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Arri M8 Popularity?


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I'm an owner-operator videographer/DP about to spring for an M8 to compliment my M18. I've noticed the M18 is a popular rental item and common to see on your average production. I've yet to see an M8 on set though. Nor can I find ANY information or reviews online. Why is that? No love for the "little blinder"?

 

Maybe it's because the M8 is fairly new? A year and a half old or so, I think? I still would've thought there'd be some talk about it.

 

Anyway, let me know what ya'll think about the M8. I love my M18 and don't see why the M8 would disappoint.

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  • 11 months later...

At the 800w size, I would be looking at a joker bug instead of the M8, particularly now with the Beamer. Add a bit of chimera lantern kit (octopus, pancake, etc) and the joker becomes a very versatile piece of kit.

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I like the M8 quite a bit and would take it over a Joker anytime (as I am not a Joker fan personally) but it's a matter of taste and often what's on the truck. I don't normally get too much into the Minutia of which head we pull I just want X Light in Y position for Z look.

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I like the M8 quite a bit and would take it over a Joker anytime (as I am not a Joker fan personally) but it's a matter of taste and often what's on the truck. I don't normally get too much into the Minutia of which head we pull I just want X Light in Y position for Z look.

 

Why one over the other? If it isn't technical reasons or minutia, then.....

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Minutia-- though I feel the Joker bulbs are a bit greener than the Arris, and I also find the jokers, since they're so often disassembled to make-- well whatevers-- often seem to fall apart more easily (and they're also older).

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Then it would be a further study of minutia to see what bulbs had been installed. Some brands are alleged to be absolute crap, their only claim to fame, low price. I see disassembly to only be a problem when fasteners are lost and not replaced, not a lot of wear items/areas on the fixtures.

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When I built my 575 HMI source four PAR, I bought, to be specific, "Osram HMI 575W/SEL UVS", which is a G22-based hot-strike type. My decision was guided by the fact that they're all more or less the same price and I might as well buy it from the people who actually own the HMI trademark.

 

hmi-575w-sel-uvs-lamp-53979-3.jpg

 

 

It appears identical in output to "Philips MSR 575 HR", which is a compatible type, but then neither has more than a hundred hours on it at this point.

 

Neither type even nearly matches other things broadly described as daylight, including:

 

- Quartz metal halide including things like Eye Color Arc PAR36 and the various Chinese HQI-T 150 G12.

- Several different LEDs

- Fluorescent tubes such as Philips Master TL-D 90 Graphica 36W/960

- Actual daylight

 

The moral of this story is that no matter what you do you're going to be trimming stuff in; carry 1/8 correction gels!

 

P

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I ended up buying the M8 not long after starting this thread. I love it. It may not be quite as versatile as a Joker, but it is a tank and light quality excellent (just like my M18). No case kinda sucks but not really a deal breaker. Very happy with it.

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