PL Charron

With the DPs, you definitely won't get the control you would have with fresnels. So is it worth the extra bucks, not having to use as many flags and cutters - in my opinion, yes. But don't limit yourself to Arri's in the used market - you could check for Mole-Richardson, Desisti or LTM fresnels.

What I'm about to say may sound creepy, but bear with me: I've been practicing lighting, in between shoots, by using foam mannequin heads (the cheap $3 kind, used for sunglasses/head wear displays, found on a major online auctioning site). Got the idea from watching LightFilmSchool.com tutorials. I do quick 30-45 minute exercises, from time to time, standing one or more heads on cheap light stands and trying different lights/modifiers/moods. It's not perfect, but it gives you a simple way to evaluate lighting and shadow characteristics of your setups.