Altman light kit

bennycord

bennycord

Well-known member
Hey Gang,

Just wanted to get some feedback on Altman lights. I'm trying to decide on the
Arri kit or the Altman kit.
 
Don't think anyone ever snubbed Altman lights. They make good, solid stuff, although some of their products are rebranded from other manufacturers.
 
That's what I've heard as well. I've never seen any posts about the Altmans and they're a bit cheap than the Arris too.
 
Altman lights are visually very much like Arri lights at least the fresnels. One of the key things about the Arri lights is that they have such a well designed reflector and fresnel lens that the watt per watt luminance output compared to Moleis about 2:1. I would rather use a 2K arri than do a tie in and use a 5k Mole (not only that I'm lazy and the 5k are heavy).

I can not say if the Altmann lights have the same reflector as the Arris do. To eye it looks like the lens is the same, but I have not tested one. The altmann lights are much heaver then the arris are, hence they feel more solid. I know Arri has a problem with the wires getting broken inside the insulation of the cable it's self. This can lead to intermitting power failure on set resulting in long periods of the holding of ones breath. I think they use cheep materials in the cable construction.

Over all I would buy the Arri lights and a good wire stripper. Mostly, because I'm familiar with them, they output a lot of light and the light weight is important when rigging them to sketchy surfaces. We would never rig to something that is questionable thou... Right :evil:

-Charlie
 
Most of these lenses are made by Schott, and I'd be surprised if Altman doesn't use the same Schott lenses as Arri does.
 
Wave of Light said:
One of the key things about the Arri lights is that they have such a well designed reflector and fresnel lens that the watt per watt luminance output compared to Moleis about 2:1.

-Charlie
Click to expand...

Can anybody else verify this info? If this is true then Arri should have this first and in the largest font on every box and bit of promotional litho they have. Seriously... if this is really true then I'll never suggest any other brand again.

Since Altman specifically brags up the butter-smooth action on their lights I've been tempted to give them a go.


EDIT:

Okay I checked the manufacturer websites.

Mole Richardson Betweenie 300w w/ FKW 300w 120v lamp... feet and footcandles.
10' distance... 8.8' diameter beam 45 F.C. and 1.5' diameter beam... 248 F.C.
Min beam angle: 12 degrees... Max beam angle: 58 degrees.
Weight: 4.5 lbs WITH 25' cord.

The listed beam spread is different then the Arri which makes it hard to do a direct apples to apples comparo... but I'd have to say that it's LIKELY that the actual lumens output per watt (light efficiency) is NOT superior to other fresnels.

Source:
http://extranet.mole.com/store/images/backpage/3131-L.gif


Arri Junior 300 Plus... a.k.a. Arri 300w fresnel w/ FKW 300w 120v lamp... feet and footcandles.
10' distance... 10' diameter beam 39 F.C. and 2.5' diameter beam... 177 F.C.
Min beam angle: 14 degrees... Max beam angle: 53 degrees.
Weight: 6.4 lbs WITH 25' cord.

Personally I would RATHER have the beam spread of the Arri versus the beam spread of the Mole... when I had the tweenie IIs I rarely used the smallest focus available in the Mole, but so far I don't think the Arri has a demonstrated advantage in lumens output or efficiency.

Source:
http://www.arri.com/entry/products.htm
(must search for 300w fresnel)


Alman 300L-SM w/FKW 300w 120v lamp... feet and foot candles.
10' distance... 10' diameter beam 68 F.C. and 2' diameter beam... 173 F.C.
Min beam angle: 11 degrees... Max beam angle: 53 degrees.
Weight: 7.4 lbs WITH 25' cord.

Source:
http://www.altmanltg.com/Altman_Catalog_2006.pdf
(page 70)


Okay so the one thing I am realizing is why a lot of people like Moles! How about that WEIGHT? Almost 2 pounds lighter then an Arri? and 3 POUNDS lighter then the Altman? I never realized my Moles were so light when I had 'em!

Just so you know... in the 650w fresnels the Altman is 8 lbs... the Arri is 7.2 lbs... and the MR is 6.75 lbs. I would say in the 650w fresnel range... that you will have a tough time justifying one brand over another based on any of the given specifications. Put it down to reputation, available budget, and personal preferrences.

And since I was researching... the 150w Arri still stands alone as the best hair/rim light when you look at price, performance, AND WEIGHT. That light is in a class of one.
 
Last edited:
MattinSTL said:
How about that WEIGHT? Almost 2 pounds lighter then an Arri?
Click to expand...

