Product review: Obeamiu RGB Led Video Light, Video Conference Lighting Accessory for Clip on Laptop with Tripod Stand

 

 This light is compact and provides a decent amount of light. It is 2 7/8" x 2 7/8" x 1" wide in size and weighs ? oz.  The color temperature is 2500-8500K and has many color modes.  The video light feels well constructed and sturdy.  

In addition to the video light, the package includes a clip, a tripod, a remote for the light, a cold shoe adapter, and a ballhead.  I was particularly impressed with the clip; it is very heavy duty.  The tripod is plastic and lightweight. It is okay for home use and as a selfie stick, but I would not trust it as a tripod as it is too lightweight for a gust of wind with a phone sitting on top a sail.

The light has three cold shoes and one 1/4" screw, so it has multiple options for mounting and combining lights. I own an Unlazi video light, which is slightly smaller, and I was able to couple it with this light via the hold shoe connector.

It has a USB-C port for charging the light.  The charger and cable are not included.  Using fast charger and C-type to C-type cable from depleted to fully charged on my fast charger takes 3 hours.  The light can be used while it is charging.

The light is not waterproof, but I can still use it when it rains by putting a plastic zip lock bag over the light.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: LenTok Overhead Tripod Mount for Camera, Flexible Over Head Arm for mobile phone

 

On the picture, this overhead tripod looked like an architect's lamp support, and when it arrived, it was precisely that in height, weight, and construction.  If you are trying to decide if this is the right overhead tripod for you, just look at the table lamp you likely already own.

So the tripod had a bit lighter construction than I hoped.  I bought this mount to use with the Pixel 6 Pro phone, which is a fairly heavy phone. I mounted the phone using the Shinewee cell phone mount with the Ulanzo video light in the cold shoe.  The phone is 7.41 oz, the light is 3.9 oz, and the cell phone mount is 4.9 oz, for a total of 16.21 oz.  The tripod held this weight, but it felt that it was at the top of its capability as I had to tighten it multiple times to keep it stable.

The overhead tripod came with its own cell phone holder, but that holder is pretty bad. It is a tension-built mount that did not feel sturdy or secure enough to hold a large cellphone like Pixel 6 Pro.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆   

Product review: Ulanzi VL49 RGB Video Photo Light in use with Pixel 6 Pro Cell Phone

 

This light is compact and provides a decent amount of light. The color temperature is 2500-9000K, and the RGB color is 0-359.  My video includes several examples to illustrate the light in action.

The light has three cold shoes and one 1/4" screw, so it has multiple options for mounting and combining lights. It attaches to small tripods and selfie sticks using a 1/4" screw. I am using the light with Shinewee cell phone holder.

It has a USB-C port for charging the light.  The charger and cable are not included.  Using fast charger and C-type to C-type cable from depleted to fully charged on my fast charger takes 2 hours.  The light can be used while it is charging.

The new light lasts 4 hours on 50% brightness.  If you see 50% that does not change when you charge it, check if the display shows the brightness rather than battery level. My light came set at 50% brightness level, and I saw that level shown as I was charging.  

The brightness can be changed in 1% increments.  The color also changes by one.  These changes have to be done manually, and it does take a bit of time if you are trying to go from one end of the scale to the other.  There is a shortcut to get to white. If you hold down the third button from the left (the button before the power toggle), it switches between RGB and Cool/Warm White. Then use the arrow buttons on the left to tune the colors.

The light is not waterproof, but I can still use it by putting a plastic zip lock bag over the light.

I initially was considering ULANZI VL49 RGB's previous version, which was $10 cheaper. Then on Black Friday, the price for both units was the same, and I got this "upgraded" version.  Here are the major differences between the two:
1. The upgraded version has brighter lights and higher color rendering
2. The charging port changed from Micro USB to C-type, so it charges faster

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Orthland Photo Studio LightBox Lightbox 16"

 

I have an old collapsible 16" lightbox and rarely use it because it is so hard to collapse (it is one of those wireframes that you need to twist just right to fold).  By comparison, this lightbox is so easy to put together. All I need to do is use snaps to lock the box into shape and the slide lights and light shades into the holes in the frame.  It takes 3 minutes to put together and 2 minutes to disassemble.  The lightbox comes with both black and white backgrounds, two light panels, and a light diffuser.  There is a controller that allows me to change the brightness of the light.

