Egg crate needed? When and why?

M

marquee

Active member
I am new to lighting. So any advice is appreciated.

Equipment I have so far:

Arri Softbank IV
addl Arri 650 and 300 W fresnel
Cstands, gels, flags, scrims, all grip stuff covered

Kino flo Divas 400 coming end of January


I am doing a two camera interview on Friday, one in a great room of a very large house and high ceilings, the other setting is a large office with floor to ceiling uncovered windows. I dont thiink sunlight will be an issue.

The softbank kit comes with a small chimera which ill hook up with either the arrilite 1000w or 650w. I know the egg crate is used to control spill light.

Will I need an egg crate? 20, 40, 60 degrees. or will barn doors work?
When do you use it the most, interview settings? Can I get the same effect w/o buying an egg crate or is just a convenient tool to have?

The chimera egg crates are pretty pricey, is there an alternative brand that will work with that soft box? I do not have time to do a DIY.

TIA
 
do a seach on this site, you can build your own egg crate for cheap!

you mostly use it to stop spill, keep it off your walls.

personally I don't own any and never use them, they tend to fall apart and be difficult to keep up with. I control all my light with flags, scrims, gels, diff and blackwrap.
 
Funny how different people have different techniques. I ALWAYS use them. And I've never had one fall apart. I own 4 chimeras, 3 small one X small. I think mine are the 20's (more squares), although I do have one larger might be the 60's, which never comes out of the bag. The egg crate compared to the expense you've already laid out (in a very nice kit I must say) is minimal. I guess I'm a control freak with my light. But cameras are so light sensitive now, and I like my backgrounds to fall out of focus. And the places I tend to get sent to shoot interviews are always 10X10 square offices and hotel rooms. I don't know what I'd do without egg crates on my Chimeras. I think mine are "light tools" brand. www.kennedyseng.com

Flags and C-stands and such are ok, until you have to get on an airplane.
 
I would HIGHLY recommend the Lighttools eggcrates made for the Diva 400s. Divas are the only Kino-style light for which someone makes a true (in this case, fabric) eggcrate for. Without the eggcrate, the Diva will spray light EVERYWHERE. The Kino barndoors are very ineffectual. If you're shooting tight interiors and you don't have an eggcrate, your light will spray all over your set. For night exteriors, it's typically not a problem to let the light spray everywhere. The 40-degree eggcrate is probably most vesratile.
 
If you are just talking about the egg crate that is used as diffusion, with the kinos, or with the chimera, the same effect can be created by the liberal application of 1/2 in black gaff or black camera tape. Now, in terms of edge spill, if I had my druthers, I would always use flags, but as the fellows above have commented, if you need to travel light, the egg crate is going to save you time and energy.

I would also stress the above point that having the egg crates for the Divas is essential. They may be costly, but you will use them time and time again. The Divas are the only Kino lights that can really ever come off as harsh, and my guess is that you want them because they'll look soft. Depending on the size of your interview space, you may actually get a harsh look out of your Divas if you are not using the egg crate. Food for thought.
 
Thanks for the replies. I saw first hand the light pattern on a chimera with a 40 degree fabric egg crate. Actually, the cost for a chimera brand 40 is pretty cheap. I was told to stay away from the 60. I guess I was looking at the 20 and the grids that are damn expensive even for a small.

The Divas will definitely come with eggcrates once they come in. The divas will be used in a good size studio setting. I will look at the foto flos and compare.

Since the chimera boxes dont include the eggcrate as standard, I was under the impression you could achieve the same effect using different methods. I read the DIY eggcrate, but for me time and convenience is worth it.
 
The KinkFlo OEM eggcrates are worthless! They only really act as a light-reducer, like a scrim. You'll need the Lighttools fabric eggcrates if you want any kind of light control.
 
someone tells me that lighttolls sells the egg crate for diva 400 for 450 buycks. now that's so overpriced. has anyone here paid that price and is there a comparable option?
 
Hi:

I own four Chimeras, three smalls and one medium. I have 40 degree eggcrates for all four of them and use them for every shoot. If you don't mind your light spraying all over the place or don't mind flagging the heck out of the Kinos or Chimeras, you don't need them but using them is easier, quicker and they travel much easier than C-Stands and flags, as has been noted.

Considering a small Chimera costs about $250.00, I feel that $140.00 for the eggcrate is steep but not excessive because you really do need them on most shoots. Eggcrates are invaluable when you are really trying to achieve stylized looks with lighting specific zones.

Best,

Dan
 
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