Posted by Richard Crowley on 10/30/06 17:14

"DK1000" wrote...
> Thanks all so far, a couple of more questions before I return what I have
> for brighter lights, as I never worked with these before.
>
> The box I have says "halogen", and I believe there's also quartz lights?

"Quartz" and "halogen" are the same kind of lamp.
They use small bulb that runs very hot, and they have
a special mix of (halogen) gases inside which "recycle"
the tungsten that is boiled off the filament while it is
burning. Note that it takes extreme heat to accomplish
this recycling process. Else the inside of the bulb gets a
dark coating of tungsten and no light can get out. Also
the filament gets thinner and weaker and more easily
broken.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halogen_bulb#The_halogen_lamp

> Are quartz cooler running, or is that pretty much the same? Should I get
> one type over the other?

Quartz/halogen are the same and run hot by design.
Plan on it. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE
REMOVE ANY PROTECTIVE GLASS/METAL
PROTECTON OVER THE FRONT. Halogen lamps
have been known to explode and shower the area with
white-hot schrapnel. Don't want to burn down the house
before it is sold.

> I will be videotaping every room in the house, so if the house has 10
> rooms plus a basement, upstairs/attic, and garage, I 'll be unplugging and
> replugging the lights quickly on my tour of the property. So I may be
> using the floor "sled" option more vs. the stand.

I wouldn't want somebody dragging a "sled" around my house
scratching the floors if I were trying to sell it. :-(

> As I plan on leaving the property within 10 minutes of finishing
> the job, will the lights safely cool in time so I can pack them in my
> minivan for the next shoot?

"Safely" depends on their configuration. You certainly couldn't
throw a hot light fixture on the back seat upholstery until it
cools to the touch. OTOH, if you can strap them to the wall
of the minivan (without touching anything), they might be OK.

> This also means I'll need a somewhat permanently attached diffuser that
> won't burn, at least attached for that session. Any ideas? Thanks much
> again.

The smaller the diffuser (whether reflective or transmissive),
the easier to haul around. But the less effective it will be.
Often handled with something folding/colapsible, etc. If you
wanted to really cheap it out, you could use those round,
collapsible reflectors they sell for your car windshield, etc.

I have bought some of the diffusers (5 different surfaces including
transmissive) and stands from Amvona on eBay and they seem
like great value for the $$.

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