Tom Savige Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 Hello, I am buying a Chimera soon and I'm just wondering what kind of light is best for it. Some people say that you should use a fresnel in them but I dont see the what the problem is with using an open faced light in one. Thanks, Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member David Mullen ASC Posted May 13, 2009 Premium Member Share Posted May 13, 2009 Hello, I am buying a Chimera soon and I'm just wondering what kind of light is best for it. Some people say that you should use a fresnel in them but I dont see the what the problem is with using an open faced light in one. Thanks, Tom Either works as long as it has a nice even flood position. The only problem I've had with some brands of lightweight open-faces is that the yokes are too flimsy to handle the weight of the Chimera. Also, some of them are not easy to drop scrims into. I'm thinking of Ianero Blondes and Redheads really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Savige Posted May 13, 2009 Author Share Posted May 13, 2009 Either works as long as it has a nice even flood position. The only problem I've had with some brands of lightweight open-faces is that the yokes are too flimsy to handle the weight of the Chimera. Also, some of them are not easy to drop scrims into. I'm thinking of Ianero Blondes and Redheads really. Thanks David, I was actually going to get the Ianero ones, so thanks for warning me. Nothing worse than finding out they have flimsy yokes on set. I'll make sure to buy Arri :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie Metzger Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 Thanks David, I was actually going to get the Ianero ones, so thanks for warning me. Nothing worse than finding out they have flimsy yokes on set. I'll make sure to buy Arri :D I've had problems with big chimera's on arri 2k's; with the chimera being too heavy for the yolk. I'm sure it's the same for most lights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A. Whitehouse Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 I've had problems with big chimera's on arri 2k's; with the chimera being too heavy for the yolk. I'm sure it's the same for most lights. As have I. Moving up to a 2.5k HMI and its handled the weight but nothing less than that has. I burnt a hole in one once when a blondie drooped into it. Quite a pity. Very good tool though the chimera, I like them a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Hayes Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 I've had problems with big chimera's on arri 2k's; with the chimera being too heavy for the yolk. I'm sure it's the same for most lights. I usually rig some sort of a support to keep the Chimeras from drooping. I’m glad you mentioned it because I have been thinking of manufacturing a bracket. I often just clip diffusion inside the Chimera to knock the light level down. I clip it to the frame of the soft light half way between the light and the front of the box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member David Auner aac Posted May 13, 2009 Premium Member Share Posted May 13, 2009 I am buying a Chimera soon and I'm just wondering what kind of light is best for it. Some people say that you should use a fresnel in them but I dont see the what the problem is with using an open faced light in one. Hi Tom, I use an Arrilite 800 in my VideoPro S. I'm really happy with it. I figured it gives you more light per watt than a fresnel does and it stays with the Chimera all the time too. So I thought to use a fresnel was kinda wasting money as you couldn't really use it's advantages as it's in there. If you rarely use the Chimera though, maybe a fresnel would be a a smarter choice after all (if you like fresnels to begin with)... Cheers, Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Savige Posted May 14, 2009 Author Share Posted May 14, 2009 Thanks for your help guys, I am thinking of buying a big chimera so whats the cheapest light that has a strong yolk? I was also wondering how much light the diffusion pannel on the front of it loose. would I just be better off buying a Kino Flo? Thanks, Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Bruce Taylor Posted May 15, 2009 Premium Member Share Posted May 15, 2009 I am thinking of buying a big chimera so whats the cheapest light that has a strong yolk? The 2k open face Mighty Mole is reasonably heavy duty and puts out a lot of light. I have picked several used ones from ebay for ~$200. Bruce Taylor www.indi35.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Brereton Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 I am thinking of buying a big chimera so whats the cheapest light that has a strong yolk? I was also wondering how much light the diffusion pannel on the front of it loose. would I just be better off buying a Kino Flo? Thanks, Tom How big is big? I have a 4'x3' Chimera which just about works ok with Arri 650w fresnels or 800w open face. It tends to fall a little, so I occasionally use a stand to give it some support. It would also work well with a 1k or 2k fresnel. You will lose some intensity due to the diff on the front, probably somewhere around 1 - 1.5 stops, nothing too major. It really depends on what material has been used, and this varies from make to make. If you buy a kinoflo then you only have a soft light. A fresnel (or open face) lamp with a chimera is a much more flexible tool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD Hartman Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 On most fixtures, open face, fresnel, etc., the yoke only lock on one side. The other side has a pivot bolt it set to provide some friction or tension so that the head doesn't immediately fall forward when the lock is loosened. You could replace the bolt with a matching locking handle and tighten it down when using a Chimera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A. Whitehouse Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 On most fixtures, open face, fresnel, etc., the yoke only lock on one side. The other side has a pivot bolt it set to provide some friction or tension so that the head doesn't immediately fall forward when the lock is loosened. You could replace the bolt with a matching locking handle and tighten it down when using a Chimera. Very good tip, thanks JD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Drysdale Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 Also, some of them are not easy to drop scrims into. I'm thinking of Ianero Blondes and Redheads really. Because of position of the yoke, the Redheads can tend to droop under their own barndoor's wieght, never mind having a Chimera in front. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John-Erling Holmenes Fredriksen Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 Another advantage tungsten units have over KinoFlo's that should be mentioned is color. Personally I much prefer the color you can get from from a tungsten unit over the color a tungsten KinoFlo-bulb produces. KinoFlo have lots of other advantages though. And you get a lot of light per watt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Galerne Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 Ideal light for Chimera or any light bank in general is a bare bulb type fixture. The reason is Chimera started in the photo business and therefore created lightbanks to accomodate strobes. To better cover the front diffusion, they designed their banks to reflect light from the internal side in a paralel way. So whatever the size of the light bank, the 360° unit you will use (whatever it's wattage) will evenly cover your front diffusion resulting in a softer result and better light quality. This also avoid to use an internal baffle to spread the beam even more when using regular lights (open face, fresnel, par...). You end up having more output and softer effect. A Bug 800 W is giving more output (and a softer light) in a Chimera than a 1200W Par (with internal baffle). You can put a Large and still cover the all surface. Try this with a regular light (with reflector), you'll end up with a spot in the center of the light bank. There are lots of bare bulb fixtures both in tungsten and HMI available. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean Allard Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 I'dd take a look at the triolet line of barebulbs fixture by chimera themselves, they come with speedring for around 250$ and can go to up to 1k. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Salzmann Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 Rifalites are quite nice as well. Never had a good experience with redheads and chimeras. Yokes definitely too weak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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