Side by Side Comparison of: Shutter Starz vs LimoStudio

Just received the studio lighting kit. I'm an amateur photographer and wanted to give studio portrait photography a try. Didn't want to spend an arm and a leg. I decided on this product because of all the great reviews. Well I was not disappointed, the unit arrrived well packaged, all lights were well protected. The whole kit fits into 2 reasonably small bags, one for the lighting hardware and one for the bulbs. The stands are well built consumer stands. If you want professional quality, then be prepared to spend quite a bit more. Overall extremely happy with the product and would totally recommend purchasing a set.One quick note. When I first was testing the units to make sure all the bulbs worked, I noticed that one of the bulbs didn't work in one of the lighting fixtures. I removed a bulb from one of the other fixtures that was working and put it into the fixture that was not working. The good bulb did not work in that fixture either. All bulbs were checked and all bulbs worked, so I figured I got a defective fixture. I immediately sent an email to the seller and got a response back the next business day. She sent a link to a you tube video to see if this was the problem. Upon watching the video, I noticed that there was an on-off switch tucked away in the rear of the fixture that I never noticed. I thought the fixtures were permanently on when plugged into an outlet.. a little embarrassed to admit, but that was the problem. The switch was in the off position. Turned it on and all was good. When I first got the unit, I checked the sides of the unit for an off-on switch and could not find one. That was going to be my only gripe, that there was no switch. Well now I know it was operator error and now give the product 5 stars.

This is my first set of lights and are a great beginners set. I am new to photography, but this set ha really helped get the desired lighting in my pictures, even when I have low natural lighting available. The set comes with two umbrellas, with stands and light bulbs, and a shorter light stand and light bulb. The bulbs have their own night case and Styrofoam to keep them safe and the stands and umbrellas also have their own bag. The setup is very easy and it all breaks down just as well and fits nicely into the bag. Such a wonderful lighting setup!

I've had these lights for about a week now, and I have to say that I am very, very impressed at the quality of these for the low price! Of course there are better options out there, but for somebody who is looking for a low-budget option, this is exactly what you should buy!I recently started a beauty channel on YouTube and was looking for a lighting setup that would help illuminate my indoor filming area. And these three lights definitely do the trick! I did also buy a separate light that attaches to the top of the camera as well, to help further light up my face specifically, but that is just a personal preference...certainly not a necessity! You could easily use these lights alone to film videos, even in a fairly dark room.Excuse my pajamas, messy hair, and complete lack of makeup (I didn't realize I'd want to share these with anybody!), but the picture attached is a good example of how great these lights really work. That photo was taken in a room that has lots of windows, but it was 8:30 at night and pitch dark outside as you can see, and there was no other lighting being used in the room besides this system. Pretty good, right?!!

Sure, for this price you won't get some heavy duty, professional grade stands. However, I found this to be a great set that works out just fine for my amateur photography. The stands were strong enough to stand up to a 2 year old twirling into them repeatedly, and they did not fall over. The light was just right - not too harsh, but not too dim. These photos were shot with the light kit set up (key light, fill light, hair/highlight light) and an overhead light on in the room. That's it. It was near a window, however the day I shot these photos it was dark and gray and pouring down buckets of rain, so natural light wasn't really a factor at all for these shots. All of the pieces fit perfectly in the carrying case, and the whole system was easy to assemble and take apart to transport to and from the photo shoot site (my client's house). It's also very lightweight, and despite the fact that I have problems with my back I had no trouble at all carrying all of my equipment around. I highly recommend purchasing this system. You won't be disappointed. It's an excellent entry level light kit, and a fantastic bargain - I would be happy with it if I had paid twice as much, I like it that much.

