Big Softbox on Redhead

P

Paul F

Veteran
I bought a big 4' x 6' softbox. I mounted it on a 650 Fresnel and it works. I was concerned that the Fresnel wouldn't be able to handle the weight. But 650watts isn't much for such a big softbox. I don't have a redhead. But I'm wondering if I can mount a speed ring to a 1000w red head. I'm assuming it is stamped metal and it might get crushed when screwing down the screws of the speed ring. Will a 650 speed ring even fit over the red head?

Getting the redhead to stay up with the weight is another matter I'll have to deal with. But I first want to know if I can even mount it.

How about an Arrilite 1000?

Comments please.
 
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I couldn't see myself wanting anything smaller than a blonde in such a large soft box, but that's another story.

650 fresnels have slightly different sized accessory ears from redheads and arrilites, you'll probably need a different speedring. Redheads take 6 1/2" scrims and doors, 650's take 6 5/8". Arrilites I think are 7 1/4".

I'm not sure what you're referring to when you ask if the redhead will get crushed from the screws on a speedring. Redheads have a rotating accessory holder that holds your barn doors, scrims, and speed rings. The speed ring doesn't attach directly to the head, so there's no screws to damage the light unless you over tighten the screws on the accessory holder. On most redheads I've come across, these screws stop before they come into contact with the head so it will always rotate freely. They just rest against a flange right at the face of the head to prevent it from coming off.
 
Yes, I thought it might be a nice light modifier. It is made by Aurora, a Korean company that does not seem to be known in the US. It won't let me copy the link directly to the softbox. But just use this link and go to 'softboxes', then 'recta'. Under specs, they list the sizes. There is one even bigger than the 4 x 6.
http://alb.co.krhttp://alb.co.kr/eng/product/new_productList.aspx?idx=25

I bought it from Tallyn's Photo on ebay ($150). It's no longer listed. But maybe they will put them up again. They have them for sale on their website for $249.

Aurora has an egg crate for it, but no one sells it. If I find the need for the egg crate, I'll contact Tallyn to see if they will order it.

So what would you light it with?

It has the hotspot because of the fresnel and I did not install the inner diffuser.

 
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Moseph said:
I'm not sure what you're referring to when you ask if the redhead will get crushed from the screws on a speedring.
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The speed ring I have mounts with screws. It does not mount into the scrim slot.

 
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Aww hell naw! That's nice!

Contained and big.
Wow. Surprised no one else has mentioned these. Price is really cheap too.
Yeah, it's better to have the speed ring mount that way I think. Those barn door frames can't hold everything.

Thanks Paul!
 
Man - are you sure that's a heat-rated softbox or really just for strobes. Maybe a strobe box would be Ok with a fresnel since the globe isn't in the box, but I'd look for a temp rating.

Blondes are 2K, correct? That could really be pushing it. I don't know if Photoflex and Chimera's hot light stuff is rated over 1K?? Ever see a strobe softbox go up in flames? They go pretty fast...

The best solution I've seen for big & bright softboxes are the Photoflex Starlites, as far as value goes. The speed ring is built into the fixture, it's a standard setup, the softboxes are pretty robust, and the small box makes a decent open-faced reflector for harder light. You get the whole globe inside the box, so your efficiency is way better than a softbox on a fresnel. I wouldn't be surprised if a 1k Starlite would beat a 2k blonde once you have it assembled and the (necessary for the blonde, not needed for the starlite) inner baffle eating a half stop or more. They're not perfect fixtures, but if you can grab one from eBay used, you can really score a nice light. (There may be other solutions out there in the 1K range as well).

Another plus for the Starlites - there are now decent 400 watt grow/aquarium moguls that render really nicely. Get a ballast and you have - essentially - a 400 cold-start HMI softbox that's very efficient. With a medium softbox and grid, that's my main interview light these days - it would take about a 2500 watt fixture with CTB to beat it.
 
Michael Carter said:
Another plus for the Starlites - there are now decent 400 watt grow/aquarium moguls that render really nicely. Get a ballast and you have - essentially - a 400 cold-start HMI softbox that's very efficient. With a medium softbox and grid, that's my main interview light these days - it would take about a 2500 watt fixture with CTB to beat it.
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Now this sounds intriguing!
 
Michael Carter said:
Man - are you sure that's a heat-rated softbox or really just for strobes. Maybe a strobe box would be Ok with a fresnel since the globe isn't in the box, but I'd look for a temp rating.

Blondes are 2K, correct? That could really be pushing it. I don't know if Photoflex and Chimera's hot light stuff is rated over 1K?? Ever see a strobe softbox go up in flames? They go pretty fast...

The best solution I've seen for big & bright softboxes are the Photoflex Starlites, as far as value goes. The speed ring is built into the fixture, it's a standard setup, the softboxes are pretty robust, and the small box makes a decent open-faced reflector for harder light. You get the whole globe inside the box, so your efficiency is way better than a softbox on a fresnel. I wouldn't be surprised if a 1k Starlite would beat a 2k blonde once you have it assembled and the (necessary for the blonde, not needed for the starlite) inner baffle eating a half stop or more. They're not perfect fixtures, but if you can grab one from eBay used, you can really score a nice light. (There may be other solutions out there in the 1K range as well).

Another plus for the Starlites - there are now decent 400 watt grow/aquarium moguls that render really nicely. Get a ballast and you have - essentially - a 400 cold-start HMI softbox that's very efficient. With a medium softbox and grid, that's my main interview light these days - it would take about a 2500 watt fixture with CTB to beat it.
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Very Interesting.jpg
 
Thanks Michael. The Starlite is just what I need. I bought two of them and the 1000w bulbs on ebay. I'll read up on your 400w mogul solution as well.
 
