A new pocket-sized camera light on the horizon promises to give mobile filmmakers some powerful, yet compact illumination.
The LumiCard, by Blind Spot Gear, is being developed as a wireless-powered, credit card-sized light that can attach to the iPhone through the magnetic mag safe connection point.
“While smartphones have revolutionized photography, inadequate and inaccessible lighting solutions have held users back from realizing their full creative vision,” states Chief Explorer Billy Campbel of Blind Spot Gear.
Image Credit – Blindspot Gear
“Lumicard removes the boundaries in portable lighting, providing unmatched quality and convenience in a device that fights right in your wallet.”
This isn’t the first credit card-sized LED to hit Kickstarter. Back in 2014, the Nova light made waves with a similar design which promised to deliver similar results.
However, the design was plagued by build quality issues, a lack of mounting options, and proprietary Bluetooth triggering that required camera apps to adapt their protocols to work. Eventually, that company went under.
Blindspot Gear, however, has a legacy of providing power to cinema-quality LED lights on projects for Netflix, Amazon, and the BBC.
With a track record of delivering industry-proven results, the company has designed answers to every one of these issues and is poised to deliver a light that is everything the Nova promised to be.
Image Credit – Blindspot Gear
Designed in Scotland, the LumiCard is engineered to fit into a wallet with little bulge and promises to deliver 5 watts of 5600K daylight illumination with a TLCI color accuracy rating of >95.
The LumiCard has 24 LED lights wired in rows of six and can deliver up to 500 lumens of light, about 16x that of the iPhone’s torch which only offers between 30-60 lumens.
Image Credit – Blindspot Gear
The LumiCard can be triggered remotely through wireless transmission or turned on with the built-in on/off switch. There is also a USB-C connection for recharging and tethering to a new iPhone 15.
Moreover, the LumiCard is also compatible with Android smartphones, but with a short USB-C tethered connection, since Samsung models, disable wireless power-sharing while the camera is active.
Other Android models, however, provide the same wireless support. LumiCard also works with action cameras like GoPro.
Image Credit – Blindspot Gear
The LumiCard is currently in the early bird Kickstarter phase, so for around $50, users can back the project. There is also a special 3-pack for 35% off during this phase. The LumiCard comes with a pocket-sized LED light, a set of mag-safe adhesive rings, and a custom-sized USB-C cable.
Add-ons include the LumiKit, which offers a diffuser attachment to soften the LumiCard’s bright illumination, and a LumiRing magnetic adapter for attaching to a laptop for video calls.
There is also a battery bank called the LumiBank, which can provide up to 5000 mAh of power for efficient wireless charging of the LumiCard and other Magsafe-compatible devices.
Users can back the campaign at BlindSpot’s Kickstarter page, with an expected delivery timeline of April 2024. BlindSpot also promises that 4% of the LumiCard’s proceeds will be donated to several of the team’s favorite charities including the Ridley Eye Foundation, and ReWilding Scotland.
[source: BlindSpot Gear]
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