Hi,

The britek lights seems to have good users reviews here. I am looking for a good but not too expensive lighting kit, mostly to do interview style shooting, for corporative videos, but also occasionnaly for studio photography and indie film lightning.

I am looking at this kit http://www.rostronics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=1500Wfull3kit&cat=13

Please share your experiences on this kit with me, is it good? well built? The stands are solid? Worth the price?

Also tell me if the focus control upgrade (60$) worth the price, or point me to other kits that could be better suited for my needs.

Thanks.

P.S.: If someone from Canada have already ordered from Rostronics, how they handled the shipping accross the border?

I was looking at picking up a couple of Britek 250's, but they seem to have disappeared altogether. Most who have gotten them are pleased. The price certainly seems decent.

Thanks Keith,

The comments seems to be very good, so I deceided to order the kit. I should receive it next week and I will let you know my opinion about it.

Let me know about the knobs that tighten the light's position. I had a set of Lowel lights, that wouldn't tighten down enough. The knobs were plastic, and would have broken off before they would hold up an umbrella.

Jean-Philippe, they shipped Puralator to Ontario.Rostronics charges the shipping but Puralator then charges you the duty,tax etc.
I use mine with softbox so I didn't get the focus control.The switchable 500/1000 is nice though.
Keith, the knobs on mine would tighten without any acceccories.But when I attached the softbox(32") they wouldn't hold.I modified them and now they are fine.This was a 500/1000 light.I think the 250's were out of stock for a while.

Jack- How did you modify the light s to hold?

Thank you Jack,

I have talked with Tom at Rostronics and he agreed to ship the kit through FedEx. I think that FedEx doesn't have any brokerage fees, they only charge Canadian and provincial taxes.

The kit I have ordered is constitued of two 600W focusable lights with Barn doors and soft boxes (24X24 I think) with 7,5 feets stands. And one 200W focusable light also with barn doors and soft box. The 200 watts usually come with a 4 feets stand, but I asked Tom to change it for another 7.5 feets and he agreed without charging anything more to me. Tom is a nice guy! :)

I will let you know my impressions when the kit will arrive. ( I have some interviews for a corporate video to shoot on may 14, I hope to be able to use my new light system! :) )

UPS Ground charges outrageous brokerage fees. Apparently their expedited services include brokerage, but you may also have to pay tax and duty.

Fedex also charges brokerage... you will get a letter in the mail 3 months later (that's what happened to me). I think their expedited services include brokerage fees? Not sure.

USPS charges $5 handling/brokerage if it's a slow service, and $8 handling/brokerage for express. You will also need to pay tax, GST and PST. You need to pay in cash, exact change!, when they get to your door, otherwise you may have to pick it up from your local post office.

Many of the shipping companies treat your package like crap.

When shipping across borders, I use FredEx. No fees, no duty charges. He has a large trunk with a hidden compartment.

Thank you Glen,

Yes, I know that UPS include the brokerage in there premium services, but of this package, the standard is 55$, and expedited 180$!!!! That's too much for the shiping.

Tom said that USPS don't want to ship it because the container is too big.

So I am trying FedEx... Anyway, these lights are relatively inexpensives. If they perform well, it will be a good deal even if I have to add some cash for the duty.

Keith: FredEx is not listed on the Rostronics site :-)

You want his pager #? hehehe

Keith on the light are 2 pivot points, the one side has a handle and uses a nut in the handle which tightens down.The other side acts as a pivot only and has no handle just a rounded cap and won't tighten down.This cap holds a bolt instead of a nut. So I disassembled the light(completely) and replaced the pivot only with a knob.I also added friction washers in place of the original washers on both sides.Now works good.
I had spoke to Tom at Rostronics and he said if I returned it they would replace it, they havent had problems with them,but I didnt want to hassle sending them back. He seems a very nice guy.
Jean-Philippe , let us know how the stands are. I have the 8' heavy duty and they are excellent.Stability with the softbox is great.

I could have sworn FedEx charge a broker fee too. I'll have to look that up because I have a MagiqCam coming soon and if I can avoid UPS' expensive broker fees, I'll gladly do.

