When looking for a shell to build your own DIY photo booth, there are a lot of different things to consider. How easy is it to setup? How durable is it? What extra features and benefits does it have?
We’re often asked “What’s the difference between the different photo booth shells from various manufacturers?”
To answer this question, I want to compare a popular photo booth, the Pic Station Mini, against the most common photo booth shell on the market, the T11.
Comparing the Pic Station Mini vs the T11 Photo Booth Shell
Pic Station Mini
Manufactured by PSM Creative
Features and benefits of the Pic Station Mini
- DSLR Camera Mount
- Fits Microsoft Surface Pro
- Flash Pole Mount
- LED Ring Light
- Fits iPad
Pic Station Mini Specifications
- Photo Booth Shell Dimensions: 5′ Height 12″ Width & 4″ Depth
- Lightweight only 37lbs assembled
- 5 Pieces, 3 Main Columns + 1 Baseplate + The Mount (which houses the light and tablet).
Setup Time: Under 5 Minutes
T11 Photo Booth Shell
Manufactured by RBA
Features and benefits of the T11 Photo Booth Shell
- DSLR Camera Mount
- Fits Microsoft Surface Pro
- Flash Pole Mount
- NO LED Ring Light
- DOES NOT Fit iPad
T11 Specifications
- Photo Booth Shell Head Unit: 13″ x 14″ x 7″
- Screen Cut Out: 10-3/8″ x 1-1/2″
- Base Plate: 15″ x 21″ with 6″ x 1-1/2″
- Lightweight only 27lbs
Surface Pro Photo Booth Shell with DSLR Camera
Both the Pic Station Mini and the T11 Photo Booth Shell are photo kiosks designed to be used to build a DIY photo booth powered by a Microsoft Surface Pro and your choice of a DSLR Camera.
Because both shells require you to provide your own tablet, camera, flash, software, and printer, it is pretty easy to compare them side-by-side.
Both are made of lightweight aluminum, both pack down into multiple pieces for easy transport, and both come in either black or white.
ALSO, both are proudly made in the USA!
The biggest difference between the Pic Station Mini and the T11 Photo Booth Shell is that the Pic Station Mini comes with a bright, high quality LED ring light, and it also has interchangeable faceplates that allow you to use an iPad instead of a Surface Pro tablet.
So when it comes to extra features and flexibility, the Pic Station Mini has more options available.
The biggest difference between the Pic Station Mini and the T11 Photo Booth Shell is that the Pic Station Mini comes with a bright, high quality LED ring light, and it also has interchangeable faceplates that allow you to use an iPad instead of a Surface Pro tablet.
When choosing which photo booth shell to buy, if you’re comparing the Pic Station Mini against the T11 shell, then you might ask yourself “Do I want to be locked into one booth?”
Since the biggest benefit of the Pic Station Mini is the interchangeable faceplate, you can build a photo booth that runs off a Surface Pro with a DSLR camera, but what happens when you want to upgrade? Or a client needs a feature that would be better served by an iPad booth?
If you buy a T11 photo booth shell, and you want to switch to an iPad based booth, you would have to spend a lot of money on a completely new shell.
But with the Pic Station Mini, you can simply change the faceplate, and be up and running with an iPad booth in minutes.
The flexibility to be able to change and upgrade. your photo booth as technology advances means huge savings overall.
Branding & Wrapping
Another benefit of the Pic Station Mini over the T11 is that of branding or vinyl wrapping.
Corporate brand activations are a large money maker for many photo booth companies. One of the most profitable up-sells is being able to brand the booth for the company.
The Pic Station Mini was designed with this in mind. And when you buy one, you get free wrap templates.
In Conclusion...
So in conclusion, if you are looking for a portable, easy to use, DIY photo booth shell, then you will want to get the Pic Station Mini.
The added features and benefits that it has that the T11 photo booth shell does not have give it a leg-up.
And when building a successful photo booth rental business, you need every advantage you can get.
Building a DIY Photo Booth
What do you need to build a DIY photo booth?
- Photo booth shell
- Tablet PC (or iPad)
- DSLR Camera
- Strobe Flash
- Camera A/C Adapter
- Hot Shoe for camera flash
- 4-port USB Hub
- Photo Booth Software
- Printer Stand
- Dye-sub photo printer
- Media kit for printer
- USB Extension cable
- Extension power cables
- Backdrop
- Backdrop stand
- Props
- Table for props
- Scrim to cover prop table
- Sign to promote your photo booth
