Lighting Up Our World with 160 LEDs

Disclosure

Last April I gave Nicole a new camera for her birthday. This Nikon to be specific. With the redesign of SahmReviews having taken place in December, the photos from our point-n-shoot or iPhones weren’t going to cut it any longer. It was time to step up the quality and go full DSLR.

Neither of us had any formal photography training, so we embarked on a learning journey to try and get the best photos we could out of our new “toy”. While not professional-quality, we have been very pleased with the results from having a true camera to shoot with. Just look at some of these we’ve taken this year (click to enlarge)!

But what you may not notice is that all of these were taken outside. Natural sunlight is the gold for photographers and is also why your phone takes such great photos outdoors but not-so-great ones indoors. It’s all about the lighting.

So it’s been six months and we’re ready to start adding to our photography arsenal to further improve what we show to you. We knew that our indoor lighting suffered from the yellow glow of overhead fluorescent lights, and we began our search for a solution. That’s when we came across the Chromo Inc.® 160 LED CI-160 Dimmable Ultra High Power Panel Digital Camera / Camcorder Video Light that was attractively priced and would fit our camera.

Of course, thanks to Prime shipping, it arrived in just two days. I know you’ve become accustomed to our nicer photos, so my apologies for reverting back to our trusty iPhone to capture how this attachment works.

Our first project was to capture photos of the preparation of our 7-Vegetable Salad and the use of our new ceramic knife. But our most drool-worthy shots came the next day as we staged our Garlic Teriyaki Chicken Wings with the new Philips AirFryer. Here is an example where a picture is truly worth 1,000 words.

We are so pleased with the results and look forward to the additional options this will give us when shooting for this site. It was easy to install as it slipped right into the standard shoe on the camera. This is not a flash activated by the camera, but more akin to a super-powerful flashlight strapped to the top!

The housing is plastic, which was to be expected at this price point. It is powered by six AA batteries or a compatible lithium battery (none included). Two additional plastic filters are required to give the unit a yellow or blue tint, but we haven’t found them necessary to use yet. Brightness is controlled by a wheel that takes the lumen output from zero to 600 with the flick of your thumb.

Our only issue with the unit is the decision to included a non-standard back cover plate that allows the batteries to show through. Judging from the Amazon comments, it is confusing to many and some didn’t notice the plate at all. I have to say I too had some difficulty removing the plate, both because it fit tightly and because I was afraid it would break due to the thin edges. Why this design decision was made I do not know.

But overall we feel this was a wonderful addition to our arsenal and would recommend it if you have a camera with a flash mount on top. Regularly on sale on Amazon for around $26, you can also save another $5 with this exclusive coupon code – U29RWEVS.

A4C also offers a number of other electronics accessories on their website, including a special daily deal section. Might be some great stock stuffer ideas there!