speed ring questions
 

I might buy a softbox off ol' Ebay, and it doesn't come with a speed ring. I'm not planning to get a starlight; instead, I plan on using either my 650w, Arri 300, or a tota light as the light. Can anyone tell me what kind of speed ring I need? Will one ring accomodate all these? Or do I need one for the fresnels and one for the tota?

When I bought my Westcott Softbox and also a chimera some time ago, I found out I needed different speed rings for my Tota and my Omni. My guess is you will have to get a different ring for your tota and your other light as well.

The Photoflex site has a list of the appropriate speed rings. You will need a different speed ring for a Tota and a fresnel.

A standard softbox doesn't really work well with a fresnel. A softbox needs a broad light that can be reflected from the side walls, a fresnell is a cocused light and as such will just shine right through the layers of baffle.

Photoflex do make a long throated softbox that is made with a focused light in mind. It's called a Cinedome

http://www.photoflex.com/photoflex/index.html

The arri 650 needs a VC-658A

The Lowel Tota-light, Omni-light, I-light, V-light, Pro-light needs a VC-L4002

Alright. . .so if I just want the one box. . .the tota's a better bet?

In my opinion the tota is about the best and most cost effective choice for use in a softbox.

Interesting that the Tota seems to be the light of choice.

There's one on ebay now with a chimera, speedring, and stand for a lot less than b&h.

You might want to take a look. I wish I had the spare change right now.

J

The price is right and the reflectors can be set beyond 180 degrees. At 180 dsegrees the beam angle is 76 x 93 degrees. Outside of the softbox the Tota is hard to control.

Any wide open face light will do well, like the Lowel DP or the Arrilite. Some people like the lowel Riffa and claim it's easy to setup. the riffa and the photoflex starlight are the ultimate in broad lights, just a bare bulb basically.
There is a benifit to either in that the safety is a glass enclosure so there is almost no loss . lights like the Tota use a metal screen which acts as a scrim and reduces the available light by about 30%.

The down side to the Photoflex and Riffa lamps are the price and availability . You could relamp a Tota or some of the other open face lights, out of a home depot if you had to. So the color temps off, you can still get light.

I've already got the Tota. I just need the box and ring. Also, you can take that scrim off.

Yes and you can wind up with a rather large hole in your carpet and /or softbox baffle.

That doesn't make sense. . .the scrim cuts the light, not the heat. . .isn't it more of a protective thing, so that you don't accidentally touch the bulb? The heat output remains the same with the scrim on or off, so you wouldn't be any more likely to burn your baffle or whatever either way.

If a tungsten bulb ever lets go, the extremely hot glass will do a fair bit of damage. The shield is for flying glass, not to difuse light. You should read the lights safety bulletin.

How would this happen, well if you touch a tungsten lamp the oil deposit will burn and cause the glass envelope to overheat in that spot. The heat of the bulb and the gas pressures in the tube will result in a very nasty projectile. The glass envelop could have a flaw in as well.

Has it ever happened to me , no! Do I want to take a chance, well I have, but not on someones carpet.

I'll have to post some pictures of some of the bulbs that have blown and almost blown, just to demo why light safety is of utmost concern.

Re Tota. ring and bank
 

The Tota does not have a scrim.. it has a bulb explosion screen. You should always use it.. always..!
The tota is a good light for a bank Chimera makes a nice connector 9510 I think and many users prefer it over other brands. I would look at a Chimera bank as well if you want the most from your investment since they have less hotspots and last longer. A Video pro plus will give you a choice of 3 front screens for more lighting options. A full, a 1/2 grid cloth and a 1/4 grid cloth. These can help you find the perfect combo of softness, output and shadow.
Chimera makes the daylight junior banks for your fresnel but you could use your standerd bank if you wish although it most likly have a hot spot and not fill the bank completely. You can get an adjustable ring invented by Chimera that will fit both your arri 650 and 300 or any light that take barndoors.
Have a great day. Remember to pull the wings back on your tota to give you an even beam spread in the bank and don't tough the bulb with your fingers.. use a tissue.. also always use your protection screen..
Peace happy lighting. There are some nice accesories for the tota.. barndoors you can put gels on are my favorite..
www.chimeralighting.com
Also don't use a 1000 watt bulb.. it will burn out your sockets use a 750 or a special 650 watt bulb that puts out 1000 watts of light but with less heat and won't hurt the unit.

I described the device as a safety screen and said that it acts as a scrim, which it does, in that it reduces the light as well as protect against a bulb explosion.. The photoflex and Riffa use a glass envelope rather than a screen, hence, no light loss.

Your description as a bulb explosion screen is a good one and does indeed get the point accross. Superheated gases and almost molten glass is nothing to fool with.

The HIR lamps are great. the lamp you mentioned that uses 650 watts yet gives almost 1000 watts of light. there are other wattages available. i believe there is a 500 HIR that gives the equivilent of 750 watts.

well, I guess I got told. I hadn't thought of the bulbs exploding. . .hasn't happened to me. I seem to remember in college using scrim-less Totas all the time.

What are these HIR thingies and where do I get them? How much is the 650w that acts like 1000w?