Can anyone recommend a good, economical, lightweight, portable, video lighting kit? Preferably lights that don't burn blazingly hot?

When I first got started, I bought the cheapest starter kit I could find that included three heavy, clunky heads, stands, and a case. They burn extremely hot. The stands are okay though...stable and lightweight. To be honest, I've never used the third head. Two have always worked fine for me. One of the biggest problems with them is that they're so heavy that it's a real chore to lug them around.

I need to get something better now...compact, lightweight, and cool. Also, if possible, with a dimmer switch and possibly a focus feature (and able to hold my softbox). Any advice? The selection is pretty mind-boggling...and some are incredibly expensive.

BTW - The $$$ lights are out of my budget. No need to recommend those.

they have a dimmer system, good lenses, can be battery powered. don't know what you mean by $$$, though you can get a complete four light kit for about 4KUS$, that's a bout 1K$/light. i have used them for dv and for 16mm and they look great, and are well worth the cost. i understand that they may be cheaper in europe as well.

I suggest that you look at Lowel's CaseLights. They're high-output flourescents (very cool, very powerful), extremely portable, low-cost of ownership (power, long-lasting lamps) and come in either a 2-lamp or 4-lamp configuration. They are also relatively inexpensive, particularly when you consider that the lamps are rated for 10,000+ hrs.

Thanks Vic and Ken,

Those are both options that I hadn't looked at.

The Dedolights are a bit pricey for me, but the Lowel Caselight looks to be exactly what I need. I checked out Lowel's other products and found that I'm also interested in their Scandles series.

Looks like I'll have some new lights soon. Thanks.

John

John,

You may want to check out one of the Arri Soft Bank kits. I don't know what your budget is, but they start in the low $2000 range. I don't know what you're shooting, but they're pretty versatile, and they're especially good for interviews. I prefer Arris or Mole Richardson lights. They are built way better than Lowel lights and they're much more controllable. Flourecents are good, but you can't control their throw like you can a fresnel. Hope this helps.

Bill S.