Has Anybody had experience with "acme lighting equipment?"

[azneinstein]

Hi guys,
Somebody is selling used "acme" lighting equipment. Just 3 lights with stands with a reflector, not softboxes or anything. I was just wondering if anybody has even heard of this company as I couldn't find much info, and I'm assuming these lights are pretty old- 80s-90s. I'm just an amateur playing around and was wondering if it'd be a good to try and keep or save up for a sub $300 kit system?

Here's the link:
http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/pho/640421781.html

[Psychobiker]

Save. These are 'hot' lights. Not useful unless you plan to use them as constant sources

[cdifoto]

Those lights in the ad don't look like anything but cheap shop lights to me. http://www.acmeco.com.tw/

[Jim M]

It is kind of hard to tell from the pictures, but they look a lot like the Acme products I bought back in the '70s. The reflectors are parabolic reflectors designed to use 250W, 300W, or 500W photoflood bulbs that come with various standard color temperatures. These have a standard screw base and look like ordinary light bulbs. However, they run hotter, are not as yellow, and are much brighter than a standard light bulb. They also have a much shorter life. These bulbs are still available. The reflectors spread the light much more evenly than the cheap clip-on reflectors from the hardware store. The stands were chrome-plated steel. The height adjustment locked with knob equipped 1/4-20 screws that pressed a semicircular brake against the shaft of the stand. The threads of this arrangement were the most likely thing to wear out. The shaft end was the smaller 3/8" diameter. I still have and use my old Acme stands that I bought in the '70s and I'm frankly amazed that they are still together. I have even used them in garage duty. I decided to get new, modern stands last year since I figured the threads would strip one of these days when I could least deal with it, but I haven't tossed my Acmes yet.

As for the reflectors, if you want to try to duplicate the look of old glamor shots, they can do the job for you. If you buy them, realize that you are getting technology from the old days, but that can be fun if you're willing to dig around a bit about how to use them best. If you want to use umbrellas and soft boxes, then the reflectors won't do you much good, although you can still bounce them off walls or flat reflectors or shoot them through diffusion screens.

[Wilt]

Acme Lighting Equipment...the name takes me back to my childhood, watching cartoons on TV with 'Acme this' and 'Acme that' representing commercial enterprises! :D

[breal101]

Acme Lighting Equipment...the name takes me back to my childhood, watching cartoons on TV with 'Acme this' and 'Acme that' representing commercial enterprises! :D

Wile E. Coyote never had a lot of luck with Acme products as I recall. :lol:

[Wilt]

Wile E. Coyote never had a lot of luck with Acme products as I recall. :lol:


Then he probably would not have good photographic luck with Acme lights! ;)