Rotolight NEO II User manual

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USER MANUAL
Version 2.1

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Box Contents
Box contents
Operation flowchart
Technical specifications
TLCI, test result, photometrics, CRI
About Rotolight
About NEO 2
Basic operation
Advanced operation
Flash mode
Setting up the HSS transmitter
F-stop table
Designer Fade™
CineSFX™
Strobe
Lightning
Throb and Cycle
Fire
Police and TV
Shot, Neon, Film
Weld and Paparazzi
FDIM - True Aperture Dimming™
Control menu - primary DMX channel address, settings lock
Skyport, Skyport Group, Technical Utilities menu and Voltage
Calibrated custom colour mode, temperature
Serial number, firmware version, display, scrolling text control
Fine dimming mode, CineSFX™demonstration mode
Filter information
Mounting and batteries
Manufacturer’s limited warranty
Limitation of liability
NEO 2 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.

3
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
COLD SHOE
1/4” male adapter
SKYP
GRP
VOLT
CAL
TEMP
SRNO
VERS
DISP
SCRL
FINE
FADE
DN
UP
F-DIM
ISO
EXP
FEET

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Technical Specification
ROTOLIGHT NEO 2
Beam Angle 50 degree
TLCI
(Television lighting
consistency index)
91
Approved for live broadcast without
correction
Overall CRI (Ra)
Skintone CRI (R15)
CRI=> 96
(skintone R15, CRI=98)
Power Consumption
@100% Output
12 Watts
@100% Output 15 V DC
lux at 3ft (0.9m)
*f-stop at ISO 200/400/800
2000
f8.0 / f11.0 / f16
lux at 6ft (1.82m)
*f-stop at ISO 200/400/800
510
f4.0 / f5.6 / f8.0
lux at 9ft (2.74m)
*f-stop at ISO 200/400/800
227
f2.8 / f4.0 / f5.6
Control
Local or Skyport wireless, with Dynamic
Drift Compensation and thermal
monitoring
Weight 354g (body only)
504g inc 6xAA
Dimensions diameter 145mm (5.7”) x
depth 50mm (1.96”)
Mounting Integral 1/4” - 20 tripod mounts,
with hot shoe adapter
Peak Output 2000 lux at 3ft
(measured at midpoint of 4110K)
Luminous Flux 1032 Lumens
Colour Range 3150K -6300K
Included Filters 216 - Full Diffuser, 250 - Half Diffuser
184 - Cosmetic Peach Skin Tone
279 - 1/8 Magenta
Battery Life 85,000 flashes or 2 hours (continuous
mode)
Maximum shutter sync speed
flash duration at maximum power
1/8000th
Adjustable from 1/50th - 1/1000th
*f-stop measured using PSU in flash mode at 4110k, 1/60th shutter speed (AA battery mode 1-stop less bright)

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LED
Photometrics
FIXTURE
NEO 2
(at midpoint 4110K) 50º
LED
Angle
3 ft. / 0.9m 6 ft. / 1.82m 9 ft. / 2.74m
194fc 2000
lx
49fc 510
lx
21fc 227
lx
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Rotolight LED TLCI Test Result
CRI Test

6
“NEO 2 is a game-changer. You’ll never miss a shot. There’s no recycle
time, no light loss, no power loss”
Top photo by Jason Lanier / bottom photo by Rod Aaron Gammons
Jason Lanier - Rotolight Master of Light

7
Photo by Rod Aaron Gammons

8
About Rotolight
Rotolight is a pioneering British technology
company, specialising 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 recognised 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
Foreword – What is NEO 2?
NEO 2 is an industry-first High Speed Sync (HSS)
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

9
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. 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.”
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 setups,” says Rod Aaron
Gammons, managing director of Rotolight.

10
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.
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.
If you are connecting an external DC source make
sure the power is the correct polarity to avoid

11
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 95Wh V-Lock
batteries with D-Tap cable (available from www.
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 knobs.
To power NEO 2 down, click the power switch
again. Note: NEO 2 stores and will recall your last
used settings until you reset.
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, turn the knob
to 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 knob.
If you rotate the knob quickly it will speed up the
data input. You can press and rotate to 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 Aperture
Dimming™’ (FDIM) , available in the MENU section,
BRI

12
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 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 adjust
the colour in steps of 100 kelvin (fast mode).
Slowly rotating the knob will adjust the colour
temperature in steps of 10 kelvin.
NEO 2 has a colour temperature range of 3150
kelvin (tungsten) up to 6300 kelvin (cloudy/
overcast/daylight).
As a bi-colour light, NEO 2 will be brightest at
the ‘midpoint’ colour; roughly 4100 kelvin, where
both sets of LEDs are at full power. This also
applies in flash mode. As the lights are individually
calibrated, the midpoint on each light will vary.
When midpoint 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
knobs together. 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 pressing it 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 3.
COL
MENU

