The Frugal Networker

iblazr LED Flash Unit
iblazr.com
$49.99

The iblazr LED Flash Unit for Smartphones (iblazr) is an absolutely essential accessory for any serious phoneographer. Whether you’re making short films, taking photos, or providing an extra light source for photographic equipment, the iblazr is a lighting dynamo that easily fits into any pocket or bag. It is a source of continuous light or flash for your visual work.

The iblazr package comes with one, four-light iblazr LED flash unit, an instruction booklet, a microfiber drawstring carrying pouch, and a 3.5mm to USB interface charging cable.

• 70 degree beam
• 5600K color temperature
• >80 CRI
• 27mm (1 inch) x 32mm (1.25 inchess)
• 10 grams
• Three Power Modes: 16, 60, and 120 Lux at 1 meter
• Easy battery level check
• USB charging
• 3.5mm jack
• iblazr app takes movies and photos
• Continuous lighting or flash
• Can be used off the device
• Cold shoe mount for DSLR and SLR continuous lighting

The founders and iblazr team members are obviously visionaries who know what we phoneographers like for versatile lighting. When you read the list of features, note that many of them are advanced for such a small and inexpensive device. I’m usually a bit critical of accessories like this that are priced in excess of about $39, but not this time. I think the $50 price tag is just right. And, no, you can’t get it cheaper on Amazon–I looked.

I particularly like the feature that allows you to have continuous like off the camera or in the so-called “cold shoe”. The cold shoe is really just a plastic holder for the iblazr that slides into the hot shoe on your camera. It’s handy because how else do you get continuous, mobile lighting for your DSLR or SLR? Think of trying to provide some continuous lighting with any of the lo-fi cameras such as the Holga, Diana, LomoKino, or Smena. The answer is that you can’t–not easily anyway.

The iblazr makes photography more fun because good lighting is essential to produce good images. How many times have you lost a great shot because of poor lighting or lighting that was off or cast the wrong shadows? Well, you won’t anymore thanks to the iblazr.

Why it’s Frugal: The iblazr is frugal because it is an expensive way to deliver a lot of light on your subject. What’s frugal about that, you ask? Have you priced photographic lighting? Have you ever priced portable photographic lighting? Have you looked at portable lighting at all? The way I figure it, the iblazr is very frugal because it does so much for so little. Frugal.

There’s nothing that I don’t like about the iblazr LED flash unit. I can’t find anything wrong with it. It does everything I’d want it to do if I’d designed it myself. And I’d never have thought of the cold shoe attachment, so it’s better than what I could have dreamed up.

Rating: 10/10

Recommendation: If you’re a phoneographer or a photographer who needs portable light, you must have it.