Ever use these Flouro. Worklights

D

DVX100Shooter

Veteran
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthrea...ino-Part-1&highlight=diamond+plate+worklights

This might be a better all-around solution. There are other DIY's, just can't find them quick...search the DIY section.
There was one just like this, but they used the "Diamond Plate" worklights. They are a stronger fixture.
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

EDIT: Found it:
http://www.ryanewalters.com/Blog/files/DIY_Kino.html

BIG thank you to Ryan for sharing this information!
 
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I think the output of the thread-starter work lights could be pretty useless, except for closeups or specialized shots.

For starters, I've rarely seen a "tungsten equivalent" claim that really held up with a light meter; and I own several tungsten open-face theatrical lights (never shot with work lights but at an essential level they're very similar, but have yokes, spuds, barn doors, etc., and I'm quite fond of their usefulness) that use worklight bulbs from 100-1000 watts, and when shooting tungsten I rarely have less than 650 in them (that said, an open-faced worklight with a 1k and a full CTB is a lotta light for cheap - if your worklight can take a 750 or 1k that is). All that to say don't spend a lot of cash to get 300 watts or less of an unknown color temp.

I am a big fan of the four foot banks as far as cheap lighting goes - you can get decent bulbs that are close to 5200k with good CRI. It's a decent amount of big & soft light. The issues of transporting and aiming them kept me for using them on working shoots (and the DIY look and flimsiness, and the fact that twin-biax "kino" knockoffs seem to be pouring in from China and you can get a nice 500-watt eq. unit for under $250). But I've come to love the 4 foot banks for greenscreen lighting in my studio - hang a few from your ceiling for top fill on the screen, stick some on the sides, etc - that's freed up my "real" daylight fixtures for talent and the 4' size makes getting a screen even a piece of cake.

Getting a decent amount of light from a worklight-sized form factor is tough with flo's; if you're in the worklight-price market, I'd really suggest you keep an eye on eBay's "continuous lighting" dept. - filter it to "used" and look for tungsten open faced units. Yeah, they're hot and pull a lot of amps, but good digital footage needs lots of light, and lots of low-mids fill to crush back down and kill noise. If you're dead-set on daylight and you're on a tight budget, you're just not going to get big-time output that will allow you many more options for shots.

For under $200 take a look at the Alzo HID bulb & ballast combo - I haven't tested it extensively, but so far I dig it - seems to be about 750 watts equivalent, heat-wise like a 300 watt, and uses a standard household socket. Kind of a DIY dream. Has issues with hot-striking (but so do richard's $500 HID-HMI's) but it's a lot of nice light that has played well with my flo's and whatnot.

There's often decent tungsten stuff on eBay for cheap in need of a coat of high-temp spray paint, many you can relamp with a range of output, they often take barn doors/etc, and they usually come ready to mount on a pro stand. Keep your eye out for deals, and look at theatrical lights as well - they're usually simpler in build and have clamps vs. spuds (just replace with a $10 TVMP), but I did years of paying work using the above tips.

(And I'm rehabbing a few of my 6" tungsten fresnels with HID bulb/ballast combos, we'll see how that goes...)
 
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