Need Help Picking out a Light Kit! around 200$-300$

[Polarjee]

I know lighting is important so this is just a temporary solution until i can afford a better light kit. My budget is around 200$ or 300$ at the very most with everything included.
Currently I'm using a Tungsten worklight I picked up from Home Depot which is actually keeping me decently satisfied because I just bounce everything off the walls but I need more flexibility.
My minimum requirements for what i need are
-At least two lights and two light stands
-At least a total of 1000watts.
-At least one softbox
-A bag to carry all of it since I do a lot of moving equipment around.

I mainly shoot short films indoors and outdoors. Usually to light up rooms and people. I usually set up lights conventionally but sometime artistically.

any help would be great! Thanks!

 

[PerroneFord]

Save your money. Even if you could find something that matches your requirement list, it would be utter crap. Presuming you buy new. A decent softbox, even without the light to go in it, would blow your budget or nearly so.

 

[Huy Vu]

I know lighting is important so this is just a temporary solution until i can afford a better light kit.

If you really mean what you're saying then I can recommend a brand. But usually when people say "temporary" they really mean "I'm going to use it for 5 years, then sell it to upgrade." The thing to recognize is that equipments in this price range just aren't very well built, will not last for any appreciable amount of time, and their resale value at any given time is closed to zero. If you're realistic about what you need then you can definitely put together a kit for $300, just know that it is basically a Band-Aid and you'll basically have to throw it away once you're ready to move on.

The brand I'm talking about is of course Britek. They are dirt cheap and they are made for film applications and has all the basic features you would want: softbox, barndoor, focusable beam etc. Of course they're not the best built light in the world, but if it really is "temporary" then they'll do the job. Rostronics has several kits at the $300 range that has everything you listed.

 

[Amuse-WS]

The brand I'm talking about is of course Britek. They are dirt cheap and they are made for film applications and has all the basic features you would want: softbox, barndoor, focusable beam etc. Of course they're not the best built light in the world, but if it really is "temporary" then they'll do the job. Rostronics has several kits at the $300 range that has everything you listed.

I have to agree with Huy here. I've purchased a few lights from Britek as a cheap alternative for starting out. Some look down on the company because the parts are made in China, and claim that they break easily. I've been using a few of their lights for over 4-5 shoots and they're holding up just fine.

In the event that something "breaks" or they become un-usable, they have a 1 year warranty on what you buy - you just have to pay for shipping. The only thing they don't cover is bulbs.

I'm not advocating Britek lights to be what you'll need in the long run, as they are missing features that would allow faster setup, and build quality seems to lean towards the cheap side. But if you dont have much confidence in rigging up your own home made lights, and would like to build some experience before spending a few grand on lighting - I'd definitely recommend Britek - specially with their 1 year warranty.

-Randall