Jax McLennan

If you're running your REC OUT as a MON OUT clone, it literally gives you exactly what you see through MON OUT including peaking etc. Clean REC OUT is only available in HD; in 2k you must either have the duo for external/raw recording or you are forced to have a Mon Out clone. Even in HD, clean REC OUT won't have frame lines etc. Therefore, your best bet is to run an external monitor that has it's own peaking, and not use the Alexa's in-built peaking.

I don't know where you plan to purchase from, and maybe you've been able to swindle some deals, but: http://www.lemac.com.au/Products/DedolightDLH650650WTungstenLightHead.aspx http://www.videocraft.com.au/arri-650-plus-with-doors-filter-frame Arri Fresnel is almost exactly half price, and that includes doors (which the Dedo doesn't). You can get off-brand FIlmgear lights (which aren't much different to the Arri's) for even cheaper: http://johnbarry.com.au/products/filmgear-lighting-filmgear-650w-fresnel-junior All the control in the world doesn't help you when you need one more lamp placed somewhere.

If you're confident you can light what you have been in the past the same or better, and you can foresee the same or similar clients paying you appropriate rates to do so with the gear you will have, then I don't see too much of an issue. On the other hand, if you're not sure you can command appropriate rates to be able to pay off the higher priced items, it might be safer to invest in cheaper units, pay them off quicker, then start making some profits which you can use to upgrade.

First of all, it's really going to depend who you're working for. Every DoP works differently, and whilst some may completely embrace new lighting 'toys,' others will prefer to work with what they know, at least until they figure out a new light. As well, some DPs will never use an LED, as much as you'd try to convince them, others will be happy to; some will on smaller jobs and won't on bigger jobs. Certainly I'd imagine your smaller LED panels at the very least will need minus green stuck on almost permanently, assuming colour is indeed a concern for the DP you're working for. I know the Area 48 lights you're talking about, and whilst I haven't worked with them extensively, I've seen them in action, and they're certainly not bad, though I'm not sure that they're really equivocal to a Kino. Admittedly, my time spent with them was short. Another thing to consider is that you've listed some pretty expensive lamps. This is all well and good, and Dedos are certainly great lights. That said, for the same price as one 650w Dedo head, you might get 2-3x Arri 650w fresnels. If you're going to be bouncing or shooting through a frame regardless - then the benefit of a Dedo starts to diminish. I was recently using the new Hive plasma lights, which are actually not bad little lights - lot of output for relatively low power draw, flicker free, and all self-contained in a road case. I feel like they're pretty pricey though. Overall, I think it's going to depend on the work you intend to be doing, and the people you intend to be working with - which is not an incredibly helpful answer I know ;)