I am an amateur photographer and needed a basic light kit to take yearbook photos for our homeschooling co-op. I borrowed a paper backdrop and backdrop stand from a friend and used this lighting kit. I faced the backdrop towards a window where diffused natural light was coming in. I changed the white balance settings on my Sony DSLR to compensate for the blue lighting in the flourescent light bulbs. I, as well as the staff in my homeschooling co-op were blown away by the difference these lights made on the photos. I would recommend this to anyone. What a great Christmas gift!!! Be sure to check out the you tube videos reviewing this product. They are very helpful.I am very impressed with how this product is made. Exceeded my expectations. The carrying case works perfectly.I hope you'll check out the yearbook pictures I took with this lighting kit.

My thoughts:- Items arrived beautifully packaged with care- Everything seems to be of high quality- You get a carrying case (bag) and two plastic sleeves for the umbrellas- The light bulbs are very bright and very white- Absolutely perfect for someone that does YouTube videos- For $40 this is an absolute steal!- To the professional photographers complaining about these lights: If you guys are such serious photographers why are you spending $40 on your studio lights?

I use this system to photograph my knitwear. The system is lightweight, easy to assemble, and easy to use. The lights are not as bright as I hoped - I need to have them quite close to the subject, but they do the job. Great value for the money. My only real issue was I didn't get the larger bag to store everything in and the seller was unresponsive.UPDATE: Since writing this, the seller got back to me and shipped out the missing bag. I greatly appreciate it.

seriously light weight but still nice to have all of the parts for three point lighting and considering how difficult it is to make one's own light stand - this is a bargain. It comes with florescent daylight light bulbs, not to my taste - but good start.

Bought this for the green screen ensemble that my girl put together. The stands are great and the way the umbrellas manipulate the light sources give our videos a very human look to them (not too bright or dark).The only reason I took off a star was because of the bulbs they came with. Out of the four, one of them popped within 5 minutes of first use and the company regrettably declined on honoring a replacement. Them not replacing it isn't entirely their fault - we waited a bit before using the product (2 kids and careers do that to you!).

Quickly delivered after ordering. Easy to put together. Zipper on the storage bag for umbrellas is worthless; it unzips as fast as it is zipped. The teeth don't stay meshed if they ever mesh at all. That is the only fault. However, I watched YouTube and read instructions, and I still don't know if it's better to use the umbrella as a pass-thru for the light, or as a reflector. All-in-all, quite happy with the purchase. I bought additional umbrellas to use on the short light-stand that has none.

Worked very well for the price and suited my needs very well but it is not a set you should be rough with. Somewhat flimsy and cheap plastic parts would not stand up to much abuse. I used it to take photos of clothing in one location. I needed to adjust very little but still managed to break a small twist piece on the stand that anchored the umbrella part. I was able to "jury rig " it but it did not hold up to normal usage. Still, good deal for the price ...

For what I paid, this is a good little set up. Now, as others commented, the light bulbs it came with are virtually useless. I purchased the 105W CFL bulbs and those are better even those are not as bright as I would like. However, being that I photograph Pets at Shelters in less than stellar conditions, this little set has provided me with just enough light to get decent shots. If you want something more professional, you're gonna have to spring for a pricier set. For my purposes, it works just fine.Update 1/1/15I bought this in October and I originally reviewed it in December because I wanted to use the gear a bit before giving it a rating. I now have been using this gear for over two months now making weekly trips to shelters around town. I am constantly packing and repacking the gear and so far it's holding up beautifully. The tripods open smoothly everything fits nicely in the carrying bag. The umbrellas have no tears in them and look as good as the day I got them. If it weren't for the lightbulbs, I would give this kit a 5 star review. Very happy with my purchase.

I bought this kit to do photos and live sales for my online clothing boutique. I only had it for about 3 weeks when one of the light bulbs made a popping sound and went out while it was in use. I thought they would last a little longer! The kit comes with 2 bags, one for the stands, and one for the lights. I have a small space, so I have to pack and unpack the lights every time I want to use them. I keep the bulbs in their original packaging and I'm very careful when I handle them. I'm not happy that I have to replace a bulb so early on. Other than than having to make do with 2 lights instead of 3 for now, the kit is working out fine. It is easy to set up and position wherever I want. I use the smaller tripod a lot and put it on top of my bed since I have such a small space.

