View Full Version : Case study: US$80 worth of lamps and CFLs


Brian Brown
April 27th, 2007, 10:18 AM
I shot a few hours of interviews on my Canon XH-A1 with Home Depot (big box DIY store) CFL bulbs and Target (big-box discount store) lamps.

I posted a lengthy commentary and some frame grabs on a blog entry here:
http://www.brownland.org/blog/2007/04/27/soft-lighting-on-the-cheap/

Overall, I was quite pleased with the color rendition and light output of the total 180w of light.

My next task is to investigate how to get a hard light source mixed into the fray, in order to do rim lights, hairlights, kickers, and modeling. But I've got soft light in spades! And at bargain basement prices.

I'm certain that these fixtures won't have near the flexibility or even the quality of a pro setup of cool lights. But it was an interesting exercise, nonetheless.

Brian Brown
BrownCow Productions

Richard Andrewski
April 27th, 2007, 03:05 PM
I like the cylinder lantern. Hadn't seen that kind before. I have a much smaller cylinder, maybe 24" tall at most. That one makes a great key light. Good work...