Upper Saddle River, NJ—Manfrotto, a manufacturer of photo, video and lighting support products, announced the Lumie line of consumer LED lighting. Targeted at photo enthusiasts and hobbyists, three compact models make up the Lumie LED family.
Lumie Play is the smallest LED in the range. It is designed to fit into a small bag or a pocket, to give users an extra lighting kick when needed. It is especially geared for fill light, macro photography and close-quarters video or photography. The Play, with three LEDs and 210-lux dimmable output, comes with a hot shoe mount, a standard ¼-inch thread to attach it to a tripod or alternative supports, a snap-fit filter mount and filters, which modify the color temperature and diffusion of the light. Up to three filters can be used to achieve various effects. The filters and filter mount come with their own case. MSRP: $49.99.
Lumie Art is positioned in the middle of the series, with six LEDs, 410-lux dimmable output and aluminum construction. Designed to fit into any kit bag, the Art is suitable for many shooting situations, such as portrait and still life photography as well as video blogs. Using more than one unit together will expand lighting flexibility. The Art also comes with a hot shoe mount, a standard ¼-inch thread, a snap-fit filter mount and two filters with case. $89.99.
Lumie Muse is the largest unit in the line, about the size of a deck of cards, as well as the brightest with eight LEDs. “Keeping one or two Lumie Muses in your kit bag will give your portable lighting set a real kick without all the extra weight and space needed for traditional lighting,” stated Manfrotto. The Muse is geared for lighting in various situations, with enhanced maximum light output and four-step dimming that can be user adjusted. It comes with a hot shoe mount, a ¼-inch thread, a snap-fit filter mount and filters with case. The Muse accepts up to two filters. $119.99.
The easy-to-use, portable lighting units incorporate super-bright Surface Mount technology (SMT), color accuracy (<94 CRI) and long battery life due to their micro-USB rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. Lumie devices also offer a round catchlight, rather than square—ideal for portrait photography.
Control over the intensity of the light can be managed through a dimming button, which doubles as the on-off switch. Since LEDs emit continuous light, the result of the users’ image can be seen on the camera’s screen or viewfinder before the image is taken, making adjusting the frame, composition and lighting a simplified process.
A number of accessories can be purchased separately or in kits for the Lumie units, including a ball head ($11.99), Pixi mini tripods ($24.99) and additional portrait, classic and multicolor filter kits ($24.99 each). The Lumie ball head is friction-based and enables 360° pan movement horizontally and up to 35° in the vertical. The Lumie tripod mount is a static accessory to attach a Lumie to a camera’s hot shoe. It also allows users to place a Lumie on a tripod, using the ¼-inch adapter on the underside. manfrotto.us
