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1K Fresnel Vs. 650w Frensel


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I have a small light kit (a mix of Kinos, Tungsten and LED lights) which I use on smaller projects.

 

Right now on the more powerful Tungsten light end, I have one 1K open face light (Lowel DP Light) and a 650w Fresnel (an Arri knock off made by Cool Lights) with a Soft Box option on the 650w.

 

I wanted to pick up a third tungsten light to compliment the 1K and the 650w. I am mainly going to use it to light talent. I was thinking of getting either a 1K Fresnel or another 650w Fresnel. Originally, I was thinking a 1K Fresnel but a scrim will NOT FIT in the 1K if I'm using a Soft Box, so that might be too much light on the talent.

 

I might be able to gerry-rig something to the speed ring to be able to fit a scrim on the 1K with a soft-box though, which might sway my opinion.

 

So to compliment my current 1K Open Face and 650w Fresnel for lighting TALENT, what would you guys choose for a 3rd light - 1K Fresnel or 650w Fresnel?

Thanks for any advice.

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Edit: I just figured out a way to squeeze a scrim over the speed ring on my 650w Soft Box, so I'm assuming I will be able to do the same on the 1K Fresnel (if I get it).

 

Isn't it always better to have a more powerful light and then have the ability to cut down? I'm assuming that by squeezing in a 1 stop Scrim, the 1K will essentially become a 500 watt, is that correct?

 

Thanks again

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A fresnel is a bad choice to use with a soft box as it's more geared towards hard light applications such as shafts and what not. An open face light is best for sox boxes as it fills up the entire box evenly where as a fresnel will create a spot in the center. I use a larger chimera soft box with a 1K TOTA light and it looks amazing as a key for interviews or whatever.

 

I'd check out some 300W or 150W fresnels as these tiny lights can fit in tight places and end up being a lot more versatile than a 650W.

Edited by John Hale
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In general though you're right about going for a larger light and then taking it down. For example, investing in an Arri 2K fresnel is a much better choice than a 1K fresnel because you have the option to use a 1K bulb inside the 2K unit so you can take it down without even using a dimmer or scrims. So it just make more sense to go that route when possible. I'm assuming you can do the same with a blonde but I'm not 100% on whether there are 1K buibs for those.

Edited by Michael LaVoie
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