I have seen the tv commercials and looked up GE `s web site for their new "Reveal " series light bulbs.......they sound great for video work...any one tried them yet? They are low cost and not too hot, so that they could be placed in regular lamp fittings, say in a home shot, without the need for expensive light set ups...their web site is www. gereveal.com

I can't say much about the bulbs you mention. It looks however that these will alter the light color. I don't think they will be particularly useful.

I do recommend that you use the big cheap light in the sky as best you can.

Here are some tips for shooting in daylight...even indoors.

First off, use mirrors! You can easily get sunlight into interiors this way. Once inside the all too common white walls are often all the bounce you need.

Align your set/camera north-south. If you do this you have a reasonably long shooting day, and you have to worry less about matching shadow positions.

Finally, don't be afraid to shape your light using anything at hand as a flag, reflector or scrim.

Following these tips can be the cheapest way to improve any production...and it doesn't use electricity which can be expensive to bring on location.

to all,

I'm looking for a solid, durable light kit that I can use in shooting shorts. I've been looking at a couple kits from lowel that seem to provide a good variety of equipment, but since this not at all my area of expertise I thought I would pose the question out to any experts in the crowd. Below is what I've looked at, interested to know if I'm on the right path, if Lowel is a good company, etc.

Lowel Solo Kit:
http://www04.bhphotovideo.com/default.sph/FrameWork.class?FNC=ProductActivator__Aproductlist_html___32273___LOTO96___REG___CatID=2247___SID=EB 49A529AF0

or Lowel VIP Sophisti-Kit:
http://www04.bhphotovideo.com/default.sph/FrameWork.class?FNC=ProductActivator__Aproductlist_html___185195___LOVP96U___REG___CatID=2247___SID= EB49A529AF0

and a Rifa 66:
http://www04.bhphotovideo.com/default.sph/FrameWork.class?FNC=ProductActivator__Aproductlist_html___132651___LORL750K___REG___CatID=2247___SID =EB49A529AF0

Any help/guidance would be much appreciated,
Thanks and Happy New Year!
ImagineThat

I generally use 2 Lowel packages. I recently began using a Caselight 4 portable flourescent as a key light. It's very cool running, has built-in barndoors, brightness controlled by switching on 1 to 4 of the lamps, and packs down to a case just slightly larger than a briefcase (inclusing stand!).

I also use a kit with 2 Lowel Omni's and 1 Tota lamp (I think it's called one of their "Go" kits.). That kit packs into a slightly larger and heavier case. Honestly, though, you could probably skip the Tota for many shoots. I've considered getting a Caselight 2 to use instead of the hot Omni's and Tota but...

BTW, I bought both from B&H.

Can somebody tell me what the 3 Point Lighting Theory is?

The short short version:

You have #1 light that is called the key light, it is the main source of light for the scene.

You have #2 light that is called the fill light, it fills in the shadows.

You have #3 light that is called the back light, it helps seperate the subject from the background.

For more details:
http://www.3drender.com/light/3point.html

Hey there...

I've had contact with a local store here that sells video
and photo equipment to ask about lighting equipment
for my XL1s (stuff like this is hard to find here). They only
sell Multiblitz ( http://www.multiblitz.de/en/index.html )
lighting gear. This gear seems to be meant for photo
shoots instead of video shoots. Can I use this stuff
with my XL1s or would this be a bad idea? Anyone
actually know this brand?

Thanks for any help or tips.

Hi,

Your right, Multiblitz has been around for a number of years in the still photography market. Bogen (Manfrotto) doesn't import it in the US. I haven't seen it in the states in a few years. They used to make very hi quality flashes. But I'm not familiar with their hot lights. If they look well made and sturdy ask the shop if they can put you in touch with any photographers that are using them. From the photo they look bigger than Lowel lights, so they may be a little bulkier to transport.

Jeff

I am looking for an on-camera light. As I own one of the Cool Lux 2000 kits, I am rather pleased with their performance, over all, when placed on stands.

Has any one out in the crowd used the Cool Lux SL3000, or, the U-3, camera mounted? And, if so, what would you say to there good/bad Points?

