Choosing between two, cheap light kits!

[Phil_UK]

Hey Guys,

I am 15 years old, so my budget is a bit limited.
I am looking at two light kits and I am wondering, which would be the better option..

I want to use these light kits for lighting short films and also which is very important, music videos and performances in a mansion.

I was wondering, which of these 2 would be the better buy:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2250W-Continu...quipment_RL&hash=item27b6305301#ht_2102wt_907

or

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/3x-800w-red-h...light-kit_W0QQitemZ170517706667QQcmdZViewItem

Phil

 

[jamesh]

It's weird you picked those 2 sets specifically. I literally just bought both those sets to do a music video with tomorrow in a mansion like setting. They came this morning, both seem quite good value for money, although i'll let you know how they perform when i've finished shooting. Was gonna use the softboxes for the storyline closeup shots and on the bands performance and use the redheads for fills and to backlight the band. I'll post back here how i get on with them.

 

[Greg Smith]

Those are very different types of lights and would be used for quite different purposes.

The first is a fluorescent kit that produces daylight-balanced (5600°K) light, fairly soft and diffused.

The second is a tungsten-halogen set that produces 3200°K light, and because those are open-faced fixtures, they will natively be rather hard and cast distinct shadows. You can focus them a bit from "spot" to "flood," but the range is not as great, nor the edges of the beam as sharp, as with fresnel spotlights.

If I were only going to buy one, it would be the fluorescent kit. My reasons would be:

1) Soft light is more flattering for most close-up interview situations or any shots with actors. You can diffuse the Redhead-style lights but it takes extra materials, stands, setup time and knowledge.

2) Fluorescent lights run much cooler. This is easier on the talent and speeds your strike time as you don't have to wait as long for the lights to cool down after the shoot. There is also less risk of blowing a fuse or circuit breaker when shooting in an unprepared location or a place with older or heavily loaded wiring.

3) Most modern cameras perform just a little bit better (signal to noise) using daylight balanced light. This is a pretty minor point, though.

4) You can convert fluorescent lights to tungsten color temperatures by buying a second set of bulbs. It's not so easy to convert tungsten lights to daylight. (You need to use blue filters, which will waste at least half the intensity of your lighting.)

I used a lot of open-face tungsten lights 30 years ago when I was getting started in the business. As time has gone by and my style has evolved, I have replaced most of those with soft fluorescent and LED sources.

- Greg