Anyone ever used the 250w halogen work lights (home depot type) with umbrellas? What would be the drawbacks versus using a 250w tungsten light with an umbrella?

If the 250w tungsten you mention is an open face light, then I'm thinking not much difference. Colour temperature maybe. Of course the options for control are always greater with a pro light (gels, scrims, barndoors).

If you're looking at ways to save money, I suggest not spending too much energy and dough assembling a DIY light kit. Even a cheap pro light kit (eg, britek) will make your life easier.

I've noticed that BlackWrap or Cinefoil is terrific for serving the same funtion as "barn doors" on the expensive lights. As a matter of fact, with the way I attach the blackwrap to my halogen (homedepot) type lights, They really look alot like real barn doors. I make four individual "barn door looking" panels with blackwrap (folded a few times for thickness, function, and durability) and then open the face of the halogen worklight head and close it back with the edges of each panel trapped as it shuts. When you're done.....take 'em off and save 'em for the next time. Works great for me.

Also mentioned on here before, parchment paper(baking paper) clipped onto the face of these "very hot" halogen work lights makes a terrific diffuser. I cannot tell much of a difference between the effect given by the parchment paper as a diffuser and the effect given by rigging up a clear/frosted shower curtain for diffusion. Try it yourself and see. Talk about a time saver....not to mention the space you save.

I've never messed with the umbrellas before and I'm not sure how the extreme heat created from these halogen worklights compares with the tungstens. (or if heat is even a factor with those umbrellas).

Ill admit to not knowing much about lights, but if you just want an umbrella to create a soft diffused source, then I have an alternative. I bounce my 1000watt (double 500w) worklight away from my scene and into a sheet of foam core which faces my scene. This produces a very nice fill light!

when you say the parchment paper is clipped onto the face of the light, do you mean that it's touching the glass?

when you say the parchment paper is clipped onto the face of the light, do you mean that it's touching the glass?

I don't know if it would be touching the glass. Those dome Depot Work lights usually come with a wire shield so you don't burn yourself on the glass. The paper probably is cliped to that I'm guessing?

Either way is fine. I usually take a generous sized sheet of parchment paper and actually fasten it to the light with wooden clothes pins anyway I can and the paper ends up being sort of bubbled out from the glass on its own. If you are worried about the extreme heat from those lights remember that parchment paper was designed for baking stuff on in the oven. So I don't think the paper touching the glass makes a difference.(although some have said prolonged exposure to these lights and thier heat causes the parchment paper to turn yellowish after a while) but I have not experienced this. ***You should always be careful because nothing is actually fire proof***

Using the wire protector is a good idea but I have taken mine off because if I want to use these worklights for a HARD LIGHT source with no diffusion, you can see the shadows created from this wire cage. However, you will not see these wire shadows if you diffuse the light in any fashion.

hope this helps.

I took the wire cages off too because of the shadows they create - are you saying I can leave the wire cages on if I use the parchment paper and no shadows will happen?

Yes, at least that has been my experience so far with these worklights. Seems to me that any diffusion technique at all kills those wire shadows.

If soft diffused light is what you want from these worklights remember to experiment. I had mentioned above in this thread that I couldn't tell a difference with light produced by this simple & easy parchment paper diffusion technique as compared to using a shower curtain(set at a safe distance from lights). But the more I experiment, the more I see differences. The shower curtain effect really makes that light wrap more around your subjects because you have now created such a huge soft light. And the color of the glow is effected beautifully by the color and texture of the shower curtain (white, pink, clearfrosted, silk, plastic, etc.). Also, the distance that the lights are placed from the shower curtains makes a difference. You may need to create some sort of controls like "barn doors" to prevent spill when using the shower curtain technique, (the further back the lights from the curtain...the more control you will need). This way the only light getting past the curtains is the soft light going thru it.

Be careful with it and Have fun!!

You can pretty much do anything as long as it works but bulbs may flux in color or output.
Thats why studs 5/8 ect come in handy. you can get a umbrella mount from bogen ect




Anyone ever used the 250w halogen work lights (home depot type) with umbrellas? What would be the drawbacks versus using a 250w tungsten light with an umbrella?

Apart from umbrellas and baking powder, is there another way to soften a halogen worklight? Preferably a reversible way?