We are MOON. We design tools for photographers. Analog & digital.

There are a lot of exciting ideas and innovative products we want to realise and put in the hands of photographers. This is the first one.

Tiny Flash

As photographers, we realised there wasn't a small camera flash on the market. We decided to address this and set out to design the world's most compact unit.

Here is Tiny Flash.

Prototypes have been made and tested, and the next step is to fund the project. This is where you come in. We need your help to start manufacturing and turn Tiny Flash into a real product.

Ultra Compact

With Tiny Flash, we managed to cram a decent amount of light into a very compact form- factor. Using a flash no longer means carrying a bulky device in your bag or on your camera. In fact, it’s so small and inconspicuous that you will likely want to keep it mounted onto your camera at all times.

We believe we have designed the World’s most compact camera flash. It is simply the smallest flash we know.

USB-C Charging. Just Like Your Smartphone.

To make things even easier and convenient, we have designed Tiny Flash with an integrated battery. This means you will no longer have to go through the logistics of carrying a battery-charger, taking out the batteries of your flash, charging them, and putting them back in. Tiny Flash recharges via its own USB Type-C port, just like the majority of smartphones. You can charge it from the mains, from a laptop, or from any other USB power socket. You can even charge it on-the-go, directly from your Android smartphone. This will give you a few bursts of light in just a couple of minutes.

For Most Cameras, Analog or Digital. 

Whether you shoot analog or digital, the latest high megapixel sensor or a vintage camera, Tiny Flash has you covered. Stripping it down from any complexity and keeping the bare essentials means that it is compatible with the vast majority of cameras, old or new. That likely includes your camera.

For cameras designed during or after the 70s, Tiny Flash is simply mounted onto the hot-shoe, like any modern flash. And if your camera is older, like an older Leica M body, then you can connect Tiny Flash via the PC sync port of your camera.

Effortless

One button. One mode. From powering ON and OFF to testing and to shooting, Tiny flash has only one button to do everything. We’ve stripped down the concept of flash from its redundant functions, and counterproductive automations, and reduced it to its bare essence.

Controlling exposure is simply achieved through adjusting aperture on your camera (and ISO for digital ) in relation to the distance. Turn it on, adjust aperture, shoot.

Unobtrusive 

One crucial consideration for many photographers is how our gear looks. Not so much for the sake of aesthetics, but because our tools will influence the behaviour of our subjects.

A flash can be an intimidating object that doesn’t always help approaching people.

Tiny Flash addresses this issue by being the most inconspicuous piece of lighting equipment. Its size and design, carefully crafted after modernist aesthetics principles, make it barely noticeable when mounted on a camera.

For Photographers Who Don’t Use Flash

With Tiny Flash, we aimed at developing a tool for all photographers, from the ones who invariably use strobes, to the ones who never use flash, and those among us who only occasionally need that extra dose of photons. It is for pro photographers on their personal time, or photojournalists that need to travel light and only need flash punctually, or on the streets with advanced enthusiasts.

Smart Power Management

Another first for Tiny Flash is the implementation of a smart power management function. Traditional timers on a flash meant that your flash would power off without you realising, making you miss decisive shots. With Tiny Flash, a motion-sensing accelerometer coupled with an algorithm will detect your movements, and keep the flash ready-to-fire until you put your camera to rest. You won’t miss that precious street shot again.

Designed to Last

We all value long-lasting devices, particularly in photography. Made to last, we designed Tiny Flash so it can be serviced by most camera repairs shops, and the integrated battery and its connectors are standard, widely-available parts.

Product Specifications

Dimensions

W57.5 x D44 x H26.5mm (H30.5mm with the hot-shoe)

W2.2” x D1.7” x H1” (H1.2”with the hot-shoe)

Guide number: 12

Focal length: 30mm at 35mm equivalent

Flash recycle rate: 4 seconds

Bursts per charge: >100

Compatibility: The vast majority of camera hot-shoes (ISO 5182006), and older cameras with cold-shoes via the PC sync port. If your flash has a shoe, then it's probably compatible.

More About the Project

As photographers, we sometimes miss crucial shots because there is just not enough light at hand. Some of us address these situations with a flash, but these are often added bulk we just don’t want to carry around. The operation of a conventional camera flash also tends to involve overly technical settings, the cumbersome logistics of carrying batteries and chargers; not to mention the compatibility issues that arise with older camera models. These can make using a flash a daunting process, especially for those among us who favour a more candid approach to their practice.

At MOON we wanted to address these issues. We set out to produce a camera flash that breaks from those impracticalities, and gets photographers a strobe always at hand.

In order to achieve this, we applied the same underlying principles of industrial and user experience design that were at the heart of some of the most practical innovations in photography: from Oskar Barnack’s invention of the compact 35mm Leica bodies, to Yoshihisa Maitani’s compact and efficient Olympus camera systems. Our aim was to devise and fine-tune the most optimal compromise between size, burst-power, battery life, recycle time, and ease-of-use.  The result is an elegant solution - a flash that’s compact enough to be with you at all times, in your pocket or mounted onto your camera. One that is effortless to operate, and does only what you need, perfectly.

We're really excited about Tiny Flash and we think it will become a really useful tool for many photographers. And for this to happen, we need your help.

Next Steps

We have developed Tiny Flash into full prototypes with the aim of having something that can go straight into production. So design for manufacturing is complete and Tiny Flash is ready to go into mass-manufacturing. There will only be minor adjustments for tooling and assembly. The next step is to get the funds to start manufacturing.

Preparation for production and the production itself will take a few months. We set the shipping date for July 2021, however we want to try our best to deliver before that. This is important for you; and also for us, because we want to build trust for our future products and campaigns, and establish Moon as a reliable maker of photography tools.

Risks

There is always a risk associated with creating and making electronic products. However we are confident Tiny Flash is ready for production. We do not foresee any major challenge with manufacturing as this is a conventional product for a factory assembling this type of product.
Before going into production, we will need to verify compliance and certify for safety requirements. And although there is always a risk Tiny Flash doesn't comply, we have designed it with certification in mind. and we do not foresee any challenge here either.
In case a problem was to arise, we would simply make the necessary changes to the product in order to proceed.

Commitment

One of the best ways to make sustainable products is to make them as long-lasting as possible. For that reason, Leica cameras are one of the greatest examples of sustainability.
Tiny Flash is designed with just that in mind. We aimed to engineer it so it lasts many years. The body is solidly built, and the integrated battery is a widely available standard component that can be easily replaced by a professional camera repair technician.

Other Ways You Can Help

If you are not able to back the campaign, you can still help us by sharing the project with other photographers around you. You can do this by posting on social media (use the sharing tools here) or the old way, by talking directly to other people.

Thank you for investing in Moon and backing the project. We can't wait to see Tiny Flash on your cameras and see the photos you will take!

The MOON team