Hi all

Today I received my Lowel kit 55
1 Rifa-lite
1 Pro-light
1 Omni-light
1 Tota-light +Brella +Flag
Plus frames,Gels,Barndoors,Stands...

I'm new in lighting so if any one know good site for lessons on lighting and any idea for good lambs

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks.
Fawaz

I haven't worked much with lighting yet, so can't give you any
personal advise other then: do it often and you'll learn. A lot
of books tell you to sit in front of a mirror and position lights around
you and such to see what happens (most books guide you in
this matter ofcourse). With that said, I'll point you to a couple
of threads which talk about books on this subject:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4830
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1871
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2357
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2342
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2318

You are probably not waiting on "buying more"... but this is the
best advise I can give you. I hope some other people will
chime in with more "hands on" advise. But perhaps it might be
also a bit more interesting if you tell what kind of scenes you want
to be lighting (exteriours are far harder then interiors for example!)

Good luck... and KEEP practicing!

I don't have any handy right at this moment, but, do a search for sites dealing with lighting. Either Video or still, most principles apply to both. Definitely check out the still photo sites for links and ideas.

Fawaz,
Congratulations on your first lighting kit! That's a good, versatile lightweight kit to start with. I think you'll find that the Rifa's portablility alone will be very handy when you just want to travel and shoot with little gear.

Online, I think Walter Graff's site (http://www.film-and-video.com/index2.htm#Hellgate%20Pictures%20Homepage.html), Hellgate Pictures, offers some very good lighting tutorials.

Offline, look at our "Read About It" forum for some good books on lighting. I recently reviewed John Jackman's new book (http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4830) there.

DVCreators also has a pretty good tutorial CD (http://dvcreators.net/products/sav.html) covering lighting some basic techniques.

Have fun!

Fawaz,

Speaking of John Jackman I'd recommend checking out the web site he maintains at http://www.greatdv.com though it appears pretty light on matters of lighting for someone who wrote such a fine book on lighting, "Lighting for Digital Video & Television" (no pun intended). He's also the moderator of the "The Craft of Lighting" forum on the dv.com site, http://www.dv.com/forums/showTopics.jhtml?sid=1&fid=4, which, like most forums, can offer up some real prize nuggets.

Another book I'd recommend is Ross Lowell's "Matters of Light and Depth". It's broader in it's subject matter, covering photography, film & video but provides excellent insights and information that are useful for the burgeoning DV auteur.

By the way, I've got the Lowel Kit 44 (smaller Rifa) and like it a lot. It's a great interview kit. And it's half the size of my older Smith-Victor 3 light kit. Go figure.

Have at them!

Thanks for all the advice & informations guys..

Fawaz

I read about these fancy bulbs for the lowel totas in another thread, and no one ever answered the question I asked there.

They're called HIR bulbs, or something? Allegedly draw (?) 600 watts, but ouput like it's 1000. Anyone know what I mean? Where do you find them? How much are they compared to regular tota bulbs?

A Google search for Tota HIR Lamps brings up plenty of information about them. High output, lower life, not frosted which is the main reason they have a high output. OK for softlights and umbrellas.

B&H sells them.

The tota
can use

300 500 750 watt bulbs.

the 300 and the 500 come in two color temps

3000 and 3200
The 3000k bulb last much longer up to 3000 hours.

The 750 watt bulb is 3200 k and last like most 3200k around 400 hours

there is a 650 watt bulb that GE makes that puts out 1000 watts of light but with less heat and wattage draw.
This GE 650 watt bulb runs around $25
The other bulbs mentioned will run about $16

They are all listed in the Lowel catalog with the light.

PS. There is a 1000 watt bulb that fits the Tota and people sometimes think they can use them.. WeLL you can but you will burn out the sockets of the tota light and it will die.
That is why they list and invented the 650 watt bulb.

www.lowel.com

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?BI=155&O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=135780&is=REG

Alright thanks.

I'm studying the advantages of the Lowel Caselite 4, and would like to know your experiences with it. Do you use it "as is" when setup, or do you find various ways of manipulating the broad light it casts? I'm mainly interested in traveling interviews, and have read where it's useful as a key. I have my share of tungstens, and I can understand how useful a caselite can be when minimizing heat, power output etc. What has been the biggest improvement to your work that a Caselite 4 has given you, either as a supplement to tungsten or being used on its own?

