Thoughts on Arri open-face lights?

Grug

Grug

Veteran
Hi guys,

I'm looking to broaden my lighting kit (currently made up of 2 big LED panels, 3 small LED panels, and 2 150w HMI fresnels) to include some tungsten fixtures; and I'm thinking of putting together a basic open-face tungsten kit with something like 2x Arrilite 750+ fixtures, and 1x Arrilite 2000+ fixture.

I realise it's kind of a classic redhead/blondie combo, but I'm wondering if anyone has specific experience with these Arri heads, and could share their thought on their usefulness?

Cheers
 
I once had a 2k Arrilite on a shoot (one of the ones in my avatar actually) that wouldn't focus because the reflector kept binding with the housing of the light. However, it probably would have been fine had it been properly maintained, and the quality of the light was fine for an open face fixture. These aren't the kind of lights you want to use directly on someone or something, they're best for bouncing or pushing through diffusion. To that end, an Arrilite 2000 or a 2k Ianebeam would perform pretty much in the same way, a Mighty Mole would probably be similar as well.

Can't speak for the 750, but I have used an 800 once. It's a very similar design, just takes a different style of lamp. I'm not really a fan of the design of the yokes on those, I'm afraid it could be more fragile and when placed on a stand the center of mass is offset. The built in chimera receivers seems like a genius idea though.

If I were building a kit, I would try to get some tungsten Fresnels and some open face lights, just to cover your bases. My first thought would be to go with a Fresnel instead of a 2k and to just double up the 750's when you need that kind of heat. But if you only want something lightweight and that puts out a LOT of light so you can soften it to your desire while still having enough light to expose, both of these would be nice units to have.
 
Cheers Moseph.

I've already got two 150w CDM fresnels, which can be used with 3200k bulbs, so the main idea with the open-face lights is to get some extra punch when I need it. I'd definitely add a chimera to the kit to pair with one of the 750s, and the others would be for bouncing off various bits and bobs.
 
I don't think you can go wrong with those Arri 750+'s. The new reflector style of both of those units is supposed to really increase output and they're great units.

The alternative of course is a mole mickey or mighty, and I'll be the first to say that I hate the barn doors on both of those units.

Before you buy those though, I would really consider picking up some 1k par cans with a variety of globes. Same sort of unit for a lot less.
 
Check me on this, but I believe that you can put a 750w bulb in a Arri 1000. Make sure if you are soft box shopping you get something rated for the heat.

Grant
 
If you just need bang.... then some par cans are also a very acceptable choice. Blast them through diffusion or bounce them controlled and you got a lot of power. The throw of those are pretty good as well.

You should check out one of the other threads. I think it was in Cinematography.... a BTS from a car shoot and more. He used tripple header with pars blasting through diffusion. Very easy setup that gives a lot.
 
Despite having them in the store, I don't think that open face lighting will be on my shopping list for new purchases. Quantity of light vs cost is good, but the actual 'quality' of the light never really has been very good. All blam and no detail.
 
While the quality of light is not very good, I think it's just important to remember open face fixtures are meant purely for power. They're meant for bouncing into a big frame or shooting through diffusion.

If you're on a budget, I'd just go par cans instead of open face fixtures, but having a couple 2k open face lamps in your kit is not a bad idea.
 
Last edited:
ggrantly said:
Check me on this, but I believe that you can put a 750w bulb in a Arri 1000.
Click to expand...
Probably. But the idea of the 750 is that's way more efficient because of the new reflector design and much more compact filament. Just like how firestarters put out more light than regular NSP PAR 64's than what you'd expect for 200 watts extra since the filament is of a biplane design rather than a coiled coil. I haven't compared the 750 and a 1k side by side but I believe the photometrics from Arri state that they're around the same brightness.

On the subject of PAR 64's, they're great to have since they're so powerful and inexpensive, however it's not the same as an open face light. Even a wide flood will give nowhere near as wide of a beam.
 
A question I forgot to bring up earlier was the impact that the new Arrimax style reflectors have in these units (750+ and 2000+) compared to older style redhead and blondies?

People talk about the Arrimax reflectors in the M18 HMI and the big 18k HMI as having a beam quality that sits in between an open face and a fresnel beam, but is closer to a fresnel than a regular open-face unit; so I'm wondering if anyone knows how the new reflectors in these tungsten units perform? And if they offer a comparable improvement in beam quality?
 
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