Lastolite ePhotomaker review

11 October 2005 11:00 GMT / By Stuart Miles

With more and more computer users looking to sell anything and everything online at eBay, one company is hoping to give sellers the extra edge with a device that promises to help you photograph your items better. And as eBay is always saying, better photos make for higher sells.

Think of the ePhotomaker as a portable product studio that looks like an igloo that you then place products in.

The aim is to allow you to diffuse the lighting and create a neutral background so you haven't got pictures that are yellow and covered in shadow as well as your sofa in the background.

The ePhotomaker does this by putting a diffusing fabric on one side of the product to soften the light and a reflector to fill in the shadows on the other side.

To get you started the ePhotomaker Kit includes a blue gel to create a daylight effect, a tripod to steady your shot and something called a an Ezybalance, a 'Point and Shoot' device that will allow you to concentrate composition and 'capturing the moment', instead of being concerned about the technical issues of exposure or colour correction.

Setting up the igloo is simple and it will pop-out to form a tent shape as soon as you take it out of the bag.

The final stage is getting a desklamp (not included) to shine some light into the makeshift studio.

Once you're ready to shoot all you have to do is place the item you want photographed into the miniature studio and start snapping. The included set of instructions suggest disabling the flash on your camera and upping the EV compensation on your camera to bleach out some of the white background.

Verdict

So what of the results? You can see for yourself with the accompanying test shots. Overall we are very impressed, so much so we are considering investing in one for Pocket-lint so we can take more photographs ourselves.

Our only complaint was the creases in the material after it had been folded for some time. But this is nothing an iron or a bit of Photoshop can't solve.

The ePhotomaker comes in two sizes one that is suitable for taking items up to the size of a laptop and the second which is considerably bigger.

Whether you sell on eBay or are thinking of improving the quality of images on your website this is certainly one to check out. Better still, it won't cost you a princely sum either.

Score

Review Recap

Made by: Lastolite
Price as reviewed: £Small £50 Large £80
The good: Easy to setup, allows you to take good photos
The bad: Bit on the large side, fabric will need an iron before use
Quick verdict: Whether you sell on eBay or are thinking of improving the quality of images on your website this is certainly one to check out
Score
Winner