The box comes with a nice canvas case that allows storing the box neatly.  The package includes a detailed manual that shows how to put the box together.  However, I did not need to consult it; the assembly is evident and straightforward.

I hope the attached video demonstrates how to set it up and how it works.  It works well!

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: 10'' LED Selfie Ring Light with Tripod Stand Phone Holder Ring Light

This is a tabletop LED ring with a phone holder that places the phone in the middle of the right light.  The ring light produces either warm (yellow) or cold (blueish white) light.  It is quite bright and lights without shadows. The light has a controller that controls not only color but also the brightness of the light.

The LED light runs on USB power which means it can run from an external power battery.  I like this feature because this set up does not require an electrical outlet.  The package also includes a remote which triggers the camera app to take photos.

The phone holder is a little stiff and takes a bit of force to open when to insert the phone. I was able to use it with two phones: one is 3" wide the second one is  2 3/4" wide.  The holder has a gooseneck that can be bent and aimed as needed. The ring light sits on the ball head that is flexible in how it is positioned as well. 

Overall, I thought it was very nice and flexible lighting right.  It can be used for selfies or for any other tabletop photography.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: PrawnHz 10-inch Ring Light with Stand & Phone Holder

This ring light exceeded my expectations. It has a well-made tripod stand with quick release leg.  The stand is solidly made and operates smoothly.  It can be expanded to 66" tall.  With this flexible height, I can use it both on the table and on the floor.  The ring light mounts on the stand using on regular 1/4 thread which means the stand can also double as a tripod for a small/medium size camera.  I like things that can do more than one job!

The ring light is 10-inches in diameter and provides bright light. I can change the color of the light from warm to cold via remote control.  The light is powered by USB power. It can run from an electric outlet or from an external battery pack for portability.

The ring light includes a phone holder that I can use to mount the phone and trigger the photo app with the included remote control.  The remote control paired easily with my Nexus phone, the remote control was visible as "AB Shutter3". Pressing the remote control once put it into the Bluetooth mode  (it blinks quickly with a blue light when it is ready to pair).


In the attached video, you can see both the operation of the light and the photos I took using the remote control.  I am pretty pleased with the results.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Narrative Clip video camera

I like the concept of taking photos continuously not to miss any special moments, but I do not like the model of how Narrative provides this service.

1. I am not able to prevent the upload of my photos to the web before I had a chance to censor the photos I don't want to be uploaded. As soon as I installed the application it began uploading the photos to the cloud. I would have liked to have an option to examine the photos locally first, and only then upload a subset to the cloud. I want to be able to censor and remove some photos before they hit the internet. As we all know once on the internet you cannot get the photos back. Any software can have bugs and security breaches and I want control over what gets published.

2. The camera is bigger and more noticeable than I expected. It is 1.4" x 1.4" x 0.25". It is made out of white plastic. I would have liked it to be pretty, so I can wear it as a broche so I would look nice with my outfit, not just like I am wearing an electronic monitoring device. In attached video you can see how I changed the way Narrative looks. My suggestion to Narrative is to make a variety of jackets be available for the camera so people can make it different colors and designs based on what they are wearing.

3. I did not like the manual that came with the camera. It has child-like drawing with very few words on each page. The manual tells you how to wear the camera, but surprising does not tell you what to do to see the images you took. It has no information on what you need to install, how to access your photo, or any other practical information. I had to Google for an answer of what I needed to do. That is an indicator of a badly designed manual.

What you need to do:
♦ Enter start.getnarrative.com into your browser url
♦ You will need to down load software for you PC. The download is 35.4 megabytes so it takes while to download
♦ The software will give you access to your images
♦ You need to be connected to the internet to run the application

4. When I am using Narrative I have no control of when the camera takes pictures. When I did not want to take pictures I had to remove the camera and put in my pocket, but it continued running and thus ran out of juice faster than I was able to turn it off when I did not want it to record. Narrative Clip supposed to go to sleep when the camera is in total darkness, but my Clip continued to take pictures. More than half of the pictures it took were just black. I want to have control of my devices, I need on/off button.

