The Logitech MX Creative Console offers a budget-friendly entry into the creator control deck market at under $200, providing nine programmable LCD buttons and a contextual dial that adapts to your workflow. While it lacks the extensive controls of premium alternatives like the $550 Loupedeck Creative Tool, its split-unit design and solid software integration make it a practical choice for creators who want to streamline their editing without breaking the bank.

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Logitech MX Creative Console

What We Think

The Logitech MX Creative Console is a compact two-module control surface designed for photo, video, and audio workflows. It combines a nine-button LCD keypad with a weighted dial module, both configurable through Logi Options+. The system integrates with major creative apps, supports custom profiles, and allows per-app button assignments and dial behaviors. Its small footprint makes it suitable for tight desks or portable creator setups.

Reasons to Buy

• Full-color LCD buttons allow clear icon labeling
• Dial adapts based on the selected tool or application
• Split-module layout allows flexible positioning on the desk
• Strong software integration with Logi Options+ for major apps

Reasons to Avoid

• Only nine programmable buttons means toggling through pages of buttons
• Display Keys unit requires a USB-C cable—no wireless option
• Modules do not physically lock together and can shift on the desk

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Logitech MX Creative Console – Creator Decks to the Rescue

A keyboard and mouse are dreadful photo and video editing tools, yet they have been the primary interface between humans and computers for decades. For newcomers to editing, there’s a huge learning curve to memorizing keyboard shortcuts, and proficient users still have to reach for the keyboard for almost every task.

As the livestreaming market grew, companies like Elgato and Loupedeck released control decks with programmable keys. These decks simulate the physical control surfaces found in broadcast studios, making tasks like changing camera angles, calling up graphics, or adjusting microphone inputs easy.

Photo and video editors adopted these decks to trigger shortcuts in applications like Photoshop, Lightroom, Final Cut, Resolve, and more. The programmable buttons make triggering actions that would otherwise require multiple keystrokes or navigating through menus simple.

Elgato makes the most widely adopted control decks, thanks to the company’s early commitment to livestreamers and video producers. For several years, I used the Elgato Stream Deck+ to control sliders in Lightroom and make adjustments in Resolve.

Next, I moved to the Loupedeck Creative Tool, which has more than thirty programmable buttons and seven dials. This is the gold standard of creative editing decks. The Creative Tool comes with presets for all the popular photo and video applications, and custom presets can be installed.

The Loupedeck is an excellent tool, but the price tag that hovers around $550 puts it out of reach for many users. The MX Creative Console comes in just under $200, making it accessible to more creators.

All these tools offer deep customization and the ability to switch between profiles for different applications instantly. Work in Photoshop, and the specialized Photoshop controls are active. Switch to Final Cut Pro, and the keys convert to that workflow.

Logitech MX Creative Console Design and Layout

Logitech has entered the creator deck market with the MX Creative Console. The Creative Console is a two-piece combination of programmable buttons on one panel and a jog wheel with navigation controls on the other.

Logitech refers to the portion with the buttons as the Display Keys, and the one with the wheel as the Contextual Dial, but I’ll often refer to the Display Keys component as a deck.

The deck has nine programmable full-color buttons, plus forward and back buttons used to shuffle through different “pages” of buttons. The wheel unit has a main jog wheel, plus a roller that looks and works like the side-mounted scroll wheel on the Logitech MX Master 3S Mouse, which I use in conjunction with the Creative Console for even more customization. The wheel unit also has four programmable buttons.

The Loupedeck Creative Tool is designed to be the primary interface for editing, especially for video editing. Many physical buttons replace or eliminate the need to reach for a keyboard.

The Logitech MX Creative Console serves more as an assistant to a keyboard than a replacement. The two components can be placed on either side of a keyboard or used on the same side.

While I’m right-handed, I’ve used a mouse with my left hand since I developed carpal tunnel in college. Unlike the Elgato or Loupedeck devices, the MX Creative Console allows me to place each component where it works best for my left-handed mousing preference.

The deck connects over USB-C, while the wheel unit is wireless. The energy demands of LCD keys would drain a rechargeable battery quickly or require a much larger case to accommodate a larger battery. Adding another cable to my desk is a hassle, though not a major issue. I’d happily pay more for a battery dock if it would let me use the deck without a cable.

I’d also prefer it if the two units could be docked horizontally and placed side-by-side without slowly moving apart. I’ll likely 3D print something to hold both units together. However, I designed and 3D printed a base for it so that the two units can dock and can be oriented with either on the left or right. The solution cost me about $.10 in 3D filament, so it wouldn’t have cost much to include with the console. 

The MX Creative Console strikes a balance between size and functionality. There could be more buttons on the deck, but then it would resemble the more expensive options in terms of features and cost. It’s sized appropriately for its target uses.

Logi Options+ Software and Control — A Learning Curve but Great Customization 

Like the rest of Logitech’s programmable accessories, the MX Creative Console is configured through the Logi Options+ software. Options+ is intuitive and easy to use, and the software can configure any number of Logitech devices.

Logitech’s consolidated ecosystem means I can program both my MX Mouse and MX Creative Console simultaneously. Logitech has largely abandoned the custom USB dongles they used for mice and keyboards, and now relies on Bluetooth or wired connections, as is the case with the deck. 

