AKCES MEDIA LLC 76 Stony Hill Rd, Bethel, CT 06801 800-582-7009
Email - c[email protected]om http://alzodigital.com
1420-IS
ALZO SPARKS LIGHT USERS GUIDE
The ALZO Sparks Light is a specialized light source specifically designed to
illuminate the interior of gemstones, to enhance the spectral qualities
(brilliance), and to allow these qualities to be photographed. Diamonds are the
best subjects for an ALZO Sparks Light but other stones will respond with
interesting effects as well.
Installing batteries in the ALZO Sparks Light
The ALZO Sparks Light is powered by 2 - AA batteries (2 are included) and
we recommend using 2 sets of 2300 mah Ni-Mh rechargeable batteries.
Slide the battery compartment cover down as indicated by
the arrow on the cover. The cover will open and swing up
on its hinge. Install the batteries with the + battery top in
the rear of the compartment, – battery top in front as
shown. Close the lid and slide it up to close.
A fully charged battery set will provide more than 100
flashes. Do not let the batteries run down completely as
low battery power will slow down recycle time and could
affect the light output of the ALZO Sparks Light.
Power ON the ALZO Sparks Light
Press the “PUSH ON” button for 1 second to power up the
Sparks Light. This button/indicator will glow green when
power is switched on. If the ALZO Sparks Light is not used for several
minutes, the “PUSH ON” power indicator will go off and will “auto start” when
the light is used.
After the “PUSH ON” power indicator light glows green, the ALZO Sparks
Light will take about 10 seconds to fully charge. The “READY/TEST” button
will flash orange when the ALZO Sparks Light is charged and ready for use.
Pressing the “READY/TEST” button will test flash the light and recycle the
power.
Assuring a full charge
The “READY/TEST” button will flash rapidly when the ALZO Sparks Light is
fully charged. As the Sparks light looses charge the “READY/TEST”
indicator blinking will slow down. If the “READY/TEST” button blinking slows
or stops flashing, this indicates that the ALZO Sparks Light charge is too low
and although it will flash, the intensity will be diminished. Press the “PUSH
ON” button for 1 second to recharge. The ALZO Sparks Light will hold a full
charge for several minutes. Alternatively you could press the “READY/TEST”
button to discharge and recharge the ALZO Sparks Light, although this will consume more battery
power.
When photographing with the ALZO Sparks Light, you must wait for a full recharge cycle between shots
(about 10 seconds). Do not photograph if the “READY/TEST” is blinking slowly or off completely.
AKCES MEDIA LLC 76 Stony Hill Rd, Bethel, CT 06801 800-582-7009
Email - c[email protected]m http://alzodigital.com
1420-IS
SYNC Connection
The ALZO Sparks light requires a “sync” connection to the camera. The light is supplied with a 20”
coiled sync cord that plugs into the SYNC connector below the “READY/TEST” button and has a “PC”
type connector for connection to a camera “external flash” sync output. Most professional digital and film
SLR cameras have a “PC” “external flash” sync output. If your camera does not have a “PC” “external
flash” sync output and does have a flash “hot shoe”, then you will need a PC to Hot Shoe adaptor
supplied by ALZO digital, PN 1042. If your camera does not have an “external flash” sync output it will
not work with the ALZO Sparks light.
ALZO Sparks Light M-A setting
The recommended setting of the M – A switch on the front of the ALZO Sparks Light is M. The A setting
is not effective.
Disregard the printed table on the back panel of the ALZO Sparks Light.
Adjusting the output of the ALZO Sparks Light
The ALZO Sparks Light aperture rings allow for the adjustment of the amount of light and the incident
angle of light to the subject stone. To increase or decrease the amount of light, the two aperture rings
adjustment tabs are moved independently to open or close the aperture window. To change the incident
angle of light to the subject the aperture rings are rotated together. Both adjustments will produce
different spectral qualities in the subject gem stone. Image below shows 0%, 50% and 100% opening.
Once the ALZO Sparks Light aperture rings and the “ambient” light are adjusted to the desired
illumination ratio, we recommend rotating the aperture rings in unison and shoot many images. You can
then preview the images and select the image to your liking.