I liked the SL3000. It puts out a nice soft light with the hood on and if you remove the hood and turn the light forward it has a fairly wide throw. I think the only thing I didn't like about it was the battery belt. The charge specifications are really unuseful. It takes like 10 hours to charge, you can't let it over charge, you can't undercharge it or it will develop a memory and it only lasts for a few hours when fully charged. For my purpose it just wasn't very flexible, I would need it at the last minute and have to wait 10 hours to charge first or just use what was left.
With todays battery technology there has to be something better to use instead, so other than the battery I really like the light. I have used it mounted on a PD-150's shoe and on a light stand without problems. It is very rugged aluminum and pretty easy to assemble from it's own little shoulder storage package.

Just thought I would ask if anyone here has had practical experience shooting in the woods in the middle of the night.

How to light a large area without it looking like it is being lit?

I have a couple of different ideas, but thought perhaps some of you out there might of actually succeeded in this.

Thanks- Nori

Nori, this article might be of some value to you. It's from DV magazine and cinematographer John Jackman:

http://www.dv.com/features/features_item.jhtml?LookupId=/xml/feature/2002/jackman1002

Hope it helps.

Does anyone know of a way to use a software-based waveform and/or vectorscope monitor on set in real time to set up a shot? Maybe by somehow hooking a laptop through the 1394 on the camera? Any ideas at all would be great. Thanks.

-Shawn

That is exactly what is possible. If you have an NLE or other piece
of equipment that features a vectorscope etc. it should be able
to realtime watch the firewire port. Just hook up your camera
and drag the laptop with you on set. I'm thinking myself on
using this together with recording directly on my laptop instead
of tape....

Hi All,

I just wanted to share something I learned a week ago and saw tonight on the rushes for a short movie I shot, a shot I did into a mirror of a girl...the mirror was an old, faded mirror (like they get when they deterioriate) and I shot her image in the mirror, focusing on her, not the mirror. She was about two feet from the mirror looking into it (supposedly, but she was looking at a spot of tape out of view on the left side) and the shot had a very nice, soft focus and filmy look...try this out next time you see an old discarded mirror laying around on the sidewalk somewhere!

Its a nice look...

I used it in my short also...

Cheers!

Does anyone prefer the mite lite by NRG over the Canon vl-10li? I have the vl-10li and it works alright. I would like to diffuse the light a little more though. And it seems like the center of the light is too high in the shot.

Anyway, I need to get one more light and I was wondering what people though. And if there were any suggestions for diffusing the vl-10li. I have some diffusion gel and I'm taping it on to the light, but there has to be a better alternative.

I use the lights for wedding videography if it matters.

Thanks in advance,

Annie C

Hello Annie

You might like to try a prismatic diffuser (or pyramid diffuser) for the top light - its used in suspended ceiling lighting in 12 x 12 inch squares which you can get cut to size from a DIY store

it will spread the beam to a wide angle setting and kill the hotspot

I'm shopping for a camera mounted light for an XL1s. Any pros or cons for the various manufacturers would be great. I'm partial to Lowel but am by no means religous about it. Any recommendations out there?

I have a Frezzi dimmer mini-fill and a Chimera softbox and I just love it. Really solid, well-made gear. With this setup you can dial in just enough light so that you can brighten things up a bit and still keep the scene very natural looking. The Chimera diffuses the light and throws it a lot wider. Too much light will make people's faces look very flat, so you should try and get something with a dimmer. If you have the money you might want to look at Frezzi's HMIs, which use a lot less juice, which is very important. A tungsten bulb will drain a battery really quickly. I'm planning to buy their 10-watt micro-sungun (equivalent to about 50 watts tungsten) for all purpose shooting and documentary work. Their HMIs aren't dimmable, but you can use the softbox to effectively control intensity by pointing the light down to reflect off of the inside of the softbox.

Hi,

I'm using eight 2' x 4' banks of flourescent lights, each with four with 3400K bulbs, to light a 15' x 20' are for martial arts sparring footage. The light is quite directional, and I'd like to diffuse it.
The banks came with a clear plastic covering with thousands of tiny pyramids (prismatic diffusors?). I find that these coverings diffuse the light somewhat,
but I have enough light to afford better diffusion. I
put a sheet of photography diffusion paper (some sort
of opal) on one of the banks, but it doesn't do much
in the way of making the four bulbs look like one, wider
light source. I notice that other flourescent lights come with
a textured white plastic diffusor that blends the bulbs into
one light source. It looks like I'll need quite a few
sheets of the diffusion paper to match the plastic.