5. Quality of the photos is okay, but far from being as good as my SLR camera or even the camera on my phone. The camera does not do well in the dim light. The camera is not waterproof. My video contains 5 best pictures taken my Narrative during the first day I had Narrative Clip on. I also included 2 picture which were representative of 90% of the photos taken. Majority of photos are either too dark or I could not tell what the picture captured. These pictures are not editing in any way. I did not rotate them to make them appear in the proper orientation, the photos appear exactly as they were saved on my computer.

6. One feature that I liked is the ability to mark a picture as special. If you want to record a special picture you can double tap on the Clip. The clip will recognize it as an important picture and save it in the Starred Photos category.

7. The photos that are copied locally do not have geo-tags. In order to charge a monthly subscription Narrative makes local organization of photos more difficult. 

What would make me like it more? If it behaved as a regular memory stick, allowed me to mount it on my computer and examine, edit, and censor the photos without uploading the photos to the cloud first. The current subscription fee is too expensive for the capabilities the camera provides.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★☆☆☆☆

Book review: Photoshop: The Beginner´s Guide to Mastering Photoshop byEdward Bailey

I read a couple of other books by Mr. Bailey which were decent.  This book is not one of his better works. The book spends 25% of the content on history of Photoshop and that this software allows one to improve photos. Then it lists the tools included in Photoshop by giving two sentences for each - no tips on how best to use them or anything beyond a very high level description. Then the author spends 6 pages on layers, but I thought the explanation in on-line Photoshop tutorials was more helpful and detailed. The books ends with many pages of promoting other books by the same author.

There were two specific tips where I learned something, such as how to create a color-accented photo and how to change someone's eye color. Each of these is a one page description and a photo. They had a nice amount of specific steps.

Bottom line: 2 useful pages for $2.99.

Here is a link to Amazon, a book to avoid.

Ali Julia review ★☆☆☆☆

Product review: IVISII LED Video Light Stand Lighting Kit

This Christmas I replace my old light kit that used 200W incandescent photo lights with with LED Panel set. The panels have bi-Color light settings 3200K and 5600K. The 32000K gives a warm yellowish glow that is very flattering, the bright white at 5600K is sharp and cold. The height of the stands adjusts easily with the turn of the knobs. The stands are well balanced and even at the tallest height the light feel stable. The height ranges from 25" to 75".

My old photo lights used to get so hot that I would need to use a glove to adjust the position of the lights. The LED panels are a lot easier to work with: they stay cool and knobs allow me to change the angle easily. The panels have no glare. In the old lamps I had to use defusers to prevent glare,  these LED panels do not need defusers.

The back of each panel displays the temperature, the brightness, and the channel. The channel is used to pair each light panel with the remote. By changing the channel on the remote it can talk to each of the panels without interference.

45W in LED lights is very bright, each panel is just as bright as my 200W incandescent photo light.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Sony Alpha SEL1855 E-mount 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 OSS Lens

I wound up purchasing this lens twice.  The first lens as part of the original SONY NEX-5 purchase in 2011, and then again in 2013 when I dropped the camera from a tripod on a stone and broke not the glass but the plastic casing around the lens. So be aware that the camera lightness comes from using materials more fragile than heavy metal.

Five years later I am still happy with the decision I made. I use the camera almost every day. I find it to be reliable under various lightening conditions, it is fairly light and portable compared to my Canon SLR. Its weight is 18-55 6.9 oz (194g). It has a standard Sony E-mount and filter diameter is 49 mm. The lens came with both caps.

The only negative thing I can say that it cracked because parts of the lens are made out plastic. However, that is what makes the lens lighter than my Canon zoom lenses.

In attached photo you see New York skyline taken at dusk (hand held) and below it I show super zoomed in areas to show the sharpness of the image in different areas of the shot - you see that the center of the shot (photo 2) is sharper than the edges (photo 1 and photo 2). I think it did a nice job given the lightning conditions and no tripod.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Polaroid ZIP Mobile Printer w/ZINK Zero Ink Printing Technology

The quality of the prints is decent. The color is not rendered perfectly but acceptable for the type of usage I see for this little printer. At the end of my video I show the wall print I photographed and the print generated by Polaroid printer side by side. Even though you see slight different in colors the results are acceptable. The printer comes with 10 sheets of paper, each one 2" x 3". Zink paper refills are available on Amazon at about 50 cents per sheet.