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Here's a thread of a DIY spacelight I did with the 400 HID:

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?317526-DI-Space-Light-400-watt-HID-Nice!&highlight=

Here's the newer globe I'm using:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ZAIZJ0?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00

That's 5600k, matches better with like 1/4 CTO but if it's my key I usually WB to it and all is good (I tend to WB through an 82A cooling filter to warm things up a bit, do that pretty often).

As for the ballasts - grow/aquarium, extruded aluminum, fairly common, like this:

http://www.marinedepot.com/Reef_Bri...sts-Reef_Brite-3M01089-FILTACBAMHHFEB-vi.html

That's about $175 but check eBay - 400's usually show up as people go to higher wattages. I have two different ballasts, one with a fan, and one that's 200, 250, 400 and 400 "HO" (high output). Try to get a fanless version. From there it's wiring... you can buy a grow/aquarium cable and make an adapter, or just re-wire everything to Edison.

One thing about the starlites - they all take mogul lamps. Some of them won't take an HID mogul - the mogul base (as I recall) is E38 - when pulse-rated lights became available, the rated socket is E39 - one mm difference in the thread. A tungsten model will screw into either one, but an HID needs the E39 (this is how I've sussed it out anyway). My guess is an older starlite is E38 and nowadays I think everything is just E39. I also have a chinese starlite knockoff that takes the HID globes fine.

I gotta say though - if you can find a deal on a starlite with a soft box (they're pricey new, esp. the boxes) it's a really cool setup - 500/1k tungsten that you can dim, or 400 HID that can fight some typical office window light, and all you're adding to have the choice on set is the ballast and extra globes. I've got to get with my mother-in-law and have her sew me some alternate front ripstop with velcro - I want to dye one a bit warmer, and also make one that hangs when the light is mounted overhead, sort of a china ball-ish solution. I use the hell out of the medium box with this.
 
Reading up on metal halide bulbs gives me a headache. There are so many variations. Some only work in the horizontal position. Some only work upside down. Some don't recommend an electronic ballast. Some have UV protection; some don't. One even says it has UV protection, but in the notes it says it will burn skin without protection. I'll keep reading.
 
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Paul F said:
Reading up on metal halide bulbs gives me a headache. There are so many variations. Some only work in the horizontal position. Some only work upside down. Some don't recommend an electronic ballast. Some have UV protection; some don't. One even says it has UV protection, but in the notes it says it will burn skin without protection. I'll keep reading.
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The mogul HIDs are universal position (all the ones I own anyway) and have a UV envelope - I think that's why so much grow and fish stuff is mogul; it's a consumer application vs. industrial lighting so they need to really protect them - and the moguls are big enough that the 2nd layer of glass isn't a size issue.

I've had no issues at all with the mogul stuff - the big-ass globes are-what-they-are, in that you'll have trouble making a 400 fresnel with them, and it's easy to break the tungsten ones by over tightening (yep, done that). The HID ones rattle too, which is disconcerting, I think something gets pinched off in manufacturing when they're sealed (it's like there's something loose in them, and the metal parts clank about - but only when you move them, not when shooting). But a trade off for not having to hassle with UV - though I'm sure there are warnings about staring at a bare bulb simply because of the lumens involved.

Somewhere around here I mentioned this setup and got a lot of "my gaffer would freak out messing with that" but if you're using a StarLite, you're just putting a ballast in the line. I doubt you'll see these on the set of the next Star Wars flick, but for a budget solution, it's been pretty ass-kicking for me - YMMV of course.

Funny, where I want UV I can't have it (I'd love to convert an enlarger to UV to make really big gumoil prints, for instance - I'm still a big darkroom freak and I print up to 20x24 and will go much bigger this spring) - enlarger lenses and diffusers and condensers eat it all up. But get an HMI with a bad lens and you'll fry your talent. Why can't I fry my gum arabic?!??!
 
Ghetto lighting day this week:

400 Mogul HID starlite key; Aputure LED from the side… DIY 150 HID 3" fresnel on the wall w/gel:

400.jpg

575 HID Exhibition Par + 1/4 CTO just barely fights the daylight window (through a popup diffuser)… Aputure on the hair. (Yep, that is about her exact skin tone).

575.jpg
 
It's cool that you can compete with the daylight using the 575.

That Photoflex Starlite worked out well. There are no heat issues at all. The rods on the box stay warm and I don't see any other possibility for a fire hazard.

As to the metal-halide, I'm looking at a Philips 330w (33,000 lumens). After much reading, I found that the NEC is requiring an 'O' rating for lamps that are in an open fixture. The issue being that the lamps can burst, sending 1000 degree shards of glass and metal out. Over 30 states have followed the NEC ruling and require the "O' rating. The bulb gets even bigger and has a glass containment tube inside the bulb that covers the gas tube.
https://www.platt.com/CutSheets/Philips Lighting/42179-2-CutSheet.pdf
 
Paul F said:
It's cool that you can compete with the daylight using the 575.
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Just baaaaaarely - I would have liked having another stop on her face. I used a polarizer to beef up the sky and dial down reflections on the window, but of course as far as the balance of exposure goes it's a moot point. I can always track this and beef up the Bg a hair or pop her face, if we'd had a nice dramatic sky it would look nicer. The par is way more efficient than a fresnel, been wondering about getting a 1.2 HMI; but those are far more common as fresnels and may not be a big leap from the 575 par. I really prefer a par or open face for this sort of key anyway, I often hang enough fabric to make a 10x20' soft bank.

Every now and then a 1.2 HMI par shows up on eBay, usually a silver bullet. I'd use it enough that owning one would be a good option. Guess I'll keep looking.
 
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