Portable Tabletop Lightboxes For Better Product Photography In 2023
I’ve worked with eCommerce businesses for years and, from time to time, needed to create product photography. I used jerry-rigged solutions to create these images; the results were never very good. Later, when my wife was working for a jeweler, we picked up an actual Tabletop Lightbox, and wow, did it make a difference!
If you are an online store owner and need some great pictures of your products or want to explore product, food, or macro photography, let me help you get started. The first step to success is finding a solid tabletop lightbox with good LED lighting. Put the plastic pipe you got at the big-box store down (I did that, too, it was so wobbly), and don’t let an inferior lightbox solution get in the way of doing your best work.
If you’re searching for a top-notch, lightweight lightbox you can easily bring wherever you go, the best lightbox is the Foldio3 by OrangeMonike.
Why use a Tabletop Lightbox?
Product photography needs two categories of images: “lifestyle shots” and “product shots.”
The “lifestyle shot” shows the product in place or used by someone. These can be very creative and are fun to do. I’ll cover the essential tools for lifestyle shots in another post.
The “product shot” features the product all by itself, usually with a white or transparent background. Creating great product shots is where using a lightbox is essential.
When I learned about product shots, I found that using a tabletop lightbox let me quickly position and evenly light the product. You want to separate the item from its background in eCommerce product photography. Having it cast shadows plays havoc with processing and preparing the image. Even lighting is crucial to getting a usable picture of your subject.
I’ve personally checked out four different lightbox solutions. They all were good and miles better than the poles and clamps I’d been using. In the end, I selected one of them to use in my studio.
What is the Best Tabletop Lightbox to use?
ORANGEMONKIE Foldio3 25″ Mini Studio
Overview
My favorite is the 25″ Mini Studio, and it’s helped me take many great product photos. What sold me is that this photo lightbox has adjustable light bars sitting inside the box. These bright LED light strips can be positioned to virtually eliminate shadows. That is one of the reasons that the Foldio3 is the product I use in my home studio.
Another great feature is that the tabletop studio is open in the front. Being open makes it easy to put products inside the box, adjust their positions, and move the camera around to get different angles. Other units close up and have a slit or oval cut in the front. These are just more annoying to get the product properly composed.
Finally, I love the way the Foldio folds up. I don’t have a lot of storage space, and this light box folds down to 2.5″ and lets me slip it into a narrow slot in my closet when I’m not using it. You can also easily put the folded-up Foldio in the car to transport it to a shooting location.
Drawbacks
One drawback with the Foldio is that the LED lights are not color temperature adjustable. The light created is daylight (5700k) only. Since there is not much of a call for changing the warmth of the lighting color in product photography, this is not a deal-breaker for me, but it would be nice to have for when you need a different lighting temperature.
Pros
Cons
Price
At last check, the basic Foldio3 25″ was priced at $139. Additional options like extra lights (Halo Bars) and a smart turntable are available to complete your photo studio setup.
Other Photography Light Box Options to Consider
Neewer Professional Photo Light Box Kit 32×32
Overview
The Neewer Professional Photo Light Box Kit is another awesome choice. Neewer has always been one of my go-to brands for photography tools, so I took a look at this tabletop photo studio. The Professional Photo Light Box Kit is a good option with its bright lights and reflective interior.
The Neewer Photo Light Box can be used as an open-front photo studio light box or with the front flap closed to provide additional reflected light on the subject. With a length of 32″ on all sides, I appreciate that it gives a large enough shooting space for most household items. This choice will work well for most products sold through an eCommerce site.
The LED strips provide powerful 8000-lumen light. Since the interior is covered in a silver film reflective material, that light is very even around any product inside the lightbox.
The Light Box Kit has three backdrops (Black, White, and Orange) and a light diffuser to cover the LED Strips.
Drawbacks
The drawback to this unit that made me shy away is that the box is not collapsible. It has a rigid frame that must be disassembled for transport or storage. This was not a killer, but it does seem like a PITA.
Another problem with this light box is the three LED light panels. Though they provide outstanding light, you may have to move their orientation to get that light even on the subject. And to move the lights, you have to take the whole thing apart, so it’s not very user-friendly.
Conclusion
The 32″ Neewer Professional Photo Light Box Kit is a terrific solution if you need a stationary product shooting setup. But I feel that because you need to keep partially disassembling this product to change the lights or the backgrounds, it’s not a great solution if you need flexibility.
Pros
Cons
Price
At last check, the 32″ Neewer Professional Photo Light Box Kit was priced at $125.
Fotodiox Pro LED Studio-in-a-Box
Overview
Another worthy candidate is the Fotodiox Pro LED Studio-in-a-Box. This offering provides a “no frame” solution. The stiff sides velcro together at the edges to create the photo box enclosure.
With a shoot-through hatch on the top panel of the box, the lightbox allows for top-down angles for product photographs. An optional front panel (with another shoot-through hatch) can be folded to prevent glare from bouncing from the reflective side panels.
Drawbacks
This photo box is a little clunky when installing the plastic sheets. They come folded in half and are very stiff. The four corners use double-sided velcro to hold the sides together. The problem is that the plastic sheet does not stay very well connected. When it disconnects, it makes the top pop off. This is a problem when you have an item in the box, and it is awkward to get it back together without taking everything out. There needs to be a better solution for holding it together.
