The basis of how the Pixelstick operates is actually kind of simple. Still, despite the very few criticisms I have, the Pixelstick is a solid and well-built product. Light painters tend to be a pretty good DIY group, so I feel most will solve this problem themselves, but it would have been nice to see a 90° angle pole attachment included. Whereas, when you’re printing images, a longer, even angled arm would’ve come in handy. Yes, the spinning sleeve is pretty cool, but it will remain locked if you’re printing images. I would, however, suggest that the handle is a bit lacking in design thought as an aid in making creative photos. It’s here that the lightness of the Pixelstick shines, because not once in all the times I used it-even one night making attempt, after attempt… after attempt-did my arms begin to fatigue. The handle mounts firmly and nothing felt loose as I waved it about, somewhat violently at times, running back and forth through the frame. It would have been nice to be able to quickly flick on a bright light on the stick itself, rather than have dig out my iPhone or carry an actual flashlight around. Too many times during my tests did one of the little black screws come loose and fall to the ground, nearly lost to me forever. When you consider the notion that the Pixelstick will be primarily used in the dark, it would have been nice to see at least one or two white, flashlight LEDs embedded on the rear of the metal frame, switched on independently of the front LEDs. It may be fine when it’s 80° outside, but a few of the nights we went out to test the Pixelstick were at or near freezing, making a battery change a very, very painful experience for my poor hands. This battery compartment needs a better solution, plain and simple. Powering each of the 200 LEDs are 8 AA’s in a holder that needs to be (at least mine did) forcefully squeezed into the hard cloth compartment mounted to the frame of the pixel stick. Thankfully, the Pixelstick doesn’t do anything proprietary, fancy, or backward for a power supply. This is a hard prediction to make, I know, but there’s probably enough strength and, maybe more importantly, just enough flex in the frame to allow leeway for when that dreaded drop or other accident inevitably happens. The aluminum frame of the Pixelstick is very sturdy, and I don’t foresee anyone having general build issues with it down the road. But nothing that makes me think the Pixelstick isn’t worth every penny of the $350 asking price. Fortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the case.Įverything about the Pixelstick feels well done and quite thought-out. The first thing that I always evaluate when I tackle a product like this-especially one with no real competition-is build quality.īeing first to market, the first model produced by Bitbanger Labs, I hoped this wouldn’t be a “yeah it’s great but it broke in one week” sort of product. The Pixelstick itself can be held with the removable spinning handle that enables full 360° rotations.Īnd that’s about it for the core specs, let’s dive into the review. The controller is powered by 8 AA batteries (also mounted to the frame), and includes an SD slot through which you’ll load your designs and images onto the Pixelstick to paint them in the air. The whole thing weighs just 4lbs, meaning it’s an easy carry to remote locations or over your shoulder as you walk throughout the city making abstract art-art that can be launched via the back-lit, easy-to-use control module mounted directly to the frame of the Pixelstick. Tall though it may be, it is easily assembled and quickly collapsible-it splits in two-and can be stored away neatly in the included padded carrying case (which is, itself, lined with a yellow interior to make nighttime shoots a little easier when setting up). The Pixelstick’s 73-inch (6ft, 187cm) tall, all matte black, anodized aluminum body holds 200 RGB LEDs which can produce over 16 million colors, each individually addressable. It’s rarely meant to be taken literally when people throw around the old “the possibilities are endless” cliché, but with the Pixelstick, I think the possibilities might actually be endless. The simplest way to describe the $350 Pixelstick is this: a 6-foot long narrow “stick” covered in LEDs that can be manipulated via the attached controller to “print” colors and images in the air and onto your camera.Įven simpler? It’s a absolute must-buy for any serious photographer. The Pixelstick from Bitbanger Labs, which may just be one of the coolest ways to express your creative side after the sun sets. If you love light painting, then have I got a toy for you.
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