I know the Rifa is somewhat lighter and quicker to set up, but I'm curious how the light quality compares. I'm thinking of the 750 watt Rifa, 25"x25", versus a 24 x 36 medium silverdome with a 750 watt tota. How much difference do the extra size and the internal baffle make? Are "hot spots and specular highlights" actually an issue with the Rifa? In other words, can you see a difference?

The Rifas have a very nice light imo. No hot spotting at all
to my eye. I love their setup and
portability. I also like that I can swap out lamps quick and change
wattage when I don't need a 1K. Our PBS station WFUM up in Flint, MI
bought two 88s after borrowing ours and loving the results.

i have a medium photoflex silverdome and have gotten very good results with it. having the internal baffle is very nice, since it reduces the hotspot in the center of the front diffusion panel. one other thing you might check on is whether or not the rifa can accept a grid on the front. i'm not sure because i've never used one, but the photoflex has a variety of accessories you can attach to the front to further modify and control the light. you'll find the grid (or eggcrate as some people call it) invaluable when shooting it tight spaces since it will help control spillage on your background. good luck and let us know what you decide to go with.

kris carrillo
WCTV 56

There are pros and cons to eacg setup. I own a photoflex with a tota and i like it. It's easy to tear down and the tota can be relamped easily and cheaply. You can use a GE HIR lamp that will give you 1000 watts of light for 650 watts of power. The Photoflex is cheaper than the Rifa as well.

The biggest negative for using any other light than the Starlight or the Rifa is the safety screen. The safety screen cuts the light by 30%, the Starlight and Rifa use a secondary glass envelope.

If you were to use the HIR lamp then this loss is absorbed, so i guess it about dead even.

I like Rifa lights. They are super fast to set up but take about as long to break down due to the bulb cooling.
but their are ups and downs to everything.
No internal Baffle.
Rifas are limited in wattage and wattage is determined by size. A person could find advantages by having seperate lights and Chimeras.
Or vise versa.
Rifa are fragile and do require extra care.
I sold a Rifa to Rick Ocasic from the Cars once. For his son. Rick was cool.
Strength and honor to my friend Eric at Lowel.