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| American Recorder SIB-101CS Photo Studio-in-a-Box | 
 enlarge | Brand: American Recorder Technologies
Category: Photography
List Price: $119.95
Buy New: $69.99
You Save: $49.96 (42%)
New (7) from $69.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  52 reviews
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 11
Dimensions (in): 18 x 18 x 9
MPN: SIB-101CS
Model: SIB-101CS
UPC: 646057115238
EAN: 0646057115238
ASIN: B0009E3UUY
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 good product September 2, 2008
Get a real tripod but otherwise all other aspects of the product are an excellent value. I have sold endless watches on eBay and the pictures are a much higher quality with the photography tent.
 Nice kit, weak camera stand March 28, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is a nice, lightweight, compact light studio with one drawback: The camera stand is too weak to support a digital SLR camera, especially with a 105 mm macro lens attached. So just use your regular studio tripod and you are okay.
 What a worthless piece of garbage. March 16, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
I'm an eBay PowerSeller who received the Studio-in-a-Box as a gift from a family member. The only thing I've gained from it is horrible guilt - I didn't realize the studio was a piece of junk until it was too late for my family member to obtain a refund. I've gotten better results with several sheets of folded paper and a table lamp.
First, you need an inordinate amount of space to set up all the components - about 8 feet (by 3 or 4 feet) of completely clear table space. You'll also need to move a good 6 to 8 feet back to get an in-focus shot, where you'll need another level surface to set up the tripod. In other words, you need a large dining room table (that's not in use - and, no, your kitchen counter isn't wide enough). If you live in an apartment or a small house, you simply won't have the space needed to use the studio.
The lights present their own problems. They rest on tripod feet that are, in some alternate universe where American Recorder makes quality products, retractable. In this universe, however, there is no way - NO WAY - to extract the feet from their storage positions inside the lights. You're left with no choice but to balance the lights on their spindly stalks, readjusting them after they topple over every couple minutes. The lights also become inordinately hot after only seconds of use - they're too dangerous to use around small children and represent a burn and fire hazard for even a cautious user. What's more, they're so bright that they overlight your items without a gigantic space allowance between the box and the lights. (Every time I use the studio, I discover I've only a useless series of overlit blobs to show for my efforts.)
Cobalt blue is a poor choice for a supposedly neutral background - it's distracting and makes the white areas of an item look utterly washed out. Despite the billing, the background is not seamless. Furthermore, its rough woven texture is all too apparent in photos, particularly those of smaller items, making everything - the photo, your item - seem cheap. Why make the backdrop so shoddy and garish? Oh, right - so they can sell you the $20 black/white add-on backdrop that should've been included in the first place.
I note that most of the positive reviews come from professed professional photographers with a wide array of lenses and add-ons to compensate for adverse conditions. Now, I'm not a master photographer - but I've gotten hundreds of decent photographs for my business with supposedly cruder material and lighting. It's not me, and I am not willing to spend hundreds of dollars on equipment simply to compensate for Studio-in-a-Box's myriad of shortcomings. This studio rips off both your time and money and is not worth a second glance.
 Not powerful enough February 17, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I make jewelry and wanted a home lighting system to take pictures of my pieces. The bulbs get very hot and smell but they don't seem to be powerful enough to shed enough light on objects inside the box. One of the bulbs started sparking the first time I used it. The camera stand isn't as stable as it looks, either. You really need a tripod to do this kind of work. I'm going to get better bulbs and use my own tripod but keep the light box and try again.
Very useful addition to equipment February 15, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I do web sites and my newest client is a high-end jewelry store in Coral Gables, FL. I needed pictures of pieces of jewelry, and needless to say, they were not about to leave the shop! This studio-in-a-box is incredibly convenient and very professional in appearance. I was able to get stunning photos of the jewelry with a consistent background. The camera holder is sturdy enough to hold a Nikon D-200 camera with 105 mm VR Macro lens (a heavy combination) very securely. This is a really useful addition to my camera gear at a VERY reasonable price!
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