Should Get this Light Set?

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Depends on what you re doing. It would work for documentaries, but if you're doing narrative films - the umbrellas would give you headache because of uncontrolled light spills. In other words the light will be everywhere, making the picture just brighter(which is typically ideal for documentary)

In narrative you want more of a controlled light, with barn doors so u can focus on different areas, and leave some in the shade, creating light contrast.
I have the similar kit, and used them once for an interview..
 
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no. not for film. I had that kind. they're useless.

i have these now
http://www.amazon.com/CowboyStudio-...AHEE/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1327390657&sr=8-6

They're okay, but not great at a distance, but much better than the one you linked to.

Also a question, could someone tell me the pros and cons between these two other than the differences in power? thanks

800w
http://www.amazon.com/Fancierstudio-Halogen-Lighting-Barndoor-Focusable/dp/B005UG88DK/ref=pd_vtp_p_2

2000w
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fresnel-Tun...456?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item415d9e4808

hope I'm not hijacking your post. just thought it would add to the discussion on cheap lights :)
 
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trueindie said:
800w
http://www.amazon.com/Fancierstudio-Halogen-Lighting-Barndoor-Focusable/dp/B005UG88DK/ref=pd_vtp_p_2
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I've heard of redhead lights such as this catching on fire. It'd probably work fine, but it is definitely something to keep in mind. Knock-off cheap lights made in China aren't always the safest. As far as light output, 800w of hard tungsten light going to give you a more powerful directional light than the Cowboy softbox you have.

trueindie said:
2000w
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fresnel-Tun...456?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item415d9e4808
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The 2k Arri knockoff would give you over twice the output of the redhead. It does require 220v, however, so you can't power it off of household sockets. It's also a knockoff, so there could be some issues with quality. In my experience it's always good to go with trusted brands over knockoffs when it comes to lighting fixtures.
 
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Those are closer.

The issue is the need for focusable controllable light. Just wide throw diffused light is cheap and easy to DIY. You can throw 3K of light on a room with clamp lights. It's the fine control of light (I don't want light anywhere except the right side of his face) where a pro fresnel that focuses, and takes scrims, and has barn doors, and is on a dimmer, all becomes critical.
 
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SinEater said:
I've heard of redhead lights such as this catching on fire. It'd probably work fine, but it is definitely something to keep in mind. Knock-off cheap lights made in China aren't always the safest. As far as light output, 800w of hard tungsten light going to give you a more powerful directional light than the Cowboy softbox you have.



The 2k Arri knockoff would give you over twice the output of the redhead. It does require 220v, however, so you can't power it off of household sockets. It's also a knockoff, so there could be some issues with quality. In my experience it's always good to go with trusted brands over knockoffs when it comes to lighting fixtures.
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Thanks!! that was really helpful.

The reason I'm considering the knockoffs is the price of course. Makes everything affordable. I don't think I have a choice. I'll just have to be extra careful.
 
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Gonzo_Entertainment said:
Those are closer.

The issue is the need for focusable controllable light. Just wide throw diffused light is cheap and easy to DIY. You can throw 3K of light on a room with clamp lights. It's the fine control of light (I don't want light anywhere except the right side of his face) where a pro fresnel that focuses, and takes scrims, and has barn doors, and is on a dimmer, all becomes critical.
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Thanks, but which one out of the pack would you recommend?
 
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That 2k also has a fresnel lens on the front with spreads the light out so it doesn't have big hotspots in the middle or edges of the beam. We were just using some Mole-Richardson 2K lights on a shoot and they had 110 plugs, but ate an entire circuit. You can technically make an adapter box to convert 110 to 220 (don't remember if you have to wire the 2 circuits in parallel or series - I'd have to google that), but at 110, 2k is about 20 amps, at 220 it'd be closer to 10ish. Most normal circuit's you'd be plugging into are about 110v@25-35a.

I'm not personally a big fan of fluorescents. The quality of light seems a bit milky to me. It's really difficult to control. Open white umbrellas are the same thing for me, although they end up being slightly more directional than fluos do. Halogen lights will want some color in front of it as it's a really colorless light (if not slightly toward blue). buy some gels. Keep them in an area that is well ventilated and the heat should dissipate better.
 
