I just got a couple Lowel Omnis & a Tota. The light "instructions" indicate that the protective screen should be used in case of lamp shattering. The screen throws a grid pattern, of course. When using the lights without a diffuser or gel, does anybody actually use the protective screens?

Thanks,
Matt

Of COURSE use the protective screens! How close are you using the light to a surface to see the grid pattern? I've never seen it on anything I've ever lit.

20 - 30 ft, can see the pattern on the wall. Doing some testing to get familiar with the lights.

Thanks,
Matt

Whoa.. really? Maybe it's because I seldom use the lights bare. But that seems very odd. I may set up one of my lights here and have a look.

It's not noticeable on skin, as far as I can see. Not sure how it looks in post--just looking through the LCD on camera. You can defniitely see the grid pattern when eyeballing it. I'll just have to play with the light's focus and some test shots to see if it's really noticeable. If others don't have a problem with it in camera, then I can go by their collective experiences. It just really surprised me when I first turned on the lights and saw a grid pattern on the wall (why I was surprised, I don't know--there *is* a bunch of light-blocking things in front of the lamp--no matter how skinny they are).

Thanks,
Matt

Always, always use the protective screens. We broke bulbs in video school surprisingly often. I don't remember seeing any grid patterns on anything I lit then either, walls included.

So I did a little experiment. I pulled out a Lowel DP light with the screen, put it on a c-stand, taped a clean piece of printer paper to a wall, and turned the light on it. Distance was about 5 feet.

Pics below show the light hitting the paper, and the setup. Sorry for the crappy quality, but all I have is my iPhone handy.

Seems to be just that one light--the other two were pretty smooth. *shrug*. Dunno--long as it lights the video well, is all that matters, I guess...

Thanks,
Matt