Looks like it's more for the stills guys but atht doesn't mean you can't use it for video.
Still my preference is for fluro lighting, you can make your own very easily from existing light fittings by swapping the tubes and ballasts.
Osram Dulux 55/954 tubes are very nice, no heat and color rendition good enough for film.
Bob.

P.S. There's a good lighting forum at DV Info.

Whatever you do, do consider some form of "in-line" electronic dimmer control.

When I saw the price of the dimmer for my Dedo Light I nearly baulked at the price. I finally didn't! In reality, it has saved my single-man operation's butt on several occasions; provides for simple and effective at distance "at-camera" control; provides many creative options and takes off the pressure and need for using - SOMETIMES - dimming material on the front of the light's lens.

-g

Pass on anything with umbrella reflectors for general use. They spread light all over the place, and this spill can be a lot of work to control.

Inexpensive softboxes (like Britek's) are not suitable for packing and unpacking. Some of the rod pockets may blow out on the first try (they did for me), so if you get these (fantastic bargain), get somebody to redo the stitching on the rod pockets with utility thread. If you don't have a domestic tailor/seamstress, many dry cleaners have onsite staff with professional sewing machines, you'd probably pay a few bucks per rod pocket.

Home Depot has very decent quality inexpensive fluorescent light fixtures with electronic ballasts, and they also sell high-CRI (color rendition index) tubes for a fraction of what you'd pay for Kino-Flo tubes. Still, you need to make stands for them. Could be real C-stands, or for stationary use you could make simple wooden stands.

Vic Milt's DVD on Lighting would give you a lot of other good ideas also, highly recommended (VASST has it).

Thanks for the reminder Course. I've had a Britek set for two months and one of the rod pockets blew out the first time I put the box together. Tom was going to send me a replacement but it hasn't arrived yet. I applied a highly technical fix involving superglue while I waited on the replacement. Haven't used the box in a while and had forgotten about this until I read this post. My experience with Tom was fine. My only "complaint" has been the two month shipping period (and counting) for the replacement. Just sent him another email. I need to find a pro who can sew some heavy duty stitching in there for me.

Overall, the kits are fine and the price is hard to beat. Things break....just a fact of life....I will agree that the stitching seemed a bit weak for the amount of stress placed on the pockets by those rods. If the replacement has the same thread, I'll have all of the pockets re-stitched just to be safe.

After some looking and consulting with friends I was pointed at this set up. Still uses umbrellas though: Smith Victor KT900 3-Light 1250-Watt Thrifty Mini-Boom Kit with Light Cart on Wheels Carrying Case.

http://www.smithvictor.com/products/detail.asp?prodid=79&id=12&pid=1&s1=Lighting+Kits&s2=Pro%2DQuartz+Kits&nm=K43+KIT

Have not ordered anything yet cause I'm over budget.

Got similar feedback on the umbrellas being harsh and softbox being preferred for close in set work. I imagine most of this would be used in small spaces.

The floro idea is interesting.. I didn't think they were good for video. Any floro "kits" out there or kits that include softboxes? or am I being lazy? :)

I've been scraping by with make shift lighting for 20 years. Before I die I want to spluge on a "nice" kit. But I'm also a cheap SOB that's why I've scraped by with crap for 20 years. If I can assemble a nice set up for a few hundred that would be nice. There are so many choices my brain hurts.

I'm a big fan of the JTL Everlights. For the price, they can't be beat.

JTL Lighting Authorized Dealer Web Site

John

A softbox creates soft light by taking the light from a small "lighbulb" and spreading it through a large "piece of translucent cloth", creating in effect a large light source.

The larger the light source, the softer the light, and the closer to the subject the softer it looks. In fact, if you put a softlight far away from the subject, you get a hard point light.

Fluorescent tubes provide light over a large area, so they're softer by nature. It's all about area.

The issue of spill is real with both softboxes and fluorescents. That can be fixed with a honeycomb grid on the front, or with large flags (a piece of black foamcore is fine).

Umbrellas are not hard, the problem is that they send out light all over the place that can then worst case be reflected in chromed lightstands or other hard reflective surfaces.

The two cheapest ways to make a big soft light are:

1. A "scoop light" blasting a piece of white fabric (you want something that is as translucent as possible obviously) spanned over a metal/plastic/wooden frame to hold it up.

