Frank Kistemann

Here's a link to an older (2006) Quartzcolor catalogue for their 230 V line-up. Unfortunately, you can only use 800w or 1000W bulbs on the 230v models (I actually never heard of 650W Redheads, so I suppose it's a 120V thing), but you may get a rough idea of how much output one can expect when using a 650W Redhead. Frank http://rapidshare.com/files/446191843/Quartzcolor_catalogue_November_2006.pdf

You're obviously right on that one, seems that I wrote a bit too fast for my brain to carry up ;) ... but next time I use an Arrisun I'll definitely check out if the ballast is able to recognize the lamphead when there's no bulb installed, or when the locking knob is left open. About that hinged cover...it's missing from at least a third of all the Arrisuns I got to work with. It just seems to be a piece that cracks and gets lost once in a while, due to careless charging and rental houses don't seem to bother to replace them. Btw, if I recall correctly, there's a little drawing on the front of that very cover, which clearly identifies the underlying "switch" as the lamp locking knob... Frank

What could be mistaken as a switch on the left side of the lamphead is actually the knob that tightens the lamp socket and holds the bulb firmly in place. Fully tightened, the little handle on the knob is more or less vertical and if you turn it counter-clockwise to open the socket, it turns about 90 degrees to the left, maybe even less (hence the potential to be mistaken as a switch). So if that knob wasn't completely vertical, it means that the socket wasn't fully closed and therefore couldn't properly establish contact. Btw, the focusing knob is on the back of the fixture and as the socket's tightening knob obviously moves with the globe, it indicates the focal point position for each sort of globe (2,5K/4K) respectively. Merry christmas, Frank

A circular polarizer is essentially nothing else than a linear one with a layer of 1/4 wave retarder plate on it's back (the side facing the lens). Due to that retarder, the plane in which the lightwave is moving, rotates around the wave's axis, so that it would look a bit like a corkscrew. Thus the light could pass through a second polarizer and you won't get any cross-polarization effect, which is important when you work with a system that has another polarizing element like an autofocus or the video assist of some film cameras. Frank

The only professional camera support system I know of which seems to fit your description is the airfloater by Belgian grip rental/manufacturer CQN (website: www.airfloater.com). I once tried it on an expo and it seems to work very well for that purpose. Especially when workin on longer lenses, it can give you a bit more control on the frame while still maintaining that handheld feel. Not sure if it's already available in your location. On the other hand, why not just let the operator sit on the dolly and actually handheld the camera (supposing you won't use extraordinary long lenses and the camera isn't too heavy)? Frank

The closer the sun is to the horizon, from your point of view, the longer is the distance where the light travels through the atmosphere. While travelling the atmosphere, light loses energy which means that it becomes more reddish. So that's why the sun seems to be red when it's setting/rising, because the distance the light has to travel through atmosphere is at it's maximum. On the other side, when the sun is at it's top position, that very distance is at the minimum, so the sun seems to be less red. Frank