Budget Entry Lighting Kit

4

4edrik

New member
Hello everyone,

I am very much a filmmaking noob, and am looking to build a basic lighting kit, ideally under $800 total.

My focus is primarily on interviews, 75% one-person, 25% two-person. Most, if not all, scenes will occur indoors in average-sized living rooms found in a home, usually with the option to shoot at night in completely dark rooms. I shoot primarily on a Lumix G85 with various primes.

Currently I'm considering the Aputure line of products but am stuck between buying a single light (120d or LS1) or if a three-kit less powerful kit would give me more flexibility. Would love to hear your thoughts! Thanks so much.

Here are options at around $800:

1. An Aputure 120d with the 35" Aputure light dome and a stand.

or

2. Aputure Lightstorm LS1 with diffusion material and stand.

or

3. Aputure HR672S x3 with diffusion material and stands.
 
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Welcome to DVXUser!

Since you’re just starting out, and on a budget, I’d suggest getting a three-point kit with the HR672 daylight panels. Two spot, one wide. For seated interviews, this can be a great starting place. You’ll get more output from either the LS1 or the 120D, but single-point lighting can be very limiting in many situations. It’s fine for a single-person interview where you have ambient daylight sources to add some depth, and a reflector can act as fill and/or backlight, but the ability to light a little more in the background or to cover more area with a second person can be a lifesaver.

Grab a couple 5-in-1 reflectors (42” or so). They’re dirt cheap and worth their weights in gold. A reflector arm to mount it to a light stand is helpful as well. The HR672S can make a decent soft key if you shoot it through a silk, or the 5-in-1 with the cover off (the bare panel is diffusion).
 
I recommend option 1. The reason being that it constitutes a large-ish source and soft, flattering, realistic-looking lighting is all about big sources. The bigger the better. You can almost never have too large of a source. The light dome contains the lateral spill-light and directs all of the light in a forward direction.Big-budget films contain the spill ( block the spill-light ) using large flags. But on smaller productions we usually do not have the luxury of having 4x4 floppy solids on hand. That is where some sort of light-bank / light-dome / soft-box comes into play. A light-bank / light-dome / soft-bow with a fabric grid on the front will further aid in controlling the spill that results from a broad, soft source.

Everything is going LED these days but I would still give tungsten hot-lights a consideration. For years I have used a Lowell Tota-light in a Chimera soft bank ( size Medium ) with great success. Tungsten light produces lovely, full-spectrum color rendition and is flattering to human skin tones. As of this writing, there are listings on eBay for a 24'' x 32'' Chimera Video pro ( $60 ), a speed-ring for a Lowell Tota ( $42 ), and a Lowell Tota light w/ power cord for $37. For a total of $142.00 + shipping you have a large soft source that will produce beautiful rendering of color and skin tones. If you need to color-balance the light to interior daylight ( 5600k ) you slap a piece of half-blue gel over the front of the soft box. Or, you balance to tungsten ( 3200k ) and let the windows "go blue"...which produces a nice look for interviews as the blue-ish color balance of the windows contrasts nicely with human skin tones- both light skin and dark skin. Only last week I used a Tota / chimera light bank combo to light interviews with two Academy Award winning actors, for the behind the scenes extras on a film. I had at my disposal the greatest, latest, most acclaimed CRI Litepanel LED- a $1700 unit- but I still went back to the old-school tungsten. I keyed the interview with my $125 Total light.

In terms of producing flattering interview lighting, there is NO reason to use an LED light at all. We in the industry end up using LED lights for reasons having nothing at all to do with making the interview subject / actors look good. Motivations of portability and ease of use.

You'll never have to worry about any "green spike" in the color spectrum of the light produced when using tungsten lights. And they are a bargain cost-wise as a result of everyone flocking to LED's. Often out of laziness.
 
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If you do decide to go with LED's, I'm going to give a slightly different view from Alex, all due respect to him.

I would start with a key light that is strong enough to work in a variety of scenarios AFTER diffusing it AND turning it into a larger source. I own the 672s and the LS1s and I don't find the 672s can serve as a key in a lot of situations once pushed through diffusion. If it's a very tight headshot, it can work but if you need enough distance to show a medium (a decent amount of torso), or worse - two people, then you will end up resorting to shooting it bare just to get more juice out of it, which is not a flattering look.

With your budget, I would get an LS1s used. I just saw one on Craigslist where I live and occasionally on ebay and then add the 5 in 1 that Alex mentioned (works great with the LS1s) and another one for bounce, and then add a 672 for a hair/edge light. Find stands used for dirt cheap if you can't stretch your budget a bit to get quality stands at first. Stands will last you a lifetime if you get great ones, but you can start working with cheapos for so little money that you wont kick yourself for needing to replace them after you save up for better ones.

