Which type of lights do you favour?

[DebG.]

very new to lighting, going to shoot some outdoor shots, in the woods, along with some green screen etc...would this light kit be good enough?

http://www.amazon.com/ePhoto-Continu...1&sr=8-1-fkmr0

At $235.99, I'm very intrigued...
I'm interested in green screen lighting, interviews (in a sort-of studio , and interviews that would have to be portable - meaning going into people's homes and small venues that have gatherings of people.
Anyone have any thoughts on this?

Deborah

[Erik Bien]

I have a couple of nearly identical compact fluorescent softboxes. They're 'bank selectable' (meaning you can turn individual bulbs on or off to adjust their brightness) and give diffused, daylight-colored soft light — very flattering for people. I think they're a good choice for lighting interviews and talking heads. Mine came with both an inner diffuser panel and an outer one which slips over the face of the instrument, but both are pretty unnecessary since the light from the flos is already soft. I'll sometimes use the front face ripped part way off as a kind of scrim to reduce a hot-spot, but most of the time I don't use either, just the bare bulbs.

Although portable, they can be a bit cumbersome to set up and tear down: set the head on the stand, slip the fabric over the head, struggle with the rods which hold the fabric, then screw in all the bulbs. Transporting them can also be a challenge because they're pretty fragile compared to many other lights: you'll want to carefully cut open and save all the 'blister packs' the bulbs come in, and add some Velcro dots so you can use them to protect the bulbs in transit.

[Canon HV30]

Anyone have any suggestions for good portable lights for under $100? I don't expect it to be amazing, but are there any good budget lighting kits out there?

[tomson123]

very new to lighting, going to shoot some outdoor shots, in the woods, along with some green screen etc...would this light kit be good enough?

http://www.amazon.com/ePhoto-Continu...1&sr=8-1-fkmr0

This lighting kit does not look too good
I would go with something from B&H

[charlie_tango]

I'm using these 500w working lamp that we've bought for 10$ each.
Other than this, using CFLs can add to create a nice contrast with the halogens.

[Halsu]

I'm pretty happy with the kit i have now: one 200W 4-bank fluorescent, one smaller 32W fluorescent, three 800W redheads with dichroics and umbrellas (i rarely use the 800's directly, usually i bounce from a wall or ceiling, or umbrella), two 300W mini redheads, two dedolights (usually used for rim / accents) plus some random non-pro lights that i rarely use nowadays. The redheads and the bigger fluorescent are cheap chinese versions.

In studio and INT: night, i light with tungsten balance using these. I also have "fixed" fluorescents for the greenscreen at our studio, and a big (maybe 1 x 2 meter) soft box that's actually meant for flash photography, but works for video too using the modeling light.

In EXT: day i usually try to cope with natural light and collapsible reflectors, though i do occasionally use some of the above lights for accent, or i.e. as a rim light. It's pretty hard to fight with the big lamp in the sky with your own though... if i need that kind of daylight oomph, i almost always rent, the HMI's are not worth the price of purchase at the frequency i use them (read: pretty rarely).

In INT: day situations, i use the fluorescents with daylight tubes as a key too, of course.

My next purchase is likely to be another 4-bank flo, or maybe a 2 bank or two. Haven't been able to justify these to myself yet though ;-)

[Randy Malone]

I would like to build up my led and HMI collection which is very... small at this point. They are just so convenient. What I'd really like is an LED fresnel though.

[drapeama]

I'm using these 500w working lamp that we've bought for 10$ each.
Other than this, using CFLs can add to create a nice contrast with the halogens.

Yep, still using the same setup and works well. I never worked with anything else so I can't tell, but so far I'm happy with the results.

[charlie_tango]

I'm using these 500w working lamp that we've bought for 10$ each.

Since Draps use that high-temp paint on the glass, it makes it even more usefull as it's not as harsh as it was without it. Fr the price and the use we have for it...

[Steve_Karl]

Since drape did the tut on his CFL box I've been using 5000K ( or higher ) CFL. I built a similar box with 6 100w(equiv.) CFL bulbs and also have 4 clamp lights with CFL bulbs.

Next I need to figure out how to put barn doors on my clamp lights.

[dop16mm]

I was just recently going through my box of junk, and came across a couple of old triple bulb light fixtures, I'll have to rig it up for a CFL soft box, or chinese lantern. I love the phillips daylight CFL's, decent quality of light for the buck.

Don't mess around with trying to rig barn doors to clamp lights, just invest in a roll of blackwrap. Well worth the cost and so many uses.

