What's wrong with Lowel?
- Thread starter MatthewC
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Paul Hudson
Vacuum Tube Member
The Lowel DP is an open face light as opposed to a fresnel for the ARRI knock off. That alone should explain most of price difference.
Lowel is fine as long as you don't need the smoothness of a fresnel. Also the Lowels tend to be a little fragile. The plastic receiver plugs that often break and the switches are the two biggest problems.
Lowel is fine as long as you don't need the smoothness of a fresnel. Also the Lowels tend to be a little fragile. The plastic receiver plugs that often break and the switches are the two biggest problems.
I'm a fan of Lowel, use some of their lights on nearly every shoot and they have many virtues. However, you can't quite compare the evenness of the field and range of adjustment from spot to flood on a Fresnel with the adjustable focus open-face Lowels -- the Omni and DP, for example. Lowel does make some very fine Fresnels but they are not inexpensive.
My only advice for Lowel is to make the barndoors on the Omni and DP as good as the ones on their Pro-lights: http://www.lowel.com/prolight/
My only advice for Lowel is to make the barndoors on the Omni and DP as good as the ones on their Pro-lights: http://www.lowel.com/prolight/
Greg Smith
Veteran
Lowel specializes in lightweight location lighting equipment for, mostly, run-and-gun and temporary setups in confined spaces. That's not to say their equipment doesn't have a place in a larger-scale production, but the emphasis in their designs is on minimizing weight, making fixtures that are as versatile as possible, and using interchangeable parts across the different product lines so a single bag of accessories can be traded between the different types of lights. I really dig this philosophy myself and have used Lowel equipment almost exclusively for many years. Now that I'm moving more into LED and fluorescent fixtures, I have had to diversify my kit a little bit since Lowel is not (yet) as strong in these new technologies as they were with traditional open-face tungsten lights.
I actually regard their equipment as "medium priced" -- certainly there is a lot of cheap stuff like Smith-Victor or, in earlier days, Colortran or the original Ianiro Redheads out there that can beat them on price, and even in more professional gear, Cool Lights, Ikan and a few others are significantly cheaper. But there's still a quality and cleverness to the Lowel designs that I find very attractive. I recently bought a Rifa 55 with the fluorescent bulbs option and it is clearly one of the best made lights I own, with a lovely quality of illumination. But it certainly wasn't inexpensive compared to, say, the Cowboy Studio stuff or the zillions of other cheap softboxes you can find on eBay.
I also very much appreciate that real, live, knowledgeable people answer the phone when you call Lowel, and you might even end up talking to one of the designers of their lights when you have a question. And I can easily buy a full range of replacement parts for my 30-year-old Lowel kit at reasonable prices and with no hassle at all. Their stuff is all designed, built and supported here in the USA and although that is not a big political issue for me personally, it is good to know that we can still compete in a high-tech field.
Paul is right about their switches and plugs, though. I've replaced a lot of those over the years. And no open face light will ever beat a fresnel for pure creamy smooth quality of light. In that area, Arri is clearly the leader, but even a beat-up ancient Mole from eBay, or one of the Cool Lights tungsten or CDM fresnels, can give you that look at a good price. Lowel gear is at its best when you need to travel light.
- Greg
I actually regard their equipment as "medium priced" -- certainly there is a lot of cheap stuff like Smith-Victor or, in earlier days, Colortran or the original Ianiro Redheads out there that can beat them on price, and even in more professional gear, Cool Lights, Ikan and a few others are significantly cheaper. But there's still a quality and cleverness to the Lowel designs that I find very attractive. I recently bought a Rifa 55 with the fluorescent bulbs option and it is clearly one of the best made lights I own, with a lovely quality of illumination. But it certainly wasn't inexpensive compared to, say, the Cowboy Studio stuff or the zillions of other cheap softboxes you can find on eBay.
I also very much appreciate that real, live, knowledgeable people answer the phone when you call Lowel, and you might even end up talking to one of the designers of their lights when you have a question. And I can easily buy a full range of replacement parts for my 30-year-old Lowel kit at reasonable prices and with no hassle at all. Their stuff is all designed, built and supported here in the USA and although that is not a big political issue for me personally, it is good to know that we can still compete in a high-tech field.