Custom profiles are set for the most common applications, with buttons covering the most common functions. You could go from unboxing to a customized Lightroom workflow in less than ten minutes.

Options+ has a list of supported tools, which can be dragged to the virtual display of the Creative Console in Options+. Each of the supported tools has pre-programmed triggers and custom icons.

For example, if you want to add a button that flags a photo, you simply drag that from a list of Lightroom choices to the button you’d like to use to flag an image. Fill out all nine buttons and add multiple pages with more options.

Options+ will be comfortable for anyone who’s created macros. Keys can be programmed to perform keyboard operations, select menu items, or trigger other scripts.

Options+ has presets for almost all of the creative tools on the market. Logitech recently added support for Resolve, which added presets for that program. Even without these presets, I could still program keys based on their shortcuts in Resolve, but it wouldn’t have been as seamless as picking from a list of functions.

As the name implies, the Contextual Control dial changes functionality based on operations on the Display Keys. Press the Layers button in Photoshop, and the dial moves through the layers. Switch to the healing brush tool, and the dial controls the brush size.

Logitech MX Creative Console in Use

I enjoy working with the Creative Console, though the scarcity of keys means I either need to set up multiple pages of keys to toggle through, or jump back to the keyboard and mouse for quick tasks. Having multiple pages of keys and a button to toggle between them is faster, but if I need a key on the fourth page, it’s often easier to just use my mouse.

The Contextual Control helps in programs like Photoshop, and Lightroom’s separate Library and Develop panels make the overall combination work well. Press a button, turn the wheel. Press another button, turn the wheel again.

Most video editing uses just five or six keys, so the Creative Console fits into most of my workflow. I’ve programmed it to trim forward and back, cut with the blade tool, select the clip under the playhead, and a few more tasks.

I have issues when I need to jump to a less common tool or function, usually after I’ve finished my first cut, when I’m adding B-roll, transitions, or titles.

Without thinking about it, I typically forget about the MX Creative Console once I’ve jumped back to the keyboard. Only when I start to do basic edits do I notice I’m using the keyboard again.

That’s not a problem specific to the MX Creative Console, but of these devices in general. To use them efficiently, it’s necessary to overwrite some muscle memory.

When I jump between programs, the MX Creative Console becomes most useful. I often forget the shortcuts for common activities in Photoshop, Lightroom, and Illustrator, yet these tools are part of my regular workflow.

Setting up my most commonly used tools in each application keeps me focused on my task and less focused on trying to remember which menu has which control I need.

Logitech MX Creative Console Purchase Recommendations

Even though the Logitech MX Creative Console costs less than half the price of the Loupedeck Creative Tool, it’s still an expensive upgrade.

If you’re a casual user of creative tools, the benefits may not be worth the expense. If you’re a power user, you might find the MX Creative Console slightly limited and be more inclined to use the Loupedeck console.

There is a sweet spot with the MX Creative Console, and that’s with the user who has a heavy workload and wants to get around the roadblocks that using a keyboard and mouse creates.

The split-unit nature of the Display Keys and Contextual Control is appealing, though I keep going back and forth on which side of my keyboard each component should live.

I don’t get as much done with the MX Creative Console as I do with the Loupedeck Creative Tool, but I also don’t get overwhelmed as easily with the Logitech device as I do with the Creative Tool.

If you’re a keyboard shortcut expert, you’ll do better sticking to the shortcuts you’re familiar with, especially if you’ve customized your keyboard.

But if you often search for commands under the menus, or do things with a mouse because you can’t remember the shortcuts, the Logitech MX Creative Console may be the tool that takes your editing to another level. 

Other Tools to Consider

If the Logitech MX Creative Console doesn’t fully meet your needs, several other tools offer different features and price points to enhance your creative workflow:

Elgato Stream Deck XL: A popular control deck with 32 customizable LCD keys, ideal for livestreamers and video editors needing extensive programmable options. [Available on Amazon]

ELECOM HUGE Trackball: An ergonomic wireless trackball mouse with 8 customizable buttons and a large 52mm ball for precise control, ideal for reducing wrist strain during long editing sessions. 

Loupedeck Creative Tool: A premium control deck with over 30 programmable buttons and seven dials, designed for professional photo and video editors seeking a comprehensive interface. 

The post Logitech MX Creative Console – Hands On (Literally) With a Nearly-Perfect Editing Tool appeared first on Imaging Resource.

Over the years, I have dropped many a hard drive or SSD, and while most of them survived, many of them were gone forever with a sad thud as they hit the floor. 

Hard drives were the main culprits for an early death. The spinning platters and mechanics needed to read and write data weren’t designed for sudden deceleration. Nor were they designed to handle water, freezing temperatures, or being crushed. 

Portable hard drives were designed to be more durable than their desktop counterparts, but they’re still incredibly delicate devices. 

Solid State Drives (SSD) handle these conditions better, but they’re still fragile. Get a drive wet and, well, you’ve got an expensive paperweight. Drive over it with your car, and they’re toast, and of course, you are a bad driver.

From the dawn of the portable hard drive era, there have been drives designed to be more durable than most. LaCie was one of the first companies to make a rugged portable hard drive. These units are distinct with an orange silicone bumper protecting the drives, and the blaze orange cover makes the drives easier to see when you put them down.

As we shifted from hard drives to SSDs, the durability of portable drives improved, mostly. There are many popular and inexpensive portable drives on the market. But to achieve their low price, they either are not constructed to withstand the elements (or accidents), or they have slow transfer speeds. 