Thanks!

To answer my own question, I'll be going to B & H Photo to check it out personally--it's only a 40 minute train trip away (and several blocks due east from Penn Station).

I went to B & H Photo and saw a sample Caselite 4 illuminating part of the Lowel section of the lighting department. I held a catalog in front of it and was duly impressed by the gorgeous, clean light it gave, so I bought it. Definitely a major investment but one I will have practical use for almost immediately.

Barry,

My Caselight 4 is my favorite light source. Shooting in Japan, I had to consider the small spaces and the electrical circuitry. With the Caselight, though, I didn't have to worry about either.

I only have one, but plan to get another. I saw an interview on TV recently...might have been an E! Entertainment interview...where the interviewer and the interviewee where positioned facing each other, and then each had a Caselight 4 over their shoulder. That allowed each light to act as both a rim light for the person sitting away from the light, and as a key light for the person facing the light. Nice, easy setup...and the lighting looked great.

I find fluorescent becoming a rather addictive kind of light to use the more I test it out. If it was less pricey I'd load up on Caselites! I find the whole design and portability of the thing very exceptional.

In the real world, how are these two lights most often used? Soft box, bounced off of an umbrella, shot through an umbrella? Just a gel for diffusion doesn't seem to work, at least the 10" x 12" they sell as a kit with the light.

I am still trying to decide what to do as far as soft boxes and diffusion panels go and now almost regret having purchased the Tota and Omni lights. I can spend big bucks for Chimera soft boxes and speed rings or just buy Lowel Rifa or Photoflex Starlights for not much more money. In that case the Tota and Omni's won't see much use.

Greg

I use the tota with umbrella and omni with a chimera. I really like the chimera!

Graeme

Have you tried the Tota with a Chimera? The Tota's seem to put out a lot more light than the Omni in my experience. The lamp on the Omni is in the shape of a traditional bulb whereas the omni has a much longer tube shaped lamp. Maybe it has more to do with the shape of the Omni and Tota reflectors than bulb?

Thanks for the reply.

Greg

Greg,
The Tota is most often used in a softbox, like the Chimera that Graeme noted. (Note that you will need to buy a speed-ring on which to mount the softbox to the Tota.) Bouncing off of a white board or, failing that, an umbrella is perhaps the second most common configuration.

The Omni's are really general-purpose open-faced instruments. You'll generally not want to blast one directly at a subject. Being open-faced their output is harder to control than a fresnel. But Omni's can also be fitted into softboxes or bounced with excellent results. They're relatively small size and light weight also makes them handy for rigging and for use for background lighting.

But by all means I encourage you to experiment and use your imagination as your needs change. Remember, light is light and whatever works best for YOU is what works!

Have fun (and wear gloves)!

Check out my Lighting 101 series on my website. I use totas and omni to demonstrate basic lighting. For the most part though, I use lots of bounce/reflectors, and can get by with using only one light.

Cheers

I'm looking at a Lowel Caselite 4 right now. What's really appealing to me about this is that the light is built into the case, so it's very portable. It also puts out a lot of light. With the intensifier barn doors, it puts out about 750 lux at 10 feet.

I'm also considering Kino, but I know nothing about Kino and looking at their site there's so many options. Any suggestions on a good portable & powerful Kino?

The comparable light to the CaseLite, in the Kino lineup, is the Diva 400.

The CaseLite is a *lot* smaller, so if you want portability, the Lowel has an advantage there. The Kino has a dimmable ballast, so you can more easily fine-tune the light level (with the CaseLite, you control the light level by turning on/off individual tubes).

They use the same kind of lamps. The CaseLite brags about more light output because they use mirrored barn doors as "intensifiers"... it definitely helps pump out more light, but when using the black barn doors the light output would be the same between the two. The CaseLite is a bit less expensive as well, about $1000 for a full kit vs. about $1300 for the Kino (including lamps).

