coollights tungesten fresnel and softbox? at DVinfo.net

Stephen Eastwood · December 27th, 2007, 11:44 PM

Is there an adapter for a softbox available for the coollights tungsten fresnels, 300 and 650?

Steve Oakley · December 28th, 2007, 12:10 AM

should be the same as a arri 300 & 650.... but a fresnel is not a great fixture to use with a softbox. you get a lot more light output from a open face light. a 1K/500W DP light will put out a lot more light then the same in a fresnel. maybe all you might need is some full frost on the fresnel if all you really need to do is soften the light out a bit.

Bill Davis · December 28th, 2007, 12:41 PM

Just echoing and supporting what Steve said.

The whole POINT of a soft box is to spread the light emitting surface out as much as possible.

Putting a Fresnel in a typical softbox usually yields a hot spot in the middle of the translucent fabric with substantial falloff to the perimeter - essentially making it a SMALLER softbox than it would be if the front surface was illuminated evenly.

Companies like Photoflex have softboxes that are built deeper to counteract this and will let a fresnel pretty much fill the surface, but that very extra depth makes them a bit lower in light output and they are almost always "nose heavy" requiring more substantial grip gear to mount properly.

That's why most of us use lightweight open face lights like the venerable Lowel Tota for softbox work. They start wide and really "fill the box" well.

as always YMMV.

Richard Andrewski · January 3rd, 2008, 01:21 AM

Hi Stephen,

I'm kind of the same opinion on fresnels in softboxes. Yes it can work but its not the optimum fixture to put in a softbox. The way a parabolic reflector works is best with the bulb exposed right into the sweet spot. The problem with the fresnel is that the sides of the bulb are covered and its well behind the sweet spot to the point that the reflector doesn't really work all that efficiently. As far as whether it will fit, yes it should as the accessory holders are all standard sizes and it should use the Chimera softboxes for Arri fresnels. Hope this helps.

Daniel Epstein · January 3rd, 2008, 09:50 AM

One advantage to a Fresnel is it is easy to use scrims to control the quantity of light without using a dimmer if you have too much. Most open face units don't let you do that. I like to have the Chimera rings to use on both the Fresnel and open face units

December 27th, 2007, 11:44 PM	#1
Stephen Eastwood Major Player Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Great Neck, NY Posts: 291	coollights tungesten fresnel and softbox? Is there an adapter for a softbox available for the coollights tungsten fresnels, 300 and 650? __________________ Stephen Eastwood http://www.StephenEastwood.com

January 3rd, 2008, 01:21 AM	#4
Richard Andrewski Major Player Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Shenzhen, China Posts: 781	Hi Stephen, I'm kind of the same opinion on fresnels in softboxes. Yes it can work but its not the optimum fixture to put in a softbox. The way a parabolic reflector works is best with the bulb exposed right into the sweet spot. The problem with the fresnel is that the sides of the bulb are covered and its well behind the sweet spot to the point that the reflector doesn't really work all that efficiently. As far as whether it will fit, yes it should as the accessory holders are all standard sizes and it should use the Chimera softboxes for Arri fresnels. Hope this helps. __________________ Richard Andrewski - Cool Lights USA - RED #114 http://www.coollights.biz

December 28th, 2007, 12:10 AM	#2
Steve Oakley Trustee Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: United States Posts: 1,158	should be the same as a arri 300 & 650.... but a fresnel is not a great fixture to use with a softbox. you get a lot more light output from a open face light. a 1K/500W DP light will put out a lot more light then the same in a fresnel. maybe all you might need is some full frost on the fresnel if all you really need to do is soften the light out a bit.

December 28th, 2007, 12:41 PM	#3
Bill Davis Trustee Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Scottsdale, AZ 85260 Posts: 1,538	Just echoing and supporting what Steve said. The whole POINT of a soft box is to spread the light emitting surface out as much as possible. Putting a Fresnel in a typical softbox usually yields a hot spot in the middle of the translucent fabric with substantial falloff to the perimeter - essentially making it a SMALLER softbox than it would be if the front surface was illuminated evenly. Companies like Photoflex have softboxes that are built deeper to counteract this and will let a fresnel pretty much fill the surface, but that very extra depth makes them a bit lower in light output and they are almost always "nose heavy" requiring more substantial grip gear to mount properly. That's why most of us use lightweight open face lights like the venerable Lowel Tota for softbox work. They start wide and really "fill the box" well. as always YMMV.

January 3rd, 2008, 09:50 AM	#5
Daniel Epstein Trustee Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: New York, NY Posts: 1,267	One advantage to a Fresnel is it is easy to use scrims to control the quantity of light without using a dimmer if you have too much. Most open face units don't let you do that. I like to have the Chimera rings to use on both the Fresnel and open face units