This printer does not need ink. The images appears by heating special Zink paper in different ways. No ink makes the printer small plus when the photo comes out it is totally dry, you cannot smudge it. The print feels thick and very glossy. Unlike regular glossy photo printer Zink paper does not show finger prints.

The printer's size is 4.5" x 2 3/4" x 7/8" and its weight 6.7 oz.

The printer easily paired with my phone. I loaded Polaroid Zip app which allows me to print pictures from the gallery or create name cards from my photos. There is also and option to do some primitive editing (brightness, contrast, crop, a few filters). This little camera can be a lot of fun at the party. I can see it also being useful to generate name cards/business cards when you need to give someone contact info.

The printer takes 10 paper sheets at a time, and you need to put the paper with the shiny print side of the paper up. Make sure that the printer is on as it turns off automatically.

The printer run on a rechargeable battery and it takes 2.5h for me to recharge it. The printer can be used while it is being charged.

Bottom line: nice prints on the go even though not as good as my Epson photo printer.


You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Polaroid 2x3 inch Premium ZINK Photo Paper

I am reviewing Premium Zink Photo paper.  I  am using this paper in a Polaroid Snap camera. I took photos both inside and outside and they came out slightly blueish. I have used Zink paper in the past and saw no blue cast. When I look closer at the packaging I noticed that the temperature range for the use of the Premium paper is fairly narrow: 68°F to 77°F degrees. It was definitely colder than that for my outside shots, and probably on the border for the inside shots as we keep the house at about 68 degrees in the winter.

Other than the blueish tint I like many things about Zink paper. The image on the paper cannot be smudge as the process uses no ink. The print feels thick and very glossy. Unlike the glossy print I get from my ink jet printer Zink paper does not show finger prints. Pretty neat!

Each paper sheet is 2" x 3". The paper is inserted into the camera with the bar code facing down, shiny side up. The camera takes 10 pieces of paper at a time.

Bottom line: If a blueish cast will bother you make sure you plan to use it the recommended temperature range. Unfortunately the temperature range is not shown in Amazon description, only on the foil wrapper of the paper itself.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Kamisafe Ultra Thin Dimmable CRI95 LED Video Light Panel

I own several light panels and Kamisafe panel has several features that I really like. The most useful feature to me is the ability to change the amount of light that the panel generates with a simple turn of the knob. This allows me to have perfect lighting in different situations.  This panel is thinner and lighter than my older panel, and I show it side by side with an older light panel for comparison.

The second thing that I find very useful is ability to change the light from cold white to warm yellow.  This is done by pushing down the knob (the same knob that controls brightness by turning). The color temperature adjusts from 3200K to 6200K and the brightness  can change from 10%-100%.

The light panel can run plugged in or on the battery.  The batteries that are compatible are: NP-F550/F750/F960.  The power adapter is included, but batteries are not.

The light panel generates continuous light. Once you turn it on the light panel stays on. This panel does not communicate with the camera like a flash. I use it mounted on tripod so I have more control of where the lighting goes and my camera is lighter for a steadier shot. 

Overall, I like this light panel. It is easy to set up and easy to change the amount of light I get to fit any situation.  Is it perfect? No, my panel has a flaw in the back panel where the LED display does not show all numbers.  I show a few photos that demonstrate it. It does not effect how I use the panel, but it does reflect workmanship that is not top notch for that reason I rate this light panel as ok.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★☆☆

Product review: Meking 300w Bulb , 20"x28" Softbox , 29.5"x9.8"x11.4" Photography Zipper Bag,78.7" Lighting Stands Photo Video Studio Light Kit

There are many things about these studio lights that I like, but they have one serious flaw. They come with Type C electrical plugs common in Asia and South America (two round prongs, not two flat prongs known as Type A we use in USA). I happen to have plug converters from when I used to travel a lot so I am able to use them, but I wanted to start my review by drawing attention to this requirement.

- These studio lights generate nice natural light. In attached photos I set them up in complete darkness and the lights filled the room with a non-harsh light. The lights use Tri-phosphor light bulb 150w 5500K 110V E27.

- The umbrellas and the diffuser shields are nice. They collapse and pop up easily. The diffuser shields have fitted corners so they go on easily and stay on well, they also have Velcro to grab on to umbrella better.