The actual product it pretty good. Light stands work well, as well as the light heads. However, the carrying case zipper for the stands and light heads has broken after only three uses. The set includes a business card with information as to where to contact them to replace a broken or defective component. I contacted them via email (KimOutlet...juliusworldmart2@g----l.com) and never got a response. I was willing to purchase another bag.The problem is that the various components just barely fit into the bag. It's not a well-made bag, but I would like to replace it. Ironically, the business card says, "Hassle Free 'Time Saving Customer Service' "...that hasn't been my experience so far.The kit also included three CFL bulbs that really need to be brighter in order to cast some less blue light. I'll have to see if I can find something that will work a bit better. The blue cast of the CFLs tends to shift the color in the final shots.

It's an OK light set. Sturdy and pretty much does what it says, although practically, it didn't really produce enough light for video. Still needed a strobe for regular photography.One additional gripe: there are styrofoam protectors for the three bulbs and a separate carry case (nice), but there are no cutouts to hold the receptacles, which means that the bulbs must be screwed in and then unscrewed each time. It would be more convenient if the stryrofoams could accomodate the bulbs and receptacles, allowing for easier set up.

ok for 50 bucks not a bad setup. Not sure how long it will last- the hardware is pretty cheap- bolts etc, but the lights all worked and I feel were bright enough for studio lighting intro for beginner like me. One thing I wanted to do was be able to mount my speedlite to one of the tripods and yes you can do this but you need to order a mount kit for the hotshoe. I was able to find 5 of them for about a dollar apiece but still it would have been nice if they had supplied just one. They are 1/4 inch in case you are looking to do same. Also, I decided to order one silver/black unbrella for the small light for using as a hair light since it did not have anything other than the bulb which i assume would be too hard to direct the light.The umbrellas are fairly cheap and only had very flimsy plastic sleeve to put them in while folded. Will probably just get rubber bands to hold them.This is definitely not something for professional use but I am looking forward to trying some studio shots like low key while using them. Will update after a few sessions.

I have only used this product for about ten minutes and I'm already getting frustrated. One of the light bulbs goes in and out if you move the stand. Another one keeps lowering even when you aren't touching it and it's tightened into place. It doesn't get tight enough to actually hold it. This might be going back to get a more expensive one. As of right now, I can see this getting to be more of a hindrance than helpful. It does help make the lighting on the product look a lot better. But I wish the kit came with some tips on how to set it up.

This light kit did not work for my needs.I sell vintage furniture online and wanted a basic studio set up to take better and more professional photos. I went to my local photo supply store and bought a white backdrop and installed it in my garage. Then I set up these lights. Yes, they were bright, but they didn't really create the kind of lighting I need. The bulbs included in this kit are cool in temperature and made things look bluish. Even with new 150w warm bulbs I didn't get the look I wanted. I ended up buying additional lights from the photo supply store.Based on my experience and on reading reviews, I think these lights are better than nothing and can function quite well for sitting at your computer and doing youtube videos or whatever.

The stands and umbrellas in this kit are actually kind of nice for the price, but the CFL lamps are complete garbage. They flicker on & off all the time, sometimes they don't fire up at all, sometimes I have to screw them in really hard to stay lit. I recommend another kit with better lamps.

These were replacements for a softbox that my child knocked over that I can no longer find online. The light output is almost non-existant and the stands are flimsy, one breaking within a week in the middle. I put them up and leave them standing and they have not been knocked over. But the thin metal made a clean break right at the tightening knobs with no pressure. Having to replace them already for lack of light, cheapness of product. Do not recommend.

Ended up needing to buy different bulbs as these were not bright enough. The umbrellas themselves are fine and serve their purpose but the fact of needing to purchase additional bulbs is whay causes my review to be 2 stars.

