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Cheap and Good Lighting Idea
  • stoneystoney
    While reviewing a LED light, I learned the LED light isn't really good with a barn door. When a barn door is narrowed, the LED light gave rows of lights with discrete light strength. Looking weird and unpleasant.

    Fresnel light can give more natural looking focused light. No discrete rows of light. Look at this aliexpress deal. It comes with a softbox, too. Awesome!!! It looks heavy, but I already have portable Z96 and CL-LED256. This is primarily for indoor studio work.

    http://www.aliexpress.com/product-fm/465889231-300W-500W-Fresnel-Tungsten-Light-As-Arri-Softbox-wholesalers.html

    There are plenty of reviews about it or its likes, and most buyers seem happy with made-in-china Fresnel light.

    I hope we can get a group discount. I'd get it if we can get close to $200. But I'm not a good negotiator... Can someone help please?
  • 82 Replies sorted by
  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev
    @stonebat

    Plenty of them are available on ebay.


  • stoneystoney
    ebay don't carry the one with a softbox.
  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev
    >ebay don't carry the one with a softbox.

    I'll tell you little secret. Do not buy softboxes and stands in kit :-)
    Go and buy softbox separately, especilly for fresnel. It is hot.
  • brianlucebrianluce
    The ad is confusing and unless the build quality is top notch, that price isn't anything special. And it's just one fixture? The ad show's 3 of them with light stands, egg carton, case, lots of cool stuff. But it looks like no stand, no case, just a fixture and soft box? Anyone own this brand?
  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev
    @brianluce

    It is wide known for long. They are ok quality.
    Search ebay for them.
  • svartsvart
    The build quality of the body is ok but I've heard tons of folks complaining about stripping screws and screw holes on them constantly.
  • stoneystoney
    Have you guys tried out any Fresnel light in the market? What's your opinion about it compared to LED light?
  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev
    >Have you guys tried out any Fresnel light in the market?

    Never owned one (and do not plan), just tried somethign similar to your Jeitu.

    >What's your opinion about it compared to LED light?

    It is hot. Light quality is better, but no 5500K, of course.
    You can adjust spot size and barn doors, so quite thin line of light is possible.
    Dimming has serious issues (color temperature drops). It is same on any tungsten light.
    Some guys love them, some not.
    If you are shooting people you are better use something else, as it project IR also making people faces hot and you'll see result of this soon.
  • svartsvart
    I've used numerous ARRI and mole fresnels. I personally own a number of Century and Altman fresnels, both 6 and 8 inch with a combination of tungsten and HMI inside. They are big and cumbersome but are the workhorses of the industry whereas LED lights are small, lightweight but aren't very powerful.

    It's all in what you need. Do you need to light a room or just a face?
  • stoneystoney
    Mainly for a portrait. I've been using two LED lights. Z96 as fill light. CL-LED256 as key light. I need 3rd light for back light that can also do focused lighting.

    Sounds like Fresnel light wouldn't be a good choice for me. Have you guys tried focus lighting from LED light source? Sorta snoot like feature from strobist.
  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev
    @stonebat

    What exactly do you mean under focus?
    Tight spot? You can try powerful LED fleshlight for this.
    Ones with adjustable focus also exists.
  • stoneystoney
    LED fleshlight... hmmm...

    Let me read more about video lighting first.
  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev
    >Let me read more about video lighting first.

    Good idea :-)
  • stoneystoney
    And get a full refund for the Comet copy LED. Otherwise I will be like the Angry Birds... "Vengeance is mine!!!"
  • brianlucebrianluce
    @Stonebat
    I have used Fresnels, they are beautiful and for a lot of people's money are the single best light out there. True, you can't use in daylight without knocking the output way down via CTB gels. I'm familiar with Arri and an Arri knock off -- I think it's called "Film Gear"? They're so nice because compared to flos and probably LED, you have great control over the light. You can make rays of light, layers,pools, spots, hook up a softbox, so versatile.
  • stoneystoney
    I'm looking for a new light primarily for indoor use. I could use my LED lights at 3200K to match with Fresnel light temperature.