- The electrical cords have in-line on/off switch. My old lights had a switch next to the light and it would always get ultra-hot. This is a much better design.

- Everything is pretty easy to set up and disassemble. When the lights are not in use they fits into the carrying case included in the package. The bulbs (if you want to keep them in the cartons like I do) do not fit into the carrying case, but everything else does. The bag has handles lengthwise as well as at the top end of the case. I use the handle on the top to hang the bag from a ceiling hook in the basement and the case does not take up much space while being easily accessible.

- The stand is collapsible. The screws and the stand are metal, but the fittings are plastic. This is likely to be the weak point of the system over time. However, no problems so far.

Here are a couple of minor cons:

- The stands are okay but they are a little top heavy when fully assembled. The legs could have been made to spread wider to provide more stability.

- The electric cord of each stand is only a little longer than the stand itself. I need to use an extension cord to plug in the lights. I would have liked each cord to be 5-6 feet longer so it could be used without an extension cord.

So what's the bottom line? The light kit is not aimed at the American market, so even though I am able to use them with two converters and the light the lights generates nice light I am not able to rank the kit as good. If it is re-wired to have type A plugs that work with American outlets I would rank it as a 4 star product. I notified the seller of the problem and he said he will address it.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★☆☆☆

Product review: DreamLifter Team Tripod Mount Set By DreamLifter for Smartphones Go-Pro Cameras and other light photo cameras

This is a light tripod aimed to hold light cameras - such as Go-Pro and phone cameras.  It stated capacity is 5 founds, but I would limit it to a couple of pounds to be safe.  With that per-amble it is a full featured tripod that is very light.


- It has quick release legs. This tripod's quick releases operate smoothly and the hold is good.  The legs have four sections. The bottom portion of the legs is quite thin, and that's where the weight limit feels most critical.

- This tripod  does not have a quick plate.  It does come with 1/4" standard screw.

- Lightweight. 12.85 oz.

- Tripod's maximum height is 41". When it is collapsed its size is 14".

Overall, pretty good tripod for light cameras and phone cameras.
You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★☆

Product review: Powerextra Smart LCD Display Dual Channel Charger for Sony NP-FW50 Battery

I am using NP-FW50 with Sony Nex-5N camera.  It is a power hungry camera and I always carry a lot of battries.  There are two things I like about Powerextra charger:

1) it can charge two batteries at the same time

2) it is not a wall charger like my SONY charger, but it use a USB cord.  My SONY charger takes up two slots on the power strip, where as Powerextra battery needs just one USB slot and my power strip has several built-in USB slots, so I gained four outlets as I normally used two SONY chargers side by side.

I appears to charge the batteries in the same amount of time as my OEM charger.  However its design fits into  my set up much better than the SONY charger.  Note: batteries are not included in the package, only the battery charger itself.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: LD-160 LED Video Lamp Light By Kshioe

I have been using light panels in my table top photography.  Pangshi light panel is the newest addition to my set up. It has features I look for in a light panel:

1. It gives me an ability to change the amount of light that the panel generates with a simple turn of the knob. This allows me to have perfect lighting in different situations. 

2. It comes with a built-in swivel which allows me to aim it. I use this light panel on table-top tripod as you see in the video.

3. It has a battery level test button on the back, so I know if I should switch batteries before I start a new photo session. It lets me avoid stopping in the middle.

3. It can run on a large number of batteries, including AA batteries.

4. It comes with three filters: frosted, yellow (my favorite), and purple.  The filters fit snugly and do not fall out even when I have the panel upside down or side ways.

The light panel generates continuous light. Once you turn it on the light panel stays on. This panel does not communicate with the camera like a flash. I use it mounted on tripod so I have more control of where the lighting goes and my camera is lighter for a steadier shot.

This panel is easy to set up and easy to change the amount of light I get to fit any situation.  It is working really well for me.

You can find this light panel on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: FEELWORLD Full HD 1920x1200 7 inch IPS Camera Top Monitor 4K DSLR Monitor

FEELWORLD monitor an external monitor for a digital camera that has a mini HDMI output.  This monitor comes with a HDMI to mini HDMI cable, a mounting bracket to attach to the camera, and a shade that can be mounted on the monitor.  The battery plate is mounted on the back of the monitor, but F970 battery itself is not included.

