Arri Kit vs a-la-carte

[Bill Davis]

While soft boxes work with any speed ring, speed rings tend to be instrument specific.

The Tota speed ring mounts very differently than the speed ring for a fresnel.

Also, while you can easily purchase speed rings for the 650 Arri Fresnels in your kit. The fresnel lenses will narrow the light beam such that it fills only a part of a short softbox like the Chimera. If you want to use softboxes with the fresnels, you need the deeper Photoflex boxes – which unfortunately are much more unweildy and much more “nose heavy” than the Chimera boxes. So I’m not fond of them.

The whole point of filling a soft box with a VERY Broad source like a Tota is that it fills the box FULLY. Not even a DP will do so as well. and Tota’s are small, light, foldable, use affordable lamps – and are generally useful instruments on their own.

I personally don’t like DP lights. They get VERY, VERY hot. (so do the tota’s but that’s somehow more tolerable to me in something that’s so small and easy to carry) DPs start clunky and stay clunky. VMMV.

[Daniel Schultz]

Thanks…that helps me rule out the DP, since it seems to have similar problems as the arrilite 1k. Problem with the tota is that it only goes to 700w these days, and it would be good to have the option of having a 1k softlight if I need it–even though I’d likely be lamping down to 700 or 500w most of the time. The makes me thing that perhaps this might be the best solution:

1. Arri kit with two 300s and two 650s fresnels
2. Rifa softbox with 1k lamp and 700 and 500 lamps to take it down.

That would give me two 300 fresnels, which I’m thinking will come in handy. And it’ll also give me a more versatile softbox. What do you think.

Dan S.

[Jeffrey Venable]

I have the 5pc Arri Kit: (2)150’s, 300, 650, 1k and it has EASILY been the best piece of equipment I have purchased over the past few years. Like a few others have said…the box weighs about as much as a small elephant, but it’s well worth it.
Arri’s have a solid reputation, which is always a good reason to spend a few more bucks on the front end.

Jeff Venable
-Video + Editing + Photo-

[Peter Rummel]

I think I would get more use out of the 2-300 2-650 option. But I’m thinking interview/small scenes. If you’re going to be shooting, say, stage performances or larger spaces then a 1k would be very useful.

A purchase like this is expensive, and you want to get it right, but it’s not your “final” lighting kit. If you need more powerful or specialty lights for the occasional shoot, then rent them until it makes sense to buy. Either Arri kit would make a fine start.

[Daniel Schultz]

Well, for anyone who’s interested, I settled on the rifa over the arrilite 1k.

I tested them both in various setups. The Chimera that comes with the arrilite throws a very nice soft light, especially when you add the 2nd diffuser, which it comes with. But to me, the Rifa won for the flexibility and quality. When I lamped down to 500w on the Rifa, the shadows were super soft, and the lighting contrast ratio much lower. It was a really nice quality. Conversly, the 1000k lamp on the Rifa gives a high LCR. It also sets up and folds up super fast–the speed ring on the arri light is a royal pain. With three lamps–the 1000k, the 750 and 500, I was able to get a variety of light, both in terms of quantity, LCR, and soft/hard. Also, the Rifa cools down much faster than the arri.

That will allow me to return the softbank arri kit I have and get the one with two 300 fresnels and two 650 fresnels (which I love), and leave the softbox to Rifa.

Thanks to everyone for your help.

Dan S.