Profoto Hardbox

[ganner_lordian]

Hey,

 

does anyone work with a profoto hardbox?

http://www.profoto.com/en/products/lightshapingtools/reflectors/hardbox/

 

I'm highly interested into buying one.

Can someone give me a lightmeter reading at 1200ws 1/250 - 2m ?

 

If someone would be so kind to show me some example shots taken with the

hardbox? People shots would be perfect, because i don't shoot stills

 

THANKS IN ADVANCE !! :)

[kipling]

hi, i've used one a couple of times. it's a nice light, kind of like a fresnel but not as even. i don't remember the lightmeter reading - might want to check with profoto. <p>

here's two examples with a key hardbox set up. <p>

<img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2106/2194231919_ce520cb0b0.jpg" width="380" height="500" alt="" /></a> <p>

<img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2356/2151548393_ceaec99858.jpg" width="381" height="500" alt="" /></a>

[ellis_vener_photography]

Looks really interesting I wish they had a view of the front of it. I aam wondering if the Plume ltd. Chimney

 

http://www.plumeltd.com/plumetools.htm#chimney

 

might not create a similar effect?

[ganner_lordian]

@kipling thanks for sharing :-) do you remember if the lightoutput was rather low or high?<br> <br>

 

@ellis

take look here, there you see a pic of the front <br>

<a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/303731-REG/Profoto_505720_Hardbox_Fits_on.html">http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/303731-REG/Profoto_505720_Hardbox_Fits_on.html</a>

[kipling]

light output is okay. i'd guess 2 stops less light than a normal reflector. it's just a black box with a mounting ring. very basic.

[Charles_Webster]

For that price, it better work miracles!

 

What exactly does this do that a snoot and/or a narrow grid doesn't do? I've never heard of this and am curious.

 

<Chas>

[kipling]

it gives you a hard light with crisp, hard lined shadows, not blurred shadows. it's not the same as either a snoot or a grid - the light is wider spread and te shadows are crisply defined - more like a large fresnel (which are very expensive).

[._._z]

Useful for Hurrell-style portraits with a hard fill as part of the mix.

[shiver_me_timbrrrre]

You could try lining the inside of a reflector with Cinefoil for quite the same effect. It helps to use a clear protective glass dome instead of a frosted glass dome over the flashtube for enhanced effect. The clear dome is several hundred Kelvins bluer in colour temperature.

 

What you want to do is approximate a point light source. The Profoto hardbox has a slot or slit in the front of it behind which the flashtube is placed. All the internal surfaces are blackened.

 

It is derived from Arri and Desisti hot broads (lights). What happens is that the interior of these broads are blackened. The clear glass envelope of the bulb looks like a point light source. Hard shadows are the result. Note that you cannot focus the light in one of these, unlike a Fresnel.

 

So, I would knock myself out with a roll of Cinefoil before I spring for a Hardbox.

[sing_lo]

Very interesting. I was wondering what inside as well......I thought there is a 45 degree mirror inside.

 

You can paint the silver surface of a standard reflector black and drip a few holes to help with cooling if you use grid...black absorbs heat so be careful that the flash head doesn't get overheated.

 

Arri & desisti broads are painted white inside not black, otherwise it doesn't make sense.

[shiver_me_timbrrrre]

No, Sing Lo, it does make perfect sense if you wish to cast hard shadows with the ARRI or Desisti broads. The black 'reflector' is an accessory which slips in place of the usual shiny reflector for just such a purpose. I have two of them so I guess I should damn well know! Anyway, look them up on the manufacturers' websites before 'correcting' me.

[shiver_me_timbrrrre]

And yeah, they are not painted WHITE inside either.

[sing_lo]

cool, white or silver whatever. This black attachment is new to me. I just thought broads are usually used as fill lights, so the logic is that they need to be as soft as possible; there are scoops have white or silver interiors.

 

If you want hard shadows from hotlights, just remove the lens of the fresnel. So just don't think I am an idiot know nothing about hotlights in cinematography.....I own many film lights.

[shiver_me_timbrrrre]

I never said you were an idiot. But perhaps you know less than you think you do. All you had to do was to look up the information before you cast doubts on what I had written. It is really irrelevant and not german to this discussion how many film lights you own. After all, this is not a pissing contest.

 

However, it does appear that in this instance, you know nothng about the ARRI or Desisti broads with the optional black reflectors. So go look them up.

 

Removing the lens from a Fresnel? Have you really DONE that? Do you know what it looks like or are you making a guess? It won't be a point source now, would it?