Disclosure first: we are Ants on a Melon and we make the RGB Critter BT. This guide treats ProtoMachines, the company whose gear defined this category, with the respect it earned in the community. Our goal is the same as our fiber whip comparison: map the real options honestly, including the ones we do not sell, so you end up with the right light.
The short version
- Best available light painting flashlight: RGB Critter BT ($129.95). 16 million colors, app or on-body control, 100 brightness levels, USB-C, 7-hour runtime, and a threaded lens that accepts 200+ light painting tools. It is the only purpose-built color flashlight for light painters still in production.
- The legend, if you can find one: ProtoMachines LED2 (discontinued). The light that defined modern light painting. No longer made; used units trade around $450+ when they surface at all. If you own one, keep it.
- Cheapest way to try light painting: a generic RGB flashlight (about $30). It will make light trails tonight, and it will also break. We know, because that is what we used before we designed our own.
- For lighting subjects (not drawing): a high-CRI white torch. Light painting has two jobs, drawing trails and illuminating subjects. For the second job, a quality white flashlight with good color rendering beats any RGB tool.
Spec-by-spec comparison
| RGB Critter BT (us) | ProtoMachines LED2 | Generic RGB flashlight | High-CRI white torch | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $129.95 | Discontinued; used ~$450+ | ~$30 | $40–$80 |
| Availability | In production | Used market only | Everywhere | Everywhere |
| Colors | 16+ million, app-selectable | Full RGB spectrum, dial control | ~10 fixed colors | White only (gels for color) |
| Max output | 170 lumens (see brightness note below) | ~400 lumens | Unrated | 500–2000+ lumens |
| Brightness control | 100 levels | 0–100% | Usually none | 3–5 levels |
| Repeatability | Save exact colors and modes in app, sync up to 10 lights | On-device presets | None | n/a |
| Modifier ecosystem | 200+ threaded twist-on tools (blades, fiber brushes, tubes, sabers) | Proprietary, no longer made | None | Gels and snoots, DIY |
| Power | USB-C rechargeable, 7-hour runtime | Rechargeable | AAA or built-in | 18650/USB |
| Warranty | 2 years, lifetime upgrade available | None (discontinued) | None meaningful | Varies |
| Made for light painting | Yes | Yes | No | No |
An honest note about lumens
The Critter's maximum output is 170 lumens, and the old LED2 measured around 400. If you are comparing those numbers the way you would compare regular flashlights, you are being misled, and we would rather explain than hide the spec: saturated RGB light exposes brighter on camera than white light at the same lumen rating. Long-exposure photography accumulates light over seconds or minutes, and a deeply saturated red or blue writes onto the sensor far more aggressively than its lumen number suggests. This is why light painters care about color purity, brightness control, and repeatability rather than raw output, and why a 2000-lumen work torch makes terrible light paintings.
The ProtoMachines story, honestly
Ask any light painter who has been at this longer than five years and they will speak about ProtoMachines the way guitarists speak about pre-CBS Fenders. The LED2 gave photographers full-spectrum color with hardware dial control years before anyone else, and entire bodies of work were built on it. The company has discontinued its lights, and the community has spent the past couple of years asking what comes next, in forum threads with titles like "anything comparable to the ProtoMachines?"
The honest answer: nothing replaces it exactly, because the LED2 was a dial-driven instrument and its successors are app-driven. The RGB Critter BT is a different philosophy: the same full-spectrum color, but with saved, repeatable palettes, sync across up to 10 lights, and a modifier ecosystem ProtoMachines never had. Some LED2 veterans miss physical dials; most stop missing them the first time they reload an exact saved palette mid-shoot.
Where each option wins
RGB Critter BT: the working light painter's choice
Built by light painters in Oregon since 2012. The threaded lens is the part nothing else offers: the same light drives acrylic blades, fiber optic brushes, tubes, the Orb diffuser, and 200+ other tools, so one flashlight becomes an entire kit bag. The app saves exact colors and brightness levels, which matters enormously for repeatable compositions, and three onboard buttons run everything without your phone. Do not take our word for it. Photofocus gave it a 5 out of 5 Editor’s Choice, calling it a light that “shines brightly above the competition.” Stephen Knight Photography ranked it the #1 RGB flashlight for light painting in 2026, and BudgetLightForum tested it in the field. We encourage you to read them before buying anything, including ours.
ProtoMachines LED2: the legend
If you find a used LED2 in good condition at a fair price and you love hardware dials, it remains a wonderful instrument. Eyes open: no warranty, no parts, no accessories, and used prices often exceed three new Critters.
Generic RGB flashlights: the honest budget answer
A $30 RGB flashlight from any marketplace will make light trails tonight. You will get roughly ten fixed colors, no brightness control, no way to reproduce last week's look, and a housing that will not survive serious use. We can say this with unusual confidence because cheap RGB flashlights are exactly what we used before designing our own; they broke on us constantly, and that frustration is a large part of why the RGB Critter exists. If you are not sure light painting is your thing, start cheap, learn the basics, and upgrade when repeatability starts to matter or when it breaks, whichever comes first.
High-CRI white torches: the other half of the job
Drawing trails is half of light painting; illuminating your subject is the other half. For that, color accuracy matters more than RGB, and a high-CRI white flashlight in the $40 to $80 range does it beautifully, with gels when you want tinted subject light. Most working light painters carry both a color tool and a white tool.
Light painting flashlight FAQ
What flashlight do light painters actually use?
Historically the ProtoMachines LED2; today, with ProtoMachines discontinued, the RGB Critter BT is the only purpose-built color light painting flashlight in production. Many artists pair it with a high-CRI white torch for subject illumination.
How many lumens do I need for light painting?
Fewer than you think. Long exposures accumulate light over seconds or minutes, and saturated RGB color exposes brighter on camera than its lumen number suggests. Control and repeatability beat raw output; this is why the Critter offers 100 brightness levels at 170 max lumens rather than chasing big numbers.
Can I use a normal flashlight for light painting?
Yes, for white trails and subject lighting. The moment you want color, repeatable palettes, or tools like fiber brushes and blades, you need a purpose-built light.
What replaced the ProtoMachines LED2?
Nothing identical. The RGB Critter BT is the closest successor in production: full-spectrum color, saved presets, and a modifier ecosystem, traded against the LED2's hardware dials.
Does the RGB Critter BT need the app?
No. Three onboard buttons run it standalone; the app adds custom palettes, saved modes, and syncing up to 10 lights.
Made by the Ants on a Melon team in Oregon, USA. We have been building lights for light painters since 2012, and we would rather you buy the right light than our light. The RGB Critter BT holds a 4.6 out of 5 customer rating and earned a 5 out of 5 Editor’s Choice from Photofocus.