Thanks Barry. I think I'm going to go for the Caselite. Another good thing about the intensifiers is that it increases the size of the light, which makes it softer.

I don't know why, but there is no techinical info to be found about any of Kino's bigger lights at their site.

Can any one tell me if l buy a Lowel Rifa 55 & Pro-light from B&H to use in Australia with 230/240v globes do l need to buy there Euro or Uk power cables to handle our 240v in Australia or will the wiring in the standard cables designed for America be fine ?
Please note that l realise l will need plug adapters for the ends of any of these cables to be able to use in Australia power points.
Also can any one tell me if l can use the " Kettle,computer type plugs" to connect to the the cable that comes out the back of these lights, l have seen a picture of female plug that connects to the male plug that comes out the back of the Pro-light and this female plug appears to have a cut away in the plug molding under the middle prong is this correct ? and does male connection have a corresponding bit that fits in to the cut away on the female connections meaning you can't use any other sort of cable i.e. Kettle,computer type plugs except Lowels.

Any info would be great.
Andrew Pascoe

I use my 120V B&H bought Rifa 55 & Prolight all over Europe & UK - you're correct, all you need is a set of suitable lamps for 220V/240V (Not the same!), and a plug converter, but that's it.

The cable (female-type) that comes out of the Prolight is meant to be connected to a 4 meter Lowel extension cord that comes together with the Prolight - it ends in a regular male connecter, so you can connect it to whatever extension cords you have (12 gauge, prefereably). The Rifa lights On/Off switch is placed on the extension cord, so you're sort of obligated to use it.

Thanks Bezalel
So what you are saying is that you don't find the cable from the Rifa 55 getting unsafely hot ? If so this is good as l'v ordered my Rifa 55 & 2 Pro Lights from B&H but l did get the 230v version of the Pro light which has a Euro spec cable but l don't know if there is any difference in the actual spec of the wire in that cable compared to the standard one. l also called the Australian distributor for Lowel and asked what cables do they use with the lights they sell and they said that they buy the lights off Lowel with no cables and then make up there own with Australian plugs. They do sell them for $55AUD but if the cable that comes with the Rifa 55 isn't a safety issue in regards to heat then l'll have saved myself $55.

Thanks Andrew

Well I bought this kit used a while back http://www.lowel.com/kits/lowel-lightK5br.html and I used it once. It worked great, but it was such a nuisance because it had no stands. I had just spent $359 on the kit and pretty much had no money for any stands.

Have any of you used this kit? If so, could you give me any recommendations on how you used it and if it worked out good?

Looks like a nice kit. Are you doubting what you bought?

Hi Rob, yeah, I am doubting it now that I've used it. It's probably because I'm so new to this stuff and lighting in general. I showed it to my dad who's a portrait and art photographer and he didn't even know how to use it. It came with no instruction manual and it we looked like those guys in the movie, "The Gods Must Be Crazy" with the coke bottle, haha.

I emailed Lowel asking how I could mount those to a normal stand but it's been about a week now and they haven't gotten back to me yet.

I listed it on ebay and got to bids so maybe it was meant to be that I owned this kit.

These are stick up lights and are meant to be used with the metal base flat, taped up, hung, or, using the chain and the cut outs, they can be mounted on the riser of a light stand, or any narrow thing that will fit inside the cut-outs. They aren't mounted in the normal way, but are great for location shoots. I think the Lowel website has examples of how they should be mounted. The little slits are where you slip the chain in after you've placed the light. It works by tension, but they are kind of a pain to use. Not what I'd recommend as a main light, unless the space was really funky. You'll also have to have a little blackwrap handy to kill spill.

These take R-40 reflector flood bulbs. You can fit any medium screwbase bulb in them, though, but you can't use the barn doors with a non R-40 bulb.

You may want to find some fresnel lights that will be more effective and useful for DV filmmaking. These Lowel Lights now are sort of a specialty item as they are more for location lighting and news type shoots. I have this kit, but rarely use them. Be careful when taping them up, use paper tape and try not to pull the paint off. It's best if you can tape to painted wood, or something like that. Wallpaper is bad, you'll pull off the paper.

