For all newbies - cheap way to begin your lighting kit

Hi guys:

I only have 40 degree egg crates on all of my Chimeras. That seems to be the most common and practical. A 50 or 60 degree is fun too but these are usually more expensive though and not as versatile.

Dan
 
I have to throw something in the mix here and I bet I will get he_l from some folks. But first let me say I have 3 chimeras all video pros 2 run with totas and one with a lp. I have used them for years and though the Lowel stands are not the most rugged they are compact. I spend a great deal of time travelling and space and size are issues. I also have a mint condition Colortran 3 light open face kit with scrims and barndoors and stands that is light and been a part of my kit for years. There are several other instruents in my kit and I like you am always adding or building.
The reason for this post is ...watch out...AMVONA.
While on ebay a while back I decided to bid ontheir large softbox and won the auction for 35 bucks so I bid on two more and won for $18 on a small and 23 on another large. I was convinced that they would be "emergency only cheap backups" or for travel to where I might not find them at the airport on arrival.
They cost almost the same to ship from Amvona as I paid for them. In short they are great, they work well came with eggcrates and accessories and a generic speed ring. FOr what I paid and what I see others paying they are an excellent deal. they didn't burn up with my 1k tota or my 650 openface . The only rub is the speed ring. You need to fabricate parts to get them to work on Lowel lights but that is no big deal. So Ilove my chimeras and they are quality and well made but for not much money or for someone starting out the Amvonas are a good option. Pyramid is also a great option. I just bought two 1k Strand fresnels from them for $250.00 which is a good deal.
OK now you can kill me for mentioning AMVONA.
 
The key is the fabric eggcrate. Without an eggcrate, light from softboxes (Britek, etc.) sprays EVERYWHERE. You generally want soft light to key with, but you generally only want it on your subject--NOT ALL OVER YOUR SET WALLS!
 
Those "Dynaphos" softboxes I saw at the AMNOVA site look cool, but I didn't see that they offered a traditional eggcrate or honeycomb grid for those. They have those "louvers" which I find pretty useless in controlling spill (they just act as a huge scrim).
 
Wow! This stuff is CHEAP! Er, I mean, inexpensive. I'll probably soon become a regular customer of that AMNOVA site! Their stands look decent and cost WAY less than Manfrotto/Arri stands. I own all Photoflex location stands (and a couple of black Matthews C-stands) since they're decent, and cost about 50% less than the Manfrotto/Arri stands.
 
I am not saying it is the best but like any gear if you take care of it I am sure it will last a while. The softboxes are crazy cheap and they really do work quite well. I mean if you get a year out of a soft box for 30 or 40 bucks with the shipping ...well why not. I will let you know how mine hold up. I have been taking them with me on easy travel gigs and using them with my 650's which was the easiest to adapt the speedring to. I still take my chimeras with me "just in case" Because it was cheaper to ship a few items I bid and won a huge flexfill for $15 and a stand and flexfill holder for $20 something. None of this stuff is feature film class gear. But it all works fine. I now continue to bid on their carbon fiber tripod legs, because they are cheap and 75mm bowl will take one of my sachtler heads and since they are short when collapsed (20") they could be useful in low or tight quarters.
 
Last edited:
BrianMurphy said:
OK now you can kill me for mentioning AMVONA.
Click to expand...

AMVONA, did I hear AMVONA you bastid. :Drogar-Evil(DBG):

Just kidding Brian. I have purchased several items from AMVONA, off eBay. I have 2 c-stands with 117" (I think) booms (those 2 also came with a nice black and blue sandbag for each of them). I have 4-5 other c-stands from them, two with grip arms and grip heads. I also bought a 75mm bowl set of legs from them that I use with my 503 head (they rate at like 77 pounds or something, is heavy so am looking for something lighter, will then use these legs for my jib). I have not paid over 80$ for any item including shipping. I still bid all the time on stuff, just don't get them all the time. One thing about the c-stands, someone on the last shoot I was on unscrewed the bolt that holds the stand to the legs too far out. Jacked it. I can fix it but have not gotten to it yet. Just make sure people don't screw that too far out (and I leave them attached anyways, dammit the legs fold. I was not on set at the time so have no idea why they did that). AMVONA prices their shipping to cover their cost. Anything over that is profit.