Optimal lighting configuration for the ALZO Sparks Light
The optimal lighting configuration for the ALZO Sparks Light includes a small imaging tent like the ALZO
14” Tent, with one or two “ambient” light sources. The tent provides a surrounding soft lighting
environment for the metallic part of the subject jewelry, while the ALZO Sparks Light mounted on the
camera lens focuses light into the gemstone(s).
The key to the usage of the ALZO Sparks Light is to control the ratio of the “ambient” light to the light
output of the ALZO Sparks Light. The output of the ALZO Sparks light is adjustable and the intensity of
the “ambient” light can be controlled by moving the light source or by employing barndoors or neutral
density filters on the ambient light source. Always use a camera tripod with the ALZO Sparks light.
For additional details on setup and usage see our web page
www.alzodigital.com/sparks_usage.htm
AKCES MEDIA LLC 76 Stony Hill Rd, Bethel, CT 06801 800-582-7009
Email - c[email protected]m http://alzodigital.com
1420-IS
In search of the perfect ratio
We have found that a ratio of about 4:1 or 5:1 (ambient to Sparks) is best for gold with diamond settings
but other ratios may be desirable as well. The greater the intensity of the ambient light compared to the
ALZO Sparks Light, the less of the spectral qualities or “brilliance” will be photographed. This requires
trial and error test shots while varying either the ambient light or ALZO Sparks Light to optimize the
effect to your liking. We recommend setting the ALZO Sparks Light aperture (see below) to about 50%
when adjusting the ratio.
When using flash lighting for ambient light while your camera is set to a very small aperture, you will not
have much exposure control in the camera other than selecting ISO settings. Therefore all ratio
adjustments will controlled with the lights.
As you make lighting adjustments and test shots, you may need to make adjustments to the exposure
values of your camera. It is prudent to record all of the parameters of the lighting configuration and
camera settings when you achieve the optimal effect, so that you can repeat the photographic effect.
Getting Color Temperature Right
As the ALZO Sparks Light has a color temperature of about 5500K we recommend either using ALZO
Digital “Cool Lites” (color temperature = 5500K) or a small flash light like the Smith Victor 110i. A flash
light with more than 50 watt/sec of power is too intense as an ambient light and will require a neutral
density filter to reduce the light.
Attaching the ALZO Sparks Light to the camera
The ALZO Sparks Light attaches to the lens of your camera with a threaded lens mount. 49mm, 52mm
and 55mm adapters are included. If none of these sizes match the thread of your lens we can supply
other size adaptors.
As the Sparks Light is a flash light your camera flash sync control output needs to be connected to the
“sync” input of the ALZO Sparks Light. A short sync cord with a “PC” type connector is supplied with the
Sparks light. As most digital cameras provide only a Hot Shoe for flash control, a Hot Shoe Adaptor may
be required. If your camera lacks a Hot Shoe there are methods of using the on camera flash to trigger
the ALZO Sparks Light. Please consult with us if your camera does not have a Hot Shoe.
For the best performance of the ALZO Sparks Light the light should be between 6” - 20” from the
subject. For most cameras and lenses the addition of a close-up lens to the camera lens is required for
very small objects like earrings, rings and pins. If your camera lens has a macro mode you will probably
find that this requires the lens to be very close to the subject maybe only 1”. In addition the zoom
function will be restricted and therefore will not provide the required magnification for very small objects.
A “close-up” lens allows you to zoom in and magnify the subject while maintaining the optimal distance
from the sparks light to the subject.
The ALZO Sparks Light typically includes the following attached to the camera lens. A close-up lens
attached to the front of the camera lens, a cross screen filter (optional) and then the Sparks light.
Aperture and Depth of Field
As the ALZO Sparks Light is used in “macro photography” of very small objects, your camera aperture
should be very small to maximize the focus depth of field. Apertures smaller then f-8 are best for macro
imaging.
Shutter Speed
AKCES MEDIA LLC 76 Stony Hill Rd, Bethel, CT 06801 800-582-7009
Email - c[email protected]m http://alzodigital.com
1420-IS
If you are using flash lights as your “ambient” light source the shutter speed could be 1/125 sec and will
not affect exposure. If you are using continuous lights as your “ambient” light source you will need to
experiment with different shutter speeds and we recommend starting at 1/30 second.
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