Lastolite
Cubelight | Sample images:
one,
two, three and four
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Details at a glance
3 x 3 x 3 feet, although sizes are available from 2' to 7'
We clicked with
Quality design, good results
Shots in the dark
A little pricey, hard to get back in the bag
Links
More Lastolite information
www.lastolite.com
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E-Photomaker just not big enough? Maybe you need to step up to the Cubelite - the E-Photomaker's bigger brother. A pop up light tent that is HUGE. We tested the 3 foot version but even bigger ones are available. Even one you can fit people inside. Cool.
Features
If you've read the review of the E-Photomaker then you'll know what this is all about. It's a complete studio in a bag. The idea is that you put your subject inside the cube, light it from outside and stick your camera through one of the holes to take pictures. The Cubelite softens the light and minimises reflections even on shiny objects.
In the box
Just like the E-Photomaker the Cubelite comes in one of Lastolite's trademark circular blue zip cases. If you have ever struggled to get a Lastolite reflector into its case then just forget about this product. Yes, you really do have to cram a 3 foot cube into a 14 inch flat case. With practice it's pretty easy but the practice can be hilarious to watch.
You get:
- The Cubelite. Pull it out, shake it and it self assembles using springy rods inside.
- Instructions on how to get it back in the bag. Keep those, you're going to need them. Trust me.
- Some clips to hold your own backgrounds inside the cube.
On test
I popped up the cube, drop some objects inside and set up some flash heads to provide enough light. I used a couple of Elinchrom monoblocs. Normally I would use these with softboxes or brollies but for this test I used them as bare bulb flash - the only softening of the light was done by the light cube.
On test
Pretty good. The Cubelite freed me from bulky softboxes - instead I could position the heads just where I wanted them to achieve the required results. The light was beautifully softened by the Cubelite and by surrounding the subject it stopped anyone seeing just how untidy my studio is! The shots of the ring were particularly impressive. For a perfect shot I'd probably place a tiny light inside the Cubelite to get a bit of sparkle off the diamond but the cube did a great job of stopping reflections.
Whilst I was testing the cube I was very impressed with how well thought out it was. There are a couple of zips to open so you can put your camera through. For one shot these weren't quite right and I wished that I could take the whole front off the cube to manoeuvre - then I noticed the Velcro that means you can take the whole front off! It's little touches like this that mark the light cube out as a professional product.
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It does the job very well - but that's all it does. If you want to build a mini studio that allows you to use soft beautiful lighting then this is almost a no brainer. There are plenty of home brew sites on the web that will show you how to make your own light tent but they won't give you anything like the flexibility of the Cubelite. The E-Photomaker is a little easier to get on with if you have a compact camera but if you want to take softly lit pictures of big things then a Cubelite should do you nicely.
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