Joby Beamo Studio Creator Kit verdict
Summary
Joby makes a lot of content creation gear for new users or beginners on a budget. The quality and performance may not impress professionals, but Joby gear is typically easy to use, very effective and excellent value. This definitely applies to the Beamo Studio Creator Kit, which has impressed me more than any other Joby product. It gives you a key light on a stand, an adjustable background light, a microphone and an adjustable phone holder, all for an impressively low price. This surely has to be both the easiest and the cheapest way for any content creator to get started, and even has appeal for more advanced vloggers who need better lighting and audio.
Pros
+ Large and highly controllable key light
+ Neat and manoeuvrable phone clamp
+ Handy microphone you could use on a camera too
+ Multi-color background light
Cons
– Lights need USB power
– iPhones will need a Lightning adaptor for the mic cable
If you want to set yourself up from scratch as a content creator in your own home or office space, you’re going to need some stuff.
The camera is the easy part. If you are just starting out, your smartphone is probably going to be fine. Any decent higher-end smartphone from the past five years is going to shoot pretty good 4K video. The first steps in making your video look better aren’t to get a proper camera, but to work on your lighting and sound.
This is what the Joby Beamo Studio Creator Kit is made for. It includes everything a budding content creator needs to get started. As long as you can supply the camera, this kit will supply the rest.
Joby Beamo Studio Creator Kit: key features
The Joby Beamo Studio Creator Kit is built around a vertical stand mounted on a heavy base. Once it’s set up on a table or worktop, it’s not going to topple over, even when you add the accessories.
The first of these is the Beamo Studio Key Light. This is a mid-size circular LED panel with a diffuser plate that gives a soft, even light, which will be great for faces and can also be angled in different directions and set to different heights.
So what about your phone? For this, there’s a Joby adjustable phone clamp which can be used in a horizontal or a vertical arrangement, and this attaches to the stand via a Joby Gorillapod Arm, so it’s really easy to angle in any direction and will stay where you place it.
You’ll need better quality audio than your smartphone’s mic can provide, and for this you get a Joby WAVO Mobile microphone, which can attach directly to the smartphone clamp or to one of four mounting points on the Studio Key Light. This connects to your phone via a 3.5mm audio jack, so if you’re using an iPhone you’ll need to get an adaptor. This is not included.
There is one more thing! Another trick for creating professional looking lighting setups is to use a separate background light, and one of these is included too. It’s not particularly powerful – it doesn’t need to be – and it offers variable brightness levels and color choices.
Joby Beamo Studio Creator Kit: in use
One key thing to note about the lights in the Beamo Studio Creator kit is that they don’t have their own batteries. You’ll need to connect them to a power source via USB. You could use a regular mains adaptor, but I used my Anker power bank, which has two power outlets and can keep these lights going for ages.
The light stand feels very sturdy and well made, and the Studio Key Light seems remarkably good given the price of this kit. You can adjust the illumination level and the white balance, and while it’s not especially powerful, it’s easily bright enough for the kind of close-range lighting this kit is designed for.
The WAVO Mobile mic is much better quality than any in-built mic and it’s also directional, so this will help reduce any room reverb – though much will depend on how much echo you get from bare walls and how close you are to the mic. You even get a furry wind shield, though you’re not likely to need this indoors.
The background light is rather lightweight. This doesn’t affect its operation or its performance, but it does mean it’s easily tipped over by the USB cable providing the power.
Like other Joby products I’ve reviewed, the Beamo Studio Creator Kit packaging is clearly designed for retail and shipping. You can pack everything back in the boxes between shoots, but it’s not ideal.
The most impressive thing in this kit for me is the key light. It’s a good size, so the lighting effect is quite soft, and the closer you get it to your face, the softer the light. The only way to get an even softer light would be a softbox and a more powerful panel, and straight away you’re getting into a bigger spend and a more complicated setup that needs more space.
Joby Beamo Studio Creator Kit: verdict
You might not need everything in this kit, or you might decide to use it differently. The microphone could come off the stand and go on a mini-tripod or stand that’s closer to you so that it sounds better. And if you want to film with a regular camera, you won’t need the phone clamp. Even for mirrorless or DSLR shooters, this is a great kit to get started with home vlogging or content creation, or even tabletop still life or macro work. It’s also extremely good value.
There is one more thing you will need – a suitable room with a background you can arrange or ‘dress’ to make your videos look professional. Alternatively, you could always invest in a folding background – I’ve been using a rather excellent Manfrotto Vintage collapsing backdrop, which I’ll review separately.