Drives designed for durability likewise tend to have slow connectivity because the speed is secondary to the data loss protection they provide. Rugged, fast, or affordable—pick any two. 

LaCie claims the Rugged SSD4 is “adventure-proof,” which they say means it is resistant to freezing temperatures, water exposure, drops, and being crushed. 

We’ll see about that. 

Watch our YouTube Review

To be fair, each of these claims comes with a metric. You can’t drop it from your roof or go scuba diving with it. You shouldn’t put it under an elephant’s foot, and it’s not going to survive a trip to photograph penguins in Antarctica. 

More on how we tested these claims is below. 

Imaging Resource Buyer’s Guide to SSDs

If you’re looking for more SSD recommendations, check out our buyer’s guide.

LaCie Tackles Durability and Speed in One Orange Package

The LaCie Rugged SSD4 manages to nail durability and speed, something not a lot of drives can claim.. With transfer speeds up to 4,000 MB/second, the drives are fast enough to do ProRes 4K 120 recording and editing. If you’re not a video editor, just know that’s incredibly fast, more than fast enough to handle even files from a camera with a 100 megapixel sensor like the Hasselblad X2D II 100 C that we reviewed. 

To achieve the speeds provided by the SSD inside the enclosure, the Rugged SSD4 has a USB-C port that handles USB 40Gbps, USB 20Gbps, the older USB 1-Gbps, and the geriatric USB 5Gbps. It also supports Thunderbolt 5, Thunderbolt 4, and Thunderbolt 3.

All of this is to say that you can plug this drive into nearly anything and it will work. Out of the box, it can connect to Macs, iPhones and iPads, Windows machines, Chromebooks, and more.

The Rugged SSD4 has an IP54 rating. A system for quantifying how a device withstands environmental conditions, the “5” means it is not dust-proof, but the amount of dust that can enter won’t degrade performance. The “4” means that it resists water splashed in any direction. 

The price is surprisingly competitive. The 1TB model costs $120, the 2TB model $215, and the 4TB model $400. For comparison, the OWC 1.M2 Express we reviewed is $249 for the 1TB unit, $400 for the 2TB drive, the 4TB is $630, and the 8TB $1300.

The reason the OWC is more expensive than the LaCie Rugged SSD comes down to the heat management of the OWC unit. Enclosed in a body that’s basically a large heat sync, the OWC 1.M2 Express should prevent overheating, which is the leading cause of SSD deaths. 

So while the LaCie Rugged SSD4 is designed to withstand the elements, the OWC drive is designed to survive long-term high-volume data transfers. The LaCie might also do well for years, but heat management isn’t its goal. Surviving a hurricane is. 

LaCie Rugged SSD4 Put to the Test

To test LaCie’s claims of adventure-proofness, we turned to our dedicated and sophisticated hardware evaluation labs and ran multiple calibrated tests.

I’m kidding, my son and I took it, threw it in the deep freezer, and then after a day cooling down and thawing out, we took it outside, threw it, sprayed it with a hose, and drove over it with my car several times. It turns out that driving over an SSD is enjoyable, so we did a few passes. 

After each torture test, we took it immediately to my Mac and tested the speed, and each time it performed as well as it did right ouf ot the box. 

We didn’t adhere to the specs either. We tossed it onto the driveway from a retaining wall about four feet above the ground. We doused it with water from a hose and completely doused it., And, as I said, we drove over it like it was a zombie in The Walking Dead. 

Because I was trying to get some slow-motion footage, and because we wanted it to fall a specific way, we ended up throwing it in the air multiple times, with it hitting the driveway repeatedly.

To quote Timex, it took a licking and kept on ticking. 

I’ve since put the drive back into service, using it for editing in Resolve.

My one gripe is that the drive comes with a rubber plug to cover the USB-C port, and of course, I lost it not in the process of testing it, but sometime when I had it out to use in a coffee shop or at lunch. I’m not sure which.

While the USB-C port is probably fine without this port, I’m not sure why it doesn’t come with some sort of attachment to the silicone bumper or the drive itself. If you buy this drive, keep an eye on that piece.

Should you buy This Drive?

The LaCie Rugged SSD4 lives up to its claims. Without spending years dropping it, it’s hard to say if it will stand the test of time, but a drive like this isn’t meant to be used indefinitely. At some point, I take all of my drives, load them with archive data, and stick them on a shelf. 

Unlike many of my drives, should my shelf collapse, this drive won’t be bothered at all. 

If you’re looking for a rugged SSD that has fast connectivity and tested durability, this drive is a perfect choice.

The post LaCie Rugged SSD4 – We Freeze, Drop, Soak, and Drive Over This “Adventure-Proof” Device appeared first on Imaging Resource.

The MacBook Air took some of the power of the MacBook Pro and shrunk it to the size of today’s iPads. It was impressive, and I ordered one when it went on sale.

While it was small and portable, it wasn’t very fast. I watched the spinning beachball while waiting for a task to finish. The tradeoff of performance for portability was worth it, though, as I was flying tens of thousands of miles a year, and every gram I could shave off was back-saving.

Over the years, the MacBook Air has progressed from a tiny and underpowered computer into a larger but impressively powerful Mac. Today’s MacBook Air is lighter and smaller than the MacBook Pro and lacks some of the punch of the MacBook Pro, but it’s an amazing combination of price and performance.

