http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/170921748101?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
I'm looking to invest a little bit more in lighting as at the moment I only have an LED light and a reflector for lighting lol.
This one seems fairly affordable, do you think it's a good deal and a decent looking light by the specs/features? It would mostly be used for short films.
I have 3. There are a few elements you will need to understand.
1. One, by itself is useless. You will need 3. A 3 point lighting kit is good. A one-point lighting kit is useless. You will have zero depth etc...
2. Fire hazard. Don't expect them to be UK etc... certified and you will need to take great care when using them unless you enjoy burning buildings down.
3. Build quality. This is pretty random and I have one where parts of it fell off after a few weeks. I have two others which have lasted for a couple of years. If you compare them with 'real' kit, these are terrible.
4. These are 3.2k so colour your picture orange. You will need to learn to adapt (gels, filters, WB etc...) because if you don't, all your footage will be orange.
5. Naturally, you can't use these outside without a generator and if there is natural sunlight around, they are useless.
6. If you buy them, DO NOT TOUCH THE BULB WITH YOUR SKIN EVEN WHEN COLD. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES TOUCH THE BULB WITH YOUR BARE FLESH EVEN WHEN COLD. DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT IT... point made? Otherwise, the oil from your skin will transfer to the bulb and when they heat up... KABOOM!!!!!
7. The amount of power they consume to produce the light is quite astonishing.
8. Heat. Jeez, they get hot. You can quite literally cook an egg under the heat of these lights.
9. If you are crazy enough to use these outdoors, you will need to buy a generator. At your budget, this will mean lots of noise meaning you will need to get good at ADR.
10. They are not portable in the sense that you cannot manouver them Al Mariachi style.
Now I have experience with this kit, given the same circumstances I would have preferred to save my money and buy better kit, especially as one by itself is pretty useless. However, this is just my experience from owning and using these lights / stands.
I fantasise about LEDs...