...or go tungsten as JP said. I did that for a while. Not going back, but I did enjoy perfect skin tones for dirt cheap. ; )

TL;DR - It's really frustrating not having enough lighting power to key light your main subject. I'll sacrifice just about everything else before that.
 
I’d almost always prefer to have one strong lamp rather then three weak ones.

And as a neophyte you’d be better served by learning how to use one light well before adding adding additional lamps to your kit. Many of the greatest Cinematographers, & Photographers, strive for a the Single-Light look, even if they sometimes resort to multiple lamps to achieve it.
 
I posted this back in 2012 when someone asked about a starting out light kit.

I think it might still be relevant 6 years later.

The point being, you are going to need more than just a light and stand.





If I were putting together a first lighting kit on a budget I might do something like this...

4 25' Stingers-High quality extension cords
2 Power Strips-High Quality 15 amp
1 Harbor Freight Router Controller
1 used 650w Fresnel w/barn doors/scrim set
1 used 200w Fresnel w/barn doors/scrim set
1 4x55w Biax Fluorescent w/daylight & studio tube sets w/case for extra set, w/grid, 1/8 minus green gel
1 1000LED Bi-Color light w/ 1/4 minus green & opal frost gels
3 Used Matthews Beefy Baby stands or similar
1 Medium duty light stand
1 used C-Stand w/arm & grip head
1 5in1 collapsable reflector
1 24x36 flag
4 small pony clamps
12 C-47-closepin
3 Milk Crates

This would give you a solid starting point and 3 different lighting instrument types to build upon in any direction you see fit.
 
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I'd suggest a couple of 3060A panels and a couple of Aputure 198s.
Three simple Manfrotto raker stands and a basic lighting boom.

The 3060As can be used for key and fill, or combined into one 2' x 2' super soft source that is ultra lightweight, 1 inch thick, and you can stick a simple velcro grid on it to control spill.
The panels can also be clamped to panel ceilings, taped to almost any surface, half rolled and simply stood on the floor etc etc etc.
They are easy to rig and operate without having to deal with a bulky control box, as all the dimming control electronics are inside the panel.

The 198 is a cheap little LED panel that can be used to accent a background feature and are small enough to hide behind a vase or book in the background etc.
Use another 198 as a hair/rim/kicker on a simple boom arm.

You don't need C-Stands, normal stands (as I consider them) will be fine, but do buy a good brand like Manfrotto.
Mount the hair light able the subject using an extending boom arm.
And make sure to secure everything with sandbags where appropriate.

The lights I've mentioned are all LED Bi-Colour, the 3060As don't reduce in brightness across the temp range.
2x3060A outperform my LS1 in it's soft box but at a third of the price, while taking up much less space in tight locations.
Plus you can split them for more flexibility (pun intended)
 
I would go with Option #3: Aputure HR672S x3 with diffusion material and stands.

I have that exact kit (with a super convenient carrying case for all 3 lights) and it works great. Eventually, I added the Aputure Lightstorm LS1S for moments when more punch is needed (outdoor daylight shoots) but for interiors the three HR672 lights are great. Lightweight, nice color, dimmable, inexpensive. Get some cheap diffusion and light stands and you're set.
 
Very interesting seeing such divergent answers! I'm going to be doing something VERY similar to Luke Seerveld's project for the next 3 to 4 months. His setup sounds extremely similar to what I will be using. However, with one or two exceptions, I would do almost every single interview with a different look. And I say that knowing full well that he is a veteran master of his craft and I am but a green-behind-the-ear upstart in comparison. I guess look and feel really are very personal in the end. I love the one with his dad the best!
 
If you're mainly doing interviews, fluorescent offers the most quality light for the dollar by far. It's also naturally soft and flattering to your subjects, and using daylight tubes will allow you to shoot against open windows without any color mismatches to deal with.

Cool Lights has slashed prices on all their fluorescent fixtures. They're quality fixtures, and will take you a long way for your money.
 
Wow, thanks, everyone for the great replies. It's really refreshing to know there's people out there wiling to share their knowledge with someone who knows next to nothing. I'm certainly looking forward to hearing any further thoughts. At the moment I'm leaning toward the 120d, a basic one-light setup, for the reason JPNola gave (master one light first).