For my money, the MacBook Air M4 is the best Mac laptop for photographers and video editors. I mean “for my money” literally, as I’ve purchased every MacBook Air model since its release, and the M4 version is the best yet.

MacBook Air M4 (2025) – At a Glance

The M4 MacBook Air continues Apple’s tradition of balancing power, portability, and value. While its exterior remains unchanged from the M3, the new 32GB RAM ceiling, dual 6K display support, and faster M4 processor make this a meaningful upgrade-especially for photographers and video editors. In real-world testing, it handles everything from Lightroom to DaVinci Resolve with ease, trailing only in render times compared to desktop-class Macs. Lightweight, quiet, and stunningly bright with a P3 1-billion-color display, the M4 MacBook Air is Apple’s most capable ultra-portable yet.

Pros

• Excellent balance of performance, portability, and price
• Now supports up to 32GB of unified memory
• Can power two external 6K displays at 60Hz
• Bright 500-nit P3 display with True Tone and 1 billion colors
• Whisper-quiet and lightweight, perfect for travel
• Significant multi-core performance boost over M3 model
• Exceptional build quality and six-speaker audio system
• Ideal for photographers and editors who use proxy workflows

Cons

• Still slower at final renders than MacBook Pro or Mac Studio
• No active cooling means potential thermal throttling under heavy loads
• Limited GPU improvement over M3 generation
• Higher RAM and storage configurations increase cost quickly
• Same exterior design as previous two models

Where to buy the MacBook Air M4

The MacBook Air M4 is available at Amazon, B&H, and Apple.

MacBook Air M4 Versus M3 MacBook Air Specs

The MacBook Air’s external design is unchanged from the M3 and M2 models, but there are some internal differences.

Apple’s shift to a 32 GB maximum RAM setup is reason enough for many potential users to buy the M4. The 24 GB upper limit of the M3 MacBook Air was underwhelming and could easily slow down complex operations.

Another significant change for photo and video creators is supporting external monitors. The M3 could support one external display at up to 6K and a second display at 5K if the MacBook Air were run with the lid closed, using that display as the primary monitor.

The M4 MacBook Air can run two displays at 6K resolution and a 60Hz refresh rate. This change makes the new M4 version a worthwhile upgrade over the M3 model for video editors.

The M4 also features several minor improvements, including a slightly higher resolution and six speakers, compared to the four on the M3.

Display-wise, the M4 MacBook Air is brilliant, literally and figuratively. It supports 1 billion colors using the P3 color gamut and Apple’s True Tone system to manage screen colors. At 500 nits, the display is bright enough to be easily seen outdoors.

Unlimited Power

Apple’s M-series processors are at the heart of all of its computers, and it’s a powerful but confusing lineup. These chip architectures have four generations, with M4 being the most recent.

The naming of the processors seems straightforward as each generation progresses from M1 to M4. The M4 processor would be faster than M3 or M2, but this isn’t always true.

In each of the processor lines, there are base models (M1, M2, etc.) and enhanced versions of each chip called Pro and Max. Additionally, the M2 lineup includes an Ultra model.

As a result, the M4 processor in the MacBook Air is not as powerful as the M3 Pro in the MacBook Pro, especially in graphics tasks. Since the MacBook Air M3 and M4 are both based on the same chip, the M4 is faster than its predecessor, but not radically.

Apple’s chips are multi-core processors, meaning two or more are on the same chip. Multi-core processors allow the computer to do multiple things at once or to do the same task faster.

The M4 MacBook Air is 28 percent faster than the M3 MacBook Air in multi-core tasks. That’s a significant speed boost for typical computing tasks, but graphics processing is key to performance for photographers and video editors.

The M4 MacBook Air is only 13 percent faster than the M3 version in graphics tasks. Any speed boost is welcome in video or photo editing, but 13 percent might not be noticeable depending on your typical tasks.

Is the M4 MacBook Air Good For Photographers and Videographers

The MacBook Air was never designed to be a speed demon, but even the base M4 processor is more powerful than some of Apple’s earlier M1 and M2 desktop models.

My main workstation is a M1 Max Mac Studio, and it’s a speed demon, but thanks to the optimization in most photo apps, the performance of the M4 MacBook Air feels no different than my desktop Studio.

In editing a video, there’s virtually no difference. All professional video apps create proxy files for faster editing. A proxy file is a low-resolution version of footage that serves as a placeholder for the high-resolution footage until the final project is exported.

Editing speeds are identical to those on my desktop when I work on videos for Imaging Resource’s YouTube channel (youtube.com/@imagingresourcereviews) and my personal YouTube channel (youtube.com/@davetriesthis).

It’s not until the final footage is rendered that speed differences become noticeable since the edits are applied to the full-resolution footage.

To test the performance of the M4 MacBook Air, I tested rendering the same project across both my M1 Max Mac Studio and the M4 MacBook Air. The sample project runs for eight minutes and has hundreds of cuts, dozens of titles, and a few dozen transitions.

I rendered both as ProRes 422HQ, using the same OWC Envoy hard drive on both machines for both the project and the location of the rendered file. The M1 Max Mac Studio completed the render in a minute and 22 seconds, while the M4 MacBook Air clocked in at two minutes and 22 seconds.

