Best lighting Kit under $1,000

[Shane13]

I'll be shooting a documentary using 2 pd170s and wish to buy a "set" of lights to use for:

1. on camera light for night / low light interviews (with and without wide angle lense 3-8 feet range)
2. light an indoor set for talking heads (reflectors?)
3. key light
4. carry case

It was recommended to be "portable" and have cheap replaceable bulbs.

AND

I keep hearing about color and skin tone bulbs...any help figuring that out would be great. basically i need a lighting 101 with a recommendation of which lights to buy and where to get them....then i can figure out how to use them...

[DavidNJ]

For that price range, I would use the JTL softboxes. For an on-camera light...an absolute last resort...I use a Coollux SL-3000 softlight. You can also use Coollux mini lights, Anton Bauer lights, NRG lights, or a Lowel Prolight. On camera you will fight too much light for the subject to bear, too little light to shoot without grain, and flat, shadowless subjects.

I doubt you would stay under $1000 if you also needed batteries.

[Shane13]

the cool lux sl looks sweet. thanks for the recommendation. i'm still looking for that perfect package. Found a bunch at B&H but just not the "right" combo from all the reomendations i've been personally collecting.

Have you heard anything negative a bout a Lowel package?

I was thinking:

1 fres - 650
2 omni's
1 pro light
gels
case
reflectors

Hven't found a kit with these yet, but i'm calling b&h in the morning. does anyone have any words of warning with the list i've made? and next, is there a cheaper and equal/better solution than Lowel kit as described above?

[Growler]

I just bought an inexpensive Britek 650 w from rostronics.com
Housing is made of plastic, but I did a 4 hr. burn-in to test it and while the bulb & glass got hot, the plastic was only warm to the touch. $105 with barndoors & lamp. They have some 250 watt lights for $75 or so. And some inexpensive "kits" with lights, stands, and a softbox. I'm going to be buying one of these very soon. Not the most rugged looking stuff, but with som TLC they should last through your project. Not Mole, not Arri, but a handful of the 250 watt lights should handle most dv interview situations. As for on-camera light, I have and use the Lowell i light. Get a battery belt for it so you don't drain your camera battery. You can save a couple of dollars with an over-the-shoulder type battery, but wear a bookbag backpack to carry it in...much more comfortable. And you can use it for extra batteries & tapes.
Good luck

[cornpop]

Shane,
i think you're on the right track with your list. i've found it difficult to find a kit that had exactly what i wanted in it, and the pre-configured kits aren't usually any cheaper than an a la carte solution.

I've found that for the money and the weight/bulk the lowels are a good choice. a pair of omnis and a pro can go a long way with a soft box or two. the fresnel should round it out nicely. i actually carry a 100w fresnel instead of the larger one just for background or fill.

check out the westcott soft boxes - very robust but much cheaper than the chimeras. also, have a look at the tamrac rolling studio cases. they are well padded, sturdy, and they ROLL. then buy stands that will fit in this case and you're set.