Rotolight NEO II User manual

USER MANUAL
Version 1.8

BOX CONTENTS
Box contents
Operation flowchart
Technical specifications
About Rotolight
About NEO 2
Basic operation
Advanced operation
Flash mode
F-stop table
Fade and CineSFX™
Throb and cycle
Fire
Police and television
Shot, neon and film
Weld, paparazzi and True Apertrure Dimming™
Control menu
Skyport and Technical Utilities menu
Voltage, calibrated custom colour mode and temperature
Serial number, firmware and display
Text control, Fine Dimming and demo mode
Filter information
Mounting
Batteries
Manufacturer’s Warranty
Limitation of Liability
Optional Accessories
Please register to activate your warranty at
www.rotolight.com/register
1 x Rotolight NEO 2
1 x 1/4” Shoe Adapter
1 x Rotolight universal power adapter with regional mains cable
1 x Filter holder
1 x NEO 2 Filter pack: 1x 216 Full Diffuser (1.5 Stops); 1x 250 Medium,
Half White Diffuser (3/4 Stops); 1 x 184 “Cosmetic Peach” Diffusion;
1 x 279 1/8th Minus Green (Magenta).
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PAGE CONTENTS
Thank you for purchasing Rotolight NEO 2! We hope you enjoy
using it as much as we enjoyed making it.

KNOBS
Left knob = BRI
Right Knob = COL (kelvin)
Click both knobs to
Enter/ Exit menu mode and
navigate menu
Left knob = BRILeft knob = BRI
Right Knob = COL (kelvin)Right Knob = COL (kelvin)
Click both knobs toClick both knobs to
Enter/ Exit menu mode andEnter/ Exit menu mode and
navigate menunavigate menu
MENU
BRI COL
NEO 2 OPERATION FLOWCHART
POWER
Switch ON/OFF
DISPLAY
Displays menu item or
selected item
FLASH PORT
3.5mm Flash sync
socket for third party
flash triggering
DC INPUT SOCKET
15V 60W DC - Only use
provided PSU or
Rotolight adapters
6 x AA BATTERIES
Holds 6 X AA Batteries NIMH or Lithium
(Recommended Rotolight
Lionheart NiMh Rechargeable -
available on www.rotolight.com)
FLSH SFX CTRL TECH DEMO
STRB
LTNG
THRB
CYCL
FIRE
PLCE
To enter menu
Click both
red knobs
To exit menu
Click both
red knobs
TV
SHOT
NEON
FILM
WELD
PAPA
ADDR
LOCK
MODE
FREQ
3
COLD SHOE
1/4” Male adapter
SKYP
GRP
VOLT
CAL
TEMP
SRNO
VERS
DISP
SCRL
FINE
FADE
DN
UP
F-DIM
ISO
EXP
FEET

“NEO 2 IS A GAME-CHANGER. YOU’LL NEVER MISS A SHOT.
THERE’S NO RECYCLE TIME, NO LIGHT LOSS, NO POWER LOSS”
Jason Lanier - Rotolight Master of Light
4Top photo by Jason Lanier www.jasonlanier.com / Bottom photo by Rod Aaron Gammons