The performance of both renders seemed similar; however, the project included a few processor-intensive warp transitions, which the MacBook Air struggled to handle.

For a short video, these times are barely different. Hit render and grab a coffee, and they’ll both be completed when you return. But render a longer or more complex project; suddenly, you’re looking at significant speed differences.

Those differences are more pronounced when you look at the current state of Mac desktops. These tests were an entry-level M4 processor versus a year-old M1 Max Mac Studio, but the current crop of Mac Studio comes with either an M4 Max or Mprocessor processor.

Should You Get the M4 MacBook Air?

It would be pointless to compare the performance differences between all the models of Mac laptops and desktops, as they serve different purposes. Still, I can give general purchase recommendations based on each model’s other customers.

The Mac desktops are by far the best value in dollar-per-performance. With a laptop, you’re always paying more for the ability to work in a coffee shop instead of in your office. On the other hand, the Mac Studio is overpowered for many photographers and videographers.

Compared to the MacBook Pro, the M4 MacBook is particularlyicularly anemic. The MacBook Pro 16-inch comes in either the M4 Pro or M4 Max configuration. The M4 Max base model is $3,200, although the base model of the sixteen-inch M4 Max is $4,000. Configuring a MacBook Air to match the memory and hard drive specs of the Mac Pro costs only $2,000.

If you’re mostly using Lightroom, Capture One, or any of today’s photo editing tools, the M4 MacBook Air is a compelling machine. It has more than enough horsepower to work with even massive photos without missing a beat.

For editors working in Resolve, Premiere, or Final Cut, the M4 MacBook Air is surprisingly powerful. Video editing software has been designed to allow for low-horsepower editing, and proxy files make even complex jobs taxing for most computers, but I edit 4K/24 content in Resovle with no issues.

When rendering, the speed of a MacBook Pro or Mac Studio becomes apparent. Even my years-old Mac Studio halves the rendering time of my typical jobs.

But do you need the fastest rendering speeds? The question might come down to the length of your projects. At the speeds I recorded in my video tests, an hour-long video would take around twenty-five minutes to render, while it would take my older Mac Studio around ten minutes.

Compared to a current-generation MacBook Pro or the M4 Max Mac Studio, the MacBook Air would be left in the dust, but that dust comes with a significantly higher price tag. If you’re looking for the fastest Mac laptop, the MacBook Pro is it, as it puts desktop-level performance in a portable-albeit heavy-body.

If you already have a powerful desktop Mac, the MacBook Air makes a perfect companion. It’s light enough to take anywhere, the display is as good as the MacBook Pro’s, and the top-end configuration of 32GB of memory and 2TB SSD makes it an incredibly capable machine.

Since the M4 MacBook Air can now connect to multiple displays, it also makes a cost-effective hub for a multi-monitor setup, opening up many multitasking possibilities.

The M4 MacBook Air is a powerful, light, beautiful computer, and I now do most of my work on it. From a performance perspective, it can do almost any task the MacBook Pro can do until you get to video rendering times.

If you’d like to work anywhere without emptying your bank account, the MacBook Air is a perfect choice.

Where to buy the MacBook Air M4

The MacBook Air M4 is available at Amazon, B&H, and Apple.

The post Six Months With the MacBook Air M4 – Does Apple’s Ligthest Laptop Still Hold Up for Photo and Video Users appeared first on Imaging Resource.

Quick Take: The K&F Concept RGB LED video light is a compact powerhouse that offers impressive brightness, full RGB color control, variable color temperature, and built-in effects modes. It’s lightweight, portable, and surprisingly well-executed for the price point. Whether you’re building out a YouTube kit, doing remote interviews, or need a creative fill light, this is a solid pick from a company that’s been quietly putting out really great gear for years.

K&F Concept RGB LED Video Light Hands-on Review

I’ve tested many portable video lights over the years, and most fall into one of two categories: inexpensive but underpowered, or powerful, bulky, and expensive. So I wasn’t expecting much when I opened the box of the K&F Concept’s new RGB LED video light.

K&F Concept is most known for their filters and, more recently, their tripods. I started working with the media team there years ago, where I was impressed with the quality of the optics in their filters, and how bomb proof their tripods are.

A Different Type of K&F Concept Product Line

K&F Concept is not known for lighting, though, so I was dubious when they sent me the RGB LED video light to test. At around $ 40, it’s at a price pretty typical for low-quality lights, but with full RGB color adjustment and capable of eye-watering brightness, it’s more flexible than many portable LED lights I’ve tried. It’s especially more useful than the one-color lights that often ship with selfie sticks.

Despite its compact size, the K&F RGB light packs an impressive number of features. Two control dials and a multifunction button give you direct control over brightness, color temperature, and full RGB hue adjustment. A small rear screen makes it easy to see exactly which setting you’re adjusting at all times-a detail that’s often overlooked in lights at this price point. Usually, lights make you turn dials while you guess what settings you’re changing.

Color Temperatures and Brightness

The Bi-color mode’s temperature ranges from a warm tungsten to a crisp daylight, while the RGB mode lets you cycle through the full spectrum of hues. It even includes a set of video effects modes, like “TV flicker,” candlelight, flame, and emergency strobes-helpful for filmmakers looking to create mood or simulate real-world light sources.

