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Look brighter in your video chats or vlogs with Lume Cube AIR VC

NEWS – Have you ever tried to video chat with someone, post live on Facebook or shoot a vlog, only to find that the video is muddy and dull because there simply wasn’t enough ambient light? Lume Cube, a provider of lightweight, portable lighting solutions has a solution with the Lume Cube AIR VC lighting kit for video conferencing.

The kit comes with a suction cup mount that allows you to attach the light to phones, laptops, desktop monitors, tablets – essentially anything with a smooth surface.  Beyond the suction cup mount, it can also be mounted to any standard tripod mount or attached to any magnetic surface.

It comes with two different diffusers.  The first, a white diffuser, softens the harshness of the light and provides bright white light.  The second, a yellowish warming diffuser, provides more flattering light for faces. The light is daylight balanced at 5600K, provides a 60-degree beam angle and 400 lux brightness at 100% power. For reference, 300-500 lux is typical for assembly halls and retail space, so at 400 lux, this light will provide sufficient light for a well-lit video call.

The difference between using ambient room light and adding supplemental lighting makes a dramatic difference in the quality of your video.  This is important for vloggers trying to build an audience, remote workers making a video call to the office and parents trying to provide a quality experience when the grandkids are FaceTiming with grandparents.

At 1.6″ x 1.6″ x 1.1″ and two ounces, the light is small and easy to carry.  Its non-replaceable lith-ion polymer battery has a claimed runtime of 2.5 hours at 50% brightness and 30-45 minutes at full brightness.  Controls for power and the four lighting levels are handled via a single button or via Bluetooth through the Lume-X app. A micro USB cable is included, but you have to use your own charger or simply use your laptop or PC USB port to recharge the light.

Lume Cube AIR VC is available directly from Lume Cube or Apple for $79.95.

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Look brighter in your video chats or vlogs with Lume Cube AIR VC originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 8, 2019 at 8:00 am.

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The Feelworld Master Series MA5 is a feature packed on-camera monitor

NEWS – When I am not out and about taking pictures either as a professional photographer or for my own pleasure, my other business is as a videographer. Both of these jobs require gear that is viewed as mandatory and gear that is driven by personal desire. Video gear is as expensive as photography gear and in most cases even more expensive. When shooting video, there are many accessories that help to improve the experience and the ability to do a great job. One accessory that I own and have multiple variations of is an on-camera monitor. This is a great tool that allows you to properly see what you are recording, and depending on its capabilities, it also allows you to assess the quality of the footage as you shoot. Good feature-packed on-camera monitors can be quite expensive ranging from several hundred dollars to thousands of dollars.

Recently someone recommended to me the Feelworld Master Series MA5 monitor. This monitor in a 5 inch LED on-camera monitor with a resolution of 1920 x 1080. It is capable of both 4:3 and 16:9 screen format, and it has an HDMI input and output as well as an audio out. The HDMI supports resolutions from 480i all the way through 4k 4096x2160p and has a left/right viewing angle of 80 degrees from each side. It comes with hardware mounting options, cables, a sunshade, and a case as a part of the package.

If you would like to read more about this monitor go to the Momanplay website. It sells for the relatively inexpensive price of $169 on Amazon.

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The Feelworld Master Series MA5 is a feature packed on-camera monitor originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 1, 2019 at 10:00 am.

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The Magbox Softbox may be the only softbox I will need


NEWS – Over the years I have purchased many photography softboxes that I have used in every relevant shoot to achieve the proper lighting and lighting effect. Usually, I use one Speedlite flash with a softbox, or I use a strobe flash with a softbox when I need more power which is more likely when I am outdoors. In order to be prepared for any and every possibility that can arise when on a shoot, photographers carry a lot of equipment or have a lot of equipment at the ready in the studio. When traveling to locations, it would really nice to be able to just carry one softbox configuration that can meet all of my lighting needs.

Magnet Mod is an established company that makes really well made and versatile lighting equipment. Their latest product is called the Magbox. It is one solid piece softbox umbrella with magnets in the base. The magnets allow for the attachment of the MagRing and then MagShoe to create an amazingly versatile system. The MagRing also allows for the use of 2 flashes simultaneously if you need to ramp up the power, and there are also diffusers and integrated gels that can be added to the mix. The following picture shows the components that together provide an amazing solution.

If you are as interested in the Magbox softbox as I am, you can head over to their Indiegogo crowdfunding page for all of the details and to take advantage of the early bird specials. You can also go to the Magnet Mod website to see the rest of their amazing products. In addition, you can go to the B&H Photo Video website and preorder the MagBox starter kit for $289.95 or the MagBox 24 Octa Pro Kit for $499.95

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The Magbox Softbox may be the only softbox I will need originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 27, 2019 at 8:30 am.

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Aluratek 8in WiFi Digital Photo Frame review


REVIEW – This past year, I have tested and reviewed several digital picture frames that all performed well, and they offered both similar and different features. One of the features that I am always concerned about is cloud storage and the possible security risks, especially when some digital frames make that the only choice. The Aluratek 8 inch WiFi Digital Photo Frame with Touchscreen IPS LCD Display and 8GB Built-in Memory offers local storage features and options while still allowing you to send pictures to the frame from anywhere in the world. Let’s see if it keeps its promises.

