Lighting Equipment
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JTL Superlights Are Hot
Lighting Equipment, Test Reports
Robert E. Mayer • Mar 01, 2001 • 0 comments

The incandescent JTL Superlight is a hotlight fixture intended primarily for working with tungsten-balanced color films or any black and white film. Although motion picture and videographers would probably use this type of light most, still photographers...
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JTL’s Mobilight 300; Powerful And Portable
Lighting Equipment
Ron Eggers • Dec 01, 2006 • 0 comments

Electronic flash functionality continues to expand with one of the major innovations over the last few years being portability. For a long time the options were either using professional lighting gear in the studio, or using makeshift portable-powered lighting setups on location. Frequently, photographers would jerry-rig battery-powered auxiliary on-camera flash units to work with...
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JTL’s Mobilight DC-600; Have Light, Will Travel
Lighting Equipment
Steve Anchell • Nov 01, 2007 • 0 comments

The kind of photography I do can take me almost anywhere. Today I could be photographing in my studio, tomorrow on the streets. I can often "get away" with available light or a Speedlite mounted on a flash bracket--and sometimes I do just that. But getting away with something is not always the best way to get the results my clients need.

On location...
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Keep It Cool; Fluorescent And LED Lighting: Alternatives To Hot Lights And Strobes
Lighting Equipment
Jack Neubart • Jan 01, 2010 • 1 comments

New fluorescent and LED “cool” lights are on the scene, making serious headway into the realm of digital photography. Cool lights not only save energy, but they may be better suited in a variety of situations.
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Larson’s Larry Peters 16x60 Light Bender: A Uniquely Shaped Softbox
Equipment Reviews, Lighting Equipment
Steve Bedell • Jan 14, 2013 • Published: Dec 01, 2012 • 0 comments
We all know what softboxes look like. They’re big, small, square, rectangular, sometimes round or shaped like octagons—we’ve seen them all. But there is nothing quite like the 16x60 Light Bender from Larson. It is long (48”), narrow (12”), and looks like a strip light that someone grabbed by the ends and yanked toward the middle. In this test I’ll take a look at just what this oddly-shaped light can do and why a photographer may consider adding it to his or her arsenal of light modifiers.

The Light Bender was designed by well-known photographer Larry Peters from Ohio and is produced and sold by Larson Enterprises.

After unpacking, I mounted the box to the backplate, a really snug fit, and then added the speed ring that allows me to mount and swivel the box on my light. After assembly, I mounted it on my Paul C. Buff Einstein unit. The light mounts dead center and the “wings” fly out to the side. There is no interior baffle in the design so the light is much stronger in the center and drops off rather dramatically as you move toward the edges.
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Lastolite’s HiLite Background; Versatility In A “Giant Light Box”
Lighting Equipment
Stan Sholik • Nov 01, 2007 • 0 comments

Let's clear one thing up right away. The Lastolite HiLite background, distributed by Bogen Imaging, is easily the most versatile lighting accessory of recent years, and possibly of all time. No matter if you are a studio or location photographer, commercial, portrait, wedding, or fashion/beauty photographer, film or digital, you will find an infinite number of ways to use...
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Light Boxes And Illuminators
Useful Accessories For Every Photographer
Lighting Equipment
Robert E. Mayer • Sep 01, 2002 • 0 comments

Most devoted photographers will have several different types and sizes of light boxes for use in a variety of situations. Possibly the most common use for a smaller, basic light box is in the darkroom to evaluate a negative or transparency prior to...
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Lighting & Studio; Continuous Light, LEDs, And Flash In A Rainstorm
Lighting Equipment, Show Reports
Roger W. Hicks ... • Jan 01, 2011 • 0 comments

In all probability, most photographers could gain more from investing in lighting equipment than from investing in new cameras. Not professionals, perhaps, though studio lighting continues to come on in leaps and bounds, but countless amateurs could greatly improve both the range and quality of their work.
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Lighting Kits And Add-On Accessories; Studio & Shoe-Mount Gear
Lighting Equipment
Jack Neubart • Jul 01, 2009 • 0 comments