Paul is right about their switches and plugs, though. I've replaced a lot of those over the years. And no open face light will ever beat a fresnel for pure creamy smooth quality of light. In that area, Arri is clearly the leader, but even a beat-up ancient Mole from eBay, or one of the Cool Lights tungsten or CDM fresnels, can give you that look at a good price. Lowel gear is at its best when you need to travel light.
- Greg
Barry_Green
Moderator
I could have written that post (Greg Smith's). That's exactly how I feel about them.
Lowel stuff is very clever and very tiny. It's not "cheap", it's medium-priced for what it is. And some of it is great, and some ... isn't. I've got several broken Lowel stands, they just don't hold up. But, they're so tiny that it almost makes up for it. I've got three Lowel light stands that actually fit *in* my camera bag. Sure they break, but heck, having an extra stand or two or three that take up pretty much no space and no weight, it's silly to not have 'em along.
But yes, the ultimate priority for Lowel is size/weight. It's not about the best quality of gear, it's not about robustness, it's not about low price, it's about clever and efficient use of size and weight. And sometimes that's the most important factor. Sometimes it isn't. You could build an entire kit of Lowel stuff that could fit in a backpack and would give you a very versatile kit. But if you want the best quality and the texture and look of a fresnel or such, you're not gonna get that out of a Pro-Light or a V-Light. But I could literally pack four Pro-Lights in the space that one 650w fresnel takes up.
Lowel is very clever and it's tiny and it's light. It's not particularly inexpensive, but it doesn't have to be in order for it to occupy a very useful place in the lighting world.
Lowel stuff is very clever and very tiny. It's not "cheap", it's medium-priced for what it is. And some of it is great, and some ... isn't. I've got several broken Lowel stands, they just don't hold up. But, they're so tiny that it almost makes up for it. I've got three Lowel light stands that actually fit *in* my camera bag. Sure they break, but heck, having an extra stand or two or three that take up pretty much no space and no weight, it's silly to not have 'em along.
But yes, the ultimate priority for Lowel is size/weight. It's not about the best quality of gear, it's not about robustness, it's not about low price, it's about clever and efficient use of size and weight. And sometimes that's the most important factor. Sometimes it isn't. You could build an entire kit of Lowel stuff that could fit in a backpack and would give you a very versatile kit. But if you want the best quality and the texture and look of a fresnel or such, you're not gonna get that out of a Pro-Light or a V-Light. But I could literally pack four Pro-Lights in the space that one 650w fresnel takes up.
Lowel is very clever and it's tiny and it's light. It's not particularly inexpensive, but it doesn't have to be in order for it to occupy a very useful place in the lighting world.
j
Veteran
Lowell is kind of like an erector set, lots of little pieces with bolts or rivets holding it together. The metal is thin which is good for weight, but it's easily bent. Great for the individual to pack in the trunk of a car or to bring on a plane, but they really don't hold up as well as Arri, and certainly not as well as Mole.
Paul Hudson
Vacuum Tube Member
....Dang they get hot!
maranfilms
Veteran
I have a bunch of lowell stands that are unusable due to the diecast metal collars. They break fairly easy if your not careful. I imagine, I could send them in to be fixed, but it's likely more trouble than it's worth.
Paul Hudson
Vacuum Tube Member
Lowell is very good at providing parts so you can fix them yourself. To replace a collar is very simple.
starcentral
Veteran
I own lots of lowel, and when I never owed anything else, I used lowels cleverly, properly, and they will serve you forever! I use Arri now and sometimes Kinos, all depends what I'm trying to do. HMI ARRI would be great to own too, but so expensive you're better off renting if you ever need them............. .
Lowel makes some really economical equipment, that is lightweight and highly portable
Durability is an issue in my experience. Plastic parts that get hot, brittle, and eventually break.
But for the price, they are a pretty solid piece of kit. It's great being able to take a basic 3 point lighting kit out that you can carry with one hand when portability is the most important thing
Durability is an issue in my experience. Plastic parts that get hot, brittle, and eventually break.
But for the price, they are a pretty solid piece of kit. It's great being able to take a basic 3 point lighting kit out that you can carry with one hand when portability is the most important thing
h-munster
Active member
Nothing is wrong with Lowel. Lowel equipment is very unique and innovative.
