Affordable Lighting Setup?

You might be better served with a couple of smaller LED panels off eBay.

Yongnuo has a 300 bead panel (claims ~ 2,300 lumen) for $68. If you use that as a key, you can get some very small 128-160 bead panels ($20-$40) as fills and hair.

Obviously, it depends on what you're shooting, how big an area you need covered, your practicals, etc.

Fluorescent lighting has been going out of fashion lately and replaced by the LED's. Keep in mind that, if you get decent (high enough CRI and well built) LED's right now, you can use them later on as fills/hair if/when you upgrade your key to an LED Fresnel or a larger size panel.
 
Get you started in what, exactly?

With only $100-150, my vote would be for a number of hardware store bowl-style clip lights, bulbed with a few multi-sockets and either tungstens, CFLs, or CREE LED's as your budget and taste allow. Spend money on modifiers like reflectors and silks and spend some time learning how to use it all.

Alternately, first buy a Lowel ProLight, stand, and a white brella. After your very first job, buy a second ProLight. They're inexpensive, punchy, durable, and seven years in I still use one almost every job. Can't say that for budget LEDs.
 
You can get some old Colortran open-faced lights and Mole Richardson fresnels for fairly cheap on eBay.

What kind of productions are you planning on doing? Interviews, short films, doc work?


My recommendation would be to purchase 2 used Colortran Mini-Pro 650w open-faced lights ($25-40 ea) from eBay.
Don't forget bulbs! Prices range from $2.50-$5 per bulb for the Mini-Pros on eBay.
You'll need some stands, and if you get some older lights (like the Colortran Mini-Pro 650w light), a TVMP adapter as well. Stands are $25 each and the adapters are $15 each on Amazon.
Make sure to buy a pair of gloves: $10 at your local hardware store (make sure they can handle heat; pigskin/leather works well).
The Neewer 5-in-1 reflector on Amazon is $15 and does a fantastic job. I'd also recommend purchasing an 8' x 4' insulation board from your local hardware store to use as a bounce source. Cut it in half to make 2 4'x4' boards for only $15. They have a white side and a silver side.
For a dimmer, a Router Speed Control will get the job done. You might want 2 (one per light). ~$18 per dimmer on eBay or at Harbor Freight


The cost is a little higher than you wanted, but this setup will last for a long time, and works great for beginners. Total cost: ~$225

If this is truly out of your range, then mcbob's suggestion of the clamp lights is worthwhile. But when you move on from those, come back to this. It's been a workhorse for me. (And if you don't want the Colortran lights, then just use this list for the accessories.)
 
iamlance said:
What kind of productions are you planning on doing? Interviews, short films, doc work?
Click to expand...
Mostly narrative work... iamlance, I'll look into possibly going the direction your suggesting. It really won't be too much over what my original price-point was, and at least I'd be getting quality stuff.

And to answer mcbob's question, I just need something to get me started in the lighting aspect of filmmaking (sorry, didn't really clarify that).

Thanks for all of your suggestions guys, really appreciate it!
 
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