Being a cheap hobbyist I am trying to make lighting work with my Neewer NL660 set and an umbrella. It does the job, but now I know why people spend so much money an lighting equipment. I am a fan of buying high quality hardware though (c-stand, autopole and clamps), since being a drummer taught me to never save money on the stuff that is supposed to keep your valuable equipment from falling!
Excellent advice on paying up for the stuff that prevents your equipment from falling. People scoff at the idea of a $2000 tripod, but it'll last until you day you die and is responsible for holding up your rigs that cost multiple thousands of dollars. Same for lighting etc. Once you have something fall and fail you'll never go cheap again
So true. I learned that from drum hardware and mic stands too. Have dealt with waaaaay too many flimsy mic stands whose arms wouldn’t stay up no matter how hard you cranked them. Somehow I wasn’t a fan of putting a $500 condenser mic on something like that. 😀I love how many things you can learn in making music carry over into film making.
It would be really cool to see a video like this but focused on air travel. Building a lighting kit that can pack down into a few cases has proven to be very difficult for me.
Trying to put together a kit for short films. So far I have x2 Aputure Amaran 200D's, the Aputure MC 4-Light Travel Kit, x1 Aputure Light Dome II Soft Box, x2 C stands, x1 light stand, and a cheap light tube I found on Amazon. The next light I want to save for is the Aputure 600D. Then after that a Nanlite PavoTube II 30X 4' RGBWW LED Pixel Tube with Internal Battery 4 Light Kit.
I am definitely a bit addicted to your long formar videos. Its basically sit down and listen about a very nerdy análisis of filma and technics. Thanks for this 🙏🏾
I try to keep my whole personal light kit battery powered. I do mostly corporate and when you need to cover a lot of setups in a single day it saves time, cable bulk and people tripping over your cables in crowded places. Anything that can't be battery powered is a rental for me.
Total price? Seems like an even more slimmed down kit would be: 1 200x $350 1 7 ft umbrella $30 1 5 in 1 $50 1 C stand $150 2 light stands $80 1 small portable rgbw light to use a hair light such as falconeyes g7 or any of its clones $70 A bunch of clips (maybe 6-8) $20 = $750
Don’t forgot about the godox lights!!’ They’ve been having really good stuff especially with the newer VL lights. They cost much less for about the same quality of an aputure 120d or 300d
@@flipfilms1759 Ok thanks. I don’t think the Amaran 200D can be battery powered but it is as bright as an Aputure 300D from what i’ve heard. For $299, it is something I am looking to getting so your input is appreciated.
@@rosetellem I just looked into Amaran 200d in comparison. It is comparable to or even brighter than the godox VL-200 for $250 less at b and h. So, completely discount everything I said about brightness. I may have to change my mind and say Amaran for the win. Unless you need battery power at the cost of $100 more and less output with the VL150w. If that is the case take VL150 instead of VL200. The price of the 200 isn’t justified for only 50watts more. Sorry for my misleading assumption on output in my earlier comment I’m actually gonna delete it lol. If ur going to run on only wall power, Amaran looks absolutely amazing. Only thing I would be concerned with is Caleb’s review on the 200D says the fan is kinda loud but I would look around to check that claim and see how bad it is. (Possibility of defect) He does not mention it as an issue for the 100D. Also saw that aputure may have released something to provide battery power to the Amaran, worth looking into. If it works well I might just have to get one. Power station comes at $180
@@flipfilms1759 it seems to be an issue with a certain batch of 200Ds. I expect to receive a good quiet light when I order. Also, from what i’ve heard is that the fan issue could be resolved in a future software update. But man thanks for your help
Yeah only done one video, about do a reboot for my channel, had to get a new computer and been getting more things for my studio like lights, loved the information in the video.
Great video, the brief was exactly what I was looking for. The Nova is out of my budget, but with the summer coming I start to see that I don't have enough output with my older LEDs to compete with the sun (LOL) even inside. So an investment is really necessary
Thank you for a great video! Maybe I am old school but, talking about lighting interiors, what about adding a small tungsten fresnel (300/500/650W) for accent light, or some tungsten bulbs (100/150/250W)? Bulbs can do a lot with a simple paper china lantern on top of a C-stand. It is my understanding top DPs are "still" using bulbs for tungsten light texture. ;-)
Chimera does a really nice 4x4 frame that brakes down, it’s amazing, then you grab the floppy fabric to attach, fave piece of kit, BUT it’s a good amount more expensive, this 3x3 is priced really great!
I don’t think most new filmmakers can afford a $2,000 light like that. I should know since I am a new filmmaker. Most of my budget is tied up into blackmagic 4K rig. I would advise new filmmakers like me to get a less expensive brand like NEEWER or invest in the pocket LED lights that you can stick pretty much anywhere.
Awesome video! Thanks for making one like that. So I am going to be filming some fitness content. Your video had a ton of information and options, but what do you think I would need to start. Its going to be in a small studio; nothing super big. What essentials would you recommend $1000 budget
Great job Spenser! Makes me want to buy up everything on your list! I see there are different sizes for the oval shaped 5-in-1's which size do you think is a good balance between manageable and having the extra coverage?
