Large and weighty lightboxes were once the preserve of die-hard darkroom enthusiasts and professional photographers during the analog film era, used to identify, review, and catalog images displayed on slide, negative or transparency. Fast forward to the digital era and not only can we pick the modern equivalent up at a reasonable cost, but thanks to LED technology they’re now slim and cool to the touch in use. While standard modern examples offer mains and/or USB power, some higher-priced alternatives feature a built-in rechargeable battery that, once fully juiced, offers the potential for use anywhere and everywhere. Even if, most typically, we may be balancing said light box or panel on our laps when perched on the sofa.
With its minimalist white finish and frosted screen surround reminding us of an Apple-like design, as a contrast to rivals opting instead for a shiny black bezel, German manufacturer Dorr’s LED Light Tablet is not only cool to the touch… but also looks very cool with it.
We had its mid-range LT-3838 example in for review, which boasts a central screen that, at a completely square 34cmx34cm, gives its users an illuminated viewing area just slightly larger than a 12-inch vinyl record sleeve. The outer circumference of 38x38cm meanwhile, comparable to a small side table, is how this example derives its name.
In being one of the larger examples we’ve looked at, without being prohibitively so, does the Dorr LED Light Tablet offer sufficient practicality to make up for what’s lost in portability? Read on to find out...
Dorr LED Light Tablet: Specifications
Dorr LED Light Tablet: Key Features
At just over a kilogram in weight this daylight-balanced 5600K device provides soft and even light across its surface, which helps lessen eye strain when utilized for prolonged periods. The Dorr LT-3838 LED Light Tablet’s central illuminated area measures a decent 34x34cm in size, meaning we can display half a dozen strips of negatives at once, or multiple image formats at the same time. Alternatively, it simply offers more room for tracing images, if that’s what you’re considering this tablet for.
As with rival LED-powered examples, with operational controls pared back to just an on/off button, this light tablet /panel /box is once more as simple as plug ‘n’ play. The intensity of the light can be usefully controlled depending on our personal preferences or surroundings, as the screen is dimmable.
While some may be disappointed that there is no built-in rechargeable battery provided here, we feel that we’re nevertheless getting value for money, as there is a USB cable, adapter, and mains plug provided in the box. This isn’t always the case with budget-priced light panels.
The lack of an integral battery has also partly allowed for a slim profile, with this light tablet being just 8mm thick. So while we have a decent-sized viewing area provided, it isn’t prohibitively heavy, at just over a kilogram in weight.
Also usefully featured in the box is a protective draw-string cover, to keep dust off the device if disposing of the actual box it arrives in.
Dorr LED Light Tablet: Design & Handling
This acrylic construction panel outwardly resembles a premium example of its ilk, with its almost Apple product-like design. Held in the hand it feels substantial without being unmanageably weighty at over a kilogram. As noted, the one thing the German Dorr LED Light Tablet omits is a built-in battery feature. However, having a mains adapter and plug provided out of the box is more than we’d normally expect at this price.
Handling wise it’s fast to respond to. Plug it in, press the power button, hold it down and the brightness of the centrally illuminated area will almost imperceptibly increase in intensity. A subsequent tap with our finger held in place will dim the screen. Or a single quick tap will deactivate it. We couldn’t ask for anything simpler or more responsive if looking for a light pad.
Dorr LED Light Tablet: Performance
Performance wise, the Dorr LED Light Tablet delivers exactly what we’d expect of it. Getting started involves plugging the micro USB enabled end of the cable attached to the mains adapter into the device and the other end of the cable with a mains plug permanently added into a mains socket. We follow this up with a press of the touch sensitive power button set into the white screen surround framing its completely square central illuminated area.
Like rival panels at varying price points and in varying sizes from manufacturers including Kaiser and Huion, Dorr’s example is dimmable in exactly the same way, so we can adjust to suit our personal preference, or the ambient lighting conditions available to us at the time.
As with competing models from the likes of Chinese manufacturer Huion, the brightness provided by the Kaiser Slimlite Plano is manually dimmable, as desired. The intensity of the light here is also very much on a par with those examples, while the experience of utilising its soft, even light for viewing slides and negatives is again closely comparable. At no point, even when using the device at maximum brightness, did we find it dazzling or hurting our eyes.
Dorr LED Light Tablet: Verdict
The Dorr LED Light Tablet offers very good value indeed, considering it offers a large-ish viewing area of 34x34cm for the LT-3838 iteration we had to look at, and comes with a mains adapter and plug. OK, so we don’t get an integral rechargeable battery at this price. But the overall dimensions here probably make the Dorr device better suited to a table or desktop anyway, rather than for use on the fly.
Build quality is also better than expected, while the design is practical yet classy. If we want to throw several analog film formats onto our viewer at once or would find a larger area than the standard A4 useful for tracing images, then this 8mm slim light tablet could be one that’s worthy of training our own spotlight on.
Alternatives
One feature that is missed here is a built-in rechargeable battery. Not an issue if we’re going to be using the tablet within reach of mains power. But, if we’d like a more portable unit that does feature a rechargeable battery then we’d recommend taking a look at the Kaiser Slimlite Plano lightbox range. Yes, we do pay a bit more for having a built-in battery, but the manufacturer has managed to include one while still delivering a device, that, like the Dorr example here, is just 8mm ‘thick’.
Alternatively, if a 38x38cm tablet is not what we’re after in terms of portability but we want something at a comparably budget price, then the Chinese-made Huion L4S light box, in effect another light panel rather than a box per se, is worth investigating. This boasts an illuminated viewing area broadly similar to a sheet of A4/ US letter-sized paper.