Back on topic, I have a few 250w and a 600w with focus from Britek. I also have two 1000w (square design without focus control). Although they give a decent 3200K calibrated light and do not get overly hot, I feel they're cheaply built. My assistant dropped one of the 250w on the floor and it exploded into pieces. And I'm not just saying that. There was not a single screw or metal part left intact. It shattered like a lego construction.

My grip with Britek is also that for some reason the bulbs that I used with them always burned at the slightest hit they took. While it is definitelly not a bright move to touch or hit a lit or hot lamp, they should not be that fragile.

Maybe it was just a set of crappy bulbs though. I've had better luck with the square type Briteks (elongated bulbs) which feel sturdier and have better impact resistence. For the price, I'd say they're hard to beat.

Even though I sound like I'm trashing them, I'm not. They have improved their design and I feel they might be a company that could gain some serious ground in the next few years. The focus option is a nice addition. I have a few Lowel that I feel much more comfortable relying on but I do use the Briteks on a regular basis too.

As for Rostronic, their customer service is top notch. They don't overcharge for shipping and are very helpful. They also combine shipping on multiple replacement bulb orders. A pleasure to do business with really.

I received my britek kit today!!!

So far, I am REALLY impressed! theses lights are really well made. I will use them extensivelly during the weekend. Stay tuned for my upcomming review! :)

My grip with Britek is also that for some reason the bulbs that I used with them always burned at the slightest hit they took. While it is definitelly not a bright move to touch or hit a lit or hot lamp, they should not be that fragile.

I hope that you are not touching them with your bare fingers at all. Oils from your fingers cause uneven heating over the glass and....blink!

Since more and more of our goods are coming from overseas, including third world countries, it occured to me that the people packaging this stuff don't know to wear gloves, and since lamps ain't cheap, I've taken to cleaning all new lamps with isopropyl alcohol as soon as they arrive. It doesn't take long and means I have eliminated one uncertainty. I also carry a small bottle of isopropyl in my kit in case someone touches a lamp by mistake. Sounds kinda anal, now that I've written it down.

No I meant touching the stand or external part of the spot. Not the bulb itself. I too will alcohol clean every new bulb, I don't trust people that handle them either.

No really, with the Briteks, I could blow on them and they'd go pop! (well they wouldn't actually explode mind you). The faulty bulbs all came from the same store so it might be a case of cheap brand or poor batch.

Jack,

That's a great tip! I'll use it!

Thanks,

Brian

Brian, while you're out shopping for alcohol, don't forget to pick up a pair or two of cheap cotton gardening gloves for handling lamps. I got mine at ACE hardware for $1/pair and they are thin enough to retain sensitivity in your finger tips (do I have a grip on this bulb, or not?) and thick enough to handle bulbs still pretty warm.

Jean-Philippe (or others):

What has been your experience with the set that you bought from rostronics? I'm interested in ordering my first lighting set from them and I'd appreciate your insight.

thank you

Maximo

Maximo,

I am extermely surprised! First, the service from Tom is really excellent. He replied to my emails quickly and adapted the kit to my needs at no additionnal cost.

So the kit I purshased consisted in two 650W focussables lights with barn doors and soft boxes, one 200W focussable light with barn doors, 3 7,5" Trimax light stands and the carrying case.

The lights are really well made, and the focus ability is a nice addition. The barn doors are strongs, with built in gel holder clips. The softboxes does a really good job, are easilly assembled.

The only weak point (and not by much) is the quality of the stands. Don't worry, it's a quality piece of gear, but the overal quality is lower than the rest of the kit. The stands could be a bit stronger, but are able to support the lights adequatly.

After reading comments on the net about Britek, I was expecting a good product, money well spend. But I was really surprised. This is a top notch product that could sell a lot higher. Go with Britek and you won't be disapointed.

I will post some pictures of the differents items soon.

Well, although I can somewhat echo Jean-Phillipe's praises, considering the price, I would still issue a warning regarding the bulbs for the Briteks, especially for the G-3000. They are expensive, do not last very long and whether it is a result of a flimsy built on the light's or bulb's part I couldn't say, but they are very easy to burn. If you need some rugged equipment that will be abused during shooting, and therefore needs to take more robust bulbs (like the Britek 2-point contact lamps or a Lowel DP for example), I would suggest not to go the focusable Britek's route. The cost saving will quickly melt when you have to change those 300w/600w bulbs at $20 a piece over and over again.