Has the sound level of the amram fans been too high to use in videos made (like this one) or narrative filmmaking? Not sure if it was gerald undone or someone else discussed the fan noise of certain amran
What cases do you use for transporting the stands themselves? (I'm getting tired of making all these trips from my car, and having my arms be tired before evening shooting haha!)
There's this Avenger triple C roller case for detachable c-stands. In Germany you can find it as Manfrotto Trolley für 3 zerlegbare C-Stands und Zubehör. Quite costly but a good solution for heavy c-stands. I'm sure there are more possibilites if you take some time to research.
great vid. thanks for the effort and the sharing. i employ many of your suggestions. instead of the 3" floppy, i have black/white foam core which does the same thing. $12 @ Staples! thumbs up.
Hello, very good video, congratulations, but I would like to ask about the transparent plastic support that you use to hold the pole to the tripod, what is the name of this piece, how can I find it? Thanks
Great review. Have you tried the Amaran 200x with the Fresnel 2x? The Amaran compatibility page says the 200x is compatible with but not optimized for use with the Fresnel 2x, which is a bit confusing.
Thanks! FWIW, Amaran responded to my query and said this: "Specifically, you’ll see a bit of banding/funky shadows due to the bicolor LED’s. The 150c and 300c don’t do this because they have an etched glass element. Plenty of people do use the 200x + Fresnel and don’t have complaints though." @curtisjudd @spensersakurai
Great vídeo 🔥. Any other affordable light option instead of Nova? I mean, Maybe I'm just starting, improving my skills and a Nova could be out of the budget.
Probably not much. Amaran has added 300w lights which is nice and I’d probably have a 600 or 720 in the kit. Also a light matte of some sort. I use my Godox light matte on every set these days.
When you say filmmakers, I think you mean vloggers, influencers, product reviews, simple music videos, etc.. If you're making films, like narratives you should definitely rent. Each project and sequence will need different lighting, ranging from only natural light to complex setups controlled with DMX. Buying a set like this may be the right tools some of the time, but you'll soon find it is limiting your options. If you rent, you can use the same money or less to get exactly what you need each time. And many rental houses work with student and indie filmmakers on a budget That being said, I have had good experiences owning several Aputure fixtures. The kit items you recommend are solid.
I'm not sure how this applies to new film-makers as most of the budding film-makers I know simply cannot afford most of the kit you have on display in your video. What then would you suggest then for those who have very little to no budget, which is the more common occurence for film-makers who are just starting out.
Great video Spencer! This was very helpful. I'm also trying fit all my gear into my vehicle as efficient as possible. How do you use the 200d if there is no outlet available, do you know of a battery solution? How do you find the build quality? Do you also have fan noise issues with it? I was debating between this light and the 60w aperture LS. Right now I'm using the amaran hr672 spot it's amazing because of the size, weight and battery solution but it is not very powerful. I'm still looking for a light panel as amazing as this but with more juice 😆 I also love using umbrellas, I will have to pick up a flag now too!
Can someone comment as to why the 200d is getting so much more attention then the 60d? the 60d seems to be much better value and only cost a little more.
@@saviwaves5337 I’m working with 4 lights, two camera bodies, 4 lenses, light stands, 2 fluid head tripods, batteries, and audio. So I have two hard cases, a light stand bag, a duffle with lights, and a rollable toolbox with all the small parts/accessories.
I've been looking at the Amaran lights since they were announced. Just wondering what made you pick the 200D over the 100D, is it purely for the output and do you have trouble with the fan noise that other RU-vidr's come across?
Great video, quick question for anyone who can answer. With something like the 200d, can the white balance be shifted by using gels on the front? I know it wouldn’t change the literal white balance, but if I used a 200d w gel could I get a similar look to a 200x? Thanks!!
Hi, sorry but I have heard that the Amaran 200d has a very loud fan. Which one to choose between 100d and 200d for voice interviews and do not disturb the audio engineer?
Can we go any cheaper than this as a beginner on a budget, while this is a nice starter pack it is still very expensive, I can do one light at most , I'm thinking the aperture 200d but maybe even then I should start with something much smaller for a beginner at wanting to light on my own So far I've only used natural lighting and the camera settings to "light" my videos and the use of color grading
This is a package that someone should be using to make money. For someone just starting their business, maybe start with a few lights and modifiers, then add to the kit as cash flow and experience improves. Spend a lot of time learning how to light. One light, some stands, and a 5-in-1 can get you pretty far, if you know how to use them creatively.
Thanks for sharing these insights, Spenser. I'm just starting the task of nutting this out for myself to use for my talking head shots indoors and outdoors. I wonder if I could possibly pester you to reccomend a good constant light source for outdoor use for a frugal and just establishing documentary film-maker such as myself? Currently I am using two cheap 5600K 514 LED panels with 2x Sony NP-F batteries each and a showerscreen!
@@spensersakurai Good to know man, I'm reading lots of conflicting reports, specifically that when you open them right up, on the 50mm 1.4 for instance, that they're too soft to use. Maybe this is just a characteristic of the lens. Are you doing a proper mod or just using an FD to EF adapter? (Thanks for all your awesome vids by the way!)