Thanks for the reply Mark. I'll didn't even think about taping up the light. I like the idea of mounting it to wood though. I'll grab some of that black tinfoil stuff too to catch light spill.

One awesome thing though... My dad went digging into his old stuff and guess what.. he pulls out three fresnel spots made by photogenics! He doesn't even use them so he's going to let me use them for my films. I'll use my lowel lights too though I think.

I might try to sell them, but if I don't, I'll just keep them.

Adam,

You're welcome. You may as well hold on to Lowel lights, they'll come in handy. The Photogenics are good, they're 100W, 150W or 200W depending on which globe you put in. You may also want to invest in a couple of higher wattage lights too, 650's or something like that.

You're on the right road.

First rule of lighting, learn how to use one light- the sun.

I think lighting and learning how to make my Sony FX1 look like film are my biggest concerns right now. I've found some solutions on this board for the look like film part, but I'm really concerned about the lighting.

OH, I also picked up a Photoflex 12" x 16" dome 500w lamp too for some extra soft lighting. I also picked up a dual 500w construction light from home depot that I will be putting behind a while 4' x 8' translucent diffuser. I did my first film about a month ago, an action flick, and man on man did we not know what we were doing. I'm sure that after I continue, I'll keep learning.

Thanks again.

Does anyone know where I can find a good distributor in either France or the UK for Lowel - DVcreator Kit 55 (with hard case & lamps)?

Does anyone know where I can find a good distributor in either France or the UK for Lowel - DVcreator Kit 55 (with hard case & lamps)?

Try Pro Kit.

http://www.prokit.co.uk/

Hey all,

I've decided I want to go with a small lowel light kit to compliment my Panasonic Gs400. What do you think is considered one of their best kits or their best selling to most folks? I'm looking for something with a soft box, fresnel, or possibly omni light with umbrella. Not sure what wattages I need for each light for most digital video work. I also need to know which tungsten to daylight conversion gels I need.

Thank you

Luke

There are a lot of ways to approach this.

First, you should know (you may already know) that Lowel is the lightest weight stuff out there. Perfect if you're hopping on planes, single-handing out of the back of a car, etc. Not so good if many people are using the same lights.

I like Lowel... and Arri, and Mole, and Videssence, and a bunch of stuff, it's all good.

IMHO the Rifa is a great light. A Rifa 55 or 66 is a great, extremely portable, easy to set up, very efficient soft box. I bought a 55 because I was doing a lot of work out of a suitcase, and that and a couple of open face 350 watt instruments made a very light and small kit. Air travel is now only 50 lbs. per piece (used to be 75). Now, I'm considering getting rid of some of my heavier lights and getting a 66, too.

The Pro is a great little light, almost a fresnel, but inexpensive, low wattage, great for sensitive DV cameras as a back light. The Omni is an OK open face light, usually I'd want some diffusion or a reflector in front of it. The Tota is an amazingly small incredibly bright instrument... that puts out pretty harsh light in all directions at once.

A really nice small kit might be a Rifa 55 or 66 (if lighting two people go 66), a pro or two, an omni... then, if lighting large spaces, a couple totas. A couple flexi-fill style 5 in 1 reflectors, a couple extra stands, you'll want some full and 3/4 CTB for your tungsten to daylight correction, some tough spun diffussion, a bunch of little gadgets, a couple 25' extension cords of at least 14 gauge, a couple cube taps,... a couple safety cables, spare bulbs, and gloves to protect your hands when the lights get hot.

Hey Seth,

Thanks very much for the informative reply. Question when do I know if I need to use 3/4 or full CTB for tungsten to daylight correction? I have two 50 feet extension chords, one is rated at 15 amps 14 guage, one is rated at 13 amp 16 guage, will the 16 guage wire get too hot or what would be wrong with using that kind of chord with the lights?

Also I'm wondering what are the best wattages to get these lights? I'd be mostly lighting interiors.

I've been looking at this kit
http://www.lowel.com/kits/GoPro-visions.html
and this one

http://www.lowel.com/kits/DVcreator1.html

or this one

http://www.lowel.com/kits/rifaPro55.html

and add on a rifa light to that. I don't see the advantage of the omni, or tota light when you can get the pro lights that are focusable?