This light also manages to hit a level of brightness that is impressive for its size. At 100% output, it’s easily strong enough for on-camera key lighting in a pinch. While shining the light on myself in my video review, I decided I liked the look so much that I changed my studio light setup.

The compact design makes it ideal for travel or small studio setups. It includes a cold shoe mount (positionable on either side) and a lanyard, so you can attach it to your rig or carry it hands-free.

If you’re a YouTuber, photographer, vlogger, or need a flexible fill light for creative work and selfies, this is a surprisingly capable tool.

You can see the full demo, including brightness tests, RGB transitions, and effects modes, in my video below.

Where To Buy the K&F Concept RGB Video Light

Check Prices or Buy The K&F Concept RGB Light

The post K&F Concept RGB LED Video Light Review: Portable Lighting That Punches Above Its Weight appeared first on Imaging Resource.

It’s quickly become one of my favorite external SSD drive combinations.

My Video Review of the TerraMaster D1 SSD Plus

TerraMaster D1 SSD Plus Specs and Acronyms

There wasn’t much jargon in the world of hard drives; specs were mostly about the rotating speed of the drive. A 7200 revolutions per minute (RPM) drive was fast; a 10,000 RPM drive was faster.

SSD technology has introduced so many acronyms that it’s hard to keep track. The TerraMaster D1 SSD Plus is a USB-C NVMe enclosure that supports PCIe Gen 3 and Gen 4 drives and connects over a 10Gbps USB-C port.

NVMe describes the type of memory used, supported, in this case, Non-Volatile Memory Express. This means that the enclosure can use the M.2 SSD standard, which is a type of connector found on standard SSD drives.

PCIe Gen 3 and Gen 4 refer to the speed of the drive’s interface. The higher the “Gen,” the faster the connectivity. Gen 5 drives and enclosures exist, but they can be prohibitively expensive.

One of the more important specs is the speed of the USB-C port itself, as it determines the overall throughput of the drive, measured in Gigabits Per Second (Gbps). 10Gbps is a fast connection, but not the fastest available. USB4 can support up to 40Gbps, and USB4 Version 2 has a theoretical maximum throughput of 120Gbps.

Unless you’re rendering effects for a Marvel movie, you won’t need the top speed of USB4 Version 2.

The interface in the TerraMaster D1 SSD Plus maxes out at about 2000MB/s in real-world usage, so there’s no sense putting a top-of-the-line Gen 5 SSD in there. Instead, I opted for the Crucial P3 Plus-a Gen 4 SSD that’s rated at speeds up to 5000MB/s.

While the drive itself is capable of much faster speeds, the enclosure becomes the limiting factor, not the SSD. And that’s precisely what you want in this kind of build: a drive that’s overkill for the enclosure, so you’re never hitting the limits of the storage.

TerraMaster D1 SSD Plus Setup and Design

The enclosure itself is almost entirely tool-free and bus-powered, which means no extra power cable and no fiddling with screwdrivers in the field. There’s an included screwdriver to open the case, but after you pop the drive in and screw the case closed, you’re ready to go.

It’s compact enough to fit in any gear pouch or even a jacket pocket. The all-aluminum case seems more than durable for my type of usage, which in my case is to accidentally drop it occasionally.

Heat is the Kryptonite to an SSD, and the heat-sink structure of the drive dissipates heat quickly. A common misconception in drive design is that any high temperature of a heat-sink design means the internals are too hot. The external temperature of an enclosure like this means that the heat is being dissipated, so it’s cooler inside.

TerraMaster D1 SSD Plus Real World Use

I’ve used the drive to edit videos in Resolve, and it’s more than fast enough for any task I would need.

Using BlackMagic Disk Speed Test (a benchmarking tool used for most drive testing), the drive scores nearly 4000Mbps in write and hits 3000Mbps in read speeds. According to Disk Speed Test, it makes the drive fast enough to edit up to 12K DCI 60 footage, which is well above anything I have to throw at it.

This setup offers pro-level performance without overpaying for features you can’t use. It’s fast, lightweight, reliable, and surprisingly affordable.

If you’re a photographer or videographer looking for a solid external SSD solution, this combo works. It handled my workflow on the road, and it’s just as solid now that I’m back in the studio.

Where To Check TerraMaster D1 SSD Plus Prices and Buy

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TerraMaster D1 SSD Plus

Crucial P3 Plus 1TB NVMe SSD

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For streamers and talking head videos the look of the on-cameara gear makes a statement as well. Professional level gear signifies expert level opinions.

Whether you’re streaming, podcasting, or recording voiceovers, the right microphone setup can elevate production quality more than almost any other piece of equipment. That’s why we were particularly interested when Elgato sent over a complete kit built around their Wave DX dynamic microphone.

Our Hands-On Elgato Wave Product Unboxing and Testing

The package included four key products: the Wave DX mic, the Wave Mic Arm Pro, the Wave Desk Stand, and the Wave XLR interface. It’s a modular ecosystem designed to suit creators with different desk setups, and we wanted to see how well the components worked together-and how they stacked up against the gear we use daily.

Elgato Wave DX vs. Logitech Blue Sona Microphone

To evaluate the setup, we did a full unboxing and real-world installation, comparing the Wave DX directly to our Logitech Blue Sona microphone (no longer available from retailers). We tested ease of assembly, cable management features, desktop ergonomics, and-most importantly-audio quality. We also took a close look at Elgato’s thoughtful packaging, which leans heavily on recyclable materials, and appreciated design details like magnetic cable routing and hardware adjustability.

