First: as a professional who's been working in the industry for a decade, I know there's no perfect answer to this question. Certain lights serve certain needs under certain conditions. But let's say, for example, I was going to be a one-man-band for a given project, and I needed to hop from location to location with just a couple lights in tow, and I wanted to create a fairly consistent cinematic look for my work, especially for my interiors... what are the one or two lights you experienced guys would bring along? Portability and ease of use are the biggest factors involved, with price being a big secondary factor. Thanks in advance!
If I had to have just one or two lights...
- Thread starter jthabel
- Start date
ozmorphasis
Well-known member
As long as price is any kind of factor, then a budget is needed to make recommendations.
I will say that all other things being equal, I would go against the typical grain of getting a bunch of fixtures and would instead make sure you get the most powerful, high quality key light first. You can always use fairly inexpensive lights for edge/BG/Hair, etc, and bounce for fill, but it really is debilitating to be at a shoot and not have the amount of juice needed for the key.
...but again, need that budget to get specific.
andykwilkinson
Well-known member
I really like having the Dedolight DLED4-BI and it's optional mini Dedolight Soft Box in my kit. Really versatile and it all packs into a small space...
puredrifting
Major Contributor
If I had the room and muscle to haul both, I'd have the new Aputure 300D MKII with a nice big parabolic softbox and I'd have a Litepanels Gemini 2X1. I could do a LOT with those two lights.
Run&Gun
Veteran
Do you mean two different types of lights or only two total fixtures? So much is done today with "natural backgrounds" where the subject is just keyed and maybe hit with an edge or hair and the background "is what it is". I used to work on a series where the subject was only keyed. No hair or edger or fill. But we lit the dog-s h i t out of the backgrounds...
If money and size(within reason) aren't too big of a concern, meaning you have a real budget, I'd likely go Astra's or Gemini/Astra or Astra/Hive or Gemini/Hive. Maybe Intellytech 160's to get a little larger key(they are 2x2, but fold to 1x1 for storage/transport) if you don't mind erector set lights. I actually have several sets of Astra's. Six total. Two of the sets each contain two Astra's, two Chimera's and a single Dracast "soft light"(bought on B&H flash sale last year). All bi-color. You can do a lot with that, as long as you have good backgrounds/environments that you don't need to light.
Nothing super special here, but it's a single Gemini for key(before I got the soft box) and a single Astra for just a little bit of kicker/edger. I could have pretty much just as easily pulled it off with two Astra's, but the Gemini gave me a larger key, so made it a little easier in the end to get the nice soft wrap. Plus I was working with a lot of available/existing light.
If money and size(within reason) aren't too big of a concern, meaning you have a real budget, I'd likely go Astra's or Gemini/Astra or Astra/Hive or Gemini/Hive. Maybe Intellytech 160's to get a little larger key(they are 2x2, but fold to 1x1 for storage/transport) if you don't mind erector set lights. I actually have several sets of Astra's. Six total. Two of the sets each contain two Astra's, two Chimera's and a single Dracast "soft light"(bought on B&H flash sale last year). All bi-color. You can do a lot with that, as long as you have good backgrounds/environments that you don't need to light.
Nothing super special here, but it's a single Gemini for key(before I got the soft box) and a single Astra for just a little bit of kicker/edger. I could have pretty much just as easily pulled it off with two Astra's, but the Gemini gave me a larger key, so made it a little easier in the end to get the nice soft wrap. Plus I was working with a lot of available/existing light.
morgan_moore
Major Contributor
One mand band 'hopping' from location to location.
Id be looking for really portable fixtures. So id say a 1.1 and 2.1 litemats?
Shooting solo I mainly use a single 4.8 panel.. its basically useless for anything but a little facial fill, but it is all I can lug about (with sticks fs7 and lenses)
My little panels run off BPU.. as does my FS7 .. very handy
Id add a 36in semi transparent lastolight for diffusion. Maybe one of the thos multidiscs so you can choose diffusion or reflection. a silver lasto can fill in the sun in the way no portable LED can.
Id be looking for really portable fixtures. So id say a 1.1 and 2.1 litemats?
Shooting solo I mainly use a single 4.8 panel.. its basically useless for anything but a little facial fill, but it is all I can lug about (with sticks fs7 and lenses)
My little panels run off BPU.. as does my FS7 .. very handy
Id add a 36in semi transparent lastolight for diffusion. Maybe one of the thos multidiscs so you can choose diffusion or reflection. a silver lasto can fill in the sun in the way no portable LED can.
morgan_moore
Major Contributor
If you want soft wrap.. get the light closer by a huge factor?
Nothing soft about this lighting IMO. And the scratch is too bright.
morgan_moore
Major Contributor
IMO there is a hard nose shadow, its not big, but it is hard.. because the key is to small/far away (both equating to the same thing in terms of pen umbra size)
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The relevance of this thread is to include something in the kit to make the key light 'large' hence my suggestion of a 36in pop out lasto.. my solution for that in 'man portable' shooting set ups.
S
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The relevance of this thread is to include something in the kit to make the key light 'large' hence my suggestion of a 36in pop out lasto.. my solution for that in 'man portable' shooting set ups.
S
puredrifting
Major Contributor
For me, my panels popped through a Westcott 42 diffusion disc is quick, easy and pretty soft if you get it at the edge of the frame.
