Digital Concepts Ps101 Portable Lighting Studio

Amazing light box
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have just started taking jewelry photos and found that this system is not only affordable but also easy to use

Portable lighting studio
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is great for a home-based small project – I’m photographing my dad’s collectibles in order to produce a catalog, and so far it is working out great. My 12-yr old son also used it to photograph all his stuffed animals to make a ‘yearbook’ !! This is a great value for the money for a professional-enough home photo studio.

Good enough…
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I bought this table-top “studio” to photograph small items for use on a website.It was very easy to assemble and I used it right away. I love that there was a tiny tripod included in this kit. All was well until I saw the resultant photos–the color balance is variable so sometimes the backdrop–which is blue–looks gray, sometimes pale blue–but the products themselves show up with colors that are “off.” Also, you really can’t photograph things as large as a honkin’ purse because the constraints of the box are tight. Good for small items–no bigger than about 6″X 6….” OK for what I’m doing, but not adequate for anything larger.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FBF400/ref=cm_cr_rev_prod_title

Nice Portable Light Box
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
The PS-101 is a very convenient portable photo studio.

Pros:

-Studio holds all included products.

-Sturdy.

-Lights are very stable.

-Mini Tripod good for small cameras (Would not use a DSLR due to the weight but if you have a $600+ camera you are not using a $5 dollar tripod anyway).

-Well made two sided backdrop.

Cons:

-The light’s are built well however the bulbs are underpowered as other reviewers have stated. Just stop at Home Depot or Lowe’s and pickup 2 50-watt GU10 bulbs for about 10 dollars total. I do not blame the manufacturer for the underpowered bulbs. They most likely did it due to the fact halogen’s run hot. If you do get more powerful bulbs; only leave them on for short periods of time. Also remember the lights are meant to remove shadows and not for full lighting.

-No black/white backdrop. You can order one for 13 with s/h from manufacturer (not too bad for the quality) however I would think they could have included this.

-When you fold the backdrop into the studio for travel it has a bad habit of creasing.

lights are not bright
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Bought this about 5 months ago, 1 lamp burnt out and now waiting for 3-4 months for Sakar to replace it. I not holding my breathe anymore as I called 4-5 times asking when will my replacement lamp come. The first time they were out of stock, they said 1 month they’ll get them in. Well after 2 months I called they said you’ll have it in 2 weeks, called again you’ll have it in 2 weeks, called again you’ll have it in 2 weeks…..LOL well it’s getting close to Christmas, maybe Santa will deliver it to me…LOL

camera photo box
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This outfit is excellent and does an excellent job for taking pictures of coins. The only issue we had with it is that one of the light bulbs were no good when we got it and we had to go out and purchase an $8 replacement bulb

Deal Of The Century
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is a must have for anyone listing small to medium sized items on websites or auction sites. Easy set-up and the lights work great not to bright/dim.

One small drawback is the mat needs to be about 1/2″ wider but nothing a free photoshop like paint.net can’t take care of.

Great solution for product photography
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
As a photographer interested in capturing product shots, I seriously looked into this product but previously held off due to the negative reviews posted. Fortunately, I got this as a gift over the holiday season, and my earlier hesitation proved to be unjustified. While I can understand the hesitation of those who feel that it’s overpriced, I am very happy with this product and strongly recommend it.

THERE ARE ALTERNATIVES

I was originally considering buying the Sakar product since it was cheaper than alternatives, but while researching it I came across some Do-It-Yourself solutions online (you can Google “DIY macro photo studio”) that I was hoping to pursue, but I got this as a gift before I was able to construct my own alternative. While I understand people’s reluctance to shell out over 30 dollars for this product, many competing photo boxes I came across online were much more expensive.

BUILD QUALITY

This is a well-built product that easily folds up. I love how portable this is! It’s also very light, so it easily stays put together with the Velcro straps. The Tripod was suitable for my point-and-shoot, but [understandably] too weak for my bulkier SLR camera. I’m very happy with the construction of this product.

LIGHTING

The lighting is good, but could be better. I don’t think it’s as bad as some of the negative reviews made it out to be, but at 20 watts these bulbs don’t generate enough light for a perfect picture. While a serious photographer might find this to be a problem, for most people the pictures should probably come out good enough. Just a note, the lights get really hot, so you might want to wait a little before you put it back into the carrying case. You probably could go to a hardware store and get replacements as some have suggested, although I haven’t done this myself.

PHOTO QUALITY

I have uploaded several images to the gallery so you can get a better feel for the product (please vote!). For the most part I am pleased with the images, but they are not perfect. The creases in the fabric backdrop show, the lighting is a bit warm and inaccurate, but still, it’s better than nothing. The fact that the backdrop is reversible (different colors on either side) comes in handy, and gives you more flexibility depending on what you’re shooting.

BOTTOM LINE

This is not cheap, but it’s also not as expensive as some of the competing photo boxes. Its portability is incredibly useful, but the lights that come with the unit are a bit weak for serious photographers. I do think that this is better than nothing, so while I received this as a gift, if I had to buy one myself I think it is worth getting. For those who are reluctant to spend the money, you can find easy DIY alternatives on the web.

Works well and easy to set up
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This product works well and is fairly easy to set up. It takes some practice to get the lighting just right, but any photographer will tell you that.

wonderful buy!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
For years I’ve been trying to take decent photos of my work. This portable light box is so simple and has everything you could need. The price is amazing. Upon ordering, I wasn’t sure if it really included the lights and such because it was so inexpensive but it did! It has the perfect amount of light and the best part of it all is that after my photos are taken, I can pack the whole package up and put it away in my studio. I can’t remember when I’ve been so pleased with a purchase – I just wish I’d done it sooner.

One light not working after one use
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
The first time I set the studio up, one of the lights had to be “tapped” in order to work. The second time I tried to use it, the same light would not work at all.

I’m having trouble finding a replacement, and I agree with one writer – the bulbs are way underpowered. They should be a lot brighter.

The tripod is pretty cheesy, too!

Does improve the photos.
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I bought this for my mother, who sells jewellery on ebay. The quality of photos taken with it are quite better than without any studio. But I am sure it can be improved upon, as the shadows are still not that soft. Also, be sure that your camera has a custom white balance option, because most probably none of the white balance presets are going to work fine. Build quality is decent, but not great. For the price, it is a decent purchase, and I can recommend it to anyone, unless near-professional quality is needed and you can spend more.