Ended up returning this kit. It just was not light enough to do the videos that we were trying to do. We needed more directional light and this does not provide that. I would not recommend this if you are looking for directional light or lights that are very bright...for a dark space.

Do yourself a favor if you're set on purchasing this, throw out the bulbs when it arrives... or at least keep them in the case for when you need something to look really blue and dim.We replaced the bulbs with 120W LED flood lights & added the studio lights we were previously using and can now get great photos in the style we required, but ONLY because we changed the bulbs. Packaged arrive at 12 and was unpacked and set up around 1pm yesterday, tweaking continued well after midnight to no usable results. Camera settings were played with for hours, adjusting lights over and over, moving closer and farther all for naught.First photo in examples below is with the original lights, second is with replaced lights. The brightness was, honestly, incredibly disappointing. Because of how white this particular item is (and because we like to use white backgrounds) it was particularly difficult to shoot but the higher bulbs made all the difference. The third photo is a colored item shot with the replaced bulbs as well.The hardware is fairly flimsy and a bit of a pain in the butt to adjust, and we expect to replace it within the year... likely by summer. However, for $49, we're not crying too many crocodile tears as it has still proven useful. Could we have spent $100-$150 and gotten a better kit right off the bat? I'm sure we could have, but hindsight is 20/20.The shorter light is also way too short and would be much more useful with more range in adjustment.Unrelated to the actual quality is this came to us with DIRT and hair stuck to it (which at first we thought was dung... honestly if I hadn't been the one to unpack it I'd think it was a joke... ridiculous) and with a few light scratches.Keep in mind that you get what you pay for. It's okay for a starter set & to learn with but I wouldn't expect anyone to be using it professionally for any real length of time.**EDIT** Company contacted me, I assume after they saw this review. The first email asked that I contact them before reviewing the product (though I had already done so and it came days later) and upon replying to them I received a second email. The second email said they received my request to return the product (which I did not once say I would be doing) and advised me how to go about doing so. It is very disappointing, to say the least, that they would bother to reach out after receiving a poor review and not even bother to actually read the responses they get. Buyer beware.

The tripods, umbrellas and cases are great - however, the bulbs absolutely should NOT even be included with this set. They give off almost no light so I had to rush overnight order lights for my project. It would be better to either not include lights, or include bright ones suitable for photography. These were worthy only of the garbage can or lighto]ing a closet.

 Bought a set of this on Feb 1st, 2017, and one of the connector of the bulb is already stop working. It had been used for 5 hours a week for the past 12 weeks. The bulbs are not that bright which will require the customers to upgrade to the ch brighter ones. BAD QUALITY!

First off, my package came missing a light bulb and I can't just ask for a bulb... I'm required to ship the whole thing back. Second, I didn't know stands of any kind could be made this poorly. This is virtually a disposable lighting kit. So incredibly flimsy, I wouldn't trust with anything of value. Just don't buy this...

Cheap lights that feel like they could break at any moment!

I am actually not satisfied with the product at all but by the time I got to use it, Amazon did not have an option to return it. The electrical wires are poor quality and cut out constantly. Also, the stands are very flimsy and are too lightweight for the umbrellas and they are constantly falling over on their own because of the weight. I wish I could get my money back.

returned the product one of the light holders did not work contacted the company and to have it fixed they suggested a video to fix it on my own and it was not the same light holder and did not work still. tried to see if i can just use two of the 3 and the flash on the camera was much stronger than the two lights that did work.

Well this may in fact be the first 1 star review I have ever written on an Amazon product. I hated this. Completely hated it. The first product I got malfunctioned and cut my power so I had to turn turn my breaker back on. And when I went to unplug it the cord burnt my hand from being so hot and the product smoked a bit. I signed up for a return and got a new product, and the new product I received worked fine, but just wasn't nice. It all felt really cheap and I didn't like the lighting it exuded. Overall I just was not a happy camper with this product. I have since ordered a new lighting system that I adore, this just didn't do it for me