What to get for $800-$1000

B

Bryan_Lawler

Well-known member
I am seeking insights in purchasing lights. I am on a very limited budget. Most of my filming will be interviews and close area filming. I was think of a 3 or 4 piece light kit. One route I was thinking was 2 Lowel Omni-lights and a Photoflex softboxe for one of them and then 2 Lowel Pro-lights.

What do you think? Thoughts and comments welcomed.
 
Just make sure the lights you get make the best of the 3 or 4 point lighting set-ups.
I would want a light that was a good soft source. Be it a zip or an omni or something like that with a chimera. (I know I spelled that wrong)
Two with a fresnell lens. One a 200w or a 300w, the other a 650w.
A forth that is a general purpose light that can fill a large area with a blanket of light.

My light kit is a combination of a Lowell kit with a chimera and 2 fresnells. It is very user friendly.
 
A down payment on an HMI

Actually if you contact Tom from Rostronics he will help you put together a kit that will work for what you want to shoot and within your budget. He's a really nice, no BS guy. www.rostronics.com (and you get a DVXUser discount)
 
I second Rostronics. I am delighted with the kit I bought from them, very porable too. One caveat. Watch the lights to make sure you have interchangeable add-ons if you care about that. For example, the 250w light uses same softbox and barndoors as 300/600, but 200w light uses something different. Not a bad thing, but it means you have a bit less flexibility or need to carry more stuff. I have not yet put softbox on my 250, but if a 300/600 dies I could easily adapt.
 
I just perused the website over there at Rostronics and they seem to have some very reasonably priced kits. As is everybody else, I am on a big budget so they look like they might be the way to go. I was wondering...what brand are their lights? I didn't see it listed anywhere on their site.

They look okay though...
 
They are Britek. You can get started with a lot of basic capabilities in Britek for under $600. For basic interviewing it is adequate, but an expert might want more precision to achieve more dramatic effects. By the time you learn enough about interview lighting to realize you want a fresnel for better highlights control, it will make a great addition for the reasons Gopher suggests. The "focusable" Britek spotlight is somewhat helpful, but limited.

These things are specially-engineered worklights, with all those limitations. But they get light in a small setting (one person or maybe two) really cheap. They are a great base to build on for larger and fancier projects. I am betting they hold up for resale value too, which makes them an ever better value to build on. But if you can find a fresnel /chimera kit in your price range, it is no doubt capable of higher quality lighting, and resale might (no idea) be better yet.

My whole kit is listed here, but I admit I have not used it as much as I anticipated. Some items (gels) have never been used. The next thing I would add would be a small fresnel for highbackhairlighting.

http://www.VeniceDigitalVideo.com/lightingkit.htm
 
So, it sounds like I should get a Rostronics for around $500-600 instead of the 2 Lowel Omni and pro-lights for $800-1,000? Have any of you had problems with your Rostronics lights? Hpw hot are the Rostronics lights compared to worklights?

Or, should I go to Sears and buy 3 work lights (250/500w) that they have on sale for $9.99 this week? And, make barndoors and buy a softbox?
 
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Search this forum for info on Briteks, alot of people have complained about them. Personally I would save my money rather than buy Briteks. IMO the Lowells, though still not as sturdy as an Arri or Mole, would last you alot longer than the Briteks, and give you more options when it comes to accesories.
 
I've had good luck with Rostronics and my Briteks. If you look at the complaints regarding Rostronics and Briteks, Tom has resolved them to most people's satisfaction. Just defending a little bit.
 
Bryan_Lawler said:
So, it sounds like I should get a Rostronics for around $500-600 instead of the 2 Lowel Omni and pro-lights for $800-1,000? Have any of you had problems with your Rostronics lights? Hpw hot are the Rostronics lights compared to worklights?

Or, should I go to Sears and buy 3 work lights (250/500w) that they have on sale for $9.99 this week? And, make barndoors and buy a softbox?
Click to expand...
Hey it's your money. We all like to see people buy what we bought, it makes us feel smarter. :nads: It depends what you can afford and what you will do with them. If you can get comparable kit with Omnis for a good price, go for it. Not sure if your $800-1000 price includes 2 or 3 lights, or softboxes, or barndoors, or travel bags, or stands or ....
 
Briteks

Briteks

I use my Briteks 4-5 days a week and have owned this kit for about 4 months and have only needed to replace the bulbs. If you handle your equipment with care (as you should) then it is my belief that they are one of the best deals you can get for the money in film/video equipment. No, they are not as sturdy as Moles or Arris but they aren't designed for rental use either, and Tom is a very excellent person to work with if you need service.

With $1000 you could buy a really kick ass kit. Mine comes in at around $900+ spent and it consists of...

2- 200w focusables

1- 650 non-focusing

1-650 focusing

1-1000 focusable

Barndoors for all, a britek softbox for the non-focusing 650, 4 britek stands, and 4 Amvona.com C-Stands.

I'm not including the prices of spare bulbs and expendables in that $900+ price.
 
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