Is there some special value in using the paper other than
portability and control over the diffusion amount?
Should I look for plastic with particular diffusive properties?

What you described sounds like drop-ceiling fluorescent lighting. With 8 banks you'd have plenty of light for a diffuse, immersive field with almost no extra diffusion... UNLESS you meant to say that they are in the ceiling. In that case you are going to have a hard time getting direct, overhead light to "wrap around" your subjects as a Kino or some other stand-mounted fluorescent would.

About the only thing I can think of if the ceiling scenario is the case is to suggest getting higher output / higher quality bulbs. The reason the tubes aren't visually "combining" into one is due to reduced output or typical distance between tubes in a commercial fixture. The other thing to note about commercial fluorescents is the bulbs aren't usually color balanced and the ballasts aren't high output.

If that's the case I'd suggest augmenting the existing light with a couple fluorescents on the floor off cam.

Of course I could be rambling on too far about this because maybe you've been referring to Kino's or something else... in that case I appologize.

It's a 2 in 1 Halogen or Arc camera light I just saw at DVExpo East & it caught my eye. Just wondering if anyone had any experience with them?
Thanks

I have used it a bit. It's a clever, flexible design. It has been made to deliver a broad, even beam rather than a hot, spotty one like many small onboard lights which makes it more useful in my opinion. Easy switch from HMI to incandescent. Nice piece of gear.

Hi guys. I've been toying with the idea of getting me some lights and was thinking about the Lowel DV Creator 1 kit. Now all the stuff is good but the NZ Lowel dealers told me today that the Pro light in that kit wont work here in New Zealand with our 230 volt system. The others Tota and Omni are fine, just not the pro light.

Anyway, I was wondering what would be a good replacement light around the same cost that would work over here on our system?

Cheers
Aaron

I would look at the Pepper 100 or the Arri 150. Mole makes a similar light but their names give me a head ache. Get the 220 bulb and enjoy. The prolight is good but these lights are better.
You might want to look at an Arri kit or A Chimera softbox kit and a focusing light.
Just an idea.
Strength and honor
r

The JTL Everlight looks like a pretty good deal for an entry level lighting kit.

I live in the US for the moment but may come back to Europe later so I was wondering if it's possible to find the 500W bulbs for the Everlight kit with a 220V voltage.

Thank you
Dany

I got a response from JTL and they do carry 240V bulbs. They can be ordered directly from them... Cool !!

I have been recommending the JTL Everlight Kit as a good low-cost lighting solution for beginners. The kit consists of three softboxes, 500 watt bulbs, stands and a nylon carrying case. While not as ruggedly made as some of the name brands, the $500.00 price tag will allow you to get a lot of light kit for a reasonable cost, and with care, should serve you well. Add a small fresnel, like a LTM Pepper in the 350 watt range, with a stand, and you will have a good set up for a variety of purposes, from interviews, to "small film" settings, and you are still under $1K.

I have included some frame grabs from a little project I did with the Everlight Kit that can be found at http://www.digitalprods.com/LSmontage to give an indication of the results you can obtain with the kit.
http://www.jtlcorp.com/kits/10.html
http://www.ltmlighting.com/merchant.ihtml?id=40&step=2

Thanks Wayne! I keep reading posts about someone wanting to know about a cheap lighting solution. Now here it is. :)

Anybody have any experience with one of these light kits? Seems like a pretty good deal for all that it comes with.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2950111400

THAT LOOKS LIKE A JTL KIT OR SOMETHING LIKE IT.
I AM SURE THAT IT IS OK BUT I WOULD LOOK AROUND.

MAYBE CONSIDER A FEW TOTA LIGHTS, 3 STANDS AND 3 UMBRELLAS OR A SOFT BOX KIT AND A HAIRLIGHT. THERE ARE LOTS OF OPTIONS.
SEE THREAD ABOUT A GOOD BASIC LIGHTING KIT.