What is it?

The Aluratek 8 inch WiFi Digital Photo Frame with Touchscreen IPS LCD Display allows you to instantly share your photos by connecting the picture frame to any WiFi network and binding it to your Facebook or Twitter accounts or both. You can also use the IOS/Android Photo Partner app to send photos from your mobile device directly to the picture frame from anywhere. An FTP function is available to send photos from your PC.

What’s in the box


1 x 8 inch WiFi Digital Photo Frame with Touchscreen IPS LCD Display
1 x USB 2.0 Cable
1 x Power Adapter
1 x Quick Start Guide
1 x Installation Manual (English)
1 x Installation Manual (French)
1 x QR Code Card
1 x Warranty Card
1 x Contact Card

Design and features

Specifications:

  • Memory: Built-in 8GB / SD, SDHC memory cards up to 32GB
  • Connectivity: WiFi, USB 2.0, SD/SDHC Card
  • Resolution: 1024 x 768 (4:3 aspect ratio)

Features:

  • Touchscreen IPS LCD display
  • Connects to any WIFI 802.11 b/g/n wireless network
  • Photo sharing from Facebook and Twitter accounts directly to the frame using a smartphone or tablet
  • 8” TFT true color LCD at 1024 x 768 resolution (4:3 aspect ratio)
  • Built-in speakers
  • Photo slideshows can play in various display and transition modes set to background music
  • Connect a USB flash drive or SD card to easily access and share your favorite pictures, music, or videos
  • Transfer and store files quickly and easily from your personal computer to the frame’s 8GB built-in memory with hi-speed USB 2.0
  • Includes built-in clock, calendar, alarm and weather apps with auto on/off timer
  • Security slot – securely lock your frame to prevent theft
  • Frame adjustable for vertical orientation
  • Wall mountable

The picture frame is a sleek black frame with a glossy finish and no buttons on the front. The screen is a touchscreen.


On the back of the picture frame, there are the controls, the security lock and the mounting options for the stand and for wall mounting. The diagram below illustrates the manual control functions.



On one side of the frame, there are the connectivity options. As shown below from left to right they are the SD/SDHC card slot, the headphone jack, the USB 2.0 port, the mini USB port, and the AC power adapter port.



On the bottom right-hand corner at the back of the frame, there is a mount that the stand connects to.

Performance

This digital picture frame is very sleek looking and setup from beginning to end is very easy. The instruction manual provides clear instructions for binding the frame for use with your Facebook and or Twitter accounts and you can also use the IOS/Android Photo Partner app to send pictures from your mobile device to the phone. In addition, there is an FTP option to load pictures from your PC. The FTP option is the only one that I am still playing around with and trying to get right. I downloaded the Filezilla FTP client and was able to see the frame and send pictures to it. However, I could not do so when I tried from a different network which is strange. It is likely that there is something that I missed and I will provide an update when I figure it out.

I also do not like the design of the stand that is round and only supports one side of the frame. If you accidentally bump the frame, it falls over very easily.

The following are some photos of the various screens that you encounter are you go through the settings:





The next set of photos show the screens after you load your pictures including individual pictures of the slideshow:


The last photo below is a screenshot of one of the screens on my cell phone as I selected the pictures that I sent to the frame:

If you would like to read more about this digital picture frame, click here to read the manual.

What I like

  • The sleek look of the frame
  • The build quality
  • The features
  • The connectivity options that include local storage option

What can be improved

  • The stand

Final thoughts

The Aluratek 8 inch WiFi Digital Photo Frame performs very well and it is very easy to set up and get going. The features make it easy to share pictures and the display is quite nice. Other than the design of the stand and my pending issues with the FTP file transfer for a different network, I have no complaints and I do like this frame very much. Considering that some of the other frames that I reviewed are 4 times the price of this one, I do think that is is a good bang for the buck. Nicely done!!

Price: $69.99
Where to buy: Aluratek and Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Aluratek.

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Aluratek 8in WiFi Digital Photo Frame review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 30, 2018 at 9:00 am.

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Make an interesting collage of photos instantly for your wall using the Modular Magnet Frame System

NEWS – I see photos of expertly decorated walls using a collage of photos and would love to recreate such designs on my wall but I’m not sure how to go about it. Who’s with me? Well, the Modular Magnetic Frame System by Magnaframe is here to help us out albeit with tiny special sized frames. You buy a set of either four frames that accommodate classic 4″ x 6″ print size photos, six frames that accommodate Polaroids, or six frames that accommodate 4″ x 4″ Instagram print sizes.  One frame of the set is screwed into the wall and has an integrated leveler and the other frames connect magnetically to it in any configuration (each frame in a set has neodymium magnets embedded into the perimeter). If you don’t like the configuration or get tired of it, you can rearrange them instantly! You can continually build onto your collage with additional frame packages. Each of the Modular Magnetic Frame System sets comes in black or white and are available from the Grommet for $49.99 per set.

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Make an interesting collage of photos instantly for your wall using the Modular Magnet Frame System originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 18, 2018 at 10:00 am.

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