rifa 44 or rifa 55

Charli

Charli

cool little "title"
Anyone use either of these. Should I just get the bigger softbox and be done
with it, or are there great advantages to having the smaller one? Any advice
is welcomed.

Charli
 
They even make a Rifa-lite 66 which maybe you should consider. It is 750 watts with the option of using a 500-watt lamp. I've also been looking at getting a Rifa and have been thinking that between the diffusion and at least occasional color correction, more watts could be better.

Hey Rifa 55 owners, if you had to do it over again would you bump it up a notch? Or is it the perfect wattage for how you use it (and how do you use it?).
 
Just FYI, the 44 Kit is on special at B&H.

Search for the code PSMAY

I'm also wondering if for intimate one person interviews whether the 44 is sufficient as a key light.
 
When it comes to soft light, the larger the softbox, the softer the light. I think you can get a better quality of light if you go with a Photoflex Starlite QL, Photoflex Octo-Connector, Photoflex 24" x 36" Medium Silverdome w/ Fabric Eggcrate, and 250W globe. It will be much softer and more directional than the Rifa 44, but with the same wattage and approximately the same output. About the same price as well. The only advantage of the Rifa is that it's very compact and sets up quicker than any other "baglight" on the market. That's about it. If you absolutely must have a one piece unit with captive hardware, then the Lowel Rifa series is about the only option. But, if you're willing to take the time to assemble a larger light, you'll likely be happier with the results.
 
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get the 55. it is pretty bright but you can slap some ND on it and it mellows nicely. then when you need the extra juice, you got it. the rifa is by far the best built light i own. i have other softboxs and none compare to the rifa.
 
earache said:
Hey Rifa 55 owners, if you had to do it over again would you bump it up a notch? Or is it the perfect wattage for how you use it (and how do you use it?).
Click to expand...

I agree with the other poster who said, "When it comes to soft light, the larger the softbox, the softer the light." I have a 55 and would have liked to have gotten a larger Rifa.

On the other hand, though, I've only recently gotten over being afraid to use my Rifa. It seems so freakin' bright when you turn it on, and to non-electronic human eyes, it seems to wash the whole room out. But when you're shooting in 24p, the camera loves it - the subject is bright (and yet soft), and yet any detail or sculpting light that you might have going on elsewhere still reads and is rich. Yeah, it's a great light.

I've used mine mostly for documentary interviews.

Does anyone, though, have an idea of how one might be able to apply a daylight correction gel to the Rifa? I'd love to be able to use it in daylight situations but haven't been able to so far.
 
Bus No. 8 said:
I agree with the other poster who said, "When it comes to soft light, the larger the softbox, the softer the light." I have a 55 and would have liked to have gotten a larger Rifa.

On the other hand, though, I've only recently gotten over being afraid to use my Rifa. It seems so freakin' bright when you turn it on, and to non-electronic human eyes, it seems to wash the whole room out. But when you're shooting in 24p, the camera loves it - the subject is bright (and yet soft), and yet any detail or sculpting light that you might have going on elsewhere still reads and is rich. Yeah, it's a great light.

I've used mine mostly for documentary interviews.

Does anyone, though, have an idea of how one might be able to apply a daylight correction gel to the Rifa? I'd love to be able to use it in daylight situations but haven't been able to so far.
Click to expand...


Chimera softbanks offer an option to remove the front face , and replace it with either a cto or ctb colored softbox fabric. Kinda cool, but to answer your question 'bout gelling
a Rifa light, like alot of gaffers, we just use C-47's( clothes pins) with a large piece of gell. Some folks put gel inside their softbox, but for me, this is a hassle, and takes too long.
To answer the original question,.... If your going to buy just one softbank, bigger is better. 24"x36" is a great size....
 
I think I'll buy two. I bought the Rifa 44 kit for $200 so I can't complain. I'll
buy a larger box as well, that way, depending on the situation, I'll have a choice.
I couldn't pass up the $200 for the $470 kit, that included shipping.

Charli
 
You can never have too many lighting tools... I like the small boxes for convenience and they will get used... but I also agree with the others... you'd be amazed at how big of a box we've been using. It's recalibrated my idea of what a big light / softbox is... 1200w hmi in a chimera that's 3' x 4' (it may even be 4' x 5'... it's stupid huge in a small room... and this isn't even for sending the light all that far...) so yeah, if you can go big on one of them you should. (sorry I forgot to give this opinion on a message a while back)
 
Matt - oh no, you dropped the ball by being late on advice - heh. It's all good.
I will probably buy another Rifa, 6x6 I think this time. I went against buying a
lighting kit from Rostronics and decided to build my own lighting kit just the same.

I hear having an Arri 150 is great for the arsenal. So I have a few ideas in mind
in what I need. Got my Vidleds in this past week. Now those are sweet. No, they
are sweeeeeeeeeet.

Charli
 
For those of you who have Rifa 55 how hot does it really get with a 500 watt bulb? I've heard some say that they are unbearable and others not make any mention of it at all. Would love to have a Flo but for the same money it is hard to get something close to the Rifa and the ease of use of the Rifa is really important to me.

Any complaints with the heat factor of a Rifa 55?
 
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