buying lights

[tremor]

So I’m looking to buy some lights and was wondering if there is a difference in buying professional studio lighting and quartz halogen work lamps (the kind you get at hardware stores)? They both use quartz halogen bulbs and are the same watts, but you can buy the work lights for $25US

[TPF Sponsor]

[craig]

Buying lights may depend on what you are shooting. Personally I go with tungsten. I do a lot of location work and it mixes well with the clients "show room". Strobes work well in a studio environment and interiors with a lot of natural light. And of course fashion. I have never shot with work lights, but I see your point. They are definitely bright. I am guessing that they are fluorescent balance. They may throw an odd colour cast. Consider bouncing them off of foamcore or some thing white. Also consider some black cards to give the light direction. Another alternative is creating a moveable tabletop to use available light that comes thru windows.

Basically it is up to you and what you want to convey in your photos.

[SLOShooter]

Studio lights are going to give you the most control and the most acurate color balance for sure. You can get all the cool accessories for them and most of them you can stop down to like at least 1/4 power.

I've worked with the halogen work lights your talking about and I've had a couple of problems with em.

1. They are whicked harsh up close. If your space is confined or you want a narrow throw you have to use a cloth in front of them.

2. They cast some strange shadows, esspecially the ones with the protective grate over the front, deffinatly get the ones with the removable grate if you go this route.

3. Your pretty much limited to using them for Fill lighting. You can get any sort of directional control out of the box and when you move them in close enough to cutt off the beams they get real bright.

All that beign said if your clever enough I'm sure that you could make a pretty decent studio setup using them. I have had great success using them from product shots in a light tent. I made a PVC frame and put a fitted bed sheet around it, then I place the 2 halogen lights outside the "tent" and the difuse glow that results on the inside is great for lighting products.

[Hertz van Rental]

You can't change the light output of a studio QI light. You use a different power (although you can put a scrim in front to cut down light output a bit) - Redhead 200-500W; Blonde 1kW; Brunette 2kW. You can get InkyDinks as well.
Studio QI allow you to focus them, and they have barns as well.
I find them exceptionally versatile.
Try here:
http://www.photonbeard.com/
Photon Beard make the best ones.
You can use ordinary QI work lights but, as in everything, they are never as good as the 'real thing'.