LIGHTING IS ALL ABOUT ACCESORIES AND YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU CAN DRESS YOUR LIGHTS.
HAVE A GOOD NIGHT. IF I CAN HELP JUST ASK

I'm soon to buy some good video/film lights. I want compatibility within my light system. So I'm going by brand. What brand would you guys suggest in a system that need to be expanded with time and still need to be compatible?

I'm looking at Manfrotto or Ianiro because they are easiest to find near me. Leaning towards Ianiro.

I'm a sucker for quality. I hate bying cheap stuff with no quality. (but cheap stuff with quality are ok:)

What brand would you point me to or suggest me to buy?

I would consider selecting your lights by type.
What kind of lights to you have now?
What do you shoot?
You can get nice soft lights or focusing lights.
Arri makes some great kits
Tack
Richard

http://www.lumiquest.com/lq925.htm

is used in flash photography

anyone tried it with a low power 20watt top light, such as Sony HVL-20DW2?

My guess it will not burn up right away unless you use if for a really long time.

Keep us posted..

Can anybody suggest a good starter lighting kit for all around use. I'm on a tight budget, the more I can save the better. I know there are a lot of variables involved, but give it your best shot. Thanks.

Lee
Very carefully browse all of the back posts here and at the dv.com lighting forum. A few people, me included have spent a great deal of time composing very detailed posts answering your question. The many posts have included links to manufacturers , suppliers, pricing and interesting reading.

Read all of the posts as the opinions and rationale vary. In the end it will make some sense. remember yo only get what you pay for. We're all cheap bast**ds, so there has to be a reason for us to spend out hard earned dough.

hi -
i have a gl-2 and i have a question. strangely enough, ive been filming for several years and dont know some of this basic stuff. i've never actually had to film outdoors, on a camera with manual settings, when its extremely bright out. (i live right on the coast of california.) and, well, i went out by the beach to test out a shot and it was unusually bright outside. i had the ND filter on and needed an ND8 attached as well because i didnt want to sacrifice depth of field... but i notice that faces, people, and well my subject in general, looks terribly dark because of the brightness outside. ive used reflectors, doesnt seem to help a lot... even when the sun is directly in the persons face, it still looks too... well, mostly dark, but sometimes its indescribable... anyway, what must i do to achieve realistic, decent-looking images without destroying the backgrounds? sun diffuser? but i would need a massive one for these shots... ah please help! thanks in advance

- daniel

Hello Daniel,
The fundamental bugaboo you describe is one that most of us face from time to time: contrast management. Expose for the brighter background and you crush the darker subject. Expose for the subject and you blow-out the background.

Basically, the best approach in such outdoor scenes (and really in nearly all settings) is to practice working with your situation rather than against it. This means repositioning the subject to use the available light better. This will make your job much easier.

If that's not possible, reflectors are your next best tool. Yes, I know that you reported bad results but this, too, takes practice and an attentive assistant.

Trying to light a backlit subject against a bright background for video can be a very equipment-intensive effort. It takes some very powerful and expensive lighting to compete with bright sun. HMI's powered from a generator come to mind...an expensive solution.

Failing all of that: shoot earlier or later in the day when the sun is lower in the sky.

Can you shoot a reasonable video in moonlight?
Can a VX2100 or GL2 shoot decent video in moonilght?

The reason I ask, is that I've been woorking on a screenplay where a very important scene takes place in the desert on a lonely stretch of highway, and the only lights that will be available to keep it beleiveable are car headlights, moonlight, a flourescent handheld light and starlight.

One of my concerns is finding a camera that will shoot under those lighting conditions within reason.

Unless you boost the gain signficantly which is not ideal, no camera I know of will produce a satisfactory image in moonlight. At best you will have very slight separation in the shadow areas.

What if you found a stretch of highway that had a billboard with its own lights on it? The car could "conveniently" stop nearby--this would perhaps give you some more separation in the background.

The headlights can be used creatively if you use bounce cards to redirect them. There are also inexpensive spotlights that power off the cigarette lighter available at auto shops; with some diffusion and/or gelling, this could make a nice accent light or backlight.