13
Rotolight Master of Light Terry Donnelly shooting with the NEO 2

14
(‘FLSH’) Flash Mode
NEO 2 is capable of High Speed Sync Flash (HSS,
1/8000th), and has a built-in Elinchrom Skyport
wireless HSS receiver.
For best results, use the Rotolight HSS Transmitter
(RL-HSS-TX) (by Elinchrom) available now for Sony,
Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm, Olympus and Panasonic
cameras from www.rotolight.com and all major
stores.
Capable of controlling up to 10 Rotolights in
four groups, the Rotolight HSS transmitter also
provides wireless control of brightness and colour
temperature in both Flash and Continuous modes,
and can trigger CineSFX™ and Designer Fade™
(Rotolight HSS transmitter only - see page 25).
To access Flash mode, scroll to ‘FLSH’ and click the
right knob to to enter ‘FLSH’ mode.
Note: in order to use the flash, you must be in Flash
mode (indicated by flash duration on the display. If
you see word ‘FLSH’, you are not in Flash mode and
must right click to ENTER Flash mode).
Rotolight Master of Light Jason Lanier shooting with the NEO 2
FLSH

15
Rotolight Master of Light Jason Lanier shooting with the NEO 2

16
NEO 2 is not a TTL flash, it is a manual flash with
adjustable flash power, modelling light, colour
temperature and duration settings.
Set your camera to manual Flash mode and refer
to the f-stop table (see page 22) for an exposure
guide. Take a test shot and either adjust flash
power, or distance to the subject to achieve
optimal exposure.
Rotate the left knob to set the desired brightness
level in order to preview focus, shadow and
highlights on your subject (0-100%) and compose
your shot.
Note: NEO 2 is intentionally less bright whilst in
modelling light mode than regular continuous
light mode in order to make the light more
comfortable for the subject and prolong battery
life.
Press, hold and rotate the left knob to set the
desired colour temperature for your flash (in kelvin,
from 3150-6300K.
Rotate the right knob to set the desired duration
for the flash, in fractions of a second, i.e. 1/50s,
1/60s, 1/80s, 1/100s…up to 1/1000s (‘1/1K0’).
Note: you can just leave the duration set to 1/50th
and NEO 2 will automatically adjust the duration
for you if the number of frames per second
requires a shorter flash.
Press, hold and rotate the right hand knob to
set the flash output power, ‘MAX’ (=250% of max
continuous output), ‘1/2’ (=125%), ‘1/4’ (=62%), ‘X8’
(=modelling light level x 8), and ‘X16’ (= modelling
light level x 16).
Note: when an external 15V power source is
connected (such as the AC adapter or V-Lock
battery) the NEO 2 will automatically raise the
flash output power to ‘MAX +’ ( = 500% of the
normal continuous maximum output, or 1 x f-stop

17
more flash power).
To trigger the flash from your camera (wired
operation), connect a PC sync cable from your
camera’s PC sync port to the 3.5mm mono jack on
the NEO 2.
If your camera does not have a PC sync port, then
you can purchase the optional Rotolight accessory
shoe to PC adapter and the PC flash sync cable,
which converts your accessory shoe into a PC
socket.
Note: Operating flash via the PC sync port is
limited to your camera’s internal sync speed
(usually 1/60th up to 1/250th). It is not High Speed
Sync.
Rotolight HSS trigger by Elinchrom:
To shoot in High Speed Sync, you will need an
HSS wireless transmitter, such as the Rotolight or
Elinchrom HSS transmitter (both are compatible
with the internal receiver inside the NEO 2).
Using third party triggers:
Alternatively, you can connect third party flash
receivers which have a PC sync or 3.5mm flash
output, with a PC sync/3.5mm cable to the 3.5mm
mono jack trigger input located on the rear of NEO
2.
Use the provided cold shoe to mount NEO 2 to
the third party receiver, or the Rotolight Mini
Arm (RL-ARM-MINI, sold separately). Connect
the transmitter to your camera and follow the
instructions supplied with your transmitter.
Recommended settings for simple one-light NEO
2 flash operation:
1) Set flash power to MAX (or MAX +, if available).
2) Set flash duration to 1/50th (any faster shutter
speed eg 1/100th will be automatically captured).
MAX