The monitor size is 7" x 5" and it is 1.25"thick at the widest point which include the battery mount, battery adds another 0.25" which means it is 1.5" thick with the battery mounted. The shade comes in two parts: the bracket that mounts on to the monitor and a sun shade which is Velcros to the bracket and provides a shade that is 4.25" wide at the top.

The screen looks very good. LCD screen is hard to see in the sun, but the shade really helps. The monitor supports full HD 1920*1200 Resolution. It also support the 4K UHD 3840*2160P.  In addition to HDMI input, the monitor also accepts AV inputs.  USB port is used for system updates.

In attached video you can see the monitor attached to my camera while I am video recording on my phone. The video camera on the phone is not great, so use other photos to judge the quality of the monitor.  The video taken by the phone camera demonstrate how the set up works but since my camera is in the video I could not use it to take the better quality videos.

Overall, this is a pretty nice monitor and makes it much easier to see if the photos are sharp or if they need to be re-shot.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Pergear A216C AIR SWITCH Sensor LED Photo Video Light Panel Dimmable

My review is for Pergear A216C Touchless Controller with Air Switch.

The light panel works with F550 SONY compatible battery (the package includes two batteries which is great as I can recharge one while using the other). I own several light panels and this panel has a couple of unique features that I like (1) touchless switch lets me save the battery life by turning it off and on quickly. Once I set up the light level and color I can turn the light on and off without having to move the panel or fiddle with the switches. With the other panels I need to either move them or reach around which may reposition the lights (2) I can control the color of the light without using filters. This light panel also has a switch that changes the light intensity. This feature is not unique to this panel, I consider it a must-have feature as it is incredibly useful.

Another minor but nice feature that my other panels do not have is a button that ejects the battery. This will prolong the panel light. I dropped and broke one of my old panels trying to remove a stiff fitting battery.

The panel comes with a light diffuser. I like that it snaps in snugly into the panel and does not fall out even when I turn the light upside down.

The light panel generates continuous light. Once you turn it on the light panel stays on. This panel does not communicate with the camera like a flash. I use it mounted on a tripod so I have more control of how the light is directed.

The photo panel is 5" by 3" and 1.5" deep. The light weighs 8.15 oz. It 216 LED lights.

Color temperature of the lights: 3200K-5500K

In addition to the extras I already mentioned the package also includes gloves which are sized small (I have small hands and they fit me perfectly) and a cleaning cloth (7.75" x 7.75").

Overall, I like this light very much. It is easy to set up and easy to change the amount of light I get to fit any situation.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★

Product review: Neewer 400W Strobe Light for Canon and Nikon

Neewer 400W Strobe Light for Canon and Nikon

I am using this strobe with Canon Rebel SLR camera. The package include the strobe itself, the case, the battery and the battery recharger, cap for the strobe and  Bowens Mount Adapter.  The only thing I am not using is the  Bowens Mount Adapter.  It can be used to mount a defuser.  Defuser was not included in the package and I have not purchased one yet.

The remote trigger and the probes worked with my camera without any problems.  By default both were set to channel one and communicated in variety of modes I have tried.  My video includes a demonstration of set up and my high speed photography session to generate photos of droplets.

The case and the probe feel very solid.  Together they weight 10 pounds 2 oz.  The case is lined with foam, the fit is very tight.  This is both good and bad. It keeps the strobe very secure once you get it in, but it is hard to put the strobe in without pushing down the foam.

The package includes two manuals. One for the trigger and for the foam.  The manual for the trigger is better.  The manual for the foam is detailed about some things, but not about others.  For example, it does not show how to mount and remove the battery.  This is probably the most awkward part of using the strobe. It takes me a few attempts to mount the battery.  Removing it is easier.  The manual does not mention how to remove the probe's cap - is it a screw top or pushes on?  The cap is a push on cap and it is very tight.  Initially it did not budge either when I pushing or when I twisted.  Eventually I won!

Overall, on the positive side the strobe works well with my camera, the battery lasts a reasonable amount of time. it feels solidly made and I like the protective case.  On the negative side, the battery pack is awkward to mount, the foam padded case is a bit tight and it takes time to fit the probe in.  The pluses oby far outweigh the minuses.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.

Ali Julia review ★★★★★