Lighting Kit for Photo/Video studio. Advise Needed.

[Jonesy Jones]

Hey guys, would love your help. Thanks in advance.

I've been asked to put together a lighting kit for a client that is building a photo/video studio for their company. We are going to go with continuous lighting for this kit. We'll also use strobes at times, but let's leave that out of the equation for now and pretend we'll only be using continuous lighting. 

We'd like to put together a kit that is as flexible as possible (meaning we can use it for many different applications), though most of our shoots will be a model or two in front of a backdrop (white, gray, textured, etc). Sometimes these shoots will be video centric with photography as an afterthought, and sometimes vice versa. 

I totally understand that lighting style or mood or dramatic effect can vary drastically with each photographer, filmmaker, and shoot. But with that said, if you were in my shoes, which lights and accessories would you gravitate towards? 

Additionally, I lean toward LED's. I am not totally opposed to other options, but due to heat, power consumption, and longevity I do like LED's.

Budget is at least $5,000. 

[Cinegain]

Would actually go with the Aputure C120-series (there's a 't-model that is tungsten and a 'd'-model that is daylight balanced). It has a Bowen-S mount, so you can use all kinds of add-ons, softboxes, beauty dishes, parabolic reflectors/umbrellas, with grids, snoots. Their own Lightdome looks pretty sweet: http://aputure.com/en/light-dome.html . Would be nice to have 4 or so. You could do with 1 less and then get two of the C20 mini fresnels in time (still due to come out). Of course I know about Broncolor, Elinchrom and Profoto, but they're more photographer's tools... little to nothing with LEDs... and expensive ones at that. Not sure if they're in budget and at all good for video. But with the Aputures you know... what more do you really need? Thinking about a studio set-up like that for next year myself.

This is actually quite a nice video on the effects of different light set-up styles:

 

[Jonesy Jones]

5 hours ago, Cinegain said:

Would actually go with the Aputure C120-series (there's a 't-model that is tungsten and a 'd'-model that is daylight balanced). It has a Bowen-S mount, so you can use all kinds of add-ons, softboxes, beauty dishes, parabolic reflectors/umbrellas, with grids, snoots. Their own Lightdome looks pretty sweet: http://aputure.com/en/light-dome.html . Would be nice to have 4 or so. You could do with 1 less and then get two of the C20 mini fresnels in time (still due to come out). Of course I know about Broncolor, Elinchrom and Profoto, but they're more photographer's tools... little to nothing with LEDs... and expensive ones at that. Not sure if they're in budget and at all good for video. But with the Aputures you know... what more do you really need? Thinking about a studio set-up like that for next year myself.

This is actually quite a nice video on the effects of different light set-up styles:

 

Thank you cinegain. Pretty everything in your response was on point with what I had been thinking. I love Aputure's stuff. I also was leaning toward parabolic umbrellas as well. 

Question: so obviously the Broncolor stuff would eat up my budget pretty quickly. There are other parabolic umbrellas out there like Wescott and Impact, but you still need a light source. What I'd absolutely love is if the Aputure 120's could work as the light source for the parabolic umbrella. If you remove the can on the 120, is the throw wide enough to do the job? Also, is there a taking mechanism on the the 120 that can receive the rod from the umbrella? In other words, how would you mount the 2 together, particularly to slide the umbrella closer or further for the desired effect. 

[AaronChicago]

Aputure for sure. The 120s are so versatile. I recently got this light dome: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=1287574&gclid=CIb07NS409ACFVc6gQodv80IWA&is=REG&ap=y&m=Y&c3api=1876%2C92051677682%2C&A=details&Q=

It's the softest (direct source) light I've ever seen. Sort of like a budget Breise 140 which is used on every high budget commercial/music video.

[Jonesy Jones]

34 minutes ago, AaronChicago said:

Aputure for sure. The 120s are so versatile. I recently got this light dome: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=1287574&gclid=CIb07NS409ACFVc6gQodv80IWA&is=REG&ap=y&m=Y&c3api=1876%2C92051677682%2C&A=details&Q=

It's the softest (direct source) light I've ever seen. Sort of like a budget Breise 140 which is used on every high budget commercial/music video.

Aaron, do you think a 120 would work in a parabolic set up similar to this? https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/866281-REG/Impact_up_7s_7_0_Parabolic_Umbrella_Silver.html

[Cinegain]

44 minutes ago, Jonesy Jones said:

Thank you cinegain. Pretty everything in your response was on point with what I had been thinking. I love Aputure's stuff. I also was leaning toward parabolic umbrellas as well. 

