The Premise. Lighting is the most important aspect of photography; without light, there’s no picture. Capturing an image with ideal lighting can be a challenging exercise for most new photographers, but using an external flash can help make it easier and can also be an inspiring catalyst for creativity.
The Product. FlashQ is a wireless flash trigger designed to work with external flashes for mirrorless and DSLR cameras. The transmitter attaches to your camera via hot shoe and using a radio signal it connects to the receiver which is attached to your remote flash either by hot shoe or sync cord. Three LED lights indicate whether the product is operating, triggering the flash, or pairing the devices. The FlashQ system can support up to eight receivers on remote flashes as long as they are paired with the transmitter. Small in size, but packing a big punch, FlashQ’s specifications state you’ll trigger your flash more than 100,000 times on the life of one battery.
The Pitch. Anita Yim introduces herself in a female-centric campaign video as an engineer and inventor of FlashQ. She explains that she was frustrated with other wireless flash triggers on the market because they were either large in size or looked ridiculous when using with her compact system camera. The rest of the campaign page focuses on additional accessories like a cold shoe adapter and a compatibility list of all camera manufacturers who use the standard size hot shoe that FlashQ employs. You will also see the variety of colors that FlashQ will be available in, including Midnight Black, Snow White, Macaron Pink and Knight Blue.
The Perks. For a $30 pledge, early-birds can receive a FlashQ in any of the four colors. Regular birds will be able to obtain a FlashQ for $39, once the early-birds have claimed all. If you’re willing to pledge $129, you will receive a custom FlashQ with your signature printed on the devices. If the project is funded, estimated delivery of FlashQ after initial production is September 2014.
The Potential. Use of the off-camera flash is a key way to create better lighting in your photographs, but using many of today’s systems can entail a steep price and learning curve. FlashQ could broaden the appeal of similar products such as PocketWizard and RadioPopper that are more popular with pros. but the product’s unique design and significantly cheaper cost may sway consumers to give it a shot (pun intended).