Any experience with this fixture

tony240sx

tony240sx

Well-known member
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-PHOTO-SOFTB...in_0?hash=item45ed1ee1c2&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14


Just wondering if anyone has tried this type of fixture. They are selctable. I know they are cheap and I do not plan on them being my only lights but just seeing if they are decent enough to get by on small interview type stuff. I wouldnt mind having a few lights to suupliment my kit, that I do not have to worry about if they get beat up.

I just ordered a coollight to give them a try and I have a feeling I will be making a few more purchases from them for my kit.
 
I have not used that specific light but I have used similar and they are crap. Poorly manufactured and will break easily.
 
the picture shows that it uses CF bulbs. stay away! Break one of those on set and youre wrapped for the day...
 
SeanEmer said:
the picture shows that it uses CF bulbs. stay away! Break one of those on set and youre wrapped for the day...
Click to expand...

Really. I know Fluorescent bulbs are a pain when they break but is there anything different about these than say breaking say a kino bulb?
 
CF bulbs, like reg fluorescent bulbs, contain mercury gas (correct?) which is something you definitely don't want to be breathing. Most tubes for Kinos have a plastic cover that contain glass and gas when a bulb breaks, but CF bulbs don't have that safety feature. Granted, the amount of mercury in a CFL is much lower than in a conventional fluoro, but I still don't personally like them. Most CFL boxes should have some sort of warning about contacting Hazardous Waste Disposal people when it breaks... at least that is what I heard.

Why not get a nice ole' quartz lamp ;)


Edit: To make myself more clear... breaking a CFL won't make your set hazardous to the point of having to close it as far as I know. That was more of a jest at the possibility of a CFL causing mercury poisoning. I don't know enough about the topic in specific and am only repeating what other gaffers and camera people have told me.
 
I get what you mean. I didn't think you literally meant to shut down the set. I just wanted to see the difference, if any, there was between a standard Cf bulb and a more expensive kino bulb. All I know about fluorescents is that there is gas involved and when they break, crap gets everywhere. Any more info would be appreciated.

Im looking into flo lights just because I have worked with them on a few shoots now and I love the light output and the cool operating temp. I still have and will continue to use normal lighting but for soft lighting and interviews, I love fluorescents.
 
Tony,
For the money, they don't look too bad. $87.00 per unit with a (probably cheap) stand.
The 45w bulbs alone are probably about 8 bucks apiece to replace...that's only $47 for the lamp housing, softbox and stand.
If you don't beat them up, they'll likely last long enough to be a decent deal. Just realize that CRI may not be great and color temp might not be exactly 5600k.
Bottom line: if you think they will work for you in your particular shooting situations, go for it.

Just my .02.

Ken
the Screen Skins guy
 
Thanks for the propaganda j. lol. That's scary but hopefully no breakages for me. I am going to order a fixture like that and I will let you guys no what I think.
 
icon1.gif

I'm sure this is hyperbole about CFLs, but it's fun to spread...

http://www.isopach.com/compact-fluorescent-lights.php


I notice the guy who wrote the article owns a company that makes "Eco friendly" LED bulbs. The CFL paranoia is ridiculous. Every retail business in the US, if you look up when you walk in, has hundreds of 4 or 8 foot flo bulbs , each containing many times the mercury of a CFL. I'll bet most of the bad ones are probably smashed in the dumpster for disposal just like they were years ago, by the stockboy.

I would guess effective disposal would consist of donning latex gloves, wetting the material so it can't get in the air, wiping it up thoroughly and putting it in a ziplock to take to the hazmat disposal.
 
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Wow. I didn't notice that about the author.
I remember when I worked at a department store when I was 18, "accidently" smashing a few large flo bulbs in the back dumpster myself.


mainstreetprod said:
icon1.gif

I'm sure this is hyperbole about CFLs, but it's fun to spread...

http://www.isopach.com/compact-fluorescent-lights.php


I notice the guy who wrote the article owns a company that makes "Eco friendly" LED bulbs. The CFL paranoia is ridiculous. Every retail business in the US, if you look up when you walk in, has hundreds of 4 or 8 foot flo bulbs , each containing many times the mercury of a CFL. I'll bet most of the bad ones are probably smashed in the dumpster for disposal just like they were years ago, by the stockboy.

I would guess effective disposal would consist of donning latex gloves, wetting the material so it can't get in the air, wiping it up thoroughly and putting it in a ziplock to take to the hazmat disposal.
Click to expand...
 
I actually own a set of these. They're okay for the money, but not brilliant. Since they're not dimmable, the five individual switches is a nice touch that allows some control over the levels.

The biggest drawback is that you can't really transport them with the globes in place, you have to remove them and pack them securely. So not something to get if you need to setup quickly.
 
Ozhair said:
I actually own a set of these. They're okay for the money, but not brilliant. Since they're not dimmable, the five individual switches is a nice touch that allows some control over the levels.

The biggest drawback is that you can't really transport them with the globes in place, you have to remove them and pack them securely. So not something to get if you need to setup quickly.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. Thats actually a nice downside for me. I was hoping I could keep the fixture and softbox together to transport for certain shoots. How easy are they to setup. I have setup standard softboxes on tungsten fixtures but nothing like this. How does it compare?
 
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