Does anyone know anything about the photoflex Basic Starlite Kit??

Videomonster wrote on 10/18/2003, 11:41 PM

I was wondering if anyone knows anything about the Photoflex Basic Starlite Kit. I'm an a very low budget and looking for a good lighting source...Is this a good kit to get? I don't know to much about lighting but this looks liek a pretty nice kit to start out with....

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=NavBar&A=getItemDetail&Q=&sku=223097&is=REG&si=feat#goto_itemInfo

-Videomonster

Comments

Jsnkc wrote on 10/19/2003, 12:00 AM

Looks like a good light, another pretty cheap option is to go to Menards or Home Depot and pick up some halogen work lights. I know a lot of people have used these with small budgets and they seem to work very well.

Someting Like These Should work
Probably the top and bottom ones, not the middle one. 500 and 1000 watts. I've been concidering picking up a set of these myself.

farss wrote on 10/19/2003, 12:07 AM

If you can try to use fluro lighting. By that I mena the stuff designed for video.

Osram make a range of 55W tubes under the Stuidoline name. Usually systems that use them ar pretty expensive however you can probably roll your own although you'd need to use standard not compact fluro tubes.

Just buy a el cheapo 40W fitting, pull out the ballast and tube and replace the ballast with an Osram HF one and fit a tube witha Rendition Index of 95, Daylight temperature.

Big pluses are:

a) No heat
b) No blinded talent
c) Much less power consumption so no need for heavy leads etc and trying to find enough power to run the things.
d) Lamps don't blow if you forget to turn them off before moving them.

Downside:

a) No use as a key light!
b) trying to browse the Osram website to find what they make!

MichaelS wrote on 10/19/2003, 12:16 AM

Although I use a Lowell kit for close lighting, the standard work lights are a good alternative, especially for medium to large areas. Try to find the fixtures with 2-way or 3-way switches. The low setting with a diffussion filter clothespinned loosely across the front works wonders.

Be careful though. These babies put put out a LOT of heat and can melt gels if they are placed too close to the lamp. A reflector (a white piece of cardboard or something more professional) can come in handy in smoothing out and softening the light.

Good luck.

Jay Gladwell wrote on 10/19/2003, 6:52 PM

Here's another less costly alternative:

http://www.film-and-video.com/broadcastvideoexamples-30bucks.html#30%20dollar%20lighting.html

Spot|DSE wrote on 10/19/2003, 7:38 PM

Not to put too fine a point on it, be very aware that in some states that halogen work lighting is illegal to use. The Lowel and Photoflex kits are great.
Flourescents if properly managed and built, ie; Goury or even a well done home job work well.
We use the Photoflex nearly exclusively at this point due to weight, insurance, and other reasons. We have 12 kits, including 2 4K photoflex kits. Can't beat them for safety, quality, and portability.
For a business, using Home Depot-type worklights is simply begging for trouble, not to mention the lack of overall control in most situations. They are the correct color temp at the lamp, heaven only knows what the reflector does to it. If I had a method of measuring color temp accurately, I'd provide those numbers, but I don't have those tools.