Wow, good info Matt. Yeah, to get 2:1 better performace seemed VERY unlikely, and I am not surprised they all are quite comparable. Mole, Arri, and Altman are all good lights, and I don't think you can go much wrong with either. Comes down to personal preference, etc.

Regarding the weight difference; I see that the weight includes the cable. Is it possible that the Mole lights use lighter cables than Arri/Altman? Because I know on the 300W version, the Arri has a HUGE cable (can't remember what size) and I recall thinking it was WAY overkill. I bet that'll add some pounds to total weight right there.
 
My Altman 650L has a huge cable as well. The switch on the cable is the funniest thing I've seen in awhile. It's like a full-sized light switch you'd have in your house.
 
I had the Moles and the cable on that is huge also... plus it's got Hubbel plugs on the end (giant) and an inline switch that looks like something out of the industrial era of the early 1900's... (in a good way). It's a solid metal block of aluminum with a big metal switch at the center and it's protected from being flipped by "wings" on both sides.

Whatever... basically I think the conclusion is to get whatever fresnel you like... there probably won't be that much of a performance difference between them... and the advantages of construction of one over another are probably not worth more then the extra price you pay for the difference anyway.

Yes... I forgot about the little LTM lights... they are nice for hair/rim also.

My own kit is most likely going to have lights from several manufacturers anyway. When the weight is close I'll take whatever light feels the best to me... but if there's a big difference (as in the 300w) then I'd be tempted to go with the numbers. My .02
 
I have Arri lights myself, but I've got to say those Altman light look pretty nice for the price. I do need a 2k softlight, and I might just try Altman out...
 
Benny, our pro kit has (4) Arri 150w... (3) Arri 650w... (1) Arri 300w... (1) 1200w Arri HMI... (1) 400w Arri pocket HMI... (1) 250w Arri fresnel HMI... Diva 400... (2) full Dedo kits... a crap-load of black... lots of Chimeras in S and XS... (6) totas to fill the Chimeras... crate of stingers... lots of Westcott reflectors and holders... tons of gels... blackwrap... c-stands and regular stands... and probably a bunch of other stuff that I'm forgetting about.

Lately I've been crotchety about video... lots of work and slow payers. So when I gripe a bit about the Arri focus action, don't take me to mean I don't like Arri... clearly we use a LOT of them... they just don't feel very precise in the focusing to me.

The extent of your lighting package really depends on what you do and what you get paid... what I consider to be a "normal" lighting package is based on the kind of shooting that I do (on the side)... for interview situations I like a tota 750w or 1Kw in a 24x32 softbox w/ grid... then a 42" reflector bouncing white just out of frame on the opposite side... next we have a 150w Arri for hair/rim (or LTM pepper if you prefer)... I suggest a 650w fresnel to shoot up a cookie in the BG... and perhaps a 300w fresnel to put up a slash or shoot a window on the wall if you like.

The 300w is optional in this case... I'm not a big fan of color slashes... but some shots are boring otherwise. I tend to shoot a cookie almost every time... unless the BG is interesting on it's own. A second 150w fresnel is sometimes nice to pick out an interesting and telling detail in the BG.

Also you gotta' have at least 2 or 3 dimmers. The camera dims the key... then the cookie shooter and the hair/rim need to be dialed in. You can get a world class looking interview with only 3 lights... easy. Sometimes even the hair/rim light is optional... then you are down to only 2 lights to make things look good.

If I'm shooting outdoors or in a daylight situation then I use my own flos. Some quick and dirty stuff gets the same treatment... depends on the shoot. If daylight is spilling in and I just need to make it appear to reach in farther then it is... again... my own flos.
 
MattinSTL said:
Also you gotta' have at least 2 or 3 dimmers. The camera dims the key... then the cookie shooter and the hair/rim need to be dialed in. You can get a world class looking interview with only 3 lights... easy. Sometimes even the hair/rim light is optional... then you are down to only 2 lights to make things look good.

If I'm shooting outdoors or in a daylight situation then I use my own flos. Some quick and dirty stuff gets the same treatment... depends on the shoot. If daylight is spilling in and I just need to make it appear to reach in farther then it is... again... my own flos.
Click to expand...

Great post matt. I'd kill to have that hmi team and the dedos in my kit. Not sure how much I'd use them, since I'm mostly shooting stuff of the press tour/quick and dirty style., but i'd love the dedos.

I shot a cooking segment yesterday and a set of dedos would have been GREAT to make that food pop.

As far as LTM lights... I LOVE THEM! I have a 650, which is great and much smaller than the arri, and I also use little 150 a lot, which is a killer hairlight. the one issue with LTM is customer service, I one had to wait almost 3 months to get a part for one of my lights.
 
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