Our early impressions? The Wave Mic Arm Pro offers excellent flexibility and feels solid, the Desk Stand is sturdy and well-suited for fixed setups, and the Wave XLR interface makes the analog mic instantly accessible to USB workflows with built-in 48v phantom power, gain control, and headphone monitoring.

The post Elgato Wave DX Dynamic Microphone Kit Review appeared first on Imaging Resource.

Wacom Movink 13: Pros

• Very responsive
• Portable, very thin, and lightweight
• Excellent quality OLED screen
• Easy to set up and use
• Touchscreen capabilities
• Includes free third-party software discounts and offers

Wacom Movink 13: Cons

• A bit pricey
• Lacks wireless or Bluetooth connectivity
• Need to pay extra to use with older computers that lack USB-C ports
• Need to pay more for basic accessories that should come with the pen display

Wacom Movink 13: Technical Specifications

• Brand: Wacom
• Display Type Technology: OLED
• Display Size: 13.3 inches
• Native Resolution: Full HD or 1920 x 1080 pixels (@50/60Hz)
• Active Area: 11.6 x 6.5 inches (or 294 x 165 mm)
• Aspect Ratio: 16:9

Wacom Movink 13: Bottom Line

The Wacom Movink 13 pen display tablet is lightweight, portable, and easy to set up and use. It might be an invaluable computer accessory for most photographers and content creators. However, you’ll want a newer computer with USB-C ports for best results.

When Wacom introduced the Movink 13, it described it as the company’s “first OLED pen display designed and developed to meet the needs of creative professionals, digital artists, and design students.” According to its press release, it combined “a professional pen experience with full HD OLED technology for a super slim display.” As an experienced photographer and a long-time user of various Wacom tablets, the word that jumped out was “experience.” Why? I’ve been using Wacom tablets on and off for decades, and the experience has been mixed.

For example, one pricey Wacom display tablet I used about 20 years ago had a significant lag. When I moved the stylus across the screen to create a brushstroke, there was a delay before the cursor on the tablet display moved. It was not a good experience at all.

Overall, I had an excellent experience using this ultra-thin display tablet, which supports Windows, macOS, Android, and Chromebook devices. There’s no hint of the lag that plagued these devices so long ago. When tackling various tasks, whether removing dust spots from a photo, creating a digital painting, or producing a short animation, the Wacom Movink proved up to the task.

(See “How I Tested This Pen Display Tablet” below).

Wacom Movink 13: Design and Performance – A Very Thin But Powerful Pen Display

The Movink’s super-thin, minimalist, rectangular design tapers ever so slightly from top to bottom, and I find it beautiful. Its thickness might give the impression that it’s not very sturdy or powerful, but it is both.

It’s constructed with tough Corning Gorilla glass, has an anti-glare surface, and has an anti-fingerprint coating. For extra toughness, it also has a durable magnesium alloy body. The tablet is based around Samsung’s OLED technology, which has Full HD resolution, 10-bit color, and a contrast ratio of 100,000:1. Users can configure the Wacom Movink for 100 percent DCI-P3 and 95 percent Adobe RGB coverage with a Delta E difference of 2 or less, validated by Pantone.

In simple terms, this means the Movink 13 has an incredibly sharp and vibrant display. It shows a full range of rich, accurate colors, ideal for artists, designers, and anyone who needs their work to look right on screen. Thanks to the OLED technology, blacks look truly black, not gray, and the contrast makes everything pop. The colors are so accurate that they meet professional standards used in the film and print industries-and they’ve even been officially certified by Pantone for color precision.

If you own a newer laptop or desktop, which will most likely have USB-C ports supporting video output, you’ll need just one USB-C cable to connect the Movink to your computer. That’s right-no extra power cable. However, there is also an option to connect an additional USB-C cable for the AC adapter and AC plug (sold separately) to power the Movink when using computers that don’t have enough power to run both devices.

Before you use Movink 13, you’ll need to download drivers for your computer, whether for Mac, PC, or certain Chromebooks (running the latest version of ChromeOS). It will also work with select Android devices, like the Samsung S24 (Note: The pen can be used with Android devices, but according to Wacom, the touch function is unavailable as of April 2024.) The required Wacom Center utility can customize the tablet and stylus use, which I’ll discuss below. You can also access user help, updates, and product information in the Wacom Center.

At the start of this review, I noted that for best results, you should own a newer computer with USB-C ports. But what if you’re working with an older laptop or desktop?

Suppose you don’t have these types of ports on your computer. In that case, you’ll not only need to spend more to buy the pricey Wacom Converter, $79.95, but you’ll also need to purchase several additional accessories, depending on your system, which could include an HDMI cable (HDMI 2.0 later), a USB-C to C or USB-C to A for the pen signal, and possibly an AC adapter (24 Watts minimum and a cable with a USB-C plug on one end) to power the Wacom tablet. That means you might have to pay at least $100 or more unless you have those items already.

My guess is that most creators will be working on newer computers with USB-C so that it won’t be as much of a dealbreaker for most of the intended users.

