Whether you’re shooting photo or video, it’s tough to capture high-quality shots without a good source of light — that’s why most industry professionals rely on top-quality lighting equipment. Yes, sometimes you’re lucky enough to have natural light (a photographer’s — and videographer’s — dream!) but if you’re filming commercial work or weddings, you’ll undoubtedly be faced with poor lighting situations like dim reception halls or office buildings.
To help photographers and videographers light their shots effectively, Adorama is unveiling a new line of affordable and diverse lighting equipment and accessories. The new CLAR collection offers something for just about every visual professional — from documentary filmmakers to high-fashion photographers. Here’s a quick breakdown of the collection so you can see which product line is best for you!
Slim Series:
Who it’s for: Videographers, including documentary
Created with videographers in mind, the CLAR Slim Series lights attach easily to DSLR shoe mounts and have a wireless remote — the CLAR Remote for the Slim Series () — that’s good for up to 100 feet (perfect when you’re managing multiple cameras at once!). As the name indicates, this product line is slim and lightweight — a must when you’re “running and gunning” for documentaries or wedding videos.
The line’s color temperature range is 3200K to 5600K (in increments of 100K), meaning you have optimal and precise control over the look and feel of your footage. As any wedding videographer knows, finding white balance in a reception hall can be super tricky, so this on-camera light (which also attaches to most lighting stands) can save you loads of time in post.
The CLAR Slim Series line includes three variations of new lights:
- CLAR Slim Series Bi-Color 144 SMD LED On-Camera Light ()
- CLAR Slim Series Bi-Color 288 SMD LED On-Camera Light ()
- CLAR Slim Series 360B Bi-Color 36W SMD LED Studio Light ()
Surface Series:
Who it’s for: Videographers and photographers across press, documentary, commercial, family, and wedding industries
The CLAR Surface Series lights offer tremendous value and usability for videographers and photographers covering all types of work environments: press and documentaries, interviews, studio stills, location work, and weddings. The slim, lightweight lights can attach to the top of the camera or a stand, and they’re designed to supply a soft, glowing natural-looking light on the subject for a clean look.
Similar to the Slim Series, the Surface Series lights have a slender remote control for convenience and ease of use. Equally important — particularly for the news and documentary industry — is the tough plastic frame that protects these lights during activities like travel.
The Surface Series has two products:
- CLAR Surface Series 24B Bi-Color On Camera and Studio LED Light ()
- CLAR Surface Series 36B Bi-Color On Camera LED Light ()
Wand/Ring Light:
Who it’s for: Photographers across the fashion, glamour, children, news, and wedding industries
Next in the new CLAR collection is the Wand and Ring Light Series, both favorites among fashion, glamour, and children photographers, and news reporters. These two products — the CLAR Luminous Pro 19″ Bi-Color Ringlight Plus () and the CLAR WandLux Pro and Ring Light Kit () — produce soft, high-beauty light (but low heat) to keep the subject looking great and feeling comfortable throughout the full session. The ring light is also a hit for macro photographers, given its gentle yet targeted illumination finds its way into the nooks and crevices of all sorts of objects.
Like the previous two collections, wireless remotes give photographers the opportunity to balance and adjust luminance and white balance from afar. Additionally, the precise MultiTemp color range of 3,200 to 5,500 ensures photographers have full control over the look and the feel of their shots.
The CLAR Collection’s WandLux Pro and Ring Light Kit comes with the dimmable Ring Light as well as an LED handheld wand that ensures accurate colors, skin tones and hues — and lasts for at least 2.5 hours.
Luxpando:
Who it’s for: Media production sets and established video and photo professionals
The CLAR Collection’s Luxpando series is one of the highest quality light sources you can buy. The three products across this series provide turbo-charged lighting that mimics sunlight, no matter where you are. Additionally, the Luxpando series was built for precision and power, with brightness controls from 1 to 100% and the “Dynamic TURBO Mode” that provides an extra 30% of light.
Perfect for media production sets, this unique series of LED lights is designed for fast movement and mega action — which is why the strong aluminum alloy housing is extra important for safekeeping. The series also has a console controller and optional wireless control for ease of use.
For a daytime look, try the Blackbezt Luxpando Series 5600K Daylight Studio panel (). For a warmer look, you’ll need the Blackbezt Luxpando Series 3000K Tungsten Studio panel (). And, if you can’t decide — or know you’ll need both — CLAR has the Blackbezt Luxpando Series 3000-5600K Bi-Color LED Panel (), a must for major studios or production teams). All bundles come with $159.95 worth of free accessories — plus free shipping!
Accessories:
To round out that new lighting arsenal, the CLAR collection features a handful of must-have accessories, including:
- CLAR Honeycomb Grids (): This powerful grid helps the photographer gain more control over their light source, and helps feather unwanted hard light to avoid too much contrast or an unnatural look. The Honeycomb attaches to the CLAR Slim 500 barndoor frame, and is great for spotlight glows or, more creatively, cast shadows, sharp color projection and edge light.
- CLAR Grid Softbox (): This accessory is designed for quick and easy use (a must for most photographers – especially on wedding days!). The Softbox comes with an Eggcrate grid that creates beautiful light feathering and attractive shadows that help the subject really “pop.” This is a must for portrait and fashion photographers, as the Eggcrate emphasizes facial structure and features in a glowing, attractive way.
Ready to take the plunge with a new lighting kit? Your future self will thank you! Here’s the full CLAR collection so you can amp up your gear arsenal today.
