Lowel lights and Bogen/Manfrotto supports

[bob_mcbob]

I'm about to make a large purchase of various photo equipment at B&H,

and I'd like to make sure everything I'm ordering is correct before I

press the evil confirm button.

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To start, a quick explanation of what this equipment will be used for.

I take video of experiments at my dad's lab using a high-speed

digital camera (Photron Fastcam-X 1280 PCI). This is all done at very

high frame rates, so lots of light is required. The lighting system

the camera company supplied is with consists of two rings of 8x300W

halogen bulbs, set on stands that go to about a minimum of 5 feet

high. The intended use is that you stick the lens through the hole in

the middle, but in practice, it's impossible. The minimum height is

also a big problem, because most of our work is done on a regular

desk-height bench, so it's not possible to position them close enough

to the experiment. They also use four separate circuits and (as I'm

sure you can imagine) produce extreme amounts of heat. One of my

dad's students actually managed to melt the barrel of our macro lens

with them. Basically, these are studio lights, and we're trying to

use them for macro work. Not a very good combination!

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Since we originally bought the camera system, the camera company has

changed to a new dealer, and their rep recommended a different

lighting system that's probably more suited to our needs.

Unfortunately, their mark-up on accessories is approximately 400%, so

B&H it is :). Here are the components they recommended:

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2 x Bogen/Manfrotto 2900 Super Clamp with Standard Stud<br>

2 x Bogen/Manfrotto 2896HD Heavy-Duty Flex Arm<br>

2 x Lowel ViP Pro-light w/GCA 250W bulbs

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The first thing I'd like to know is whether all these components will

fit together without any extra connectors. I spent a while looking at

both manufacturers' sites, and neither seems to have any sort of guide

for how their equipment assembles. From what I gather, they should

all go together, but I'd just like to confirm that before placing the

order.

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I'm also wondering whether the flex arms will be strong enough to

support the lights without any movement. The camera company says they

should, but Bogen doesn't supply any weight figures other than

something to the effect of "should support a 150W fresnel light" (very

useful indeed). I'm happy to consider other alternatives like their

articulated arms, but the flex arms seem much more convenient,

assuming they actually work properly.

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I also have a couple of miscellaneous questions for anyone who might

own either of these systems. What is the benefit of buying the super

clamps with a stud included? Does the Lowel light come with an

extension cable, or is it just the 4' captive cable (I assume the

former, but B&H doesn't make it very clear)? And finally, is it worth

buying the clear safety glass accessory in case we need extra light

intensity?

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I would appreciate any comments you guys have on this system, and any

suggestions for different equipment. Keep in mind that the camera is

black and white, so the temperature of the light makes very little

difference. Heat is definitely a problem sometimes, but considering

we've been dealing with 2400W banks of lights, almost anything looks

pretty cool! We will be keeping our current lights for certain uses,

but the Lowel lights would replace them for almost everything we do on

a day-to-day basis.