The Bottom Line
Setting up and using the BestLight Studio takes some initial adjustments on the best way to use the light box and in the digital camera set-up, reading the instructions is a must! And although I felt the price is a little on the high side, I will most likely wind up buying the product and I guess that's my bottom line!
Pros
- Interior height of 22" will hold a fairly large item
- Folds down to compact size
- Defused light bathes the product with a shadow free light
Cons
- Camera settings not simple
- Items sit low in the box
- A little pricey
Description
- Can hold a fairly large item, with an interior height of 22 1/4"
- Compact size is easy to store, yet doesn't take up much room when assembled.
- The simple notch in each side makes it easy to suspend an item for photograhy.
- The light coming from the top produced a clean image with no shadows.
- Two backdrops are provided -- white and black.
- Backdrop bracket is designed to hold a variety of materials, such as paper and fabrics.
Guide Review - BestLight Studio
Do you like to document your collection or are you into selling on eBay and tired of taking pictures on the kitchen counter? The BestLight Studio is a solution that might be right for you. The compact box quickly opens up to a sturdy light box that will hold fairly large pieces, bathe them in a diffused light and get away from the amateur look of cluttered backdrops and poor lighting.
Although the set-up was especially easy (good illustrations), I did have to refer to the instruction guide a few times and wasn't completely comfortable with the way the lighting hood sat on the base.
Once I had the Studio assembled, an immediate "adjustment" was needed to take a picture of a cookie jar. The jar sat inside the box, but the front of the box has a lip that makes it impossible to get a straight shot. So I sat the jar on a large book, to elevate it higher.
A notch in the each side of the box made it easy to slip a dowel rod through and suspend pieces for photography purposes.
The biggest drawback was the end result of the photography, you have to be smarter than your camera and that's not always the case. It's very important to read the user instructions for adjusting the camera's custom white balance. I did not do this in my first session, and the "raw" picture was not good. I had to adjust the balance levels in PhotoShop, and the final image was good enough to get unsolicited compliments from a graphic editor at a magazine.
My second effort (after reading the instruction guide) was better!
