Event Fotobox

What Event Fotobox offers

Event Fotobox rents out a photo booth with a single-lens reflex camera, a TTL flash and a touchscreen, for parties and events in Basel, Zurich, Lucerne, Zug, Winterthur and the rest of Switzerland. The booth is collected from, or delivered from, Dottikon, and every package runs for 24 hours. The price page is unusually complete: it lists every package, every option, the delivery formula and the deposit, all in Swiss francs. The site is in German and uses the Swiss word "Fotichaschte" alongside Fotobox and photobooth.

For a couple planning from abroad, that transparency is the main attraction. It is possible to work out the full cost of a booth for a wedding, delivery included, before sending a single email.

The equipment

The Basel page lists the advantages in one short column: quick, space-saving setup; an SLR camera; a TTL flash that adapts to the lighting conditions; live view, so guests see themselves on the monitor before and during the shot; easy operation by touchscreen; and an optional printing function with a fast photo printer, about 11 seconds for a 10x15 cm picture.

The same page gives three tips for choosing any photo booth, and they double as a description of this one. First, the booth should have a proper SLR camera, since some providers use only the low-resolution webcam built into the touchscreen. Second, it should have a flash that adjusts to the ambient light, since some providers use only an LED lamp or no flash at all, which the page says clearly affects picture quality. Third, a booth with printing should use a professional photo printer, which prints in seconds from a roll and needs no paper added for 300 prints. Cheap mini printers, the page says, have to be refilled after a few prints and often take over a minute per print, which quickly causes a "Fotobox Stau" (a photo booth traffic jam) when a group all want their own copy.

The rest of the site is organized the same plain way. Its menu has a page explaining what the photo booth is, a page on accessories, a page of original pictures taken with the booth (the quickest way to judge the camera and flash for yourself), the price page and an enquiry page. The Basel page is essentially a landing page for couples and hosts in Basel, inviting them to rent a Fotobox, photobooth or Fotichaschte for their event there, and it ends by saying the booth can equally be booked for a party in Zug, Zurich, Lucerne, Winterthur or anywhere in Switzerland.

Packages

Without printing: "Spezial", 259 CHF. The booth with SLR camera, touchscreen and stand, 24 hours' rental, unlimited shooting, and download of all pictures after the party from a protected online area. A small mini printer with 100 prints at 10x15 cm can be added for 69 CHF.

With printing, each including the same booth, 24 hours, unlimited shooting, online download and a professional printer at 11 seconds per 10x15 print:

• Basic, 399 CHF, with 200 prints at 10x15 cm.
• Classic, 489 CHF, with 400 prints, a costume box and a backdrop.
• V.I.P., 599 CHF, with 400 prints, a costume box, a backdrop, a set of "Fotobox Aufgaben" (photo booth tasks, 100), a printer stand and a set of quality photo props on sticks.

Options

The options are priced individually: a costume box with hats, caps, glasses, wigs, chains and masks for 30 CHF; backdrops in wood, pattern or stone for 30 CHF each; custom lettering on the print, with free choice of font, color and frame or background color, for 25 CHF, or 45 CHF for lettering and background on a print carrying several pictures; photo booth tasks on 5x15 cm photo paper at 20 CHF for 100 or 30 CHF for 200; and 400 more 10x15 prints, once the included ones run out, for 129 CHF. For a wedding the custom lettering is the obvious extra, since it puts the couple's names and date on every print.

Delivery, pickup and deposit

All package prices are pickup prices from 5605 Dottikon. Delivery, which includes setup on site, costs 1.50 CHF per kilometer from 5610 Dottikon, and the page spells out the formula: distance from Dottikon to the venue, times 2 for the round trip, times 1.50 CHF. Collecting the booth after the event is charged the same way. When the booth is handed over, a deposit of 200 CHF applies without the printing function and 500 CHF with it.

So a couple can calculate their own delivery charge with a map. The kilometer charge applies to both delivery and collection, so for a venue far from Dottikon it is worth doing the sum before choosing a package.

What the site leaves open

Several things are not on these pages. The site does not mention weddings specifically, and does not say whether anyone stays with the booth during the event or whether it runs on its own after setup. It does not say how the deposit is paid or when it is returned. It gives no phone number or email on these pages; enquiries go through the "Jetzt Verfügbarkeit anfragen" (request availability now) buttons and an enquiry page. It says nothing about English, so a couple who does not read German should write in English and see how the reply comes back. The page titles also advertise lower starting prices ("ab 219,- CHF" on the price page and 149 CHF on the Basel page) than any package listed, so ask which offer those refer to. The menu lists a mirror photo booth ("Spiegel Fotobox") as well, which is not described on the pages we read.

Who it suits

Event Fotobox suits couples who want a proper camera and flash at a modest, fully published price, and who like to know the whole bill in advance. The 24-hour rental removes any worry about the party running late. The printing packages cover most weddings; the Classic, with 400 prints, a costume box and a backdrop, is the one to compare with other firms. Couples near Dottikon can save money by collecting the booth themselves. The caveats are the German-only site, the lack of any word on staffing, and delivery costs that grow with distance.