Tuff-spun for 650W Read Head? at DVinfo.net

Ty Ford · May 15th, 2007, 03:58 PM

Hi,

OK. I have a Red Head with a 650 lamp and barn doors. I still need to knock down some of that light.

Rosco sells a kit of tuff-spun, 13 different kinds, 10 x 12, for about $40.

The doors have clips. Will tuff-spun survive being 10 inches from the lamp?

Any other thoughts?

Regards,

Ty Ford

Rohan Dadswell · May 15th, 2007, 04:34 PM

Rosco spun should have no problems with that kind of heat - I've used it in front of a 2K Blond with no dramas.

The spun will soften your light as well as knock down its intensity, if you are after less light but still with the hard edge try some metal scrims in front or a dimmer (which will change the colour)

Bill Davis · May 15th, 2007, 09:21 PM

Ty,

If you find yourself constantly needing to dim the lamp, the other approach is to simple "down lamp" it. Just because it was designed to handle a 650 there's no reason it won't work just dandy with a 500 or even lower wattage lamp.

As sensitive as today's digital cameras are, I have nearly all the lights in my Arri kits similarly down-lamped.

For what it's worth.

Brian Standing · May 31st, 2007, 08:20 AM

Hey Ty.

Glad to see you got your Redhead outfitted. I picked up some Matthews circular wire scrims that fit very nicely in the accessory holder and knock down the light without burning up.

Also, to second Bill Davis, I've also run my Redheads successfully with 400-Watt bulbs.

Richard Alvarez · May 31st, 2007, 09:30 AM

Ty,
All of the above posts are good suggestions. The tough-spun will be okay. Alternately, you can down-lamp or scrim it. (The advantage to scrims being they come in different guages, and come in 'half-scrims' which you can rotate to shade different areas of the light)

In a pinch, baking parchment will also work. Pick up a roll at your local grocery store. I use it more often than spun, because it's less transparent, cuts more light and softens it.

And of course, putting it on a dimmer is also an option. Though it doesn't 'soften' the quality of the light like parchment, or tough-spun will.

Ty Ford · May 31st, 2007, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Standing

Hey Ty.

Glad to see you got your Redhead outfitted. I picked up some Matthews circular wire scrims that fit very nicely in the accessory holder and knock down the light without burning up.

Also, to second Bill Davis, I've also run my Redheads successfully with 400-Watt bulbs.

AHA! What's the number of the 400W lamps and where did you get them?

Regards,

Ty

Brian Standing · May 31st, 2007, 01:03 PM

FDA lamps. I got them at B&H (where else?)

Here's the link:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc..._Lamp_400.html

What did you end up using for an accessory holder, barn doors, etc.?

Charles Papert · May 31st, 2007, 01:28 PM

Tough spun is pretty old-school, there are more efficient types of diffusion out there now (I imagine that Rosco kit has many of them). All should be useable at the distance from a 650w unit as you described. For true softening, you would want a larger amount of diffusion mounted further away from the light to properly soften the source.

Ty Ford · May 31st, 2007, 06:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Standing

FDA lamps. I got them at B&H (where else?)

Here's the link:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc..._Lamp_400.html

What did you end up using for an accessory holder, barn doors, etc.?

Doors/safety screen combo from Ianiro from a Toronto shop. They have the accessory bracket and scrims, but I didn't get any...yet.

Ty

Ty Ford · May 31st, 2007, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Standing

FDA lamps. I got them at B&H (where else?)

Here's the link:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc..._Lamp_400.html

What did you end up using for an accessory holder, barn doors, etc.?

Brian,

Wait a minute. I'm confused about the three-letter lamp codes. I have FCD bulbs now. They are 650. FDA are 400, but will they fit the Ianiro Varibeam?

Thanks,

Ty

Heiko Saele · June 3rd, 2007, 05:20 PM

Instead of scrims you could as well use ND gels. They cut light in defined amounts (get some ND3, ND6 and ND9). You can still add WD or tough spun when you need soft light, but sometimes a hard spot might be necessary and you won't achieve that with tough spun in front of your barn doors.

Brian Standing · June 4th, 2007, 06:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ty Ford

Brian,

Wait a minute. I'm confused about the three-letter lamp codes. I have FCD bulbs now. They are 650. FDA are 400, but will they fit the Ianiro Varibeam?