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3) Set colour temp (kelvin) to midpoint (approx.
4100K – midpoint is indicated by a dot in lower
right hand corner of the kelvin display).
Shooting in High Speed Sync
NEO 2 is a High Speed Sync (HSS) capable flash.
High Speed Sync allows you to utilise the flash
of NEO 2, and synchronise it with your camera’s
shutter release, at speeds faster than your camera’s
native internal sync speed (typically 1/160th or
1/250th). This enables you to freeze action, and
shoot with wider apertures for improved subject
isolation.
NEO 2 will happily work with any camera and any
trigger/receiver using Skyport or a PC sync input,
however to shoot in High Speed Sync your camera
must itself be capable of HSS (many are not), and
you must use a HSS capable trigger and receiver
(most trigger/receivers are not natively HSS
compatible unless explicity stated).
When syncing in HSS, NEO 2 will flash once to
match the duration of the shutter speed, ensuring
that the complete frame is illuminated. If NEO
2 detects a flash re-trigger event during the set
interval, it will automatically adjust the duration
of the flash to a shorter interval, to avoid damage
occurring to the LEDs.
Recommended triggers
The NEO 2 is compatible with the Rotolight HSS
transmitters and the Elinchrom Skyport Plus HS
transmitters available for Canon, Nikon, Sony,
Fujifilm, Olympus and Panasonic camera systems.
Compatible transmitters include, but are not
limited to:
• Godox X1T
• Pixel King Pro
• Flashpoint R2
• Phottix ODIN II

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• Pocketwizard Flex TT5 and Flex TT6
• Cactus VI II
*Rotolight accepts no responsibility for the
operation or functionality of third party
transmitters.
To exit Flash mode
Click the left knob to return to MENU, alternatively
you can return to the basic operation (BRI/COL) by
pressing both control knobs together.
Setting Up The HSS Transmitter
The below setup instructions are based on the
HSS transmitter firmware 3.0 and NEO 2 firmware
V642. To check the firmware version on your HSS
transmitter, this is shown on the screen when you
turn the device on. To check the NEO 2 firmware
version, press both knobs to enter MENU, navigate
to ‘VERS’ in the TECH menu, press the right knob
to enter, and the firmware version will scroll across
the display (for a full menu flowchart, see page 3).
If your HSS transmitter has a version earlier than
3.0, please visit the Elinchrom website to update
manually, which should only take a few minutes.
If you are operating from an older firmware on
your NEO 2 than v642, please contact us on sales@
rotolight.com or [phone].
First, turn on your NEO 2 then after a few
seconds, turn on your Rotolight or Elinchrom HSS
Transmitter. If you are operating from the correct
firmware, the transmitter should automatically
find the NEO 2 and display this on screen. We
automatically set the units to default to channel 1,
frequency 1 out of the box.
However, if it does not automatically find it or if
you want to change settings:
Firstly, ensure the bottom left text says ‘TTL’ not
‘Manual’. If you can see ‘Manual’, this means you

20
are in TTL mode which is not compatible with
NEO 2. Press the button underneath ‘Manual’ to
enter the Manual mode.
If the NEO 2 is still not visible on your HSS
transmitter, try the following:
Ensure that Skyport receiver mode is set to ‘SPED’
on the NEO 2 by turning NEO 2 on, pushing both
red control knobs together to access the MENU
options, turn the right-hand red knob clockwise
until the display shows ‘CTRL’, click the right-hand
knob once and then turn it clockwise again until
‘SKYP’ is displayed. Click the right-hand knob once
more and turn it again until ‘SPED’ is displayed.
This ensures that Skyport receiving is active and
is in HSS mode. Click the left-hand control knob
twice to return to the main menu.
Press the setup button on the right-hand side of
the HSS transmitter.
Scroll using the rotary wheel to ‘Frequency’,
and ensure it is on the desired frequency – we
recommend defaulting to channel 1, however if
you happen to encounter interference from other
signals, try changing to a lesser used frequency,
such as channel 20.
To then adjust the frequency, press the button in
the centre of the rotary wheel and scroll to change
the number. Press the centre button to confirm,
which also navigates you back to the main setup
menu.
For users wishing to operate both Elinchrom and
Rotolight units simultaneously using the HSS
Transmitter, scroll using the rotary wheel to ‘ELSP
mode’, use the centre button to enter the mode
and scroll to adjust to ‘NORMAL’. Press the button
in the centre of the rotary wheel centre to confirm.
The screen will change to a green background
colour to confirm you are in Normal mode.
The Skyport receiver mode in the NEO 2 CTRL
menu must also be set to ‘NORM’ when the HSS
transmitter is set to ‘NORMAL’ in order to operate
correctly.