need advice for best continuous lights

I have very low experience on continuous lights and was wondering what people would get here for a studio setting. Need something compact and able to be carried around relatively easily (i understand there are lightstands that come with alot of these kits that add to the bulk) and maybe something that doesnt burn too hot. Softboxes are a plus. probably LED to keep things cool. I have a set of KinoFlos as a hand me down that are just too massive.


price isnt really a factor right now. Looking at the lowel blender kit... any thoughts? Thanks!

IMO Florescent lighting is not the answer and tungsten makes heat.
I have never used LED in photography.
And personally i would prefer speed lights over most continuous lighting
http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …ces/ci/12248/N/​3988592074

Your requirements have eliminated 100% of incandescent lighting, Fluorescent, and left only L.E.D.

I know little about them, only that they are costly compared to incandescent. but weight less, put off much less heat, require much less electricity, and cost much more.

So it sounds like you are looking for advice on LEDs.

If in fact you are looking for advice on conventional continuous lighting, you might want to look into fresnels, or some of the simpler floods in the 300watt range.

Shot with an 18" Diva Ringlight, and two LED strips from Home Depot...

Why is CFL off the table for consideration? It is color accuracy? or...?

I think CFL is off the table because 1. I already have a set of CFL kinoflos and 2. they seem more fragile than LEDs would be.

Ive sort of heard of frensel before...but when i check out BH it lists them as Ikan? Is that well known brand or some rebranded china stuff? Theres some funky names in LED continuous lights...

Seems like for now Lowel Blenders seems to decently fit the bill. Although if those Ikans work out, those are better value for what you get

Fresnel is a kind of light, not a manufacturer.

The most well known/popular fresnels used in Photography, Cinema and TV are likely made by ARRI.
They are not cheap and not lightweight, but they are a great light source. The vast majority of the scenes you have watched on TV or in the movies were lit with them.

We also use them a lot in live theatre, however we use other brands. They are being replaced by a product made by E.T.C. called a "Parnel" which is a bit of a combination par can / fresnel in practice, but in design, it's really none of the above. These are even more pricey, but more efficient.

A nice thread with examples;
https://photography-on-the.net …/showthread.php​?t=1394183

As for the Lowell LEDs, I have no experience, but I am confounded by the fact that none of the kits on B&H appear to list a lumen output?

CyberDyneSystems wrote in post #17717952
Fresnel is a kind of light, not a manufacturer.

The most well known/popular fresnels used in Photography, Cinema and TV are likely made by ARRI.
They are not cheap and not lightweight, but they are a great light source. The vast majority of the scenes you have watched on TV or in the movies were lit with them.

We also use them a lot in live theatre, however we use other brands. They are being replaced by a product made by E.T.C. called a "Parnel" which is a bit of a combination par can / fresnel in practice, but in design, it's really none of the above. These are even more pricey, but more efficient.

A nice thread with examples;
https://photography-on-the.net …/showthread.php​?t=1394183

As for the Lowell LEDs, I have no experience, but I am confounded by the fact that none of the kits on B&H appear to list a lumen output?

In the context of the OP, Jake is right. But...

Fresnel is, first of all, a kind of lens. The Fresnel light uses a Fresnel lens to project the light. Fresnel lenses are also commonly used in front of the groundglass of large format cameras, to reduce dimming of the focus screen approaching its edges, because the Fresnel lens changes the direction of light rays to strike the groundglass at a normal to its entire surface. The Fresnel makes it easier for the photographer to assess focus out at the edges, not merely near the center of the frame.

very educational. thanks for the corrections.

Fresnel lens elements are also used in Canon SLR lenses. The "Diffractive Optics" used in just 3 of Canon lenses to date, are in essence the exact same principle as the Fresnel lens, first used for lighting in light houses!

With D.O. they are doing the same trick at a near microscopic level.

This thread reminded me to go see if a price had been announced yet for the Elinchrom FS30 Fresnel modifier.


sigh


ain't no way THAT will ever make any return on the investment.

nathancarter wrote in post #17720416
ain't no way THAT will ever make any return on the investment.

Looks nice, but that FS30 is 40% more expensive than the Profoto equivalent. I'm a big fan of the fresnel look, and have a smaller (7cm) flash fixture that gets regular use.