Thanks,

Ty

I can't find FCD lamps on the B&H website, so I can't compare them. An obsolete code perhaps? Maybe take a look at the image at B&H and see if it looks like the lamp in your light. I use FBX for the 650W, and FDA for the 400W.

What's the name of the Toronto Ianiro dealer? Do they ship to the U.S.?

Ty Ford · June 4th, 2007, 07:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Standing

I can't find FCD lamps on the B&H website, so I can't compare them. An obsolete code perhaps? Maybe take a look at the image at B&H and see if it looks like the lamp in your light. I use FBX for the 650W, and FDA for the 400W.

What's the name of the Toronto Ianiro dealer? Do they ship to the U.S.?

http://harrysproshop.com/Ianiro/ianiro.html

Yes they do.

Regards,

Ty

May 15th, 2007, 03:58 PM	#1
Ty Ford Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Baltimore, MD USA Posts: 2,337	Tuff-spun for 650W Read Head? Hi, OK. I have a Red Head with a 650 lamp and barn doors. I still need to knock down some of that light. Rosco sells a kit of tuff-spun, 13 different kinds, 10 x 12, for about $40. The doors have clips. Will tuff-spun survive being 10 inches from the lamp? Any other thoughts? Regards, Ty Ford __________________ Ty Ford's Audio Bootcamp Field Guide Ty Ford's Audio Video Blog

May 31st, 2007, 01:28 PM	#8
Charles Papert Wrangler Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 6,810	Tough spun is pretty old-school, there are more efficient types of diffusion out there now (I imagine that Rosco kit has many of them). All should be useable at the distance from a 650w unit as you described. For true softening, you would want a larger amount of diffusion mounted further away from the light to properly soften the source. __________________ Charles Papert www.charlespapert.com

May 15th, 2007, 04:34 PM	#2
Rohan Dadswell Major Player Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Canberra Australia Posts: 228	Rosco spun should have no problems with that kind of heat - I've used it in front of a 2K Blond with no dramas. The spun will soften your light as well as knock down its intensity, if you are after less light but still with the hard edge try some metal scrims in front or a dimmer (which will change the colour)

May 15th, 2007, 09:21 PM	#3
Bill Davis Trustee Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Scottsdale, AZ 85260 Posts: 1,538	Ty, If you find yourself constantly needing to dim the lamp, the other approach is to simple "down lamp" it. Just because it was designed to handle a 650 there's no reason it won't work just dandy with a 500 or even lower wattage lamp. As sensitive as today's digital cameras are, I have nearly all the lights in my Arri kits similarly down-lamped. For what it's worth.

May 31st, 2007, 08:20 AM	#4
Brian Standing Major Player Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Madison, Wisconsin Posts: 621	Hey Ty. Glad to see you got your Redhead outfitted. I picked up some Matthews circular wire scrims that fit very nicely in the accessory holder and knock down the light without burning up. Also, to second Bill Davis, I've also run my Redheads successfully with 400-Watt bulbs.

May 31st, 2007, 09:30 AM	#5
Richard Alvarez Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: San Mateo, CA Posts: 3,840	Ty, All of the above posts are good suggestions. The tough-spun will be okay. Alternately, you can down-lamp or scrim it. (The advantage to scrims being they come in different guages, and come in 'half-scrims' which you can rotate to shade different areas of the light) In a pinch, baking parchment will also work. Pick up a roll at your local grocery store. I use it more often than spun, because it's less transparent, cuts more light and softens it. And of course, putting it on a dimmer is also an option. Though it doesn't 'soften' the quality of the light like parchment, or tough-spun will.

May 31st, 2007, 01:03 PM	#7
Brian Standing Major Player Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Madison, Wisconsin Posts: 621	FDA lamps. I got them at B&H (where else?) Here's the link: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc..._Lamp_400.html What did you end up using for an accessory holder, barn doors, etc.?

June 3rd, 2007, 05:20 PM	#11
Heiko Saele Major Player Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Wurzburg, Germany Posts: 316	Instead of scrims you could as well use ND gels. They cut light in defined amounts (get some ND3, ND6 and ND9). You can still add WD or tough spun when you need soft light, but sometimes a hard spot might be necessary and you won't achieve that with tough spun in front of your barn doors.