Lume Cube Mobile Creator Kit 2.0 Review: The Easiest Solution For New Content Creators
- Everything you need for a mobile video studio
- Solid construction on all the parts
- Convenient carrying case for everything
- Some minor questionable design decisions
- Not compatible with Android phones
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These days everyone is a creator. Whether your preferred medium is TikTok's short-form videos, Instagram's photos and Reels, or YouTube's longer format, there are two things that can virtually ruin the experience for your viewers: bad lighting and lousy audio. At its core, capturing a video is much more than just holding up a phone and pressing the red button. Premium creators know that you can be funny, insightful, or have a lot to teach, but if your audience can't see you well, or hear you well, then your message will get lost.
Lume Cube has been making proper lighting for creators (and video conferencers) for a while, but it's taking its show on the road with a one-stop-shopping creator kit that will improve your video and audio recording capabilities. I've been working with the entire creator kit and I can confirm that it could be a killer tool for your arsenal. But it's not perfect. So here's everything you get with the kit and how it can up your creation game.
The whole kit'n;kaboodle
The creator kit includes basically everything you need to start making quality videos with an iPhone. That's a pretty big caveat right off the bat. If you're using an Android phone, there's a workaround or two you might need to implement. But the microphone cables that come with this kit will connect to an iPhone via the Lightning port or a camera via a 3.5mm jack.
Also included in the kit is an extendable tripod up to five feet in length with a detachable Bluetooth remote, a phone holder, an adjustable portable light, and a microphone with two different windscreens. The first is a foam filter you're probably used to seeing on microphones, and the second is a "dead mouse" or fur-covered filter designed to minimize wind noise.
The whole kit comes in a zip-up case with pockets for everything making it both travel-friendly and, at the same time, a little bit bulky. But it's nice to have individual pockets for all the various pieces you'll need.
It starts with the phone holder
The centerpiece here is the phone holder which is very much like a typical spring-loaded grip that you can find just about anywhere. The key difference is that this one comes mounted to a base that screws into the quarter-inch attachment at the top of the pole. The other key difference is that this phone holder uses hex nuts and an included Allen wrench to adjust the angles of the holder. This is better than something spring loaded, or relying on tension. It provides a firmer grip so you don't have to worry about the camera flopping over during a shot.
However, thumb screws would have been a better call here. While it's true that hex bits will be more secure and less prone to getting knocked loose, thumb screws would make adjusting the angle of the phone far easier than trying to fumble with an Allen wrench.
The phone holder also has hot shoe slots on either end, so you can attach the light and microphone. Speaking of which, the phone holder is built to accommodate portrait video over landscape. While landscape is possible, you won't be able to get the same angles because either the microphone or light will get in the way.
More than a selfie stick
The tripod that comes in the kit also acts as an extendable pole reaching up to five feet. The tripod opens up at the base with a push of a button. The pole extends out after a quarter turn of the top; each section requires a quarter turn, and there are four sections in total. When you turn the top one-quarter of a turn, you release the top section, and so on. This is neat and intuitive, but it also lends itself to a problem.
When the phone holder is attached, the base is similarly sized to the top of the pole: sometimes, when you're trying to loosen or tighten the phone holder, you're actually loosening the pole and vice versa. You need to pay close attention to where you're holding the top to make sure you're twisting the correct part.
Also, when you attach the phone holder, and bring the tripod down to its shortest length, the phone holder is cocked about 15 degrees further than the front of the tripod (where the Bluetooth button is located). If you're a little OCD, you might find this off-putting. It doesn't adversely affect the functionality, but if you like things to be centered and neatly lined up, this isn't.
The tripod itself is surprisingly sturdy and well-built. You would have to try to get it to tip over, though, of course, it becomes less stable the further you extend the pole. If you're setting this on a tabletop in front of you to shoot A-roll, you'll be more than satisfied with the build.
Light it up
Lighting is where the "Lume" in Lume Cube comes from, and the light included with the kit is pretty clever. The LEDs have a range of 3,200 to 5,600 Kelvin. Put simply, the higher the number of Kelvin units, the whiter the light will be. For example, typical daylight is around 5,000 Kelvin. You can adjust both the temperature and the brightness of the light from 1% up to 100%.
Adam Doud/SlashGear
This is done with a digital readout on the back of the light. The same readout gives you a battery meter, and an estimated time the light will last at its current settings before needing to recharge. The light recharges via USB-C and can last anywhere up to six hours on a charge, depending on the settings.
Adam Doud/SlashGear
You can see these two side-by-side comparisons with and without the light in poor lighting conditions. In both cases, the light helps fill out the scene and makes things less yellow in the first set and overall brighter in the second. The main times you'll find this light beneficial are when you're inside or in otherwise less-than-ideal lighting conditions. Once the light gets more than a few feet away, it becomes less effective. But, if you're indoors and the light is not ideal, this will definitely help fill things out.
Better audio
If you're using an iPhone, you already have a pretty good microphone at your disposal. The microphone included with this set can improve things by a large margin, but as already mentioned, it's only compatible with an iPhone or a DSLR camera. In fact, it's likely not going to work for new iPhones this coming September if Apple makes the expected switch to USB Type-C ports this fall.
This is not a terribly radical decision on Lume Cube's part. USB Type-C is anything but the "universal" the name implies. Different phones handle USB Type-C inputs differently. Frankly, the microphone would likely work for some phones, while it wouldn't work for others. Lume Cube has an extra year to figure this out, but for now, if you want to use the external mic with a phone, it'll have to be an iPhone.
There are other microphones, both wireless and lav style that would work with this set. The Anker 650 Wireless microphone set in particular would work pretty well with this setup whether you have an iPhone or Android, while Rode's VideoMic GO II offers both USB-C and 3.5mm inputs, and can also work as a headphone output.
Lume Cube's wind guard does a great job at eliminating outside noises, so it's doing its job there too. If you're recording indoors, it's pretty easy to swap to the foam pop filter. The microphone is mounted in a shock-absorbent cage to eliminate as much noise as possible, but the microphone also can easily be knocked out of place in that holder, so be careful once everything is installed.
Lume Cube Creator Kit 2.0 verdict
Overall, this is a nice pickup for only $199.99. If you have your sights set on being a creator, or even if you just want to make some fun Instagram reels for your friends, you could piece together a kit like this yourself. It might even cost under the $199.99 price tag that this is being sold for. But what you'll miss out on is the carrying case for the whole rig, and you'll have to do your own research on lights, phone holders with hot shoe slots, and microphones.
Here, in contrast, Lume Cube does all that homework for you, and the build quality is so much better than your typical selfie stick and phone holder. The light is very portable and handy, even outside this kit, and the microphone will be an instant upgrade for your sound.
There are some minor inconveniences like the extendable pole's rotation with the phone holder attached and the use of the Allen wrench. But those are minor considerations for a single solution for all of your mobile video needs. That is what makes this mobile creator kit a solid buy.