A new LED light stick, the Polaroid BrightSaber Pro has been announced, claiming to be “the easiest and most affordable way to get a perfectly lit shot, whether on set, in the field, or anywhere in between”.
The BrightSaber adds to a growing category of battery-powered LED lighting wands, which, much like the more expensive Westcott Ice Light are being touted as a portable and versatile soft light source for video and stills photography.
Primarily putting out daylight-balanced 5800K light from 298 diodes, you can switch to tungsten-balanced 3200K light thanks to a removable orange sleeve that wraps around the lighting tube.Ă‚Â The wand weighs 22 ounces (620 g) and can be either handheld or mounted on a light stand or tripod, thanks to a 1/4-inch threaded socket.
It is a continuous lamp but there are some (probably pretty gimmicky) flashing strobe modes too, in case you want to do some light painting or signal SOS during a photo-shoot or something.
The unit comes with a handy infrared remote control, which doubles as a universal wireless shutter release for certain Canon, Nikon and Pentax cameras — a nice little bonus.
You can buy one of these things now for $169.99, down from $500 (yeah, right), available on Amazon.
What’s the competition? In case you’ve not been keeping track, other LED light sabres are available. They include:
- Westcott Ice Light 2, a ‘high-end’ option
- Yongnuo YN360, with full RGB colour control
- Magic Light Tube, which is probably made in the same factory as the Polaroid
- Genaray SpectroLED SP-LR, from B&H, but looks similar again
- Falcon Eyes Saber One, a light you can stack several of together
- Pixelstick, more of a ‘programmable light painting tool’ but I thought I would mention it here anyway
Can you see yourself adding one of these things to your kit? Share your thoughts in the comments below.