 foot umbrella for diffusion. And while it did a good job, it still didn’t feel as powerful as my Profoto light that I already own. To that end, I needed to raise the ISO on the camera, which gives me a softer and noisier image. This translates to less of a visual impact.
However, what the Hobolite Mini Max lets me do is easily stack on gel filters with its magnetic mount — something that other brands would charge an arm and a leg for unless I simply just bought some gel sheets myself.
Overall, the lighting experience is also much easier with the Hobolite Mini Max because it allows me to look at what the camera will output. Herein lies the problem — it only allows you to capture something that both you and the camera see. Alternatively, I prefer to make moments that the human eye can’t see. That’s the strength of flash.
While I’m very happy that it allowed me to make this image, I would’ve been happier with the experience a flash gives me as well as the results it would deliver due to how much more powerful it is.
At the same time, I think this would’ve been so much better to test in the rain.
The Hobolite Mini Max receives four out of five stars. Want one? Check them out on Amazon. Hobolite is currently an advertiser with the Phoblographer, but they know that this won’t affect our opinions and reviews. What makes this light innovative is the balance of power, retro-ergonomics, and the IP durability rating. Buy it for that.