Wacom Movink 13: A Versatile Stylus – The Wacom Pro Pen 3

The Wacom Pro Pen 3 was introduced in 2022, alongside the Wacom Cintiq Pro 27, and is an excellent tool for Movink, although the Wacom One Standard Pen (CP92303B2Z) and Wacom One Pen (CP91300B2Z) are also compatible with the Movink 13.

Wacom says the Movink 13 is the first display tablet with third-party pen support. So, you have the option to use non-Wacom pens, including, among others, the Staedtler Noris Digital, Staedtler Noris Digital Jumbo, Lamy safari twin pen EMR black, Lamy AL-star black EMR digital writing pen, Dr. Grip Digital for Wacom (Aqua Blue) (CP202A01A), and Dr. Grip Digital for Wacom (Black) (CP202A02A).

I didn’t find the new Wacom stylus to be much different from the previous ones I’ve used, although I did like that it was thinner and had three instead of two physical customizable buttons.

In addition to being cordless and battery-free, the Wacom Pro Pen 3 provides 8192 levels of pressure sensitivity. If you want to sketch fine-art lines like those of Peter Paul Rubens, which go from barely visible to the deepest, darkest tone, you have more than 8,000 “pressure” levels.

The Pro Pen 3 supports a 60-degree tilt, mimicking pencil shading in digital painting apps. Its two sections are interchangeable, allowing users to access three replacement nibs by unscrewing them.

I would have liked to have received a pen holder in the package, which would have prevented me from losing the pen.

Editor’s Note: This is the first thing I noticed when preparing the Movink 13 for review. The protective bag (which, by the way, you need to purchase separately for $44.95) doesn’t even have a space to house the pen, and I’m surprised I didn’t lose it before sending it out to be reviewed.

Wacom Movink 13: Customizing Your Workflow

Various tools on the Wacom Movink 13 and Pro Pen 3 let you customize your setup and workflow.

The pen display tablet features a physical button on each side adjacent to each USB-C port. Two virtual Touch Key buttons are also on the display surface, approximately where the physical buttons are located. Additionally, there are three customizable physical buttons on the pen itself. All seven of these buttons can be configured through the Wacom Center app.

I found setting up these buttons, called ExpressKeys and Radio Menus, relatively intuitive, but perhaps that’s because they were on previous tablets I used. I think beginners will need to spend some time figuring out how to use them to suit their workflow.

Also, some users may desire extra physical shortcut keys built into the device to press for repeated actions, like increasing or decreasing the brush size. But considering how thin the device is, it’s nice to have any physical controls at all.

Wacom Movink 13: A Pen Display Tablet with Few Flaws

There are only a few flaws with the Movink 13. For example, as I mentioned earlier, you’ll need to pay extra to purchase a Wacom Converter to use it with older computers that lack USB-C ports. (Your computer will need to have an HDMI port, though.)

You can only connect to your computer using a wired connection rather than connecting via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. This is necessary because the Movink 13 isn’t just a drawing tablet; it’s also a display. Bluetooth and WiFi might be fast enough to track the movement of the stylus, but neither are robust enough connections to power a display.

Another minor flaw for some is that although the Wacom Movink 13 has two physical buttons, it doesn’t have as many as some other display tablets, like the XPPen Artist 12 Pro Pen Display, which has eight physical shortcut buttons. Of course, how many shortcut buttons you need can be a matter of preference. However, it’s more convenient to have shortcut buttons.

Using the Wacom Foldable Stand for Movink accessory provides a better experience using the pen display, and like a stylus holder, I wish that were standard on this $750 tablet.

Wacom Movink 13: How I Tested This Pen Display Tablet

A valuable aspect of using a pen display tablet with your computer is its ability to dramatically enhance your digital photograph editing and multimedia production and overall productivity. Photographers will appreciate display tablets because they allow for quick photo editing in the field or studio while enabling the creation of drawings, illustrations, and animations. Additionally, they are excellent for handwriting notes and swiftly converting those notes into text, all of which I tested.

I used Adobe Photoshop to restore an old sepia-toned portrait of my grandmother and removed dust, spots, pen marks, and blemishes from the photo. I also used Photoshop and BorisFX Optics to add some fun effects to a self-portrait.

I also tested how well it handled other types of image-making: I used Corel Painter 2023 to replicate the appearance of a painting of a still life.

With Adobe Premiere Rush, I put together a very short video clip with a title, filters, transition effects, and audio clips. I also used Propellerhead’s Reason 12 to see how it handled audio files. Using Adobe After Effects, I produced a short animation video of an animated self-portrait drawing traced from a selfie using the animation app’s paint tools. Finally, I used the note-taking app Notability to quickly handwrite some notes and see how well they converted into text.

Wacom Movink 13: Price and Availability

Wacom pen display tablets range from $250 for the Wacom One 12 display tablet (11.6 inches) to more than $3,000 for the Wacom Cintiq Pro 27 Creative pen display.

The Wacom Movink 13, the pen display tablet tested in this review, costs $749.95 and includes the tablet, the Wacom Pro Pen 3 (with nib holder and replacement nibs), a USB-C cable, and a Quick Start Guide. It’s available on the Wacom website, Amazon, B&H, and other major online retailers.

Wacom Movink 13: Adobe Premiere Rush Video-editing test video

Wacom Movink 13: Adobe After Effects Animation-creation test video

The post Wacom Movink 13 Hands-On Review: A Professional-level Pen Display With A Few Quirks appeared first on Imaging Resource.