Alpine Labs
Verdict: Alpine Labs was created in 2012 with the aim to provide photographers with affordable yet high-quality camera accessories. Most of all, I like that all their products are easy to use, featuring a long-lasting design and sleek appearance. Unlike counterparts, these items come only with necessary elements for convenient and efficient work.
The founders of Alpine Labs believe that our world is a magnificent place with numerous beautiful phenomena that are worth photographing. They strive to make this process as enjoyable as possible, offering amateurs and experts varied items for their job. The collection of photography accessories is constantly growing to keep up with picky customers’ demands.
In 2021, five Stanford college students on Alpine Street decided to conduct varied experiments with photography gadgets in order to understand how to achieve different results. They wanted to collect a perfect photography kit for capturing picturesque views and their nearest and dearest in a professional way.
Initially, they took advantage of crowdfunding in order to bring their dreams to life. Later, they rolled out several products and Kickstarter campaigns, thus, attracting the attention of a broader audience and finding their place in the market. Alpine Labs is currently among the top three companies in this niche, providing photographers with reliable equipment and accessories for documenting fleeting moments of our life. They always keep tabs on the latest advancements to upgrade their collections.
In this Alpine Labs review, we will focus on 3 main products the manufacturers offer to customers – Spark, Pulse, and Radian 2. Visiting the official Alpine Labs store, you will see lots of other products, including cables, gift cards, etc.
This is a triple-purpose remote trigger that will become an indispensable item of your kit once you try it. You need to attach it to the top of your camera in the hot-shoe and connect via USB. The main thing here is to ensure you have a cable specifically meant for your camera model. By pressing a button on the trigger, you can activate the shutter without physically touching your device, thus, preventing camera shake.
If you own a camera with infrared ports and it’s Spark-compatible, you can initiate shooting even without dealing with cables. Since this trigger is designed to work with multiple Canon, Nikon, Sony, Olympus, Hasselblad, Fujifilm, and Pentax cameras, chances are high you’ll be able to pair it with your device.
The third variant of using this Alpine Labs product is to install the Spark app on your smartphone and start taking photos via Bluetooth. The main condition, in this case, is that both devices must be at a distance of no more than 100ft. Thus, you can trigger the shutter remotely using the app or set a timed or manual long exposure capture based on the shooting conditions. The Spark is fitted with a branded battery that guarantees uninterrupted work for over 2,000 hours.
Photo taken with Alpine Labs Spark
With such a camera remote control at hand, you can also manage the process of creating time-lapses, setting an interval and total duration of the shoot (e.g., 1 frame/30 sec within an hour), capturing a series of HDR brackets with the possibility to choose the number of photos and exposure parameters between shots. What’s more, there is the Photo Booth mode, which allows defining the number of images a camera will take and what the delay time between shots will be.
Note: Since all commands are sent and kept in the battery-powered Spark, the app won’t deplete your phone’s battery if you are taking time-lapses or long exposure photos.
This is a Bluetooth module that works in conjunction with a smartphone while being attached to the hot shoe of your Canon or Nikon camera. You need to install the Pulse app on your iOS or Android device in order to control a camera at a distance.
Pulse is equipped with a micro-USB connector needed for charging and pairing it with a DLSR. The back of the module features a power switch while the bottom side is occupied by a footб with no electrical connectionб that slides into the hot shoe. In fact, this foot is just a plastic plug aimed at keeping the device fixed. To connect the Pulse with your camera, you need to use an included USB cable and plug one side into the Pulse and the other – into the camera body.
Photo taken with Alpine Labs Pulse
Pulse surpasses intervalometers embedded in some cameras, as it allows users to do exposure ramping when recording time-lapses. Therefore, you can work with the manual mode on while shooting day & night time lapses. In a regular mode, it is impossible to control the exposure triangle and scrutinize every photo thumbnail after a shot was taken.
In video mode, you can also start recording and stop it. If you are seriously into landscape photography or want to try your hand at HDR or long exposure shooting, you should totally invest in this Alpine Labs product.
If you are looking for a Bluetooth mount, Radian 2 is definitely worth checking out. It works flawlessly with any camera, allowing you to set up shots and record time-lapses in a trouble-free manner. With this device connected to your camera, you can control the shutter wirelessly and make use of advanced intervalometer settings from up to 100 feet away. Thanks to the durability and handy features, the Radian 2 is a go-to option for professional photographers worldwide.
Radian 2 amazes with the slow movement of 20,000 discrete positions within 360 degrees. Those frequently shooting time-lapses, know that the level of angular resolution is of paramount importance in this case. With Radian 2, you can take smooth motion time-lapses without going the extra mile. Of course, there are lots of devices that can move a camera but few of them can offer such accuracy of movement as this product.
Photo taken with Alpine Labs Radian 2
However, before you can get down to the shooting process, you need to devote time to mastering the mount. There are different cables and accessories that can cause confusion at first glance. Fortunately, Alpine Labs offer a PDF manual and tutorials, but most processes require the trial-n-error method.
Open the official website and head to the “Learn” section to find guidelines on how to use all their accessories during shooting. For instance, you can find out how to use Radian 2 or/and Pulse in stop motion photography, broaden your knowledge of HDR photography, and more.
The cost of products in the store starts at $8.99.
If you want to present your relative or friend fond of photography with something special but don’t know what can satisfy him/her, just buy a Gift Card from Alpine Labs. A person will receive a card by email and can choose anything he/she likes from the store. Gift cards have no additional processing fees.
At the moment, there are no alternative manufacturers that can fully replace Alpine Labs. The main advantage of their accessories is the combination of high quality and reasonable cost.
