Rosco's LitePad Loop is a ring light that represents the latest addition to our popular LitePad line of LED lighting fixtures. This Spectrum post will introduce you to the Loop, illustrate a few ways of how it can be used, showcase the differences between the Loop and other ring lights currently in the marketplace and highlight how its features have been designed for professional use, but the technology is simple enough that everyone can use it on their camera.
A ring light is a circular light with a hole in the center for a camera’s lens to fit through. It was originally invented in 1952 by a dentist in order to take close up photos of his patients’ teeth and gums - and ring lights are still used for this purpose today.
However, the ring light was quickly adopted by photographers that adapted the technology for use in the portrait and fashion industries. Because the ring light is perfectly in line with the axis of the lens (not off to the side, or above the lens like many other lights have to be), a well-designed ring light casts practically no shadows on the subject in front of the camera. For portrait and fashion photography, this is ideal as the on-axis fill from a ring light can greatly reduce wrinkles and blemishes on the subjects' faces. The circular highlights that a ring light produces in the eye is also very desirable, as it adds a dynamic vitality that brings the eyes alive in the shot. It is an effect very commonly used in music videos, fashion commercials, and portrait photography.
Without Loop on the left and with Loop on the right
The four attributes that make a desirable ring light are:
1.) Light-weight with a slim profile: No one wants a heavy brick attached to the front of their camera.
2.) Soft light output: In order to achieve the proper, shadowless, on-axis fill, the light needs to be diffuse. Plus, you also don't want to sear the retinas of your subject.
3.) Battery powered and cordless: Your camera will not always be conveniently located near a power outlet.
4.) Attaches/Detaches to the camera quickly and easily: Some shots need a ring light - some don't, and you don't want to waste time adding or removing gear from your camera.
The light engine within the Loop is a daylight balanced (approximately 5800K) LitePad, which means that the Loop comes with all of its unique features that have been meeting the first three above requirements for years. Thanks to its LitePad technology, the Loop is light-weight, weighing in at only 2.4 lbs (1.1 kg) and has a slim profile with a thickness of only 1.3" (33 mm).
Because ring lights are often used in close-up photography, the directional beam from other LED ring lights can cast unpleasant shadows, and create an uncomfortable work environment for the subject being lit. Thanks to the soft, indirect, shadowless light output of LitePad Loop, the subject not only looks great - but they will blink less during the session because the LEDs aren't shining directly into their eyes for hours-on-end. This becomes especially important when you find yourself lighting a person that isn't used to being lit for camera, such as an engineer or CFO - making Loop an excellent choice for lighting corporate videos or social media headshots.
All LitePads are easily battery powered, but with LitePad Loop we added even more power accessories to make it easy to attach the batteries directly to the Loop allowing you to go completely cordless. There is a LitePad Loop AA Battery Kit that allows you to power Loop for hours with eight AA batteries. For those with professional batteries on-hand, we also developed two cheese-plate adapters - one that allows you to attach Anton Bauer batteries and another to attach V-Mount batteries.
Perhaps the most innovative feature of LitePad Loop is its two-part mounting system that allows you to quickly attach the Loop to your camera. The Mounting Assembly has a 1/4-20 bolt that threads onto the bottom of almost any modern camera and standard 15mm rods that with a sled with a metal bracket on it. Once you have the Mounting Assembly attached to your camera using the 1/4-20 bolt, the Loop snaps (literally!) into place using high-powered magnets that attach to the metal L-Bracket on the sled. From there, you can move the sled backwards & forwards on the rods and adjust the L-Bracket up & down so that you can position the camera's lens in the center of the Loop.
LitePad Loop is available as an individual unit that comes complete with everything you need to attach the Loop to most cameras - especially DSLRs.
Individual LitePad Loop
The Loop is also available in a Pro Kit that offers several additional accessories for camera using professionals looking to have more control over the positioning and output of the light.
LitePad Loop Pro Kit
The Pro Kit comes with 8" rods that enable positioning onto professional film & video cameras that have longer body-styles and a 4" L-Bracket that allows greater vertical positioning. The Pro Kit also comes with a light-stand plate that allows you to quickly attach the Loop magnetically to an off-axis light stand and a LitePad Single Fader Dimmer for users to dim the Loop to the perfect level for the shot.
LitePad Loop Light Masks
We are Rosco, the lighting filter company, so of course there is a collection of pre-cut gels for the Loop that attach to the Loop utilizing a unique, magnetic accessory collar. We also designed a set of light masks, that also attach using the accessory collar, which will alter the reflections of Loop in highly reflective objects or how the ring light looks in someone's eyes. Altering the eye light of a subject is a great way to subtly affect your viewing audience that can easily be created by LitePad Loop.
LitePad Loop is available wherever Rosco products and professional camera lighting accessories are sold. Be sure to check out LitePadLoop.com for more information and a 360 degree view of the Loop. We've also set up a LitePad Loop Flickr Pool for you to share the LitePad Loop illuminated images that you capture.
Whether you are shooting photo or video...
Professional models or your nephew during a family weekend...
Product shots for retail or ebay...
Rosco's LitePad Loop is the next lighting tool you will want in your arsenal.
Joel Svendsen April 16, 2012 Questions?
Marketing Director: Joel's Rosco career began in Rosco's Hollywood office in 1999 – first in sales covering the Western US and the Los Angeles Film & Television market, and then as Product Manager for Rosco's Film & Television Products. Joel's knowledge about Rosco's products and how they're used in each of our different marketplaces makes him well suited for bringing the stories in Spectrum to life.