Review: Puluz foldable lightbox
Sometimes you just need a simple tabletop lighting solution - an easy option, something sure-fire that you can grab a snap of your lasagne or a piece of new bling in, and all without spending much $$$.
Enter Chinese camera accessory manufacturer Puluz, who have countless all-in-one “light box” options to help you here – maybe even a bewildering amount of them; they even sell a 200cm full length option for people photography!
So, having seen these boxes online, and having used tabletop light tents before, I thought I would give the 40cm Puluz ring light box a go. So, did it work out?
The tech
This is a 40cm square foldable lightbox based on an aluminium frame with rugged “oxford” cloth exterior and with a silver lining (think insulation) on all sides. It has a 160 LED top ring light that can be dimmed or brightened and that runs between 3200K-6500K, and all is controlled from a USB powered switch.
There are six reversible plastic backdrops supplied (giving a total of 12 colours), a velcro fastening diffuser panel, a porthole at the top for lowering items into, and a cloth carry bag.
Overall, the build quality is good, but at 2.4kg it’s not exactly a lightweight option. The only issues in terms of longevity are likely to come from the electrical wiring and connections, as these are a little basic, as is the top diffusion panel.
In use
This is very simple to setup and use, as apart from affixing the top diffuser panel (which I would suggest adding more Velcro to), there's not much to the Puluz lightbox.
That said, the power draw of the included USB plug is quite high, and it overheated my iPhone plug, so do be careful.
As for the top porthole, given that you will need an overhead tripod to use it it’s not that useful. I would also recommend using an additional light for some front-side fill too.
The results
Build quality & durability (3.5/5)
Heavy and sturdy overall, The lightbox seems durable – but the ring light and its wiring are rather fragile looking.
Features (3.5/5)
It does indeed fold down and re-assemble in a few minutes, the lighting dimmer does work, and there are many backdrops, but it is left lacking in all-round lighting.
Image quality (3.5/5)
There is little doubt that you can get good product images out of this setup – but you'll likely need to use an additional light to remove shadows.
Value for money (5/5)
I would struggle to value this at the full RRP, but given that you can find it for a fraction of that price online, it's pretty good bang for your buck.
The wrap-up
Sadly, the Puluz lightbox is somewhat underpowered, and given the matte texture of the backdrops there is also a reflection of a fold behind the images you'll capture with it.
Ultimately, if you want a simple and foldable tabletop photography solution then this is a good value place to start – it is an (almost) all in one solution for simple product and still life photography – and for the price I cannot quibble with that.
The only caveats are that it is quite heavy, the wiring on the ring light is flimsy, the Velcro fixing for the diffuser strip needs bodging, and I would also advise using a low/side fill light. However, despite all of this, it is still a good starting point for basic tabletop light adventures if you don't want to spend much $!
Find out more at Puluz.