Review on Linco Lincostore Lighting Photography Fluorescent by Reginald Holman

Good site for less than $300, it has pretty much everything you need for a home studio. The only thing missing is less than $20. You will need at least one set of $7 muslin clips. I recommend two. You'll also need something to put in your punching bag. Cheap kitty litter works best, but I used a brick the first time. You only need weight. I suggest kitty litter because it's easy to add or remove as needed and doesn't slide away like sand. The bad side is associated with soft boxes. Inserting lightheads into softboxes requires a lot of effort and a certain amount of precision. You have to push very hard to get the spring steel ribs holding the box open to flex enough to lock it in the locked position. It has to be pointing straight down or the top rib will slide down the arch of the bottom rib and prevent it from snagging on the lock. If you only set them up once and never turn them off, it's not a big deal, but if you plan on making them mobile, you're going to snub them a lot. I haven't seen a better mount alternative so this is live. Another issue with softboxes is the bag they come in. This is a real design flaw. The zipper on the storage bag runs along the edge in the middle of the bag. Carrying boxes turns into a wrestling match. If it ran on the edge, it would be cheaper to make and easier to use. (If the Linco people read this) The things people take stars off for aren't as serious as they thought, but they need to be considered. The backgrounds are thin, so you need to eliminate any light behind them. They are also easy to wrinkle and wrinkle. This is where clamps come in, which as said, you have to buy. The rings that come with the kit are really only useful for hanging drops on the top bar. You will need clips to hold the backdrops to the sides. Pull the fabric and the creases will disappear. The top bar of the background sags a bit. It drops about 1/8" to 1/4" at ten feet in length. This doesn't contradict the popular belief that it's cheap and aluminum. This is because it comes disassembled for ease of transport, assembly, and multiple configurations. The four sections slide together with a simple snap system and spring loaded post. There is a gap of about 1/16 inch in each hinge which allows it to sag a bit. There are two ways to fix this. joints to eliminate play. Or just buy the clamps above and use the tension to clamp your knuckles tight to keep the bar straight. Not that you're going to be shooting much with the backdrops set in this configuration. They are only 5' x 10'. Keep in mind that the system can only support a maximum of 5 pounds when purchasing a 10 x 7ft+ backdrop. And now for the most idiotic concerns I've seen in the reviews about it. Angular highlights? For real?!?!? This is operator error, not the system. The lights that come with this kit are for the stage and background. Not for your key light. Also, any photo editing software with a red-eye removal tool will fix the problem (assuming you find that to be the case). So grab the clip and reflector kit and have fun.