Last September, the Nova Wireless Flash earned a spot on my list of cool ways to geek out your wallet, even though it was little more than Kickstarter vapor at the time.
Now it’s a real product that’s shipping, so I’ve spent the last few days putting it to the test. This app-powered panel of LEDs promises to vastly improve the lighting quality of photos snapped with your iPhone. The gizmo is also compatible with Android devices, as evidenced by theNova Camera app in the Google Play Store. But for now the company’s app efforts appear to be focused squarely on iOS, as Android isn’t mentioned anywhere on the Nova’s product page. For the record, I performed my tests with an iPhone 5S.
Does it work?
If you’ve ever tried to illuminate a dark subject using your iPhone’s built-in LED, you know that the results aren’t always what you’d hoped. For starters, the proximity of the “flash” to the camera lens often results in harsh lighting that’s especially hard on skin tones. And though it might seem bright when you’re staring into it, that single LED doesn’t really generate much light.
The Nova measures exactly the length and width of credit card, though it’s about as thick as five cards stacked together. Inside that slim frame, a whopping 40 LEDs combine to provide extra light, with warm or cool tones depending on your preference.