Whether it’s shoe-mount strobe or studio lighting, accessories of all shapes and sizes appear to be on the rise.
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Lighting; Studio And Mobile Lighting: Strobe & Continuous—Plus Accessories
Features, Lighting Equipment
Jack Neubart • Jun 01, 2006 • 0 comments

If there's one thing I learned from working on my latest book, Studio Lighting Solutions (Amphoto, 2005), there is a light specially suited to every subject and situation. Pro photographers find exactly what they need, and if it's not the exact solution, they fashion it to their needs with the addition of various accessories.

So when I entered the...
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Litepanels MicroPro Hybrid: Flash And Constant Light Sources In One Unit
Lighting Equipment
Steve Bedell • Jul 10, 2012 • Published: Jun 01, 2012 • 0 comments
The Litepanels MicroPro Hybrid does double duty as both a constant light source and a flash. The light itself is made of black plastic and is fairly small, at 5.5x3.75x1.5”, and weighs only about a pound when you include the mounting bracket and six AA batteries (standard or rechargeable, and there is an optional AC adapter available). The top has a knurled knob to turn things on and acts as a dimmer so you can control output in stepless fashion. Vents are located around all sides. The battery door, flash ready light, flash sync, and input for the optional power adapter are all located on the back. The bottom is threaded so you can attach it to a light stand or to the (included) nicely made aluminum ball joint with a bottom end that slides into your camera’s shoe mount. Also included is a very short PC cord to be used when using the flash mode, plus there are warming, diffusion, and tungsten conversion filters that snap in easily over the front panel. All this fits into a nicely padded zippered bag.
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Lowel’s Rifa eXchange System; Continuous Lighting Has Its Advantages
Lighting Equipment
Steve Anchell • Oct 01, 2008 • 0 comments

At a recent pro photo show I came across what I consider to be a unique innovation in small studio lighting--the Lowel Rifa eXchange System (#1), which is comprised of four self-contained softboxes that come in varying sizes. At 16x16" the Rifa eX 44 is the smallest and the Rifa eX 88 is the largest at 32x32". What makes this system special is the minimal time it...
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Lucas Strobe Systems Macro Flash Bracket
Lighting Equipment
Jack Neubart • Dec 04, 2012 • 0 comments
I’ve worked with numerous macro flash systems. Most focus on the flash being on axis with the lens, often in the form of a ring flash mounted directly onto the lens. Alternatively, a twin-head system can be used, which attaches by way of a mounting ring. Here, the ultra-lightweight/ compact heads practically hug the lens. Usually, the flash heads are tethered to a controller, which also serves as the battery housing. While they may have some freedom of movement, the individual flash heads can’t be easily used entirely off-camera because they have nothing to support them when you’re shooting handheld.
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Macro Ringlighting; We Review Flash, LED, And Fluorescent Ringlights
Lighting Equipment
Jack Neubart • Nov 01, 2010 • 0 comments

I prefer to shoot macros and close-ups handheld, so, when I need to augment the existing light or replace it entirely, I look for a compact solution. And for me, that often means a ringlight. It’s a simple and undemanding yet effective tool. For my really tight close-ups at or near life-size, I set focus manually in advance so there’s no worry about the AF sensor trying to lock on...
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Multiblitz Profilux Backpack Kit: Monolights To Go
Lighting Equipment
Joe Farace • Oct 24, 2012 • Published: Sep 01, 2012 • 7 comments
If you’re looking for European build quality at a reasonable price, Multiblitz’s series of Profilux monolights are a good place to start. Built in Germany, the two Profilux models—250 and 500 watt second versions—are the perfect tool for the serious amateur or established professional and feature fast recycling times, short flash durations, and consistent color temperatures. The Profilux 250 has a five-stop power range that’s adjustable in 1/10-stop increments with a modeling lamp that delivers an expected service life of 2000 hours. The Profilux 500 delivers all of the same features as the 250 but with twice the output power.
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