Foldio3 (25inch Lightbox for Product Photography / 25" x 25" / Portable Studio, Dimmable LED Chips, CRI 97+, Background Sheet Included | ORANGEMONKIE | World 1st All-in-one Photo Studio)

I just purchased an Orangemonkie 25” FOLIO3 photo tent to photograph my ceramics. This tent is lightweight, corrugated, white plastic and the tent arrived flat. It quickly assembled in seconds with embedded magnets by unfolding the tent flat, then moving each section up to connect the magnets in each section to each other, creating an open cube. There are two backdrops (white and black) that are attached to six dots in the tent, that drape from the top back wall to the front floor creating the seamless look.Permanently attached to the front ceiling is a strip of bright LED lights. An electrical cord and dimmer switch gets plugged into a port outside on the top of the tent. I also purchased the optional 2-side halo lights which can be affixed to the magnets on the sides or in the front. There are two switches on the dimmer control, one that controls the top lights and one that controls the halo lights, so each can be operated independently to get optimal lighting. The whole unit is really slick engineering.I haven’t tried the black backdrop yet or used my DSLR with my tripod, but just took some quickie shots with my iPhone and was very impressed. I set this up on my glaze tables in the garage with all the lights off. The tent opening was large enough to switch pieces in and out and I didn’t seem to get any color reflected off my clothing because the lights are so bright. In addition, it took about ¼ the space as my last setup.

Foldio 3 is portable and super easy and quick to set up. It has three LED light strips on its ceiling providing adjustable super bright white light eliminating any need for additional lighting for my photo shoot. I also got the halo bars and those provide awesome directional light. I can move them around and play with them until I get the lighting I want. Foldio 3 includes two backdrops, one black and one white. I liked how the black backdrop provides pitch black background for my photos. Foldio 3 has lots of thoughtful designs. I love how they put velcros behind the backdrops so that I can just easily attach the backdrop to the box. Also, I like how I can attach halo bars on the side magnets for more lighting. Overall, Foldio 3 is an awesome portable photo studio with great design and build quality. I did some test shoots with my smartphone camera and the results look awesome. I can’t wait to try with my DSLR.

I have tried several lightboxes before with little to no success. Most are clumsy or too difficult to set up in a timely manner. I like being able to move my lightbox from place to place without having to take forever to set it up and tear it down and until I found Foldio3 that was always a chore. This lightbox is amazing! Not only is it extremely easy to move around and set up in seconds, but the lighting is perfect from every angle. And with the addition of the halo bars I can get the light exactly where I want it in every shot. There is plenty of room to shoot many different sized items from still shooting to video captures on the turntable. I love this lightbox so much. The only con I have found with it is that the velcro for the backdrops has come off and will need some stronger glue to make it stay in place, but not a huge deal as I am sure I can make that happen. Otherwise this is the perfect lightbox in so many ways. I am extremely happy with this purchase!

Disclaimer - I purchased this and returned it, but I will tell you why!Overall this is a very nice unit, and I purchased it because of the larger size. Once I assembled it though, I realized that I was running into the same problems that I have had with other foldable boxes - the annoying gaps in the corners.Even though the box was larger, having to pan back more for larger items, now brought the gaps in the corners into play - as a result, I had to take closer, tighter, shots, and didn't feel that I could take advantage of the larger size.Now, that's really a "me" problem, not the fault of the manufacturer. Overall, I think it is a very nice product, just not for me.PROS:1. The lights were great, they were very bright!2. Setup was super easy, and this would be easy to transport (see a con below!).3. Magnets were tight, it wouldn't hold up to someone leaning or setting something on it, but assembled, it was snug.CONS:1. Not the fault of the product, but the nature of the design - those darn gaps in the corners, I couldn't deal with that - it makes the box seem smaller than it really is. Again, that's not a knock against the manufacturer.2. If you set this up and leave it alone, it would probably last you a lifetime - however the nature of the plastic, I don't know how many times over and over it would hold up to being folded and unfolded.3. I think you might be overpaying for the product - I think it's nice but not worth what I paid.Overall, I think it's a nice product, but TO ME, the gaps rendered it's size irrelevant, and TO ME, I think the price is a little steep for what you're getting.If you're on the fence, buy it and give it a try, your experience will be better than any review!