But a mess when you are in darker locations and trying to control spill. Then, I use the medium Chimera with the egg crate but a lot more a mess to set up and break down.
But a mess when you are in darker locations and trying to control spill. Then, I use the medium Chimera with the egg crate but a lot more a mess to set up and break down.
Run&Gun
Veteran
Have you tried the newer Chimera’s with the built-in frames? A lot(most) are model specific(designed for specific lights), but they are much quicker to deploy than the standard(old) speedring versions. And they have eggcrates with built-in tensioning frames, now, as well. I’m not sure how big they go. The one for the Gemini is equivalent to a small(~2’x3’).
David W. Jones
Veteran
What does hoping from location to location entail?
On foot with a backpack, bus ride, your own vehicle, ???
FWIW, I have done a bunch of one man band shoots going from location to location, and the majority of the time I used my Sprinter van loaded with everything I needed to accomplish the shoot at each location.
Im getting myself two new lights as well, and I'd recommend something similar according to your budget:
Lupo dual Superpanel 60:
Basically the largest, brightest led soft source I can get. Although this is a bi-colour light, this LED panel and a few others from other brands arent always the softest. It falls in between hard and soft light.
But its great because you can diffuse it more while having that high output, or use it kinda like a harder light (kinda). Or get one thats softer and thats all you need. No additional diffusion or any other accessories. It can work as a key too.
Fresnel LED:
There are many options out there. Some pricey, some cheaper. People are raving over the Aputure lights (120Dii or 300Dii is what I recommend) Its decent if you want the cheapest option out there. Add a fresnel attachment and/or get a good softbox. I personally hate that octagonal softbox most people get. Would rather have a square one and an optional grid.
Both can be powered with V-Mount so easy to transport and does not require power if far away from power sources
Lupo dual Superpanel 60:
Basically the largest, brightest led soft source I can get. Although this is a bi-colour light, this LED panel and a few others from other brands arent always the softest. It falls in between hard and soft light.
But its great because you can diffuse it more while having that high output, or use it kinda like a harder light (kinda). Or get one thats softer and thats all you need. No additional diffusion or any other accessories. It can work as a key too.
Fresnel LED:
There are many options out there. Some pricey, some cheaper. People are raving over the Aputure lights (120Dii or 300Dii is what I recommend) Its decent if you want the cheapest option out there. Add a fresnel attachment and/or get a good softbox. I personally hate that octagonal softbox most people get. Would rather have a square one and an optional grid.
Both can be powered with V-Mount so easy to transport and does not require power if far away from power sources
G
Guest
Guest
Two ways to look at this:
Ease and versatility
1. If you are moving fast, you want lights you don’t have to build.
Lite panel, sky panel, gemini etc
Kinoflo, diva, etc
These are the kinds of lights that can be up without any modification. Insanely fast setups.
2. If you have a second, and you can play with modifiers, you want a powerful single point light source, as nothing is more versatile.
Joker 800 might be the king of versatility, but is a hot light.
Aputure 300d mkii is amazing with infinite dimming. Not quite a “bare buld” so much as a single point.
Digital sputnik, hive, arri, etc
These types of lights can be modded to produce anout anytype of light.
The wild card lights, are the fabric lites. For some they are a light you can theow anywhere and make it work, for others it is a building process attaching to frames and the a frame for the diffusion, and yeah, so depnds on the shooting methodology. - i previously wrote lite mats here, but that was a typo. Lite mats are pretty similar to lite panels, but bring up their own pros and cons.
Ease and versatility
1. If you are moving fast, you want lights you don’t have to build.
Lite panel, sky panel, gemini etc
Kinoflo, diva, etc
These are the kinds of lights that can be up without any modification. Insanely fast setups.
2. If you have a second, and you can play with modifiers, you want a powerful single point light source, as nothing is more versatile.
Joker 800 might be the king of versatility, but is a hot light.
Aputure 300d mkii is amazing with infinite dimming. Not quite a “bare buld” so much as a single point.
Digital sputnik, hive, arri, etc
These types of lights can be modded to produce anout anytype of light.
The wild card lights, are the fabric lites. For some they are a light you can theow anywhere and make it work, for others it is a building process attaching to frames and the a frame for the diffusion, and yeah, so depnds on the shooting methodology. - i previously wrote lite mats here, but that was a typo. Lite mats are pretty similar to lite panels, but bring up their own pros and cons.
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morgan_moore
Major Contributor
Exactly the thing. Everyone has thier own way of working, knows thier own setup times and the kind of locations they want to work.
For example I dont like softboxes bacause they are often difficult to move through a door. Move from the head of accounts office to the PR managers office when doing a set of chats around business HQ.
I much prefer a fixture on one stand and a frame (with diff) on a second stand or on an arm on the first stand. Its easy to move about or remove the frame completely. I think softboxes take a week to rig. Often have silly bars in them that get bent and dont move well from one fixture to another.
Others love softboxes as they dont spill, and are often more efficient transmitters as light is not lost to spill.
both legit standpoints
Really one has to work with lights and learn if they fit your style.
Id start with..
1.1 panel
small fresnel
36in diff disc or 4.4 diffusion frame
3 stands.
Id want the lights to work off battery or mains.
Another thing of huge value is a 4.4 poly white on one side and silver or black on the other.
A poly can fight the sun in the way many fixtures cannot.
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