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Hey guys,

 

Just looking for some reviews/insight on the Lowel Rifa fixtures. I noticed Seamus McGarvey uses them pretty frequently for close ups. They seem relatively inexpensive as well, so i was just looking for some more opinions about them. Thought about maybe picking up the LC66EX Rifa-light. Any insight is much appreciated.

 

Thanks!

 

-Ben J

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One thing I recall when using them years ago.. if your working fast and need to wrap up and leave.. you will burn the interior silver of the light,as it folds in on itself and this bulbs get hot.. so you need time of them to cool down before folding.. not a problem so much on drama I guess.. but some doc shoots it can be.. nice soft light though.. and quick set up at least..

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I think the rifas are very good for doc use etc. when you have to carry your own gear.

 

Like Robin mentioned they have to be completely cooled down before you can fold them... Another thing is that the bulbs seem to be quite sensitive when switched on so you have to be very careful if you have to quikly move them between takes. When wrapping you should basically first switch the rifas off, then wrap every other gear and fold the rifas when every other gear is in bags and ready to go ...

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Use them all the time. Especially the biggest 88 model. It's a perfect softlight and can also just be chucked on the floor as a soft uplight in certain scenarios. Only bad thing is the buld goes easily if you move them when they're on, so always turn them off before you move them.

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I have a love/hate relation with these. Love the quality of the light emitted, but hate the relative fragility of the units. Ours get used constantly by everyone in the shop. We have had several get buggered with rough handling. The most common damage is the wire lamp shield getting broken off. I found that using the skinny cloth bags to store them is a pain. Now I just put them in the long black cases without the bags. The white diffusion can get brittle and crack. We replaced the diffusion covers on ours but in the future I'm just going to clip some 216 or something over them instead of replacing the material. Using the fluorescent lamps with the adapters has been interesting. It seems like at least one of the bulbs fails every time I use them. One thing I want to try is loading the adapters with other incandescent bulbs for effect. Something like those retro antique bulbs you can get from Home Depot, or even colored "party bulbs". I would even like to try some "flicker" bulbs for a fire effect. All in all a great product. Just be extra gentle with them and they will serve you well.

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I have had a Rifa 88 for a long time. I actually bought the 3-lamp adapter when I bought the unit. So I can do the 1K light that comes standard, but what I tend to do more often than not, is to use some 1-into-2 converters so that I can plug in about 6-8 bulbs. I used to do this with CFLs (and you can mix and match the color temps to get what you want) but more recently, I've been using the Cree LED bulbs. They are about 90 CRI so not the best thing out there, but they do all I need. My diffusion has gotten a little brittle over time but not too bad. I'll probably end up replacing it with gridcloth.

One advantage of going with the 3-light adapter is that when I used CFLs or LEDs, the fixture stays cool. I can get it very close to the talent with no heat load, and I can break it down immediately with no ill effect.

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