On the podcast we questioned how well the Volta LED light would work in practical situations. Well I’m happy to say that we got our answer. The folks over at Seaport Digital gave one to us to try out. I was not disappointed.
In fact, I have to say that this device blew me away. On the surface it’s pretty simple. A stronger LED light. Extra batter power for your iPhone. No biggie, right? Let me break this down for you..
The Light::
The Volta LED ring light is unlike the usual ring lights for DSLR cameras. The Volta is not practical for macro photos. However, it shines with portraits…. no pun intended.
I tested the light on my kids since they never stop moving… ever.
The native iPhone LED light is slow in this respect. In low light, the camera needs to analyze the environment. This slows the focusing considerably. Here are some photos of the kiddos not cooperating with the camera:
That last one is… haunting. Point is, the iPhone lags when it needs to use the LED flash. And that’s where the Volta shines. It’s giving you a good amount of light that allows you to NOT use the iPhone flash and – in turn – a much, much faster autofocus.
For every one photo I took with the iPhone flash, I was able to crack off 3 or 4 using the Volta as the light source. Here are those samples.
In all these examples, the lighting is very dim. The Volta was able to help me grab the best photos in my opinion!
The Tool::
In addition to the lighting help, the case is also GREAT for lighting up everything else. A simple push of the button and you’re lighting up the dark. It’s the best flash light since the iPhone LED. And so much easier to turn on.
It’s also a source of energy for your device. Volta comes with a micro USB to Lightning connector converter that will allow you to charge the iPhone using the LED’s battery source. It takes about 3 hours to fully charge the iPhone to 100%.
Pros and Cons::
This is really easy.
Pros
- Helpful LED light for fast moving subjects in low light.
- extra battery life for the iPhone
- Best personal flash light
- Gives your iPhone some good, needed weight (personal preference)
Cons
- Light can easily turn on in pocket, but shines through pants to see that it’s on.
- Case gets a little warm when charging the iPhone
- no warm tone options
CONCLUSION::
I feel that this is a definite must-have. For what it does, it’s not THAT much more expensive than a regular iPhone case. It’ll help you with your photography, no doubt, but you’ll be using it to light your way in more ways than one.
BUYING::
You can buy the Volta for the iPhone 6/6S for $59. It comes in two colors, black and white. You can also pre-order the iPhone 6Plus/6SPlus for $65. All this can be found on www.SeaportDigital.com
For more information, check out our YouTube video. And tune into the Tiny Shutter podcast where I will share my real-world examples in how I used this device. You can listen via iTunes, Stitcher or find the next episode on this site.