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Imaging

Adaptalux offers a hydra of color to light up macro photography

editors-choiceMacro photography can produce some startling images. However, unlike, say, portraiture that is often done in a studio, it’s difficult to have fin control over the kind of lighting and color in an image.

Adaptalux is a lighting add-on that attaches to the hot shoe of a digital SLR camera. The main unit hosts up to five flexible hose-like LED lights in five different hues that can be used with diffusers or gels to produce striking lighting effects for pictures of small objects such as leaves or bugs. The company also offers a miniature platform for staging such spectacles. Adaptalux Ltd. seeks £100,000 (about $150,000) by May 2nd. Prices range from about £100 (about $150) for a starter pack that includes two lighting arms) to £300 (about $445) for the complete set of lighting arms, diffusers and filters. All rewards are expected to ship in November.

Adaptalux dramatically expands the color options available to macro photographers in the studio or the field and the flexibility of the lights allow for a great deal of creative control. While the product has a companion app, it would be great to see it control the brightness of the various lights directly rather than merely offering advice, a feature that’s likely on the roadmap.

Categories
Imaging Tech Accessories

Foldio 2 mini photo studio gets great shots, even better than the original

The digital camera is slowly dying out as smartphone cameras become more and more powerful. Now, it’s possible to take great photographs with an Android or iPhone. However, nothing can replace the perfect photographing conditions of a professional studio.

The Foldio 2 is a portable set for taking photographs. When folded up, the Foldio 2 looks like a large flat folder with handle for ease of traveling. To set up, simply unfold and assemble using the accompanying magnets. Foldio 2 is made from lightweight white plastic. With bright LED lights, this little studio packs quite the punch and provides tons of light to make any subject pop.

The creators behind Foldio have found success on Kickstarter before with their original product, the Foldio. Now, they’ve improved upon the original design by making it twice the size. They’ve made up for portability by adding the above mentioned handle and have added an adapter for the lights so that they last twice as long.

The Foldio 2 is certainly an improvement on an already cool product. Amateur photographers have flooded social media sites, especially the popular Instagram, and this is a great product for just such a person. One will cost backers $65 by March 2015. Foldio 2 has already smashed its original $50,000 goal, raising over $350,000 on Kickstarter.