Which kit to buy?

cboyes

cboyes

Member
Hi Forum...

I'm looking to get 1 all-purpose light kit. Here's the two I'm looking at...

Arri Softbank I Tungsten 4-Light Kit $2500
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=2247&A=details&Q=&sku=72161&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

Lowel DP Super Remote Tungsten 4-Light Kit $1950
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=2247&A=details&Q=&sku=285862&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

The Lowel gives more watts, comes with more accessories and is $550 cheaper. Are the Arri's that much better? I mainly use my lights for interview set-ups.

Thanks in advance,
Chris Boyes
 
I find that the Arris really are that much better. They are far more controllable, more durable and just generally create a nice light quality.

That being said, Lowel makes some nice lights. They're generally lighter and smaller than others (which is a factor if you are carrying them around by yourself).
 
Yes, Arri fresnels are very-well regarded and generally liked and unquestionably a nicer fixture than the Lowel DP lights. The stands that come with that kit are also pretty decent, whereas those Lowel stands (although compact) do not inspire confidence. Plus the Arri's have wickedly high resale value, should you ever decide to unload the kit.

The arguments for the Lowel are:

Rifa's are the best damn tungsten softboxes out there. They're really quick to set up (they just open like an umbrella) and they seem to have higher light output per-watt than a flood light into a Chimera (one of you photometrics nerds can step in here and prove me wrong/right?). If course you can't use a Rifa w/o the softbox part (b/c it's all one unit) like you can with a Arri 1K flood, so it's not quite as versatile. But if you're mainly doing interviews, well then you'll almost always want a softbox up.

The Lowels (as mentioned) are also more compact, which is great for location work. And of course they're cheaper and come with more knick-knacks (that otherwise you might even spend MORE money on with the Arri kit... making it that much more expensive).

If you do go with a Lowel kit, I'd recommend finding one with some more control... like swapping one of those DP lights or the Tota for a Pro-light.

Well set-up, both kits will give you great light for most interview circumstances. Although you're not going to look nearly as cool with your DP friends if you pull out a Lowel kit instead of an Arri kit.
 
Doug Jensen in his excellent video "How to Set-up, Light and Shoot Great Looking Interviews" suggests building your own kit for about $1600. He's got loads of experience shooting interviews for everyone from CNN to the discovery channel.

He recommends:
* 1 Lowel Tota with small Photoflex NXT Softbox and egg crate
* 2 Lowel Prolights -- one with a snoot and one with barndoors
* A reflector and reflector holder
* 4 tough stands (the lowels are pretty flimsy) and one boom.
* Homemade cookie
* Some various odds and ends, including gels, gaffer tape, etc.

The $1600 price tag is with everything new. I just picked up comparable kit use from another very experienced interview shooter for just under $1000.

If you're new to interview lighting -- or even relatively experienced -- I highly recommend the video. (Not a paid advertisement)
 
For interviews both should be fine, even overkill in most cases.

For narrative work, the Arris have additional flexibility that makes them the obvious, perhaps even necessary choice. They're more of a pain to set up than the Lowels, though, which are must faster and lighter. And if you're doing complex interview set ups, or need precise control, I'm sure the Arris will give you advantages there as well.
 
I think the Arri Softbank I Tungsten is one the best light kits to own for interviews and very small set ups, this is kit I used to own.
If I had to buy another kit I would get the Arri Softbank II Tungsten 4 Light Kit, remember you can always make your lights smaller, you can never make your lights bigger!
 
Thanks guys

Thanks guys

Thanks a lot for all the great info. I think I'm going to try for the Softbank II kit. I messed around with substituting the Rifa for the Chimera, but the price ended up about the same. I like that the Softbank can also be a 1000W flood.

One question about the kit. Do the Softbank and light fit in the case or do I need to get a softcase for that rig?

Chris Boyes
 
Hi Forum,

I did end up getting the Arri Softbank II kit, which I love. I combined it with this...

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/184864-REG/Photoflex__Reflector_Kit_2_.html

One simple question, do you guys get "burn stains" on your scrims? It's so convenient to use the scrims rather than moving the lights back and forth. Wanna make sure I'm using them right and not damaging them.

And if you're interested, here's a screen shot from my first interview set-up with the new kit and panel kit.

http://orchard.wccnet.org/~cboyes/Picture%201.png

It was a very small office so I couldn't get the subject/background separation that looks so good.

Thanks guys,
Chris Boyes
Washtenaw Community College
Ann Arbor, MI
 
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