Luke

I just noticed you're using a GS400. I would consider a single 150W Dedolight ($700) and a Photoflex Starlite with Silverdome and 40 Degree Fabric Eggcrate ($500) over the Lowel Kit. Add a few compact stands, a lame' reflector (pop up), a squeezer (dimmer), and a DIY case, you should be setup for around $1500.00. That would be a high quality lighting kit for anyone.

Dedolight is the winner of four technical achievement awards. There's a good reason for that. The Starlite is just a nice small softlight with a thoughtful line of affordable accessories.

No disrespect to Brian - I've not used dedo.

The Lowel DV Creator plus a rifa is pretty versatile. I teach at a college that purchased just that, but bought a rifa 44 with it, which is too small.

You'll decide on the 3/4 or full CTB by clipping it on a light, white balancing to it, and see if the exteriors look blue. Alternativly, preset the daylight balance and see if you have good skin tones under the light. 20x24 sheets about $6 at bhphotovideo.

A pro is a small, narrow beam. An omni is much broader.

You'd probably only be able to use a pro for a backlight or front light for one person. Omni, a lot more coverage. Tota - a big bad light that will illuminate a whole room. Kinda' depends on the interiors you're shooting.

Someone here can tell you the allowed wattage on a 14ga. or 16ga. extension cord, or maybe it's printed on it. 14 is almost as light as a 16, I always buy 14 or sometimes 12 for heavier applications, but 12 is quite a bit heavier, bulkier, and harder to handle.

You'll proably not have an issue with a pro and an omni on a 16ga., but put a rifa 66 (750w) and a tota (1000w) on a single cable and you have to be carerful.

Wattage - I'd just go with the stock wattages to start, then figure out if they're serving you well. Your mileage will vary.

Hey thanks very much guys. I checked out those dedo lights. What an amazing product, unfortunately out of my budget. Thanks for the tips of the lowel stuff, I don't have a lot of cash to spend, but I figure this stuff is going to last me, unless you can think of anything better.

Luke

Luke,

Ebay is your friend. If you're cash strapped, and have the time... some judicious bidding will get you a LOT of gear for your money. FIRST check out the retail prices for the elements you want. Try not to pay more than 60% list (and don't forget those shipping charges!).

I've got an ENG kit, that I've built up over the years. (Som e before Ebay existed.) Garage sales, thrift stores, Ebay and Craigslist. People buy gear to make the next "Great Movie" all the time. Three months later, they realize owning gear is not making a movie. So it goes up for sale.

Keep your eyes peeled, don't get overexcited in bidding (there'll be ANOTHER fresnel for sale in a couple of days... I PROMISE you.) and GOOD LUCK.

So I've got the Lowel 44 kit with the 250w Rifa, 250w Pro, 500w Omni & 800w Tota lights.

The Rifa has its own 'soft-box' and the Tota has a reflective umbrella.

There's also an assortment of gels and frames that I can't figure out how to attach.

Anyway, I am at a loss when it comes to knowing which light to use for what purpose.

I want to shoot a quick scene of two people talking. We'll have the two close ups (angle and reverse angle) and the wide shot.

Basically, I want to test a simple 3 point lighting set up.

So if I have a key, fill and back light (and a spare that can light the background) which light should serve which purpose?

Thank you for your help,
-- John.

So, John, the answer is - "it depends". The question of which light to do what with is the reason that some folks make a career out of nothing but lighting.

I'd recommend any of a number of good books on lighting. The two you might start with are "Matters of Light and Depth" by Ross Lowel (yes, the same Lowel) or "Lighting for Digital Video & Television" by John Jackman. There are a large number of other books that you can move on to, but these are both good starters.

There are also, of course, lots of DVDs, websites, and seminars depending on what works best for you.

So, some basics, and then spend time experimenting with the things you've got to see what you can get them to do for you. BTW, Lowel's website has some good info on it, and I've had good luck with support from them on getting the various little gadgets in their kits to work. They are clever, but pretty unique to Lowel.

Good luck!

As a general rule of thumb, you could use the Rifa as a key, the Pro as a hair light, and the Omni or Tota for your background. But that's just a starting point. As Ralph pointed out "it depends" not only on the situation, but on the person lighting the scene. Give your kit to 10 different people, and you could end up with 10 different viable setups.

