Lowel lights + Chimeras = DON'T WORK

[Patryk_Rebisz]

Just wanted to share a little experience. I love the Lowel lights as they are a smaller (and lighter) equivalent of Arris and even though i do have Arris i pick my Lowel lights first before going to Arri. That said though as everything there are trade-offs to the small size. One of the trade-offs is that the Lowell lights don't have a knob to tighten the tilt of the light thus putting a heavy softbox in the front will just make the light keep on tilting until the softbox rest against the stand. Tried to tighten the screw but with no results. The Chimera ring for Lowel light is going back to the store.

Lesson learned: if you want to attach a Chimera to your light - use Arris.

 

[Peter Reynolds]

Thanks for the advice. I've always used Lowell lights exclusively.

Luckily I never had to use a Chimera (I have Rifa softboxes) but I'll remember your
warning if it ever comes up.

Peter

 

[Tom Wills]

I don't know which Lowel lights you're referring to - probably DP's if you're putting them in a softbox. Anyways, assuming it has a similar mechanism for stand mounting to what's on the Omni's that I maintain, it should have been a simple tightening with a pair of pliers to get that thing so tight it won't move. I've ended up actually needing to loosen up lights on set after a slightly overzealous tightening.

Just a thought - maybe it uses a different system, but it should have been able to tighten up. I know a DP who I work with a lot has a big softbox, probably 32"x32" for his DP. It does a fantastic job, and I didn't see him wrestling with anything - it was actually up on a C arm over an actor.

 

[manglerBMX]

i use a tota on a softbox mount and it works great. the softbox mount has a nice tightening knuckle on it.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/124821-REG/Chimera_9510_Speed_Ring_for_Video.html

but i use the photoflex brand which is about $50 cheaper

but in past when using an omni with softbox mount i had to incorporate a pair of vice grips to support the light.

 

[Patryk_Rebisz]

Tried the tightening - didn't work. Maybe if i force it even more, but then i would ask myself why the hassle if i can just use the Arris.

 

[monkeyking]

Sorry for the late reply, but Chimera makes another ring that prevents the Lowel light from tilting down from the added weight of the softbox. Basically it avoids using the lights' stand yolk altogether by attaching to a seperate grip head that can really lock down.
Wait ..... I'm describing the ring for my Arri 1k open face fixture which has the same problem.
Chimera proobably makes a similar ring for the Lowel DP light as well.

chris

 

[BVX]

Never had issues using a DP with a mid-sized Chimera. Until the light started to give me problems like every Lowell I've ever known. I'm an Arri guy now, but I have a $200 off-brand 6 x CFL softbox that is so much better to work with than that Chimera pkg.

 

[thekeygun]

I"m working with a chimera package with lowells now...no problems.

 

[Paul Hudson]

I have used Chimeras on DP's and Omni's, no problem? I wonder if you are using the large softbox. I have only used the small and medium.