I had forgotten about the high temp paint for work lights, I'll have to try some, they rarely get used anymore, but I keep them around incase I ever have to just bring a lot of light, and quality is not important.

[Steve_Karl]

Blackwrap!

Never heard of it ...
Google it ... awesome! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuaFYLkmgbc

My mind was trying to find something like that ... I was thinking curled up tubes of cardboard ... learned some terms ( snoot ) ...
This stuff will open many a new door of exploration!

Thank you!

[wgzn]

They're not on the list BECAUSE they're cheap as.
They're a dime a dozen, not really worth the time to investigate.

wow. that may be THE most incorrect thing ive heard yet on this forum.
a kinoflo diva400 is one of my favorite soft sources and at about $1000 per head. id hardly call them "a dime a dozen"
dimmable, flicker free, and you dont get the mutishadow when you flag them like you do from all the existing muti-array LEDs out there.

not saying that other sources and cheaper sources arent good too - just needed to point out the fact that this comment was completely and totally incorrect

[1]

at about $1000 per head.

Oh, please. Overpriced much?

If you love the Kino Flo lighting so much, just buy the bulbs (*) and get a good ballast. Dimmable? What for? Just at gels or a barndoor.


* I still have some 55W tubes laying around here somewhere. They're decent enough, but full spectrum flo lights/bulbs aren't that exotic anymore, and certainly don't warrant $1000.
I built a self-sufficient flo light using the bulbs running of a Li-Ion battery pack via a pure-sine DC/AC converter. Was a neat light for way under $500 bucks!

I do understand there's the Zacuto-effect going on, which is cool for some, I guess.

[wgzn]

i dont have issue with your personal preferences nor do i have any knowledge of your engineering background.
but the simple fact is that your statements (especially relative to the list of lights you presented) about flos "They're not on the list BECAUSE they're cheap as (sic)." and "They're a dime a dozen"
are simply incorrect

[Erik Bien]

As an end-user and/or renter, I LOVE Kinos! They have so many unique design features that make them perfect for location lighting:

• tubes have shatter-resistant coating
• Coroplast fixtures are super lightweight (gaff-tape them to the ceiling if need be)
• integral poseable "Gumby wire" barn doors
• separate ballasts can drive various heads and are silent and flicker-free at all shutter speeds
• twist-locking head cables
• fixtures are instantly field-strippable without tools into bare bulb configurations
• all have flat backs with integrated safety cable loops and take identical snap-on ball-mount stand adapters which adjust in all directions with one hand
• standard kits include secure road cases with storage for spare bulbs and accessories
• accessory egg crates and reflectors can make them much more directional

As a buyer of "personal projects" lighting gear, though, they're too rich for my blood ...

[1]

"They're not on the list BECAUSE they're cheap as (sic)." and "They're a dime a dozen"
are simply incorrect

I guess you still don't understand the purpose of this list. It was/is a list of lights that I was/am investigating in producing to sell on hv20.com.
The flo's aren't on there because I have no interest in making them (the are copied numerous times, and aren't that difficult to make).

It has nothing to do with whether I consider them to be a good lighting source (I have several and like them).

My comment:
"They're not on the list BECAUSE they're cheap as. They're a dime a dozen, not really worth the time to investigate."
was my reasoning as to why I am not interested in pursuing them for manufacture.

Capisci?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search...106+4293918168

[wgzn]

I guess you still don't understand the purpose of this list. It was/is a list of lights that I was/am investigating in producing to sell on hv20.com.

yeah. i guess i dont - because NOWHERE in this discussion have you EVER said or even implied that you were going to produce / manufacture anything!

Which are the lights you're most interested in acquiring (providing the prices are right, and not as expensive as current offerings).

You can vote for more than just one light.

does not imply anything more than a solicitation of opinion / preference in a general or hypothetical situation.

[1]

NOWHERE in this discussion have you EVER said or even implied that you were going to produce / manufacture anything!

You are wrong! I did so in post #42!



But really, you are being obnoxious for what reason, exactly?


Make love not war.
Let there be peace on earth.
You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist.

...there, pick one of those.

...does not imply anything more than a solicitation of opinion / preference in a general or hypothetical situation.

Which is PERFECT:
This WAS supposed to be a solicitation of opinion, unbiased by the fact that I was/am going to offer them for sale.

I am surprised at my own genius, sometimes!
Wow, I really AM that good! Amazingly amazing.