16 replies to this topic

[Adrian Maurud]

I´ve been going to filmschool for the last 3 years. I´ve done some freelance work on the side where I have been able to borrow a bag of redheads and two LED light panels. The problem is that the school year is coming to an end I will no longer be able to borrow lamps, and my budget is waaaaaay to small to buy some high quality ones. 

 

Would these lamps be good enough for the job until I can pony up and buy some real lamps? 

http://www.ebay.com/...XgI-H2sVqirDPnQ

 

Renting is not an option.

[Jean G]

I guess if you baby them enough they will work. Do you have some electrical knowledge? First thing I would do when buying something like that is to check that everything is wired/grounded/fused correctly.

[Adrian Maurud]

Theyre probably flimsy, but I am more worried about if they will actually let me light my scene properly. I got a friend whos an electrician who can take a look at it

Edited by Adrian Maurud, 18 May 2016 - 06:27 AM.

[Mark Dunn]

No reason for the light pattern not to be OK. Redhead reflectors are pretty simple and the look is more to do with how you modify the light. However that set doesn't appear to be earthed, which is essential with a metal body- it has a 2-pin plug and isn't CE marked. Here's an alternative.

http://www.ebay.co.u...BVzcCX#shpCntId

BTW I had to look up Hamar, it sounds as  if it's in the middle east. You might want to put Norway as well so people know where you are. It's relevant to recommendations.

Edited by Mark Dunn, 18 May 2016 - 06:32 AM.

[Adrian Maurud]

We only have 2 pin sockets here in Norway, so I think they´re earthed in some other way, if they are tho. You may be right that they are not. 

Haha, thanks for the heads up. Ill add it

[Mark Dunn]

Forgive me, in the UK earthing is through a third pin, but your cylindrical plugs are earthed through the contacts on the edge of the barrel. They engage with the blade-like contacts in the socket. The set you were looking at doesn't have the earth contacts at all. The set I suggested is CE-marked and has a 3-pin plug.

2-pin flat plugs should only be used on appliances which don't need to be earthed- in the UK the earth pin would be made of plastic. Metal-bodied lamps most certainly do need to be earthed- if the wiring comes adrift and the case becomes live you may get a shock, although modern house wiring has protective circuit breakers, so you probably won't die .

Edited by Mark Dunn, 18 May 2016 - 06:54 AM.

[Adrian Maurud]

I guess Ill buy a kit and have my electrician friend take a look at it. Then I should be set until I can afford a better kit.

[Mark Dunn]

Fair enough but if you buy an unearthed light there's more at stake than money. I suggest the UK kit. The US and Canada don't seem to have safety certification.

Edited by Mark Dunn, 18 May 2016 - 06:58 AM.

[Mark Kenfield]

I'd suggest steering well clear, unless you have someone who can rebuild the internal wiring for less than the cost of better units purchased used.

 

I encountered dozens of these crappy rip-off redheads early in my careers. And they did the same things crappy gear always does - die silently or explode spectacularly. The one thing they never seemed to do, was run reliably. And reliability is basically the single most important quality you want for lights on set.

 

Look for used sets of proper lights, Ianiros, Arris or Photon Beard. You can find them super cheap on ebay. They're actually worth the investment.

[Adrian Maurud]

If they have to be rewired im sure my friend can do it. They only have to survive for a few gigs until I can afford a real set of lamps.

[Freya Black]

I have one of these Chinese lights, not sure if it's identical but it was awful and this set is waaaaay expensive!

I bought a set of 3 Ianro Quartzcolor redheads with case for £25 loads better than the chinese stuff.

No stands but I would rather have cheap chinese light stands than cheap chinese lights.

 

Google around for quartzcolor or ianro. They are made in Italy so should be easy to find in Europe and build quality is 1000 times better.

 

Freya

[Jean G]

We only have 2 pin sockets here in Norway, so I think they´re earthed in some other way, if they are tho. You may be right that they are not. 

Haha, thanks for the heads up. Ill add it

The sockets in your country are side earthed. Same as in the Netherlands and Germany.

Edited by Jean G, 18 May 2016 - 09:47 AM.

[timHealy]

Instead of Chinese lights try Chinese lanterns. Really easy to use and they are cheap in comparison. They are great lights for beginning filmmakers. In thought spaces though they can be hard to control but if you have larger sets the falloff is quick.

[Freya Black]

 

Google around for quartzcolor or ianro. They are made in Italy so should be easy to find in Europe and build quality is 1000 times better.

 

Freya

 

Sorry I posted in haste. I meant search e-bay not google. Worth checking other european e-bay sites too or just check the eu option in the search in ebay.

[Adrian Maurud]

I checked it out. Didnt find anything within the limited budget. I got a few upcoming gigs which can cover new lamps. While I use these cheap ones until then.

[aapo lettinen]

I´ve been going to filmschool for the last 3 years. I´ve done some freelance work on the side where I have been able to borrow a bag of redheads and two LED light panels. The problem is that the school year is coming to an end I will no longer be able to borrow lamps, and my budget is waaaaaay to small to buy some high quality ones. 

 

Would these lamps be good enough for the job until I can pony up and buy some real lamps? 

http://www.ebay.com/...XgI-H2sVqirDPnQ

 

Renting is not an option.

 

I have one of those! (well not the same kit from the same seller but one of the fixtures and they are probably all from the same factory because they are exactly similarly looking from all different sellers. there is also European sellers who sell the same kits here, for example UK registered sellers who may actually live in China but who knows...) 

 

Chinese lights are generally not safe to use without repairs and possibly rewiring and that is also true with these lamps. if you can buy a better more reliable set locally that could be an option? Mainly it's the cables and switches which are the problem with these. no grounding at all normally, loose strain reliefs, maybe too thin insulations, etc.

of course if you can get someone to check them for you for cheap then it may be cost effective. the stands are generally junk you don't want to use for anything serious but may be handy for small things like grey cards etc 

[aapo lettinen]

I would be wary about the built-in dimmer options in Chinese lights. lot more difficult to inspect for safety and more possible sources for problems in the long run. with tungsten lights you will probably want to use gels and scrims for intensity control anyway unless you are doing fire imitation or trying to specifically imitate a dimmer effect for theatrical lighting style