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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

I HATE Ketch!!!! (Briese Lighting)

To go bak on Topic here..;)

I like to add that for those that believe the Briese Focus system with either HMI's or Flash Tubes, are best suited
for Studio operation only, I respectfully Disagree, this is why..

I have been using them since I can remember, and when shooting outdoors on location, high end photography jobs,
see as much equipment as many medium size Movie sets, were the Briese Parabolic systems used with the Focus
line, are not more difficult to place and operate then any other HMI lighting set up when considering that no light
should be use direct, and as you add reflectors, Rags, and large Scrims, then they are just as complex to set up,
or easy, as the Briese Focus system, and wil have to respect the same laws of Physics when in windy conditions.

However the amount of control and quality of light that the Briese Focus system gives, IMO is equaled by none,
unless off course you have the need of a Very direct HArd light, then no use setting up any type of Umbrellas,
Parabolic and or Scrims to begin with, unless used for Blocking.
 
Hey Ketch, yes I think I know what you mean ... because not to forget that the power/intensity of Briese means you would have to use many other lights/combinations to try and get the same effect.

Did you by chance get some experience using Briese remote control adjustment feature. That seems like it would be very handy on a big set when you are working with multiple units and some are placed very high ....
 
lol I was up in arms about the title!

I've been very intrigued about the briese focus system. Saw some in use on a music video shoot I stumbled into by accident. Thanks for that bit of insight Ketch!
 
The remote controls are a blessing, simple as that, we use extensively such features, even so on the Profoto Flashes, controlling each Stop
increase via the Profoto Air Remote, just place the lights as far and high as you want and never worry again during
the shoot, just adjust as you need it from the Remote, this is why the Redmote will ROCK the world of both Cinema and Photography,
some people just have no idea how important and MAJOR thing is to have Remotes to controll your lights and now an
entire cameras System with the Redmote!!
 
Yes thanks for the info Ketch, you like a walking encyclopedia and if ever I want to know the absolute "best of the best" gear I just ask you ;)

Chris, on a separate note, will be very curious to see your experience with the Panchros ... many people bitch about the 2.8 speed ... but with the Epic's large sensor, iso and some decent lighting doesn't seem like it will be too much of a problem ...

Oh wait! you are getting the mini-van instead! Darn. Tell your wife that the Redusers are up in arms and demanding you get the Epic instead :-P

Anyway, of course I love speed too but probably my first lens set for the Epic will be the 24, 35, 70 and 120mm from the Leica S2 series, assuming Jarred and the guys have the mount ready (pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaase guys!) because for my work -- at this point -- having perfect focus markings or aperture speeds aren't as important as it is for those doing heavy duty narrative work with focus pullers/actors or in low light situations.

Overall, I'm feeling like the Epic, "S" lenses and Briese lighting will produce a verrrrrrrrrrry stunning image ... :)
 
albert rudnicki said:
I got couple of Jokers. Wonder if there is a way to adopt them to that system; perhaps Profoto Giant?
Click to expand...

Hey Albert, just found this old thread -- pretty lengthy about Briese, Paras, etc ...

http://reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?t=33791

Early in the thread, Evan (moderator) shows an image of a Joker in combination with a Broncolor Para, so it definitely seems possible.

However, one thing that's interesting is that the Broncolor paras are just as expensive as the Briese, despite many saying they are lower quality and even a "knockoff" of the original Briese design.

So it might be possible to also mod a Briese focus para for your jokers and get some pretty amazing performance. With Briese, the killer in price is all the other things -- the lamp heads, the tubes, and especially the power packs or ballasts. That's where the $$$$ starts adding up big time.

Hopefully someone else who's done what you are trying to do will chime in.

Anthony
 
albert rudnicki said:
Thanks Anthony
Broncolor looks great, but it's pricy as well.
It's an umbrella, why does it have to cost that much?
Click to expand...

Because its not just an Umbrella, its about the fabric combination used and the fabrication of it, as well as the
installation, and the frame it self, how much tension there is, how many ribs, and the list goes on, as for
everything, to each its own, and most of the time you do get what you pay for, could both Briese and Broncolor
be less expensive? Possibly yes, but this are not massive production items, and we do pay for that kind of
extra care in the labor too.

How light gets reflected will be dictated not only by the type of light source, but by the type of fabric and how that fabric is tensioned,
and how many section a particular Umbrella and or Parabolic and or Reflector has that makes a difference as well.
 
I've shot a few commercials with the Briese 2.5k and 1.2k. While they work very well for beauty shots they have a very quick fall-off regarding light intensity. If you have shots where the talent is staying at one location, e.g. a singer is performing into the camera without moving too much back and forth, it's a nice solution with a dedicated "Vogue/fashion" look.

But for many applications on location the look is either too artificial or the Briese is due too its extreme light intensity fall-off just useless. Another problem is the huge umbrella which needs quite a lot of space. Last but not least it's very expensive to rent. Often it makes more sense to spend the budged elsewhere.

Anyway it's a great tool for certain applications but surely not a must-have.

Hans
 
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