I prefer DVD learning over books, so I'd recommend:
DV Enlightenment (http://dvcreators.net/dv-enlightenment) - A comprehensive look at lighting techniques and equipment.
Light It Right (http://www.vasst.com/product.aspx?id=d36b1c4e-0bad-4e52-ae18-51b10f22fcfd) - Watch a master lighting pro in action. Worth it to see Victor Milt's gears turning as he lights. He simplifies the process by focusing on key principles and experimentation.


Also, the DVeStore (http://www.dvcreators.net/dvestore/) at DV creators has several short & free demos by Guy Cochran.

Thanks guys,

I'm considering DV Enlightenment. But I was wondering if it (or others) are specific to the Lowel lights?

As a general rule of thumb, you could use the Rifa as a key, the Pro as a hair light, and the Omni or Tota for your background. But that's just a starting point. As Ralph pointed out "it depends" not only on the situation, but on the person lighting the scene. Give your kit to 10 different people, and you could end up with 10 different viable setups.

I prefer DVD learning over books, so I'd recommend:
DV Enlightenment (http://dvcreators.net/dv-enlightenment) - A comprehensive look at lighting techniques and equipment.
Light It Right (http://www.vasst.com/product.aspx?id=d36b1c4e-0bad-4e52-ae18-51b10f22fcfd) - Watch a master lighting pro in action. Worth it to see Victor Milt's gears turning as he lights. He simplifies the process by focusing on key principles and experimentation.


Also, the DVeStore (http://www.dvcreators.net/dvestore/) at DV creators has several short & free demos by Guy Cochran.

Have a look here:

http://www.efplighting.com/

The basic lighting situations are very well dealt with, and you might learn how to start.

IMO you should begin by learning the basic qualities of each spot. Start with lighting one person, following the instructions on that site, using hard and soft light.

Use one spot only at first, so you can see the light working on your subject, and how it accentuates several features.

Then add a second spot to lower contrast. Look at the results on a TV screen, if possible edited one after the other.

Then add a spot on the background, and watch to see how a backlight or hairlight helps or not to separate your subject from the background.

Lighting two persons is not different from lighting one. You just have less freedom to put the lights around. Sometimes using one subject's frontal light to work as backlight for the other subject.

Follow the simple setups on the site and you will learn a lot.



Carlos

So now you have the lights what do you do? Learn to use them of course :P

Anyway for something thats a pretty useful tool to understand the basics, or for another perspective for pros, I recommend the Walter Graf DVD's. I have disk one and two.

http://www.bluesky-web.com/new-pagemerchandise.html

Good advice here.

As a contributing editor for a major consumer video magazine, I did digital video seminars all over the country for years - one of the lines I enjoyed delivering most was when I reminded my audience that your equipment doesn't make the video - YOU DO.

We somehow understand that buying a piano doesn't make ANYONE a pianist. But we still somehow confuse being able to PURCHASE a cool camera or a nice light kit with the ability to shoot or light.

So congratulations on your new tools. Let the learning begin!

My advice is to concentrate not just on HOW to do things, but to try and uncover the WHY of things.

Why do people who are really good a lighting talk as much about THE SHADOWS as they do about THE LIGHT?

Why do they spend so much time looking at the areas where the light BECOMES shadow.

What are they seeing there that helps them understand not just THIS light, but ALL lights.

Get a subject and turn on ONE light. Any light. Move it around. Look at the picture. What effect does moving a single light have on how the audience perceives the subject. With one light straight ahead - does it look like a flat and boring drivers license photo? Is that what you want? When you move the light off, what happens to the shadow from their nose? When the light gets WAY far over, do they start looking sinister?

How about a single light from above? Or below?

If you don't like the nose shadow from one light, and you add another light, do you simply get twice the problems with TWO unpleasent shadows instead of one?

Keep asking yourself questions like this, and keep reading and learning and in a few years, you'll look back on the work you're doing now and wonder "what was I THINKING!"

Just like everyone here has (and continues to do) every day.

Enljoy the journey.