I came across this just now... https://books.google.com/books?id=QQRvAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA50&lpg=PA50&dq=one+light+or+three-light+kit?&source=bl&ots=B1PL9wl2kX&sig=z0q0uaBwddIZxGoAgauxhFh2gDs&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi4nfzJ6-HYAhUIMd8KHVk0C2g4ChDoAQgoMAA#v=onepage&q=one%20light%20or%20three-light%20kit%3F&f=false

I love minimal approaches and simplicity. And, I'll admit, haha, laziness or fear of being overwhelmed by so many lights (and the choice of which ones to buy) also plays a factor here. I suppose I can always pick up a small hair light if need be, but I'm actually looking forward to figuring out how to manipulate one light in a way where nothing is needed (a couple 5-in-1 reflectors, I assume is a good place to start?).

Anyway, thanks again for the thoughts! Love to hear more if there are any on this particular topic.
 
David suggested tungsten, and there’s just no fleshtone rendering like you’ll get from tungsten. It’s beautiful. I have a 2250W, 5-head tungsten kit and I love it. I also have a small Aputure kit (HR672 and AL-528 panels, and some AL-H198 panels for accents) that I use for interviews. The LEDs are lightweight, portable, and can be battery operated. The tungsten looks better with the downsides being that they run hot and can cost to keep lamps replaced as they blow. I’ve started using the LED kit more just because of convenience, and because I can still get most of what I need for basic interviews. But if I’m in a space where convenience isn’t the highest priority, out comes the tungsten kit.

Tungsten can also cost more, but then I saw yesterday that Adorama has a special on a 3-head Lowel Rifa kit. 1500W total: Rifa 66EX (750W), 55EX (500W) and 44eX (250W). STANDS INCLUDED. $499.

Honestly, this is a steal. Lowel lights are not always known for their durability, but the Rifa (I have two of them) is actually a very useful light for a soft key and gives good bang-for-the-buck, even at full price. This kit discount is ridiculous and should be seriously considered.

Besides, you can start with the 750W as a single light and learn how to work with that, and add the others in when/if needed. And you still have $300 in your budget for 5-in-1 reflectors, reflector holders, extra stands, AC stingers, spare lamps.

And sand bags. Get sand bags. Safety is key.
 
Tungsten LOOKS great, is a pain in the ass in a lot of other ways...power draw, heat (especially in smaller rooms, especially especially when you’re turning off AC for sound.

You have to make a decision as to what you prioritize...quick setup/portability? Quality of light? Budget? They can’t all be had at the same time.
 
FWIW I have a boatload of Mole Tungsten lights for sale.

Mole 412
Mole 407
Mole 4821
Mole 2801
Mole 2591
Mole 2581
Mole 4081
Mole 4031

As well as others I can't think of off the top of my head.
 
Josh Bass said:
Tungsten LOOKS great, is a pain in the ass in a lot of other ways...power draw, heat (especially in smaller rooms, especially especially when you’re turning off AC for sound.

You have to make a decision as to what you prioritize...quick setup/portability? Quality of light? Budget? They can’t all be had at the same time.
Click to expand...

Exactly. I was happy to trade a bit of the great look of Tungsten for the convenience of LED. Fast setup & teardown, cool to the touch, battery operated if necessary, quiet, portable, lightweight. Been using them for a couple of years and my clients have nothing but good things to say about the footage.

But to each their own. I know lots of folks that swear by tungsten and won't go near LEDs. They make great footage as well, so if it works for them, awesome.

And I second the suggestion to get SAND BAGS! Very important so a light stand doesn't accidentally tip over and hits the talent or crew. And lots of gaffer's tape to tape down cables and other trip hazzards. Safety is ALWAYS #1 on a shoot!
 
Josh Bass said:
Tungsten LOOKS great, is a pain in the ass in a lot of other ways...power draw, heat (especially in smaller rooms, especially especially when you’re turning off AC for sound.

You have to make a decision as to what you prioritize...quick setup/portability? Quality of light? Budget? They can’t all be had at the same time.
Click to expand...

it's 41 degrees Celcius down here again today, imagine using tungsten and asking for the a/c to be switched off :(
 
I can't speak to comparisons to other options listed here, but I'll echo that the Aputure 672s lights are solid.

Recently got a second one used for a great deal. I find that I either use one through an umbrella, one for rim light, or 2 through an umbrella if I need more output. 2 through an umbrella is actually pretty decent in terms of output.

Another favourite is the Dracast Silkray 400. It seems to routinely go on sale for $100, which is when I got mine. It's not very powerful at all, but the light quality is great. Very soft, doesn't really need diffusion. Uses same batteries as the 672s, and it's bicolor. Works great as a fill, eyelight, or back/side light.

2x672s, one silkray 400 has served me well and is pretty cheap.
 
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