Product Reviews

The MK Gem eBox; A Self-Contained Box For Small Product Lighting

I'm always looking for new solutions to light small things. Change that. I'm always looking for easier and faster solutions to light small things. Let's face it: lighting tabletops is never easy, although you'd think it should be. And sometimes, formulaic lighting is exactly what's needed. Then along comes the Gem eBox, from MK Digital Direct. Diminutive in size, it's a self-contained box with the lights built-in. Would this be the answer?

Shutterbug Magazine - Full Online Article

Copyright © Shutterbug, October 2005

Auctions Seller's Resource- MK Photo-eBox Product Review

Product Review – MK Digital Photo E-Box – One Step Digital Imaging System

Last month we reviewed the EZ Cube photo tent, which is a product I have used for over a year. A picture is worth a thousand words, especially on eBay. Quality photos can mean the difference between getting one bid or dozens. This is especially true for jewelry items, which are notoriously difficult to photograph well.

Natural wrap-around lighting is the key to taking excellent jewelry photographs. The nice folks at MK Digital Direct sent me one of their units, the Photo e-Box to try out and review for my readers. I am impressed. Although I have had consistently great results with the EZ Cube for over a year, I always struggled with shooting jewelry and other really small objects or shiny objects.

I did have a couple of problems. I could not get my camera to sync with their software program so I could see the results on my computer screen as I shot. Also, the opening in the front and top of the box was just a little small for my camera lens (I use a Sony DSC F717 with the really large Zeiss lens). This would not be a problem for most cameras.

On the plus side I was able to take some great photos of several pieces of jewelry we have had sitting around here that I couldn't launch on eBay for lack of good photos.

The Photo e-Box is not inexpensive. In fact it would only make sense for someone who frequently shoots jewelry and other small objects. If you do get it, however, be sure to buy the Sparkle Light, an accessory that MK Digital sells. It's is a small light with dozens of LEDs that you shine at the object you are photographing. The reflections off of the LED cause your jewelry to sparkle. In fact even if you occasionally shoot jewelry and don't invest in the Photo e-Box, I would still buy one of these Sparkle lights.

The Photo e-Box is easy to master and a really great product. It comes complete with three different backgrounds, a universal camera bracket and imaging and cataloging software.

Auction Seller's Resource- MK Photo-eBox Product Review- Online Article

Shutterbug Magazine - Full Online Article

Copyright © Shutterbug, October 2005

AJM Gem-eBox Review

Product Testing: MK Gem eBox

By Gary Dawson, AJM Magazine Editor

If, like me, you consider yourself a successful photomacrographer, you may be skeptical about products on the market that promise to make your jewelry photos look amazing. I had a recent opportunity to review one such product, the MK Gem eBox by MK Digital Direct in San Diego, California, a light box designed to aid in the process of digitally photographing jewelry. Since I always jury-rig my stage, I was prepared to dismiss the Gem eBox as technological overkill—an expensive alternative to the bed sheet tenting I have always done.

Despite my prior mindset, my first impression upon opening the shipping container was that the Gem eBox is well-engineered. It is built with daylight-balanced 6500K fluorescent wrap-around lighting and two 3200K halogen spotlights. But the true test would be if this lighting system could outsmart those nasty hot spots.

Picture Perfect?

The reflectivity inherent in most jewelry objects is the nemesis of the photographer trying to capture images of those objects. Arguably the worst is a hot spot, an area of intense reflected light that is so bright that much or all of the visual information is lost in that area. When the information simply isn’t there, either digitally or recorded on film, it cannot be retrieved in later digital manipulation of the photo. Hot spots in jewelry photography are usually created by the reflection of the non-diffuse, highly directional light of the electronic flash or other light source.

Underexposure, if not extreme, is ultimately less problematic; there is often visual information that can be revealed by manipulation. Shadowing of the light source can create these areas of relative underexposure. As long as the information is there, “burning” or extended spot exposure in a traditional lab can brighten these areas, and they can also be brightened digitally in most photo software.

Finally, the reflection of the surrounding environment can create distraction in jewelry photography. Seeing a tiny you reflected on the surface of that $10,000 ring just doesn’t cut it.

