Back in 2015, the UK's Adaptalux launched a bendy LED solution to help macro photographers illuminate their close-up subjects. Now the company is adding flexible Xenon flash arms to its lighting arsenal, together with an IR emitter to trigger them.
Adaptalux says that the Xenon flash can freeze fast-moving objects, lends itself to the creation of very sharp images and features powerful brightness levels. The new arms will work with existing versions of the Pod control unit, which can be mounted to the shoe on the top of most DSLRs and other cameras. However, the latest Pod has more output level flexibility than the first generation.
Once you've manipulated the arms to give you the perfect lighting angle for your macro shot, the Xenon flash can be controlled remotely using the Adaptalux iOS/Android app over Bluetooth – for those times when the presence of a photographer might scare away the subject – but can also be triggered using IR. For this, users will need to connect the Adaptalux IR emitter to the bottom of the Pod and then mount both to the camera.
If you don't want your subject captured in harsh white light, the Xenon flash arms will come with a set of nine filters that can be popped on the end to diffuse the light. Up to 18 hours of use is promised per charge, together with a wide range of flash speeds, five output levels, and 0.2 second recycling time.
Usefully, the Adaptalux system allows for combination LED and Xenon flash setups to be employed for more creative freedom in macro photography. Each Pod can accommodate up to five lighting arms simultaneously.
Adaptalux has launched the Xenon flash arms on Kickstarter to fund production. Pledges start at £119 (about US$145) for one bendy arm and an IR emitter module, but you'll need to stump up at least £267 if you want the latest Control Pod thrown in along with a standard lighting arm, IR emitter, a set of filters and a cold-shoe adapter. If all goes to plan, shipping is estimated to start in June 2020. The video below has more.
Source: Adaptalux
