Skip to main content

Photo and video LED light wand supports custom lighting patterns without gels

colorspike - create in color
With the right accessories, light can be manipulated into different shapes and colors to design creative photo and video effects — but Colorspike aims to do all of that with a single piece of hardware and an app. Designed by the Brooklyn, New York-based Bitbanger Labs, the company behind the light painting Pixelstick, Colorspike is a customizable photo and video light designed for creating a variety of lighting effects in both stills and video.

Colorspike is a set of LED lights arranged along a long body and enclosed in a separate magnesium alloy body. What sets the Colorspike apart, however, is the ability to dial in a variety of different effects through the app control system without using accessories like grids and gels. Inside the app, users can change the color of the light and adjust shape by altering which part of the Colorspike is lit. Developers say the Colorspike’s brightness, custom colors and patterns, and app control is what sets the light apart from other light wands.

Along with working as a continuous light source, for video, the Colorspike can also create custom lighting patterns by adjusting and even randomizing when the light turns on. With that feature, the light can be used to mimic the effects of the lights from a police car, from a disco ball, a campfire, a flickering light bulb, and other custom effects.

Inside the app, users can design and then save different lighting patterns to use later. The iOS and Android app also allows for multi-light set-ups, with the ability to control multiple Colorspikes individually or all at once by connecting through Bluetooth. The company also built app-free control into the system. After syncing the light with the mobile device, a small screen on the back of the light allows users to choose from their saved lighting patterns, and to adjust speed, brightness, and color.

The Colorspike sports a light range of about 1,640 lux to 420, with a refresh rate under 4,000Hz to prevent unwanted flickers. The light weighs about 1.2 pounds.

Like the Pixelstick, Bitbanger Labs is launching the Colorspike on Kickstarter. The campaign is already less than $8,000 shy of its $120,000 goal, and is only a few days in. The campaign continues until November 17. If the funding and manufacturing is successful, backers can pick up a Colorspike for pledges starting at $299, with shipping expected in March 2018.

Editors' Recommendations

Hillary K. Grigonis
Hillary never planned on becoming a photographer—and then she was handed a camera at her first writing job and she's been…
How to remove location data from your iPhone photos
How to transfer photos from an iPhone to an iPhone

We all love making memories, and a great way to collect those memories is to take a quick snap of a gorgeous landscape, a party in full swing, or a particularly incredible meal. The Apple iPhone now also adds a location to your pictures, meaning it can collate those images together into a location-themed album, or show you all the shots you've taken in a specific location. It's a fun little addition, and it's one that adds a lot of personality to the Photos app.

Read more
‘Photoshopped’ royal photo causes a stir
The Princess of Wales with her children.

[UPDATE: In a message posted on social media on Monday morning, Princess Kate said that she herself edited the image, and apologized for the fuss that the picture had caused. “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing," she wrote, adding, "I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused."]

Major press agencies have pulled a photo of the U.K.’s Princess of Wales and her children amid concerns that it has been digitally manipulated.

Read more
Nikon sale: Get up to $700 off select Nikon cameras and lenses
nikon d780 review product  1

Crutchfield has a huge sale on many different Nikon cameras with some of the best camera deals that we’ve seen in a while. With nearly 30 different items in the sale, the best thing that avid photographers can do is take a look for themselves. However, if you want a little insight before you dive in, take a look at what we have to suggest below.

What to shop for in the Nikon sale
Nikon makes some of the best DSLR cameras around with our overall favorite -- the -- available for $2,197 reduced from $2,297. The camera is perfect for both photographers and videographers with a 24.5-megapixel full-frame image sensor. Its rugged magnesium-alloy body is weather-sealed against dust, dirt, and moisture so it’s great for all occasions. The Nikon EXPEED 6 image processor is optimized for low-light performance while maintaining long battery life with an autofocus sensor module with support for 51 focus points. You just need to add a lens to reap the benefits with features like the 273-point phase-detection AF system detecting and tracking subjects throughout the entire frame.

Read more