To start with, I purchased a two-softbox light kit from “Limo Studios” on Amazon. This included eight 45W 6500K CFL bulbs listed as “daylight balanced.” I was aware that 6500K was a little cold, but I’ve spent enough time messing with white balance that I didn’t think this would be a problem.
Good illustration how bad CFL in very cheap kits can affect the image.
Hi,
I'm about to make my first, super-budget light system. I'm following this video/guide: http://www.diyphotography.net/three-point-interview-light-on-the-cheap
I found almost all elements, but one thing I don't know is what light bulb to use for hair-light. And if it's needed at all or not? Since I'm in Europe, incandescent light bulbs are not available. Which one would you recommend? IKEA has a 20W one, which looks quite nice: http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/00131416/
Or a 11W one, http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/90131407/
The problem with these lights is that I don't know whether their color is nice or not on a video-camera. What should I be looking at when choosing these lights? I'll be using the 500W halogen soft-box for the main light, so I think it should have a warm color as well. Any recommendation?
@mrbill thanks. just ordered one. hope it'll be bright enough to not have to use flash.
@bangkng - I bought a kit that looks indentical to this, and I love it. I use a single sheet of 1/8 minus green gel with the softboxes to get a proper daylight balanced output though - there's a small green 'spike' from the fluo bulbs. Otherwise, great value.
At the risk of sounding a bit paranoid, please be aware that some studies have shown that unencapsulated CFLs emit some UV due to leaks in the phosphor coatings: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=can-compact-fluorescent-lightbulbs-damage-skin Due to this I have been using inexpensive LED panels and will only use encapsulted CFLs if it becomes necessary.
what about this lighting kit:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/271102239585?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649
Update on compact daylight fluorescents. I've been using 23W MaxLite SKR423FLDL floodlights, rated at 1300 lumens with a 5000K color temperature:
http://www.greenelectricalsupply.com/23-watt-cfl-r40-flood-daylight-5000k.aspx
At each shoot, I'd assemble four lamps on a four-socket head with a pair of staggered socket extenders:
http://www.elightup.com/photography-product/1-x-4-socket-50-x-70cm-softbox-photo-video-light-head
http://www.amazon.com/Medium-Porcelain-Extender-Extension-Adapter/dp/B0076NZWBQ
While you can use the included softbox, I typically just insert a simple umbrella into the center hole of the head. The only drawback I've found to this setup has been the time it takes to assemble and break down the four bulbs.
I recently found a smaller fluorescent floodlight that's almost as bright as the MaxLites, the 20W LongStar FE-RSF-20W, rated at 1100 lumens with the same 5000k color temperature:
These fluorescent bulbs are small enough to keep them pre-assembled on the head, stored in a padded 8x8x10-inch box. The compact dimensions of the four-bulb assembly is more durable and easier to wrangle on-set than the MaxLites. At less than $75 per assembly, this is the cheapest low-wattage AC-powered lighting solution I've found.
@LPowell - did you ever test the BlueMax bulbs? I am about to purchase 20 or so CFL's and trying to figure out the best ones to buy. I'll be using them in 4-bulb heads, and am trying to decide between:
42w Maxlite CFL (84 CRI, 5000K
and
50w BlueMax CFL (93 CRI, 5500K)
On the surface, it would seem that the BlueMax is the way to go, with its color temperature for mixing with daylight and CRI, but since I'll be mixing these with fresnels as well, it would be beneficial to not correct as much (more light) and CRI measurements don't say very much about the quality of light that is produced. Has anyone used both?
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