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How are these 650 watt lights on amazon?


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I can't imagine how badly you could make something like that and have it work at all?

They'd be stupid to make something that doesn't actually put out a light, but..

the paint could smoke when it heats up, the thing could give off a stench, the door might not latch properly, the fresnel glass might crack easily, the glass colour temp might vary, the focus knob might be really stiff, it might be very susceptible to rust, the switch might give out early, the yoke lock threads might start binding so you can't lock it off properly, etcetera. All conjecture on my part, although based on experience with other knock-offs, and some of those faults are in the customer reviews.

 

However you will save a couple of hundred bucks in the short term, and long term you'll probably help put the original manufacturer whose designs have been stolen out of business. But who needs quality objects any more?

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You're right, its probably better to rent a higher quality light than spend money on a poorly made one

 

 

They'd be stupid to make something that doesn't actually put out a light, but..
the paint could smoke when it heats up, the thing could give off a stench, the door might not latch properly, the fresnel glass might crack easily, the glass colour temp might vary, the focus knob might be really stiff, it might be very susceptible to rust, the switch might give out early, the yoke lock threads might start binding so you can't lock it off properly, etcetera. All conjecture on my part, although based on experience with other knock-offs, and some of those faults are in the customer reviews.

However you will save a couple of hundred bucks in the short term, and long term you'll probably help put the original manufacturer whose designs have been stolen out of business. But who needs quality objects any more?

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focus knob might be really stiff

 

Well, that happens on the Arri ones!

 

One wonders if many rental places ever actually do any maintenance...

 

Extremes aside, I'd probably buy one of those on the assumption that it's probably going to be either usable, or something I can make usable with minimum ingenuity.

 

Thought about stands?

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Well, that happens on the Arri ones!

 

One wonders if many rental places ever actually do any maintenance...

 

Extremes aside, I'd probably buy one of those on the assumption that it's probably going to be either usable, or something I can make usable with minimum ingenuity.

 

Thought about stands?

 

A lot of the answers for the product seem to suggest study PBL stands

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I'd probably buy one of those on the assumption that it's probably going to be either usable, or something I can make usable with minimum ingenuity.

I know this is not a new phenomenon, but I think there's more to this than just the question of quality. I don't mind that there are cheap versions of other products, what I find reprehensible is copying another company's intellectual property right down to the colour scheme and name plate. At Broadcast Asia this year there was an outfit flogging copies of O'Connor 2575 heads, Arri FF-4s and all sorts of other accessories that were indistinguishable from the originals, even down to being called 2575s and FF-4s. To my mind, this is ethically like someone stealing your reel, putting it up on their website and competing with you for jobs at a quarter of your own rate. You can either buy into this sort of behaviour, "on the assumption that it's probably going to be usable", until it's your own livelihood being undermined, or you can make an ethical stand.

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I followed that link. $120! I reminds one of how divided the world is. People in India and China have low wages. In India lots of peoiple work in what look like sweat shops, a long way from their families, long hours, 'till they fall asleep beneath their bench. In Germany, the labour practices seem quite cultured, and wages are high. There is a bizare contrast between these two, the conditions under which goods are produced in these countries.

 

I can't agree with one person stealing the ideas of another. But, while we ponder the philosophy of such, people in india (perhaps China too) live and work in a condition that any American, German or Australian (OK Kiwis too) would consider as poverty. So should we feel outrage at the intellectual theft, or compassion for the poor people it's feeding. I sort of feel it both ways.

 

I think there are some really good design engineers and engineers in India and China. But the low to middle zone film gear that is being produced is constrained by some crude marketing notions and "profit to survive" realities. The notion of building a believable, long term brand does not seem to be in play yet.

 

Out of curiosity as a designer I have bought a couple of Chroziel cloned items from India, pulled them apart and had a look. Have to say, if you can back engineer the Chroziel product enough to almost replicate it, then you are capable of taking the design engineering an increment further and creating something adequately original. I always blame the investors for holding this back.

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I own a couple of the As Arri Fresnels and I've been using them frequently for about 10 months now on small short films and I haven't encountered any problems. The only thing I would complain about would be the faint burning scent that was emitted when I first started using them. But for the price they're worth, I can't complain. If you don't have the budget for authentic lights, I'd give em a shot!

 

I would also recommend watching this video review on the As Arris, as it helped me decide if I should buy a few or not!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Acznsk2q58

 

Cheers,

Jared Bedrejo

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I agree with Greg. Go for used name brand lights off Ebay. Much better option. I've had gaffers show up with those arri knockoffs which were in various states of destruction. They're poorly made so they can't handle the wear and tear of normal film location shooting. You'll lose bulbs often due to bad wiring and you'll break off different parts of the housing on a regular basis. I would avoid them.

 

If however you do nothing but put them on a stand in a studio or hang them on a pipe clamp and they live there forever, then well, go for it. If you want to work in the field and you move em around alot, I'd go for Arris.

 

It's a safe investment to buy well made name brand lights because there's a resale value to them. You wont lose that much money when you put them back on ebay as they're so well made they don't depreciate that much. Unlike cameras which tend to drop in value significantly within 6 months to a year.

Edited by Michael LaVoie
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