American Recorder SIB-101CS Classic Photo Studio-in-a-Box
by AMERICAN RECORDER
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List Price: Our Price: $49.95 You Save: $60.00 (55%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Digital Camera See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of American Recorder SIB-101CS Classic Photo Studio-in-a-Box
Customer Review: adaquate for small items
Summary: 3 Stars
..the lights supplied should be of a higher wattage and the legs were impossible to open....I had to resort to pliers. Seam lines were visable unless taped together from the back. I got what I paid for..nothing more.Customer Review: Photo Studio
Summary: 2 Stars
If it were not for the legs of the lights I would say it is a fairly nice product. Now, after much thought, I have come to the conclusion that someone must have paid a lot of money to an engineer to come up with an extremely poor design. The legs on one of my lamps failed to work the first time out. The second one the third time. I am in the process of undesigning the engineers design and make it work, but truthfully, it shouldn't be like that. This product was probably made in China.Customer Review: Ok, but not great
Summary: 2 Stars
This studio in a box is very well engineered. It folds up and tucks away in its self-contained carrier. But I found the camera stand too high (and it doesn't adjust lower) and the lights to be too dim. If find I get better lighting just by setting up next to a window.Customer Review: I've yet to get a good photo out of it.
Summary: 1 Stars
I'm an eBay PowerSeller who received the Studio-in-a-Box as a gift from a family member. The only thing I've gained from it is horrible guilt - I didn't realize the studio was a piece of junk until it was too late for my family member to obtain a refund. I've gotten better results with several sheets of folded paper and a table lamp.
First, you need an inordinate amount of space to set up all the components - about 8 feet (by 3 or 4 feet) of completely clear table space. You'll also need to move a good 6 to 8 feet back to get an in-focus shot, where you'll need another level surface to set up the tripod. In other words, you need a large dining room table (that's not in use - and, no, your kitchen counter isn't wide enough). If you live in an apartment or a small house, you simply won't have the space needed to use the studio.
The lights present their own problems. They rest on tripod feet that are, in some alternate universe where American Recorder makes quality products, retractable. In this universe, however, there is no way - NO WAY - to extract the feet from their storage positions inside the lights. You're left with no choice but to balance the lights on their spindly stalks, readjusting them after they topple over every couple minutes. The lights also become inordinately hot after only seconds of use - they're too dangerous to use around small children and represent a burn and fire hazard for even a cautious user. Even more, they're so bright that they overlight your items without a gigantic space allowance between the box and the lights. (Every time I use the studio, I discover I've only a useless series of overlit blobs to show for my efforts.)
Cobalt blue is a poor choice for a supposedly neutral background - it's distracting and makes the white areas of an item look utterly washed out. Despite the billing, the background is not seamless. Furthermore, its rough woven texture is all too apparent in photos, particularly those of smaller items, making everything - the photo, your item - seem cheap. Why make the backdrop so shoddy and garish? Oh, right - so they can sell you the $20 black/white add-on backdrop that should've been included in the first place.
No, I'm not a master photographer - but I've gotten hundreds of decent photographs for my business with supposedly cruder material and lighting. It's not me. This studio rips off both your time and money and is not worth a second glance.
Customer Review: Never got what I ordered!
Summary: 1 Stars
After doing research I choose this portable photo studio. The company that it came from tried to pass off a cheaper version of the item and stated it was Amazons falt not thiers and they don't actually carry what was ordered. They did however have the same product on thier own web site. Pretty sneaky if you ask me. I returned the cheaper product and never recieved what I had actually ordered. I will not try to re-order, I can't trust what I order will be what is sent.