    Did you get a set of Fresnels? Are you using dimmer? Can you give me more info about "Film Gear" Fresnel? Just for reference. Thanks.
  • brianlucebrianluce
    I use a dimmer yes. My partner had a great set of Fresnels. ARris no less. Loved them. The studio I worked for had a bunch of the knockoffs, they seemed just like the arris and it was rumored they were made at arris factory. Film gear I think was the brand . Arri 650, one light to rule them all.
  • CFreakCFreak
    The bigger the fresnel lens, the better.... That means big and cumbersome, but the lights is nice and even.

    I have used many tungsten fresnel lamps and even naked (no diffusion, direct on the subject) they produce a pleasing even, direct, hard light, which is the movie industry standard when hard light is desired. They are also really inefficient, pulling a lot of amps and creating a lot of heat.

    Avoid the open face tungsten lights as much as possible, the naked direct light is unpleasant, lacking the evenness and focus of the fresnel version, they are cheaper and really only good for bouncing into something else. Likewise the led lights suffer similarly, they only look "ok" when there is a piece of diffusion in front of them.

    HMI fresnels naked produce a harsher light, if you are looking closely. HMIs only come with a piece of glass to absorb the excessive (and retina damaging) UV rays they produce. Their 5600 Kelvin temperature makes them a must to use for Day/Exterior.

    For everything else: Day/Int, Night/Int, Night/Ext, the movie industry uses tungsten fresnels. When possible and for day interior gel your windows with CTO. If someone is walking from indoors to outdoors daytime, HMIs must be used. There are exceptions of course, where hard light is not needed, then the whole Kino Flo look has its' place.

    Personally, I only own an old Inky (mini mole) 200 watt, which is really only good for a night interior and lighting something small (and shooting test charts), I also own a few Sima led lights, which get the job done as an on camera fill light for run and gun interviews, but, are 4500 Kelvin and have some green in them. My flexfill is a life saver if you have another source nearby you want to bounce. For bigger productions I have the production rent lights. For my small doc work, I was looking at the z96 awhile back, but, all the led on lights seem to suffer from the same harsh light malaise.

    The dimmable, color temp variable leds look interesting too. Let us know how they perform :-)
  • stoneystoney
    Owning a set of tungsten fresnels would be great for film production.

    It is not easy to do good studio lighting using only cheap LED lights. No way I'm going to use naked LED lights. At ISO 160, the lighting looked too harsh. At ISO 400, skin tone looked better cuz LED lights gave softer lighting with lowered power.

    Naked Z96 gave 7200K. The orange diffuser made it at 3500K. Yes green tint. I just can't get rid of it. Hopefully 1/8 minus green gel can do some trick.

    @CFreak if I were you, I'd get that 312 LED bi-color light deal.
  • Brian202020Brian202020
    I get all my lights from www.coollights.biz. They are top notch and fairly inexpensive. I personally wouldn't go anywhere else.
  • stoneystoney
    I got CL-LED256. It gave more green tint than Z96.
  • CFreakCFreak
    @CFreak if I were you, I'd get that 312 LED bi-color light deal.

    -Thanks for the recommendation.
  • jaecjaecjaecjaec
    @Vitaliy_Kiselev how bad is the color shift when dimming? I'm thinking of buying a set of the chinese knock off brands for disposable use. Trying to decide if I want the 300/650/100ow kit or get all 3 1000w lamps and dimming them.
  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev
    @jaecjaec
    You can get a dimmer and experiment with your normal light bulb :-)
    Generally, it is large. Color temperature drop with dimming, color quality don't drop.
    So, if you dim all the lights at same level and white balance all will be ok.
  • brianlucebrianluce
    @jaecjaec
    It is written, that if a DP could choose one light, and one light only, it'd be the 650 Fresnel.

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