Most of their portable lines have extensive versatility. Onto one light, one can directly attach a gel frame, a superspot reflector, a warming reflector, an umbrella (silver or white), French flags, grip dots, French reflectors, a flexble arm that accepts various clamps, scrims (full and "graduated"), a coocaloris, barn door extensions, snoots (single or multiple), snoots with bardoors, and barndoors with a holder that accepts patterns. And that same light can focus from spot to flood.
The Lowel Fren-L was probably the best 650 watt Fresnel out there, both in regards to performance and features. I snagged one before it was discontinued a few years back.
Unfortunately, Lowel has also discontinued a significant portion of their portable grip line in the past ten years. There is nothing else like a Vari-flector -- I can light through a row of windows with a single Vari-flector, while I would need several heavy 4x4' reflector panels with combo stands to get the same result conventionally. Furthermore, the Vari-flector is light-weight and rolls up into a tube case. I am glad that I got one before they stopped selling them.
Some of their lights get very hot because they are so small, and, thus, the "power density" is a lot higher than other fixtures. They had rubber plugs that didn't crack, but they couldn't take the heat, so they switched to the "Bakelight" style plugs which are more brittle. The newer ones hold up if one doesn't throw them down onto the concrete too much.
Lowel went through a bad batch of stand collars and knobs, but they have gotten a new style/material for knobs and collars, which eliminated the problems from the bad batch.
Rifa lights are great. They open up like an umbrella and there is no speed ring nor separate light needed. The Rifa bulb is much closer to the diffuser than other typical soft boxes, so it's about twice as bright per watt. Try booming a soft box from the side of the frame and then tilt the box up so that it lights from the front (or from the back) -- it's almost impossible to do with any box other than a Rifa with a "balance bar." The Rifa is already light-weight, and, with the balace bar, one can tilt a Rifa up sideways on the boom and it *stays* -- without "sagging" back down.
The sheet metal construction makes most Lowel fixtures light-weight, and they bend easier than most other fixtures. However, the "bendability" can be an advantage, because they can easily be bent back into shape on the spot. A lot of the heavier fixtures from other manufacturers become hopelessly out-of-comission if they get bent/bashed.
I have never had a problem with the Lowel plastic knobs. They seem solid. Coincidentally, the other day I was using a Fresnel from one of the other manufacturers, and two plastic knobs disintegrated right in my fingers as I turned them.
There are trade-offs between Fresnels and open-faced sources. Fresnels generally have smoother patterns and a greater focusing range than their open-face counter-parts, but not always. The main advantage of Fresnels over most open-face lights is that Fresnels do not yield a double cast shadow outside the center of the beam when set on flood. Most open-faced lights do yield double-edged cast shadows on the flood setting. Also, the Lowel open-faced lights are compact and "stubby", so there is more spill on the sides of the beam, but it also means that they can light a wider area than most Frenels and other open-face brands. In addition, open-faced lights tend to have more punch-per-watt than Fresnels.
As someone mentioned, the Lowel repair/parts program is great. Exploded diagrams with part numbers of their products are available online, and one can buy repair parts directly from them.
If I have to carry the equipment, I prefer my Lowel lights and grip. Otherwise, I just use what's on the truck (but I might bring along a couple of Lowel Pros, a couple of L-lights, a Rifa and a tota-clamp).
Most of their portable lines have extensive versatility. Onto one light, one can directly attach a gel frame, a superspot reflector, a warming reflector, an umbrella (silver or white), French flags, grip dots, French reflectors, a flexble arm that accepts various clamps, scrims (full and "graduated"), a coocaloris, barn door extensions, snoots (single or multiple), snoots with bardoors, and barndoors with a holder that accepts patterns. And that same light can focus from spot to flood.
The Lowel Fren-L was probably the best 650 watt Fresnel out there, both in regards to performance and features. I snagged one before it was discontinued a few years back.
Unfortunately, Lowel has also discontinued a significant portion of their portable grip line in the past ten years. There is nothing else like a Vari-flector -- I can light through a row of windows with a single Vari-flector, while I would need several heavy 4x4' reflector panels with combo stands to get the same result conventionally. Furthermore, the Vari-flector is light-weight and rolls up into a tube case. I am glad that I got one before they stopped selling them.
Some of their lights get very hot because they are so small, and, thus, the "power density" is a lot higher than other fixtures. They had rubber plugs that didn't crack, but they couldn't take the heat, so they switched to the "Bakelight" style plugs which are more brittle. The newer ones hold up if one doesn't throw them down onto the concrete too much.