The moonlight effect that we are used to for night exteriors is the result of 18,000 watt HMI's (or their equivalent) high up in Condor cranes up to half a mile away. It takes a lot of firepower to recreate moonlight!

<<<-- Originally posted by Arthur John : Can you shoot a reasonable video in moonlight?
Can a VX2100 or GL2 shoot decent video in moonilght?

The reason I ask, is that I've been woorking on a screenplay where a very important scene takes place in the desert on a lonely stretch of highway, and the only lights that will be available to keep it beleiveable are car headlights, moonlight, a flourescent handheld light and starlight.

One of my concerns is finding a camera that will shoot under those lighting conditions within reason. -->>>

Real moonlight is out of the question.

You can do day for night and get away with it, particularly if there are no modern references around.

One thing you will have to pick is if you want moonlight to be white or blue. You can fake that on the camera by doing white balance on white or yellowish cards.

The next thing is the car headlights. If you balance for them to come out white, the rest will be quite blue. If you balance for the day light you will have the headlights more yellow. You can pick a car with xenon headlights, which should help balance the whole thing.

What comes next is the headlights output, which should be minimum in daylight. Xenons will be better there too, but those headlights won't light anything, just show they are on.

You should use a grad filter to keep skies dark.

To get a real headlight output you will have to shoot those car scenes in the "magic hour", where daylight starts going away but still prints. On such situation the headlights will print strong and light where they pass by. The only problem is you will have little time to shoot those shots. Planning them should be essential.

Of course that lighting it all would be a second choice, but that is certainly very expensive.

There's a third choice, which is shooting in black and white and adding a blue tint in postproduction. That would solve the light color problem.

There are a lot of good looking choices you can use.


Carlos

Hello all!

I am looking for help with my Sony DCR-TRV33. When using the camcorder, the image looks great on the LCD screen, but when I stream the camera or tape to my computer through USB, the picture is very dark. I just put on a video light, but the image is still considerably darker than the LCD. Is this a common problem with the Sony? Is there a simple solution? Thanks for reading.

Bryan

It's a common "problem" with any camera being fed into a computer. Remember the LCD on the camera can be set to a brighter level AND the computer monitor is rarely set to a color bar standard so the image will almost always appear darker. That doesn't mean it is or that your exposure is wrong just that the screen should NEVER to used to adjust color or brightness or contrast levels.
Check your footage on a regular NTSC monitor OR at the very least a TV that has been set to color bars and has the proper brightness&Contrast. I think you'll see a hugh difference.
Happy Holidays,
Don

Hey guys--I just finished shooting a documentary and will be selling my Lowel DV Creator 55 kit (approx. 1300 new). I've been shooting since June and the kit has seen little use and includes all lamps for the lights. Does anyone have some idea how much I should ask for for this kit? Everything is literally in new condition, and I have all gels etc., so I'm hoping the value doesn't depreciate too much. Anyways, didn't find anything like this on ebay so I thought someone on these board might have an idea of a fair price. Thanks!

Peter

Hey, email me with a price when you have one. I'm in the market for some lights...think they're good for a short film?

Murph

I am thinking about low-light, and how to balance the low lux of the PDX 10 with an onboard light. What I am looking for is an onboard light which following characteristics:

It must have a broad or wide light as to avoid spot light feeling.
It must be soft enough not to disturb the people.

I want to use the onboard light at occasions where PDX 10 is not capable to film in the current light situation. I just want it to light up smoothly the scene where the area is at most 5 meters.

Any recommendations (light kit, watt and accessories)?

Lambis

Did you know that Sony has a whole range of onboard lights
for their camera's? See this page (http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_BrowseCatalog-Start;?CategoryName=acc_DIAccessories_DILightsandFlash&Dept=acc)

Rob Thanks for the link. I know Sony's lights but I dont know what are the characteristics off them and if they fit my needs.

Becauce I newer have use a Onboard light in a DV Camera i dont know what is the right one.

I most need a "light" that is soft and wide.
I have see the Frezzolini MFIC-30 30v/80w Dimmer Mini-Fill On-Camera Light that maybe is O.K.

lambis