The Digital Ninja® 3 Point Quick-Clip, Mini-Light Kit

     The Aputure AL-M9 LED Light is an older model, rechargeable, lightweight, and pocketable light source. It is extremely bright, considering it's size. With some key accessories, you can build an exceptionally powerful little kit, enabling you to move faster & lighter.

Aputure AL-M9 

    The M9 debuted 2 years ago and was an extremely sought after light because of it's versatility, features, and price point. These days you can pick up a brand new one for around $45. Aputure's latest model the MX, is priced at $145. For the price of the MX, you could get (3) M9's. There are other mini LED models similar to the M9, but the copycats don't measure up in build quality. If you are looking for a solid mini-kit, pay the extra money for the Aputure brand. They are worth it.

M9 LED Light mounted on Ball-Head Clip

     The M9's are definitely my favorite lights (that I own) because of their size and amount of light they output. They also come in handy for special lighting scenarios where a mini light source is necessary. One of my favorite things about them too, is the package they come in. A case is included and there is room for some extras. I had some left over gels and made a series of gel kits for them. The magnetic face plate makes it easy to switch to any color I want.

M9 mounted on Ball-Head Clip (with Anker PowerCore & Powerline Cable)

     The lights, by themselves, last about 1hr 30min on high. Initially I went and bought 6 ft. cables and power adapters to keep them plugged in and charging if I was ever near outlets. Later, I found the Anker PowerCore 10000 battery packs which were roughly the same size as the LED's. I got some Velcro and married the battery packs to the lights. I then purchased some 1ft. cables to make the kit look really clean and professional. With the battery packs and lights connected, I can run these lights all day. I make sure to turn them off when not in use and have them charging during meal breaks.

The Digital Ninja® 3 Point Quick-Clip, Mini-Light Kit 

      I enjoy keeping my gear nimble and the cases that come with the lights- they help keep everything organized.  I'm able to stash the 1 ft. cables and gel kits in the cases, then I attach the longer cables to the included carabiners. The batteries pack easily. The clips are the only unruly pieces, but will still fit in a regular sized bag or backpack. Sometimes I just attach the clips to a strap on the outside. This mini-kit allows me to get into almost any room quickly and utilize a 3pt light set-up. The clips also make pretty good stands if I am able to place them on a flat surface. 

Versatile. Fast. Bright. 

     Be warned: These won't illuminate an entire room, but they will definitely help you in low light situations. The M9's really shine as fill lights, catch lights, and hair lights, and also for interviews, headshots, 2 shots, and talking head scenarios. This light has been aptly named the "Swiss Army Light". This is the kit I leave the house with when I think I might need a bit of light help.

- Aputure AL-M9 LED Light $45

- Anker PowerCore 10000 $26

- Anker 1ft. PowerLine Cable $6

- 1/4" Ball-head Clip $9

*I wouldn't skimp on the cables. Anker makes solid cables & you don't want cheap cables in-between your batteries and lights!

     I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into my Digital Ninja® 3 Point Quick-Clip, Mini-Light Kit. Follow me on Instagram @d1g1tal_n1nja, YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/DigitalNinja3 or bookmark my website: www.digitalninja.us .

- Digital Ninja®

The DJI Spark: Why I Held Off Getting into 4K

     I have been flying Quadcopters for the last year. Some people call them drones, but to me those drones are aircraft used to take out high value military targets. They have four propellers, so "Quadcopter" seems to describe them more accurately. In the week I've had it, I've had a number of flights with it. One near a secluded beach and one flight in a busy harbor town.  And in that time I've had to learn a significant amount of knowledge. These devices require a lot of responsibility and sensibility to fly; they are not toys.  Federal guidelines require, because of its weight, that I register it with the Federal Aviation Administration. I've also come to the conclusion that while these products are great tools of creativity, the potential for other nefarious uses are all also there. 

    The Spark was a natural progression from the sizes of Quadcopters I've already flown. I've flown a Sky Viper Nano Drone: https://www.amazon.com/Sky-Viper-m500...

This was my first quadcopter. I made the video in iMovie(?) on an iPhone. This toy is an ornery little beast. If you don't watch out it will gouge out an eye for sure. It has an auto-take off function and once you dial in the stick, it is a fun little toy.

The Sky Viper has its own pre-programmed launch and land buttons, but when it takes off, it is a little squirrelly. You've got to adjust the trim on the controls almost every time. That takes a little off of your flight time. Once dialed in and you get used to flying it, it's probably one of the more fun quadcopters to fly.  Another great feature of the Sky Viper is that it takes a beating. It bangs into things and keeps on ticking. It is a tough little sucker and that's what makes it a really fun toy. I was carrying this with me everywhere for a while and I would charge it using a battery pack. It takes about 30 minutes to charge completely, but it only lasts about 3-5 minutes. Great starter quad to learn how to fly indoors. and then I moved up to a Holystone Predator: https://www.amazon.com/Holy-Stone-Pre...

The Holystone Predator is a perfect beginner quadcopter with a lot of features. It's really quick, responsive, and you can change the batteries so you can fly longer. 

Both Quadcopters have their own idiosyncrasies and helped get me ready for the Spark. The Predator is a complete Quadcopter you control in a "Sport" mode. Sport means it is extremely responsive to the controls and it is zippy. What's really cool with the Predator is that it has 3 speed settings (slow, medium, and fast) and it can also go headless (making it easier for children). Headless System is explained here: http://www.rcdronearena.com/2015/02/1...If you were thinking of getting into Quadcopters and looking for one to practice with, the Predator is really good. Although it doesn't have a camera, it has a lot of features for such a small device and at a great price point. You can also get batteries and multi-chargers for it really cheap. 

The DJI Spark is the smallest quadcopter in the DJI product line up. It is this main characteristic that led me to purchasing it. It can shoot 30 fps at a 24 mbps Bitrate in HD at 1920x1080p with its 12 megapixel camera. It's basically a flying iPhone. The picture quality on it is pretty amazing. It has its hiccups here and there, but only if you move it really quickly. When you have smooth actions it looks really great. That was the second characteristic that had me purchase it.

While 4K is all the rage, I can barely store all of the camera footage and photos now, and I have close to 12 Terabytes! 4K imaging must be difficult to manage and severely expensive. You also have to have the hardware to manipulate it too (faster processor, memory, fans, heatsinks, monitors, etc.). If you're into details and numbers, these are some of the specs for the DJI Spark: https://www.dji.com/spark/info#specs

4k looks amazing when compared to other footage, but we've had 1920x1080p for a little while now, and it is acceptable. It looks really good on small monitors, laptops, cellphones, and other mobile devices. 

The Mavic is compact when folded up, almost as small as the spark, but not when you have the wings out and add the prop guards  Not everybody is a fan of this emerging technology. The Mavic Pro, with all its accessories looks a little scary, like a device Batman would use. The Spark comes in different colors and is way cuter.

The Spark is not like the other "toy" products. DJI makes a quality product and there is a lot to learn before flying. I've since joined a couple of groups and forums specifically devoted to learning how to "pilot". The Spark is quite capable of producing some amazing imagery. Check out some of the footage I shot. I hope you dig it.

The music is by Jason Shaw and it is called Tech Talk. Please leave a comment and subscribe. 

Digital Ninja® out.