The I-1 ring flash is made up of 12 individual LEDs. 8 LEDs (1 red, 7 white) provide the main light source and give status indications - these are supplemented by 4 smaller LEDs. When you take a photo, all 12 LEDs will flash at once, to provide a bright but soft light.
As well as lighting photos, the ring flash also gives you information about the camera’s current status. You can use the ring flash to see how much battery is left in the Impossible I-1.
To check how much battery you have left, turn the camera off by turning the control knob clockwise until the empty circle symbol is at the front and the yellow line is pointing downwards. When the camera is turned off, press the shutter button and watch how many LEDs light up. The number of LEDs which light up corresponds to battery level. So e.g. if six bulbs light up, your camera’s battery is 6/8 charged.
When the I-1 battery is low (3 or fewer ring flash LEDs light up), then the red LED power indicator will blink on and off and the flash will no longer work. At this point you should only use the camera for photography in bright, direct sunlight. When the battery is critically low, the blinking becomes more rapid and the camera will cease operation.
Due to the high power requirements of the ring flash, we recommend that you always charge the I-1 before use, using the USB charging cable provided. If you plug this cable into a smartphone charger, you only need to charge the camera for 20-30 minutes. Or if you are using a laptop power supply, you should charge for up to 2 hours.
The red power indicator LED switches off as soon as the battery is fully charged. The rechargeable Li-ion battery will typically last long enough for you to shoot 20 packs of film with one charge.