:thumbup:
 
Hmm...

Just to play Devil's advocate, I bought a cheapo Photoflex softbox for my Nikon still flashes from B&H. It was $99.00 for the box, speedring, a case for the softbox andd mounting hardware and a stand. While the little Photoflex softbox works fine for stills, I have used it exactly once and I noticed that where the support rods terminate at the corners of the softbox, the seams are already bulging and separating! Very disappointing.

I am sticking to the five Chimeras that I own. I am sure that the Amvonas work fine but are cheap and will not last long under professional conditions. Chimeras are expensive but if you are a professional building your toolkit, they are the only practical choice. I hate it when gear falls apart and Chimeras don't, that's why I started this thread.

Same with the Amvona stands, nothing wrong with them. But compare construction with American Grip stands and you will see that the Amvona C-stands are really kind of crude. They work but the fit and finish is lousy and they eventually break. I have 10 year old American stands that have been used in the ocean, pools, mud, dirt and they just keep standing with no problems. You get what you pay for.

Best,

Dan
 
I don't think anyone can argue with you about the old adage "you get what you pay for" and Chimeras are great and the company is cool too. I loaned one of mine to someone and they didn't completley open the Tota doors,resulting in instant tota meldown and dripping molten metal burning through my chimera before he caught it and shut down. I called Chimera, told them my situation and the kind folks there sent me out a large square of the material so I could sew a patch on the holes. No charge! Not even for the postage.
 
Hi Brian:


Great testimonial! I would say to all of the newbies out there, another advantage of buying professional gear from name brand companies is that they stand behind their products more than the typical prosumer/consumer companies.

I work across town in Burbank from Arri and I went in there to order a new 5/8" stirrup base for one of my 300 watt fresnels. The older blue ones that are painted that Arri blue have a tendency to strip out. This particular light is pretty old, in mint condition, but old so I went in expecting to order a new 5/8" base for the light. Thee guys behind the counter took a look at the stripped base and asked me how many Arris I had that were this same color base (the newer ones are silver/gray and are much heavier duty). When I told them eight lights, they handed me eight new bases. When I asked how much they were, they replied, "no charge, enjoy!"

That is why you buy Arris over Altmans and American Grip over Amvona and Sachtler over Bogen, etc. Usually, not always, if you buy a professional product that is typically sold at a premium, you receive better service and support.

Something to think about when newbies are looking at buying those XYZ cheapo lights instead of Arris or Moles or Chimera.

Dan
 
Your Kit, with some questions..

Your Kit, with some questions..

Dan,

Thanks for all of your insight in this forum. I'm loving the kit you've got and have pieced it out in terms of items to buy. I'm seriously considering it because, similar to you, I do mostly interviews. I want a portable kit that can work for most situations and comes to around $1000. I'm researching the individual items and would love to ask you a couple more questions..

Here's what I've pulled from your post:

Dan's Homemade Pro Light Kit
- Lowel V-Light
- Small Chimera
- 36" Flexfill
- Arri 150 Fresenel
- 2 40" C-stand arms
- 2 grip heads
- 3 American Grip light stands
- Contico two tier yellow plastic box tool box (24" high x 12" deep by about 20")
- Nalpak tripod tube
- Rock and Roller Micro cart
- gels, difffusion, grip clips, stingers, etc.

My two questions about your kit are:
- What's the size on the Chimera you're using?
- What's the size on the American Grip stands you're using?

Thanks.
Basil
 
Reply

Reply

basil said:
My two questions about your kit are:
- What's the size on the Chimera you're using?
Small - 24" x 36"
- What's the size on the American Grip stands you're using?
Just using the grip arms, they are 40" with the full grip heads to attach them to the aluminum Arri kit stands that I pack in the Nalpak tube.

Dan

Thanks.
Basil
Click to expand...

Okay
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top