Our Recommended Hardware

We think the characteristics of great hardware are reliability over time, value for money, good support, broad compatibility, and speed.

In this article we'll list out what hardware we recommend for an ideal setup. We don't recommend a specific booth / shell because this is largely an aesthetic choice. However we do recommend that when purchasing a booth / shell you look carefully at the support & warranty being offered, and read reviews from other professional boothers. One place to find such reviews is the Photo Booth Community group on Facebook.

We do not (at the time of writing) receive any payment or consideration for these recommendations, and we do not use affiliate links when we link to Amazon.

iPad

We recommend any iPad that is at least 11 inches in size, with USB-C, and Face ID. It must be running iOS 15.2 or newer — see our requirements.

USB-C ensures you can use a USB-C hub to add on important connectivity options like ethernet (wired networking) for printing, while connecting a USB camera and keeping the iPad powered.

At the time of writing, Face ID is only available on the iPad Pro line. Face ID greatly improves the speed and quality of SceneSelect (AI backdrop removal).

Another consideration is the processor: the newer it is, the longer the iPad will stay compatible with future iOS updates. Over time all apps require newer versions of iOS, because apps want to use new technologies that are introduced in iOS — so you can't get away without iOS updates for long.

Storage space isn't as important as you think. If you're just using the iPad for Booth.Events, we recommend 128GB or more, but 64GB storage will work too.

USB-C hub

We recommend the Dockteck 7-in-1 hub. It has ethernet (wired networking), HDMI (to connect the iPad's display to a huge TV), 2 USB ports (one for the camera, one for the printer), the ability to charge the iPad via USB-C power in, and a few other things you might use like an SD card reader.

iPads are picky about USB-C hubs. The Dockteck works well.

We've purchased several of these hubs and although they sometimes run warm while the iPad is charging, we've never had a problem with them. USB & ethernet connections stay connected without any hiccups.

Printer

We recommend the DNP QW410 paired with the DNP WCM Plus (print server device).

We love the QW410 because of how lightweight and portable it is, and how fast its prints are. One drawback is that it cannot print two 2x6 strips from a 4x6 print, but that doesn't bother us.

If you have a different printer or want the absolute fastest printing available, then the AirCast Pro is your best option.

Camera

We recommend the Canon R100. If you can still find it the Canon M50 is also very good.

The R100 & M50 are extremely fast for tethered operations (which is what all photo booth apps use to control the camera), have fast & accurate auto-focus, have good image quality for a photo booth, have a hot-shoe for flash sync, and are great value for money.

Not all USB cameras support high framerate video while tethered, which apps like Booth.Events use for slow-mos and boomerangs. Even if a camera supports high framerate video, that does not imply that it can do so while tethered to an app. The R100 and M50 do support high framerate video while tethered.

Photo booth (Shell)

We always recommend getting the one that looks the best to you, and pay attention to:

how easy is it to take down / set up?
how heavy is it?
how easy is it to pop out the iPad when you need it?

Our favorites are (no particular order):