Photo by Rod Aaron Gammons

FOREWORD – WHAT IS NEO 2?
NEO 2 is an industry-first High Speed Sync
flash and continuous on-camera LED all-in-one.
Integrating the ‘shoot what you see’ benefits of
continuous lighting with the flexibility of HSS flash
with zero recycle time.
The NEO 2’s continuous modelling light allows
photographers to easily acquire focus in dimly
lit environments and optimise the composition
of their shots. Designed for photographers and
videographers on the go, NEO 2 provides up to
500% flash output for whenever users need to
freeze action. HSS also enables users to shoot with
wider apertures to create beautiful separation
between the subject and background.
Rotolight has collaborated with Elinchrom to
integrate its Skyport 2.4Ghz HSS wireless flash
receiver into NEO 2, which eliminates the need to
purchase a stand-alone flash receiver. Providing
range, flexibility and control for off-camera
lighting setups, Skyport enables users to wirelessly
control up to ten lights in four groups at up to
200m (656ft) with the Rotolight HSS transmitter;
optimised for Rotolight by Elinchrom and available
for Canon, Nikon, Sony, Olympus/Panasonic and
Fujifilm camera systems.
“The NEO 2 is going to revolutionise how people
use light and eliminate the need for external
flash. If you have those moments that you just
cannot afford to miss, this is an incredible light
for you. You’ll never miss a shot,” says Jason Lanier,
a Rotolight Master of Light and professional
photographer.
“I tested NEO 2 on a Sony A6500 at 11 frames per
second,” explains Lanier. “It fired every single time.
There’s genuinely no recycle time, no light loss, no
power loss. That is just a game-changer, there is no
other light in the world that can do that.”
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Featuring electronically adjustable colour
temperature (3150-6300k) in both flash and
continuous modes and a built-in kelvin display,
NEO 2 enables photographers to easily adjust
white balance or match ambient light settings to
create more natural looking shots.
Lightweight and portable, NEO 2 can be mounted
both on or off camera for ultimate creative control.
Delivering unrivalled battery performance, NEO 2
provides 85,000 full power flashes on a single set
of rechargeable AA batteries, compared to the
200 flashes of a typical speedlight. 85% brighter in
continuous mode than its predecessor, NEO 2 is a
small light that delivers big results.
“Rather than spending time on cumbersome
lighting setups, NEO 2 enables photographers to
focus on composing the perfect shot. For those
shooting both stills and video, it entirely eliminates
the need for two separate purchases,” says Rod
Aaron Gammons, managing director of Rotolight.
Packed with innovative features for
cinematographers, NEO 2 also provides an
updated suite of Rotolight’s industry-first, built-
in CineSFX™. Designed in conjunction with VFX
veteran Stefan Lange, CineSFX™ enables the
simulation of Fire, Lightning, TV, Paparazzi and
more for added drama in productions. In addition,
NEO 2 offers the Designer Fade™ function for the
creation of custom in-camera fade FX.
NEO 2 also features Rotolight’s AccuColour™
phosphor technology that delivers outstanding
colour rendering (CRI 96,TLCI 91) for perfect
skin tones. The unique circular shape provides
a naturally soft, flattering light output, with
Rotolight’s signature catchlight effect.
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ABOUT ROTOLIGHT
Rotolight is a pioneering British technology
company, specializing in creating award-winning
LED lighting products for photographers,
cinematographers and videographers. Known for
constantly pushing the boundaries of innovation,
Rotolight strives to create products that provide
unique tools for image makers, allowing them to
realise their creative aspirations. Leading where
others follow, Rotolight has developed countless
industry first features and has been widely
recognized with numerous global awards and
accolades for its innovation, technical excellence
and product quality. As a family business, Rotolight
has a unique long term outlook allowing the
company to focus on continually investing to
deliver outstanding quality products and a totally
unique customer experience.
For more information visit www.rotolight.com
NEO 2 BASIC OPERATION
To operate NEO 2 you will find two red rotary
controls, a DC input and an on/off switch, located
on the rear of NEO 2.
POWER
To power up NEO 2 click the power switch (located
next to the DC input jack).
NEO 2 is a high performance light and requires
high performance batteries. NEO 2 can be
powered by 6 x AA high performance NiMH
rechargeable AA or Lithium batteries
(Note: Alkaline batteries are not suitable for
NEO 2.) NEO 2 can also be powered by 1 x V-Lock
battery (with D-Tap cable), DC from the supplied
AC mains adapter or from a DC source in the
range of 7v-15v (i.e. optional 12v Car Adaptor Cable).
When connecting a power source to the DC input
socket, for instance mains adapter or an optional
D-Tap to DC connection, the internal batteries are
automatically disconnected, thus saving battery
power. Note: if you are connecting an external
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DC source make sure the power is the correct
polarity to avoid damaging your NEO 2. For best
results use the Rotolight ‘Powerex Pro’ LionHeart
AA batteries and charging systems. These are the
most powerful NiMH AA rechargeable available
(2700mAh) and are designed for demanding
systems like the NEO 2. Alternatively use the
Rotolight RL-Batt-95, 95Wh V-Lock batteries with
D-Tap cable (available from Rotolight.com) which
will power your NEO 2 for up to 8 hours at full
power.
On power up, you will see ‘Rotolight NEO 2’ scroll
across the screen, you can interrupt this anytime
by operating one of the control knobs.
To power NEO 2 down , click the power switch
again. Note: NEO 2 stores and will recall your last
used settings.
RESET
You can reset all the user parameters in NEO 2
by holding down the left red control knob whilst
simultaneously powering NEO 2 ON. This resets all
the parameters to the factory default settings.
The word ‘ZERO’ will be displayed, select YES (reset
all data), or NO.
BASIC OPERATION MODE (BRI / COL)
(‘Bri’) BRIGHTNESS
You can adjust the brightness output of NEO 2 by
rotating the left control knob.
If you rotate the knob quickly it will speed up the
data input. You can press and rotate to deliberately
adjust the brightness in steps of 10% (Fast Mode).
Simply rotating the knob will adjust the brightness
in steps of 1%. NEO 2 has a dimming range of
0% -100% and is completely flicker-free at any
brightness level, shutter speed or frame rate.
(Note: There is a special mode called ‘True
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BRI

Aperture Dimming’ (F-DIM) , available in the MENU
section, which will display the brightness as an
f-stop (Aperture), based on your camera exposure
settings – see ‘True Aperture Dimming’.)
(‘Col’) COLOUR
You can adjust and accurately display the Colour
Temperature (CCT) of NEO 2 by rotating the right
control knob.
If you rotate the knob quickly it will speed up the
data input. You can press and rotate to deliberately
adjust the colour in steps of 100 kelvin (fast mode).
Slowly rotating the knob will adjust the brightness
in steps of 10 kelvin.
NEO 2 has a colour temperature range of 3150
kelvin (Tungsten) up to 6300 kelvin (cloudy/
overcast/daylight).
Note: As a bi-colour light, NEO 2 will be brightest
at the ‘mid point’ colour: roughly 4100 kelvin,
where both sets of LEDs are at full power. This also
applies in flash mode. When mid point colour is
set, a small dot will appear in the window of the
NEO 2.
NEO 2 has a special technology called ‘Dynamic
Drift Stabilisation’™, which maintains the colour
temperature through the entire dimming range.
(‘Menu’) ADVANCED OPERATION
You can enter the MENU by pressing both red
control knobs together (or clicking and holding
down the left knob followed by the right control
knob). If you wish to leave MENU at any time, you
can return to the basic operation (BRI/COL) by
pressing both red control knobs together again.
In ‘MENU’ Mode rotating the left knob navigates
the menus and takes you ‘back’ one level. Rotating
the right knob is ‘value/data entry’ and pressing
the right knob in is ‘activate/go/enter/start/trigger’
depending on the menu position.
For a full flowchart of the NEO 2’s menus, refer to
page 03.
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COL
MENU