I would suggest not to go the focusable Britek's route. The cost saving will quickly melt when you have to change those 300w/600w bulbs at $20 a piece over and over again.

David, Are the Britek focusable lights any less robust than the Altmans, LTMs, Arris, etc. What I'm trying to ask is, in your experience does it take more 'manhandling' of a hot lamp to fracture it in other lights compared to Briteks?

Patrick, hard to say since the Briteks are the only ones I have that I use with EYH and JCD bulbs. Taking a guess, I'd say yes. The square type of Briteks are very resistant to shock and so is a Lowel DP or an LTM Pepper for example. Same for Arris.

The focusable 600/650w from Britek are less of a problem than the focusable 250/300w, and the non-focusable 1000w with DXW bulbs are far better than anything else in the Britek family.

I'd say if you want better focusing ability and rugged construction, get a good Fresnel. Non-focusable Briteks are GREAT to use with softboxes or bounce off the ceiling, that's mostly what I use them for. I NEVER use a focusable Britek for critical lighting, where it could spell disaster to have one go down during a shoot.

Plus there's also the fuse that can blow, a thing in my experience that happens fairly often with the Briteks. That being said, I'm not the most gentle when it comes to handling lighting gear, and people that don't shoot in an environment where lots of hands have to quickly set or store those lamps might do just fine with the Briteks.

I have 2 of the 1000w and 1 of the 650w... great performers for the price, not a replacement for Lowel but certainly a viable alternative.




ash =o)

[QUOTE=David Lach]..I'd say if you want better focusing ability and rugged construction, get a good Fresnel...QUOTE]


I posted this same question elsewhere to no avail, but I was wondering if anyone knows if it's possible (or economical) to use a replacement fresnel lens on any of the Britek lights? Thx.

Honestly Shawn, I don't know why you'd want to do that. The Briteks don't have 1/10th of the focusing range from a fresnel light. I guess in theory you could jerry-rig something, to change the quality of the light a little, but you'd be better served getting a used Fresnel on eBay for cheap. You can easily find some good ones in the $200-300 ball park.

David,

I didn't realize that the focusing range was a factor, I actually thought that behind the lens they were essentially the same, so, what you're saying is that pretty much all of the open faced lamps, even if they do have a "focus" design, are significantly less suitable to taking advantage of a Fresnel lens primarily due to the focus design/range?

Fresnels are designed to be able to give a great range from flood to spot. I wouldn't say that the focusing element on an open faced light is a gimmick because it's not, it's useful to tweak the light, but it is not designed to give you complete control over the focused area like a Fresnel.

In an open faced light, the bulb can only move back and forth about roughly an inch or so, while in a Fresnel, it can move several due to the increased room and the way it is designed (the reflector can move with the bulb on a rod or plate system of some sort).

That translates into a much broader range between extreme values. Of course there's also the lens that comes into play, but regardless, the rule of thumb is pretty much any Fresnel will beat any opened face light as far as focusing ability goes, and this is dues to the design both "of" and "past" the lens.

Thanks for the clarification, in the spirit of DIY and cost savings I was just wondering if there was any value in trying to rig a Fresnel lens to one of the Briteks.

If you think about it, that would be a great deal, the Britek 650 costs $98, with barn doors! ..and a replacement Arri 650 Fresnel lens is $32.95 from B&H, so, $130.95 vs. $307.95 for an Arri Fresnel 650 Plus would have been a nice DIY cost saving venture if it could have produced a similar light control.

Something I've been wondering is how do these compare to more professional open face lights, like Mickey's or Arrilite 1000's. Besides the obvious differences in sturdiness and whatnot, just as a light how do they compare? I've been wanting to add a couple of higher-power open faced lights to my kit for a little bit. The Britke's are about half the price of a comparable Arri or Mole or Red Head, and I'm wondering if it would be worth it to take the savings, or if I should just get the Arri?

...you'd be better served getting a used Fresnel on eBay for cheap. You can easily find some good ones in the $200-300 ball park.

Jeez, David. You can get a BRAND NEW Altman 650L (takes 650, 500 & 300W lamps) for $275 at B&H. Why sweat eBay when you can get gear as good as any Arri, Pepper or Mole for that kind of price. Altman gear is way under-appreciated, in my opinion.