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knightly said:
Fluorescents, balanced or not, have a horrible green spike in them due to the way they produce light. Because of that, there's always a slightly sickly feel to them.
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I've never had that issue with my fluorescents from Cool Lights. Maybe my eyes are trained properly but to me they work awesome and are even cool to the touch, which makes them easy to handle and have on set.
 
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Fluorescents are awful. Personal opinion maybe, they do have a green spkie though. I'm not even a fan of kino-flos or other high-end fluorescent fixtures.

I've said this a lot on "what lights" threads, but for $300 I'd go for 3 used Lowel Omni fixtures on eBay, maybe a tota and 2 omnis. Then grab a few $8 eBay photo umbrellas, cheap stands if needed and some $1 home depot clamps, white foam core and a mess of clothespins. If any left over, I'd get a big china ball too (about $20 with a cord and higher wattage bulb). Also a few sheets of CTB and diffusion gel.

If you absolutely can't go more than $200, shop really hard for two omnis used at $80 each and a china ball.

Build a few dimmers too for $12 each, or buy the $18 router speed controls form harbor freight.

The Umbrellas are great when you need soft light, if you want more focused soft light you can clip the diffusion gel on the barn doors, and if you want harder light you can go open faced.

The cheap lowel fixtures aren't the singular best pro fixture out there. There's a lot of fall off and though it does have a wide/narrow lever it's not super focus-able. None the less, it's still an excellent pro fixture that uses pro bulbs, has barn doors, is tungsten and can mount to a variety of stands. They're great low-priced fixtures that will last a career and supplement higher-end focusable fresnels and higher output fixtures you'll probably want to upgrade to in the future.

If you buy the cheap CFL stuff you'll probably toss it before too long.

Another $200 option is that if it's one production you need it for, rent some real lights from a rental house. You can rent an entire grip truck here in DFW with 30 fixtures, stands, c-stands, stingers, gels, clamps, sand bags, carts and even a few directors chairs and cooler (in the package haha) for $450 a day (plus gas). $200 can get you a decent amount of decent lighting.
 
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PaulGriffith said:
Fluorescents are awful. Personal opinion maybe, they do have a green spkie though. I'm not even a fan of kino-flos or other high-end fluorescent fixtures.

I've said this a lot on "what lights" threads, but for $300 I'd go for 3 used Lowel Omni fixtures on eBay, maybe a tota and 2 omnis. Then grab a few $8 eBay photo umbrellas, cheap stands if needed and some $1 home depot clamps, white foam core and a mess of clothespins. If any left over, I'd get a big china ball too (about $20 with a cord and higher wattage bulb). Also a few sheets of CTB and diffusion gel.

If you absolutely can't go more than $200, shop really hard for two omnis used at $80 each and a china ball.

Build a few dimmers too for $12 each, or buy the $18 router speed controls form harbor freight.

The Umbrellas are great when you need soft light, if you want more focused soft light you can clip the diffusion gel on the barn doors, and if you want harder light you can go open faced.

The cheap lowel fixtures aren't the singular best pro fixture out there. There's a lot of fall off and though it does have a wide/narrow lever it's not super focus-able. None the less, it's still an excellent pro fixture that uses pro bulbs, has barn doors, is tungsten and can mount to a variety of stands. They're great low-priced fixtures that will last a career and supplement higher-end focusable fresnels and higher output fixtures you'll probably want to upgrade to in the future.

If you buy the cheap CFL stuff you'll probably toss it before too long.

Another $200 option is that if it's one production you need it for, rent some real lights from a rental house. You can rent an entire grip truck here in DFW with 30 fixtures, stands, c-stands, stingers, gels, clamps, sand bags, carts and even a few directors chairs and cooler (in the package haha) for $450 a day (plus gas). $200 can get you a decent amount of decent lighting.
Click to expand...

And you're saying stay away from the box light kits, right?
 
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