Another thing I noticed was that the LED lights are in a square at the top. Using the included diffuser does not diminish the square reflection off all reflective surfaces. So, the Studio-in-a-Box is not a great solution for getting images of any glass or glossy products.
Conclusion
The Fotodiox Pro LED 20×20 Studio-in-a-Box is a terrific solution if you need a stationary product shooting setup. But I feel that because you need to keep partially disassembling this product to change the lights or the backgrounds, it’s not a great solution if you need flexibility.
Pros
Cons
Price
At last check, the Fotodiox Pro LED 20×20 Studio-in-a-Box was priced at $99.
GODOX LSD80 LED Mini Photography Studio Tent
Overview
The GODOX LSD80 LED Mini Photography Studio Tent is a framed studio lightbox providing a stable platform for product photography. The photo box structure assembles quickly using a set of rods and corner braces. The material that forms the box is then connected using well-made zippers.
The lighting system consists of two LED strips that I found very bright. I also liked that you could place them on any side of the lightbox.
The GODOX LSD80 is also the only one of the photo boxes I looked at that had three openings for taking photos. You can have the front open or close the front and shoot through the front port. If you want to try a different angle, a port is at the top to take an overhead product image. The overhead shot could come in very handy depending on the product being shot.
Drawbacks
I did find it a little cumbersome to set up with all the rods and corner pieces. This is another photo box that I think would suit someone with plenty of space to leave it permanently in place.
Also, I didn’t particularly appreciate how the backgrounds fit in the box. They fight pretty tightly along with the interior and do not have a satisfactory way to attach to the frame. The backgrounds tend to crease along the back/bottom corner, leaving a noticeable shadow when used. Photoshop can remove that shadow, but it will take some time.
This is a very large, LED-lit lightbox. While the two LED light strips fill the shooting tent with light, a third panel would be great to surround the subject with light.
Conclusion
The GODOX LSD80 provides a large stage for product photography. Its bright LED panels and silvered interior will wrap your subject with light. I liked how the overhead view using the top port allowed me to create some very cool product shots.
Pros
Cons
Price
At last check, the GODOX LSD80 was priced on Amazon at $115 or B & H for $120
Conclusion
When choosing the right portable lightbox for your work, it is important to consider the following aspects:
- The quality of the construction
- How easy is the unit to set up and take down
- The brightness and temperature of light generated by the lightbars
- How easy it is to create and shoot the scene
Thanks for reading! I hope this helps you understand how a lightbox can help you with your product photography and find a product that fits your shooting style. If you have any questions, please leave a comment below!
If you’re interested in other Photography Business tools, check out our posts on SEO for Photographers and Tools to Make Running a Photography Business Easier. And for other great posts, look at our Reviews Section.
Common Questions about Tabletop Lightboxes
What is a Tabletop Lightbox?
Tabletop lightboxes are versatile and portable, perfect for small product photography shoots. A Tabletop Lightbox also referred to as a Light Box, Light Tent, or Studio Box, is a miniature photography studio in a box. These lightboxes come with built-in lights that you can adjust to different angles and intensities. Their inner surfaces can be covered with reflective surfaces such as white or silver fabric that bounce the light around to create even illumination of your subject.
Some tabletop models also include backdrops like paper or fabric sheets. Tabletop Lightboxes typically measure 24 to 36″ square – making them easy to store and transport.
Why use a Tabletop Lightbox?
Tabletop Lightboxes are a great solution to an age-old problem. Namely, how do you take quality product photos without the hassle of setting up light stands and plugging in multiple lights?
These small enclosed studios allow the photographer to set up a product quickly, staged in a clean, well-lit environment.
Tabletop Lightbox vs. Light table
Don’t confuse a Light box with a Light table. A light table casts even light through a translucent object to be viewed from above. Light tables are typically used to view slides or negatives, trace images, or even create art (think LiteBrite (TM))
How does a Tabletop Lightbox work?
A Tabletop lightbox is an all-in-one kit for taking pictures used in product, food, and macro photography. These tabletop photo booths are small enough to be placed on a surface like a table or a desk.
They have an open front, allowing you to place your product inside and adjust its position.
Like the ones in this article, smaller lightboxes come with their own LED strip lights. These provide all the lighting needed for the staged product pictures without setting up external lighting.
Because the LEDs are very close to the subject, placing light-diffusing fabric in front of the panels softens the light and reduces glare and reflections.
Additionally, lightboxes will come with backgrounds that will hide the back of the box from view. A background (or sweep) is a large bendable sheet of paper whose bottom acts as the surface beneath your product and then curves up into a white wall behind the product. A black or white background is a great way to separate the subject from the background and is often used in eCommerce or Social Media images.
What size Tabletop Lightbox do I need?
The interior space you need depends on the size of the products you will shoot.
For jewelry and small items, a 16″ square will probably do. However, if your products are more shoe-sized, you will want to look at lightboxes larger than 20″ square.
Remember that the smaller the box, the more your shooting angles and placement are limited. And if you want to do any staging or add other lifestyle elements in the frame, you will need to account for the props as well.
Since there is little price difference based on size, the best suggestion I can give is to buy the largest lightbox that will fit on the desk/table you intend on using for product photography.
What do you look for in the best Tabletop Lightbox?
- A strong and replaceable power supply
- A good set of neutral and color backgrounds (aka sweeps)
- Well-made assembly system that will stand up to repeated disassemblies
- Bright internal lights (8000 lumens or more total)
- Light diffuser
- Lightweight, compact size, portable size