2. A so called Chinese lantern with a 250W high intensity lightbulb. Just make sure the lantern is approved for the wattage, and the lamp uses a porcelain socket, otherwise you'll start a fire real soon. This soft light is different, it is best used to light up a large area like say part of a room. The consumer lanterns are real cheap, but don't handle high wattage.

Here's a DIY design, and here's a professional model.

In all cases when using Chinese lanterns you should keep a dry (for electrical fires) fire extinguisher handy, these things frequently burst into flames even on movie sets.

Check out the Britek’s from Rostronics. They are a lot of light for the money. I have the 1400 Watt Dual Power 3 light Kit which includes a softbox and for $45 more I added a second softwbox. You really can’t beat them for the price ($465 for a 3 light kit)

~jr

JR!

You shouldn't have posted that 2nd sale price! That is awesome! I could FLY out from London, pick it up AND still be in front of what I paid for my kit. Excellent prices. Great looking kit. Any dimmers in that $450bux deal? Astonishing . .. totally astonishing.

Grazie

Fluros are ideal for video, most large TV studios are lit exclusively by fluro lights, the saving in makeup and airconditioning is huge.
Osram make tubes balanced for daylight and tungsten. If you've got the money Kinoflo fittings take their own tubes in a range of colours.
If you want to buy ready made fluro fittings that use the Osram tubes look up iKan, Lupo (we've got 6 of their Quadralights), Arrie, Lowell (make a nice Caselite, we have two), Photon Beard if you're in the UK and there's many cheap Chinese ones coming onto the market.

If you want point light sources think HMI.

I'm 110% convinced that using tungsten light sources is a formual for disaster.

Light daylight and get some tungsten light into your shot, doesn't look too bad, a bit of warm light the eye accepts. Light tungsten and get daylight in the shot and you have a disaster, I've wasted hours with masked CC trying to correct this and I could never get it right.

I worked on a video recently where they'd made the same sort of mistake. As the talent walked from the window towards the corner of the room she changed color due to an out of shot tungsten light, almost impossible to fix in post.

BTW we have a Kinflo 800, wow, what a beautiful light source, up close to it even I almost look attractive and that's some serious magic. The thing is a beast though 8x100W custom fluro tubes, we got it very cheap, less than half new price.

Bob.

Bob, "I'm 110% convinced that using tungsten light sources is a formula for disaster. " well it is the price and size and manoeuvrability and storage and weight of the floro option that put me off.

I need to be light on my feet and need to do quick 'n dirty shoots - mostly talking heads - I work on extremely short notice and shorter setups and breakdowns. Often in confined and contrived interiors. One big Riffa softie and a Dedo used in conjunction with a couple of reflectors is about all I can handle.

When I'm cramped into someone's London office; making a "neat" looking set in a corridor; rearranging furniture in a waiting room area; using the toilet door as someone's office door and videoing in a tight conference room where you can't move the ego-centric too large to move 1/2" thick glass-topped conference table, then you gotta have nimble kit capable of "punching" in a look 'n feel way beyond the raw material.

Studio shooting? Another matter.

Having said ALL that above IF the dimming and size of the Photon Beard stuff lost 80% of the "cost" and 50% of its size then I'd be parked up outside their Leighton Buzzard HQ - NOW!

When the product is right, it is right. Right! Sometimes, often, the gig just doesn't demand it. The tools might be "better", in anotrher situation, but the job may not warrant it.

Hey guy I even contemplated a DIY Floro box - you know I did!

Just my simple thoughts on the matter . . .

Grazie

Grazie,
did you look at their Hyperlight?
It's small, lightweight and enough light for tight situations where you need a bit of fill and you can put it on a camera. We're paying around AUD 350 so you should be able to get it for under 200 pounds.

Now the problem is Photon Beard will try to sell you their batteries etc for the thing and they cost more than the light. So we gave up on their batteries and I got some Li-Ion batteries from the USA, under AUD 100 for a battery of twice the capacity AND they threw in a universal charge for free!

I agree also, the big Photon Beard lights are WAY overpriced, that's why we went for the Lupo lights from Italy. Even they cost us too much, freight from Europe to here is way too expensive.

Bob.