Creating a visually sterile environment around the object and using a diffuse light source to light the object can address all three of these problems. Traditionally, jewelry photographers will accomplish this by “tenting” objects—screening the light source through a translucent white material that is tented over the object—or using fabric diffusion boxes to isolate the object and diffuse the light falling on it.

But get this—the highly diffuse lighting needed to make a shiny metal object look great tends to visually kill most gem materials. Opaque gems may not be so adversely affected, but any gem that reflects light as brilliance, such as diamonds, sapphire, ruby, and emerald, will go dead in a diffuse light environment. Reflective gems look best with directional light sources. This dilemma often leaves jewelry photographers caught between a rock and a hard place: Do you want the metal or the gemstone to look good? It’s very difficult to do both.

Pros and Cons

The engineering of the Gem eBox provides a sturdy way to address all of the potential problems inherent to photographing jewelry. The interior is designed as a visually sterile environment, eliminating most, if not all, potentially annoying reflections. It is designed as a truncated triangle, with daylight balanced fluorescent lights handily diffused behind white Plexiglas in the floor and the two slanting upper walls of the stage. This setup provides shadow-free lighting of the most detailed object without creating hot spots. However, the kicker in the Gem eBox design is the two halogen lights recessed into the upper part of each slanted wall. These halogen lights add back into the Gem eBox environment just enough warmer, non-diffuse light to bring reflective gems back into a very realistic balance.

A master switch provides power to cooling fans (prolonging the life of all the lights,) and two secondary switches control the fluorescent and halogen lights separately. When using the Gem eBox, I wished for a rheostat on the halogen lights, which would allow me to tune that light source. It would make the lighting more flexible, but that might add a level of complexity not necessary for the average user of this product.

The Gem eBox is designed so that most shooting can be done through a round hole at the top of the box. An adjustable L-shaped bracket is provided to position and support your camera for shooting in this position. I found that the bracket can hold many but not all camera body types for shooting from this angle. I had five camera bodies on hand to try: two digitals, an Olympus C-3040 and a Nikon D-100, and three older film cameras, a Nikon F3HP, a Nikon 8008S, and a Pentax 645.

Since the Gem eBox was primarily designed with newer digital cameras in mind, I wasn’t surprised that it did not accommodate the large, older Pentax medium-format camera with macro lens. However, I was surprised and disappointed that the bracket didn’t accommodate my new Nikon D-100 with a 60 mm macro lens, a great combination for digital close-up photography. It did support the other two Nikons with the same 60 mm lens, and I think it would accommodate any of the smaller footprint digital cameras (similar to my Olympus) now on the market. In addition, with a tripod one can shoot with any camera through the access panel on the side of the box. When opened for shooting oblique or side angles of a piece, shooting through this panel does not sacrifice much of the visual sterility of the environment.

Measuring just 15 inches wide by 10.5 inches high by 7.5 inches deep (38 cm by 27 cm by 30 cm), the Gem eBox allows for very easy storage and portability, but does limit the size of the stage. This device is best suited for images of single items or very small groups of items.

While the instruction booklet provided with the Gem eBox is helpful in the process of learning to use the product, some familiarity with digital photography, or a willingness to learn, is probably necessary to optimize results. Manual mode shooting to maximize depth-of-field and the adjustment of white balance on the camera are essential to achieving good images.

Despite my initial skepticism, I rate the Gem eBox highly as a useful tool for the aspiring jewelry photographer. At $495, the Gem eBox may be a steep investment for someone who wants to capture tiny details and has the time to laboriously set up for each shot. But for a professional in the jewelry industry with limited time and the need for exemplary photos, the Gem eBox could be a wise investment

Flat Images?

Viewed with the mindset of a film photographer trying to produce a finished image on film, images produced with the Gem eBox may seem a little flat. Due to the sterile environment and balanced lighting, the images have no shadow definition. In most cases, this shouldn't be a problem.

Most digital photos are processed in a digital environment (such as Adobe Photoshop) where contrast, intensity, and brightness are manipulated. The Photoshop expert with whom I consulted on this review said he would rather begin with a “flatter” looking image that is completely free of overexposed hot-spots or underexposed darker areas so that he can more easily manipulate the image to his needs.

First Published in the AJM Magazine in the November 2004 Issue.
AJM Magazine- November Issue Online