Question: so obviously the Broncolor stuff would eat up my budget pretty quickly. There are other parabolic umbrellas out there like Wescott and Impact, but you still need a light source. What I'd absolutely love is if the Aputure 120's could work as the light source for the parabolic umbrella. If you remove the can on the 120, is the throw wide enough to do the job? Also, is there a taking mechanism on the the 120 that can receive the rod from the umbrella? In other words, how would you mount the 2 together, particularly to slide the umbrella closer or further for the desired effect. 

They show on their site how one would set-up something with umbrellas like that. Think that would work just fine, but as well as Aaron said and I already mentioned, those Aputure LightDomes are using a rather similar approach to throw light. But it does end up on a diffusor layer, so you might not get the same kind of catchlights in the eye.

[Jonesy Jones]

1 minute ago, Cinegain said:

They show on their site how one would set-up something with umbrellas like that. Think that would work just fine, but as well as Aaron said and I already mentioned, those Aputure LightDomes are using a rather similar approach to throw light. But it does end up on a diffusor layer, so you might not get the same kind of catchlights in the eye.

Yah, I will probably be getting one of those domes regardless, maybe a couple. But I am really interested in the parabolic application because there is a special sort of look that they give. 

Too bad the umbrella receiver is so low and far away. Maybe I'll be able to fabricate something just above or below the unit.

[Cinegain]

Yeah, wasn't so sure about the effect of that, but I figured I could work out something if the light would get too uneven. Like, instead of mounting it from the rod, I'd clip said rod and mount a stand to the rear of the umbrella perhaps. Do really need quite a bit of space for a proper studio.

[Jonesy Jones]

2 hours ago, Cinegain said:

Yeah, wasn't so sure about the effect of that, but I figured I could work out something if the light would get to uneven. Like, instead of mounting it from the rod, I'd clip said rod and mount a stand to the rear of the umbrella perhaps. Do really need quite a bit of space for a proper studio.

The good part is that we have plenty of space.

[AaronChicago]

19 hours ago, Jonesy Jones said:

Aaron, do you think a 120 would work in a parabolic set up similar to this? https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/866281-REG/Impact_up_7s_7_0_Parabolic_Umbrella_Silver.html

Yeah it should. In my opinion the light dome is a bit more versatile b/c it has 2 layers of diffusion inside. You can remove 1 or both, depending on the shot. With both diffusion layers it gives a very painterly light.

I just took this photo the other day of my son with the light dome only.

 

[Jonesy Jones]

6 hours ago, AaronChicago said:

Yeah it should. In my opinion the light dome is a bit more versatile b/c it has 2 layers of diffusion inside. You can remove 1 or both, depending on the shot. With both diffusion layers it gives a very painterly light.

I just took this photo the other day of my son with the light dome only.

 

You make your kids be subjects for your camera/lighting experiments too?

The thing about the parabolic umbrellas is that they are 7' in diameter, or less or more depending on your preference. But that 7 foot diameter makes for a very large light source that I've been lusting for a long time. For pure filmmaking reasons the light dome makes total sense. But we are shooting a ton of fashion and the size and look of a parabolic makes sense in that scenario. I haven't made up my mind though. Still running through a few options.

[Parker]

I have a 150cm softbox with a Bowens mount that I have been absolutely loving with my pixapro LED 100D mkII. I kind of underestimated how big 150cm really is (It's huuuge!!) but its so beautifully, wonderfully soft, the light wraps around a face in such a lovely way, it can serve as both key and fill, instant Rembrandt triangle every time. It also came with a honeycomb grid but I haven't really messed with that at all yet. I probably would have gotten one of those Aputure ones listed above as well but it wasn't out at the time I bought mine and I really needed one. No regrets though. It's really a pretty good deal, for such a huge softbox, with the easy-open capability for super fast setup, and the double diffusion, bowens mount, and ability to add the honeycomb:

https://www.essentialphoto.co.uk/product/pixapro-150cm-octagonal-easy-open-umbrella-softbox-with-4cm-grid/

Speaking of soft light, lately I've been intrigued by those Fotodiox flapjack lights, has anyone here ever used them? Seems really convenient to be able to get the softbox look in really small, mobile environments, I've been thinking about getting one of them to mess around with a little. 

[Cinegain]

Hum, that kind of reminds me of

and...

Does look like practical stuff as well.

[Parker]

@Cinegain Haha are you stalking my YouTube subscriptions?! But yeah. Spot on, sir. 

[j-oc]

Very much a matter of personal taste but were I in your shoes I'd go for Kinos. I rent them from time to time and just love them - insanely beautiful light made easy.

If you are after some hard light as well I'd use the strobes or pick up a used dedo kit for when you need a bit of that.