Lighting Kit

swaneon

swaneon

Well-known member
A local seller is offering a kit consisting of these items for $1500, I'd like to know what your guy's opinion on them was?

1 - Lowel DP w/Chimera Speed Ring
1 - Lowel Omni w/Chimera Speed Ring
2 - Lowel Tota Lights
2 - Lowel Pro Lights
1 - Pro Lite Snoot w/Barn Doors
2 - Pro Lite Diffusers
2 - Pro Lite Color Correctors
1 - Pro Lite Scrim
2 - Tota Barn Doors
1 - Lowel Gel Holder
15 - Gel Clips
1 - Cool Lux LC7150 Dimmer
1 - Sekonic LZ-28 Light Meter w/Dome
2 - Lowel Clamp On Studs
2 - Matthews Boom Swivels
1 - Chimera Boom Swivel
1 - Ceiling Mount
1 - Chimera Video Pro (XS)
1 - Chimera Video Pro (S)
2 - Umbrellas (Silver)
4 - Light Stands (2 Matthews)
2 - Matthews Booms
1 - K&H Portabrace LP-3
 
I'd recommend pricing these out @ B&H to identify the retail price brand new. Resale will go anywhere from 30-70% of retail depending on the condition of the gear and how eager the seller is to get rid of it. That's not the gospel but a pretty good guideline.
 
definitely did
and it seems the kit retails for over 2k and ive been told this was a backup unit so its in 10/10 condition
i think i can talk him down to 1k which seems pretty fair for something like that?
 
Getting a deal is one thing, but are these the lights you need? I own lowels from way back, my first set of lights and I hardly use them... Open face at best can be used to light some background areas or throw splash on a wall but to get a soft light out of it you'll need softbox for it, or bounce it off white boards to get it soft, when you do either of those you need 1000w or more. These days you can get softlight flos that are almost equiv to 1000w incandescent.. So I'd carefully consider what to buy.

I'd go with some Arri fresnels and one or two fluorecent fixtures...
 
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I disagree with starcentral that these lights aren't good for much (and about needing 1k to get light soft)... but do agree that it's about whether these are the lights you need. If you've got nothing, then this is a fantastic starting place for what seems like a solid deal, assuming it's all in good condition.

personally i'm a big fan of lowel, i think they're great.
 
To get a large diffused light 500w to 1k is okay, but if you need to throw it far you can't which is why fresnels are better and more versatile. You can throw them far hard, or throw far to get bounce or put in softbox and get soft. Go for versatility over anything else, my lowels are in 10/10 condition too. :D

The real question is what you want to do with them of course.
 
If you can talk him down a bit (AND these will work well for what you need) then I'd say go for it. We use Lowels (have a 5piece kit, but we typically only use 2 or 3) all the time at my day job for interviews and promotional/recruitment video pieces and they're great. Just have to make sure you're using them properly with those umbrellas, diffusers, and gels. Like any light they're a tool and if you know your way around them (and all the quirks) then I think you'll really enjoy them.

Cheers,
Adam
 
adamrahn said:
...AND these will work well for what you need...
Click to expand...

Yep. Again, define the problem first, then look for a solution. Just think what you will actually want them for. I think they are okay for interviews, promo videos, live hits, ENG stuff.. but if you want lights for cinematic purposes I think you will go through a lot of pain to get them to work the way you want.

I don't mean to sound like a broken record or negative, but $1000 is a lot of money so make sure you know where to spend it. I wish I knew what to buy 10 years ago and had people to help me think through the possiblities. The internet has opened up that world, so do you own research. Go find work online you like and contact those people and ASK them what they used... most people will tell you no problem.

Good luck to you, let us know what you decided in the end.. cheers,
 
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