Lowel went through a bad batch of stand collars and knobs, but they have gotten a new style/material for knobs and collars, which eliminated the problems from the bad batch.
Rifa lights are great. They open up like an umbrella and there is no speed ring nor separate light needed. The Rifa bulb is much closer to the diffuser than other typical soft boxes, so it's about twice as bright per watt. Try booming a soft box from the side of the frame and then tilt the box up so that it lights from the front (or from the back) -- it's almost impossible to do with any box other than a Rifa with a "balance bar." The Rifa is already light-weight, and, with the balace bar, one can tilt a Rifa up sideways on the boom and it *stays* -- without "sagging" back down.
The sheet metal construction makes most Lowel fixtures light-weight, and they bend easier than most other fixtures. However, the "bendability" can be an advantage, because they can easily be bent back into shape on the spot. A lot of the heavier fixtures from other manufacturers become hopelessly out-of-comission if they get bent/bashed.
I have never had a problem with the Lowel plastic knobs. They seem solid. Coincidentally, the other day I was using a Fresnel from one of the other manufacturers, and two plastic knobs disintegrated right in my fingers as I turned them.
There are trade-offs between Fresnels and open-faced sources. Fresnels generally have smoother patterns and a greater focusing range than their open-face counter-parts, but not always. The main advantage of Fresnels over most open-face lights is that Fresnels do not yield a double cast shadow outside the center of the beam when set on flood. Most open-faced lights do yield double-edged cast shadows on the flood setting. Also, the Lowel open-faced lights are compact and "stubby", so there is more spill on the sides of the beam, but it also means that they can light a wider area than most Frenels and other open-face brands. In addition, open-faced lights tend to have more punch-per-watt than Fresnels.
As someone mentioned, the Lowel repair/parts program is great. Exploded diagrams with part numbers of their products are available online, and one can buy repair parts directly from them.
If I have to carry the equipment, I prefer my Lowel lights and grip. Otherwise, I just use what's on the truck (but I might bring along a couple of Lowel Pros, a couple of L-lights, a Rifa and a tota-clamp).
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manglerBMX
Veteran
i've got a quick run and gun light kit for simple interviews. 2 totas with speed rings and chimeras with a pro light on a boom. nice, simple and light.
Matt Gottshalk
Resident Preditor
If the SHTF I am using a lowell light to cook an MRE.
Bern Caughey
Veteran
I agree, & own a dozen of the lamps, including Rifas, DPs, Fren-L(s), Totas, & Pro-lights. Everything, except the Rifas, fits into one of Lowel's lightweight rolling cases. It's amazing so much horsepower fits into such a small package.
As others noted they get hot, but due to their light weight construction, cool quickly.
Best,
Bern
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dalebobvideo
New member
i've had them all: Arri, Lowel, Ianiro, Mole, Bardwell Mcalister. They're all very good brands. There is a lot to love about Lowel. There is virtually nothing to not like about Mole except if size and weight are an issue. Arri makes good stuff but they always seem to get a pass in these forums as the "standard." Here's some of the problems I have had with the Arri 300 and 650 fresnels:
Barndoor ears on the earlier non-plus models loosening. Barndoors fell off constantly. This was caused by the rivets that held the ears, were expanding due to heat. They finally replaced the rivets with screws (Plus Model) after years of complaints.
Barndoors easily bending and in one case breaking off where a leaf attaches. Lowel barndoors aren't any better but you can easily replace a leaf. Try bending a Mole barndoor.
Lamp sockets going bad not too much use. I have a 30 year old Lowel D that has never had the socket replaced.
Release latch for the top access door failing (pre-Plus Model) I don't think that the latchless Plus Model is much of an improvement. Any slight bend or dent in the housing and it doesn't want to open.
If you are using your gear most every day, it WILL get somewhat beat up. If it doesn't I don't think you are using it much. In my experience the Arri units get beat up every bit as much as the Lowel.
As one poster put it: You won't find a serious Grip Truck loaded with Arri Lights.
jonathanlalexander
New member
Nothing at all...i love my lowel light kit.
RyanT
Veteran
I feel like scrooge now, but I can't stand lowel products with the exception of the Rifa light. The build quality on them just feels awful and they get way too hot, not to mention their inability to handle normal scrims and other such modifiers. I cringe everytime I see someone pull out a DP light or tota.