Earlier this month at Knog’s booth at CES, I noticed a couple of cool-looking video lights for both the GoPro (quodos) and the iPhone ([expose] smart).
The [expose] smart is a half-ounce light that plugs (together with a plastic connector) into the charging port of your iPhone, allowing night shots and video with 120 lumens of power within nine LED lights.
Out of the box, the [expose] smart comes with a USB charging cable, four iPhone connectors (in varying lengths to accommodate a phone with or without a case), and a lanyard with metal loop for toting on a keychain.
The [expose] smart uses its own iPhone app, the phone’s camera, and Bluetooth. And much like the quodos, you can toggle between low, medium, and high powered-brightness by pushing the button on top.
[Done with just an iPhone and the tiny Knog [Expose] video light!]
The app gives users the option to control white balance, flash mode (continuous or strobe), and brightness. You can then directly upload to Instagram with a square format photo, or the video to YouTube.
Tech specifications:
– Output of 130 lumens
- Beam angle matches the iPhone
- 3950 Kelvin colour temperature
- Nine high-powered LED lights
- Bluetooth enabled
– 180 mAh USB rechargeable, integrated lithium polymer battery
- Compatible with iPhone 4S, 5 Series, 6
– 70 minutes (low mode)/20 minutes (high mode) run time
[The fully-charged [expose] smart on the brightest setting]
I played around with the app and found the run time pretty true to spec. Just make sure that once your phone has recognized the expose, that you don’t forget to move the slider to the blue “on” position, as that’s the only way the light will turn itself on automatically, directly from the app.
You can also use the light without the app (in manual mode) by holding down the flash power switch to turn it on, then clicking on that same button to toggle level of brightness.
[Illuminating the alleyways of downtown Vancouver]
This smartly designed, easy to port iPhone accessory is available in black or white, and is now available to pre-order on knog’s website for US $59.95.