These all-in-one photo studio systems are ideal for product photography workflows
The Packshot Compact(Image credit: Packshot)
They may look like something off the starship Enterprise, but the new Packshot Compact and Packshot Start Mark II are actually portable photo studios.
Designed for product photography, the new studios are designed to streamline the process of product photography as much as possible. The all-in-one systems use a unique LED lighting technology which Packshot says allow them to produce an enormous colour range and excellent colour accuracy.
Somewhat counter-intuitively, the Packshot Compact is the much more advanced and sophisticated of the two (not to mention larger), with 9 separate light sources dimmable from 1 to 100%, powered by 2,394 LED crystals diffusing their light on a shooting surface of 1,33m³. The Start Mark II has three light sources – front, back and underneath – also dimmable from 1 to 100%.
The Packshot Start Mark II (Image credit: Packshot)
While the Start Mark II uses a simple black curtain to shield its subject when you’re shooting, the Compact can be fully hermetically sealed, ensuring you capture your subject in absolute pristine condition with no interference from outside light. Both systems offer compatibility with an optional 360-degree turntable, allowing you to capture your subject from every conceivable angle.
The Packshot Start Mark II has dimensions of 61 x 61 x 71.5 cm, while the Packshot Compact is significantly larger (yes, we know), measuring 100 x 100 x 120 cm. Both are only fully compatible with certain Canon and Nikon cameras – see here for a complete list.
The process is driven via Packshot’s Creator software, which allows for full control of camera settings and lighting. This can be accomplished on a Mac or PC or using a tablet.
The Packshot Start Mark II and Packshot Compact are available for order now, priced at €4,480 (about £4,025 / $5,025) and €9,980 (about £8,966 / $11,980) respectively.
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Jon spent years at IPC Media writing features, news, reviews and other photography content for publications such as Amateur Photographer and What Digital Camera in both print and digital form. With his additional experience for outlets like Photomonitor, this makes Jon one of our go-to specialists when it comes to all aspects of photography, from cameras and action cameras to lenses and memory cards, flash diffusers and triggers, batteries and memory cards, selfie sticks and gimbals, and much more besides.
An NCTJ-qualified journalist, he has also contributed to Shortlist, The Skinny, ThreeWeeks Edinburgh, The Guardian, Trusted Reviews, CreativeBLOQ, and probably quite a few others I’ve forgotten.
