travel lighting kit

[baronvonaaron]

does anyone here have suggestions for simple 3-point light kits that i can travel lightly with? maybe something LED?

i'm on tour with ringling bros and i have a less than small room to keep my possesions in and i need something that is light and compact, but also isn't completely useless for LF. my experience is with continuous lighting, having come from a cinema background, so strobes are scary to me. are my demands too specific? i'm used to hand-me-down lights so shopping around is not my strong suit

[Walter Calahan]

Strobes are not scary. They can be lightweight, and far cooler on your subjects.

That said, educate yourself on-line by looking at what's available on the B&H website. Not that you have to buy from them, but their listings are extensive, with helpful reviews.

LED systems are not inexpensive.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/754806-REG/Bescor_LED95DK_LED_95DK_Dual_90W_Kit.html

[jeroldharter]

...

LED systems are not inexpensive.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/754806-REG/Bescor_LED95DK_LED_95DK_Dual_90W_Kit.html

Interesting. Those lights look like potential enlarger light sources to me.

http://static.bhphotovideo.com/images/images345x345/754806.jpg

[Mark Woods]

Contact Rosco. They have an LED system that is the least expensive that works quite well. Be sure to test it if you're shooting color film. The specs state that the color can not be read with a color temp meter. I've used my CT meter and had no problems with color. YMMV.

[Greg Lockrey]

For ease of carry and storage the Lowel Tota system is a good way to go if you like continuous light source. Flash is much better if the subject has movement.

[Scott Davis]

The downside of most continuous light sources is they also require access to an AC power supply. I'd look into something like a used Dynalite Jackrabbit which at least puts out 400 W/S which is minimally adequate for shooting LF (assuming you're only working with 4x5 or maybe 5x7). Norman also makes a portable flash system, and so does Quantum. The Quantum's are probably the most compact. If you need to keep it on the cheap, look for some Quantum batteries with adapter modules for Vivitar 283 flashes, which are very plentiful and you can pick up used for less than $50 each used. I don't know what the Quantum batteries will run you, but they should also be relatively reasonable for the basic battery.

[Sevo]

There are ultra-compact film lights - google Dedolight or Inky. Not cheap, even more so if you are looking into daylight versions (HMI). You'll get far more light out of the same weight in flash - but that might not be permitted if you are photographing a show.