Mark Coger Posted December 15, 2020 Share Posted December 15, 2020 I was wondering if anyone could recommend a decent lighting brand for shooting basic interviews for corporate and documentary work. I’m working with a $3k budget. I was hoping for something pretty durable that will hold up with multiple use and also something compact and versatile for any travel work. Any tips or suggestions will be greatly appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Satsuki Murashige Posted December 15, 2020 Premium Member Share Posted December 15, 2020 Litepanels Bi-Color Astras 6x are just about the most useful lights around these days - they are what 650w tungsten ‘tweenie’ fresnels lights were 20 years ago, the most useful light on the truck. They are LED, very punchy and bright, dimmable and white balance tunable, lightweight while being rugged, relatively small and easy to travel with, and you can power them off of V-lock batteries. You can punch them directly from a distance for a hard edge light, bounce them into rag for a soft key or overhead source, bring them thru a window at night, use them on the background. And you can put a little soft box on to use as a small mobile key light in a pinch. I think you can get a kit of two with a travel case, battery plates, and DoP Choice soft boxes for around your budget. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin R Probyn Posted December 15, 2020 Share Posted December 15, 2020 As above .. there is a travel kit of 2 x Astra that comes with a purpose built foam cut out pelican case ..with stands .. mine have flown all over the world .. indestructible box.. slightly fiddley AC unit but it attaches to the yolk so no cables and bits hanging off light stands .. a have a DOP choice large Softbox , great as a key for interviews but doesnt fit in the case ,Small size will fit into the case .. they are not the cheapest light but for any interview situation and much more .. they are very simple to set up and strong ,recommend the travel kit .. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Stephen Sanchez Posted December 17, 2020 Premium Member Share Posted December 17, 2020 (edited) I'll third the Astras. The Pelican hardcase Robin talked about can take x2 25ft stingers and a tri-tap, including the kit stands, and still be under the 50lb limit for airlines! Edited December 17, 2020 by Stephen Sanchez typo 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Coger Posted December 17, 2020 Author Share Posted December 17, 2020 Thank you all for the suggestions. I will definitely take a look at the Astras. From what everyone says, it seems like it’s a very favored light among users. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Peterson Posted December 25, 2020 Share Posted December 25, 2020 If I was about to buy new lights asap in the new year for general interviews/corporate shooting then I'd be very tempted by new Aputure Amarans which pack a lot of value into them at a low price:https://www.newsshooter.com/2020/12/16/aputure-budget-friendly-amaran-100d-and-200d/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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