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Looking to change my Lilliput 650s for Fresnels
I have a kit of 3 Ianiro Lilliput 650w open faced lanterns which have served me well but would like to change them for Fresnels so I get more control. Was wondering if I should go for something like the Arri 650 or, as the light is more controlled/focused a 300 would be a better equivalent. What I love about the Lilliputs is the kit of 3 with the stands fit in something the size of a sports holdall and I can take my camera bag, tripod on a train if needed.
I use them for smallish setups such as lighting interviews, if I want to light a large space I would use other lights. So for the type of thing I am using would the 300 or 650 bee the best equivalent for the Lilliput. I am thinking the advantage of the 300 is they can be more focused, but the 650s will be better for larger spaces. Or maybe a couple of 650s and a 300 or the other way round.
I really like the look of https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281723636912. Getting a kit really appeals to me as they come with a bag that they fit in properly.
Ben
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Ben Edwards – Freelance Picture Editor
https://www.funkytwig.comi5 3550 3.3Ghz, Windows 7 / Mac Lion, Nvida 550 Ti, 16GB Mem
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8 Replies
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Having shot with a tungsten fresnel kit for 20 years, the control is great.
What’s NOT so great, is the immensely wasteful power draw compared to modern LED instruments and the single color (3200K) output.
Modern fresnels with LED sources are being designed to fix those issues. Currently they’re not as cheap, but I just wouldn’t invest in tungsten anymore. (In fact I sold all mine, 2 years ago. Heck, just the weight of the stingers you need to schlepp with them for power – and the inefficient draw the tungsten lamps need to operate makes it WAY harder than it should be to setup and light even a small area any more.
Look forward, IMO. Don’t look back at last centuries solutions.
My 2 cents.
YMMV.
Creator of XinTwo – https://www.xintwo.com
The shortest path to FCP X mastery. -
I can get a set of three tungsten for £300. I know a bit about LEDS and you need very good ones to light skin (this is from doing lighting at a venue). Tungsten have a full spectrum. LEDS tend to have spikes and stuff missing. Top end/expensive LEDS get round this but you are talking about megabucks.
Be interested to know of the cheapest decent LEDS that are equivalent to 650 (or even 300) but would imagine you are talking at least £500 each (The Arri ones are several grand). I simply can’t afford it. Buy yes, I would much rather use LEDS.
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Ben Edwards – Freelance Picture Editor
https://www.funkytwig.comi5 3550 3.3Ghz, Windows 7 / Mac Lion, Nvida 550 Ti, 16GB Mem
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I’ve mentioned these units in the past as a LED retrofit for conventional small fresnels like Mole and Arri Babies.
VisionSmith’s products are a way of making a very predictable quality of light that we are all familiar with, and for when you want a “hard’ light look or sharp shadows.If you already own lights for which they make ReLamps you won’t be disappointed, especially because you’ve revitalized an existing asset. Even if you have to buy the heads used (I recommend eBay) AND the VisionSmiths, I think you’ll still find it economical. (visionsmith.com)
Another option for hard LED light is the forthcoming HIVE 100-C. For about $1100 you’ll get a 100 watt hard light, with COMPLETE dial-in color control and many interchangeable accessories like Source 4 Optics, lightbanks, DMX & Wireless Control and ProFoto Strobe accessories. ( hivelighting.com)
JS
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I LOVE the idea of those VisionSmith lamps.
I was looking at the website and got very excited… and then got very unexcited. While they seem to be made for Arri heads they can work in other heads as well. Except mine. With only a couple of exceptions all of my fresnel instruments are LTM Peppers (they’re almost all I’ve ever bought, I just always preferred them to Arri fresnels)… and the site says specifically that the lamps will not not work in Pepper heads… something about the throat being too narrow for the lamp to fit. Grrrrrrr.
If you have heads that they’ll work in though, they seem like a genius solution to me.
T2
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Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com
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Hi Todd,
As I suggest, legacy fresnels, especially MR 407 Babies are readily available on eBay for $200-300, so a ReLamp 1K can be put together for under $1000. To be able to have a hard LED light in the quiver is “priceless”.
Cheers
JS
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Will give that some thought, John… I sure do like the idea of them…
The thing is, our lighting needs have changed so much over just the past few years, with cameras so much faster now (so much of my lighting now is subractive rather than additive), what I think of as the “bigger” instruments here (1K and above) are pretty much gathering dust a great deal of the time. For what I do now little fresnels are most useful, it’s the little Pepper 100, 200, and 300s that usually get put in play here. My go-to instrument for a lot of uses are the LitePanels Astras, although I keep saying some LED fresnels would be nice.
What would be really nice would be to be able to relamp those little fresnels with LEDs that are 12v. We’ve tried to go with battery powered everything over the last few years and it has been a real game changer here. Except for stuff on stage, the only instruments we ever plug in are HMIs… we don’t even travel with the customary 500lb of stingers anymore.
One can dream… but with lighting having evolved at, well, lightspeed over the last couple of years, who knows what’s coming up….
T2
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Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com
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John – After using the ReLamps for another year, how do you feel about them now? Have they held up?
Bob C
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HI Bob,
Yes, I still love them!
I have 14 pieces in M/R BJ’s, BB’s and 407’s half daylight and half tungsten
Still waiting for the 5K version, it’ll probably be 400 watts. Hoping they’ll reveal at NAB
Cheers
JS
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