As photographic stills and video converge, manufacturers are scrambling to come up with a form of lighting that suits both worlds. While we wait for LED technology to mature, an American firm has come up with a novel interim solution.
The SweetLight Hybrid Pro provides continuous and flash lighting in one setup. The product is a four-bulb CFL panel that mounts on the front of a studio flash head, providing a beefy, yet low-powered alternative to conventional modelling lamps. You can switch out the speedring adapter to match your chosen brand of studio light, or poke your camera lens through the middle for a makeshift ring light effect.
“Our patent pending hybrid back plate allows any artist to switch from continuous light, to strobe light, to ring light with no effort or breakdown of equipment,” said the manufacturer. “Combine our SLS-4 back plate with any SweetLight soft box and the way you see light will be changed forever.”
US-based Sweet Light Systems formed in 2012 and says its mission is “to innovate and enlighten the photographic creative process, and enlarge the spirit”.
The Hybrid Pro is priced $499.99 and will be exhibited at the Imaging USA trade fair, on stand 1645 during 12th–14th January. Visit sweetlightsystems.com for more information.