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Some of My Favorite S2 Shots Yet

AnthonyFlores

New member
Guys, not to hijack the thread I started ... but I was researching Briese but had trouble finding it for sale anywhere. I know it's mega-expensive, just curious to see the pricing and who sells it.

Something to consider down the road when I have a little more budget room.

Also, for those with experience ... if one were to match what he's using (or come close) with Profoto or Broncolor gear -- which light model and umbrella would they be?

Thanks :)

Anthony
 

rem

New member
Anthony, why you not send a mail with your questions about price and reseller to Brieselichttechnick.de? They have of course a price-list for stimulation...;-) rem
 

VICTOR BT

Member
antony, nothing comes close to Briese, especially the medium size ones (44-140). i have never been too much interested in big umbrellas, but i think the para/profoto/briese talk in the same way more or less. profoto has 150cm umbrella, which is nice, but not even close to the briese, not in flexibility (the different looks u can give with focusing), and not in fine quality of light... and also not in build quality (which also makes briese a bit more bulky for transport on locations).

profoto beuaity dish - not the same, but can be replaced with 100cm, 77cm for softer look (like white dish), and even 44cm at close distances (for really harder look like silver dish). ok, not exactly the same, but can be an alternative in set, and a matter of taste, but much more beautiful and flexible i think.
 

kipling

New member
Guys, not to hijack the thread I started ... but I was researching Briese but had trouble finding it for sale anywhere. I know it's mega-expensive, just curious to see the pricing and who sells it.

Something to consider down the road when I have a little more budget room.

Also, for those with experience ... if one were to match what he's using (or come close) with Profoto or Broncolor gear -- which light model and umbrella would they be?

Thanks :)

Anthony
They are made by Briese Lichttechnik in Hamburg, Germany http://www.briese-studios.de/de/briese-lichttechnik/lichttechnik.html

You can't get the same look from a Bron or Profoto Para.
You can't focus them in the same way and get that super crisp sun-like-light.
You can get a Briese Focus to look like a para though by unfocusing the light and using diffusion.
They are pretty amazing lights...but why buy them? They are not that expensive to rent and they come in several different sizes, to give you the look you need.
 

VICTOR BT

Member
yes, contact briese directly, and they will help with all the information, pricelist, recomendations ideas etc etc...
i also recommened to try them, because again, they are like no others, by all means.

also should be noted, that each umbrella has accessories, diffusion panels, grey panels (more for HMI, less relevant flash), egg-cretes etc... so beyond focusing, u can keep on modifying the light on and on, and even make it looks like standard soft-boxes :)))
 

fotografz

Well-known member
Guys, not to hijack the thread I started ... but I was researching Briese but had trouble finding it for sale anywhere. I know it's mega-expensive, just curious to see the pricing and who sells it.

Something to consider down the road when I have a little more budget room.

Also, for those with experience ... if one were to match what he's using (or come close) with Profoto or Broncolor gear -- which light model and umbrella would they be?

Thanks :)

Anthony
The Broncolor Para is a virtual copy of the Briese (which is why I thought it was a Para:)), and like the Briese allows you to focus the light. The Profoto version is also very good, but I believe only allows a few positions to adjust the light focus.

I think Briese stopped making adapters to use Broncolor heads/packs ... Briese packs aren't a favorite compared to Broncolor or Profoto. Kind of finicky.

Broncolor para will give you that look you were referencing but aren't as versatile for other looks ... and you can also rent them.

-Marc
 

robmac

Well-known member
There is also B2Pro in US. I THINK they used to be Briese US or some such, had a falling out and now sell essentially Briese clones and in many cases actually Briese units. They also seem to have developed a raft of different reflective surfaces for inside the paras.

http://www.b2pro.com/
 

VICTOR BT

Member
btw, their generators are actually very good by all aspects (speed, quality, whatever), and easy to get familiar with too within a few minutes, but true, not as versatile as the new ones... and need discharging if flash light reduced (like profoto acute2), and their asymetric power is not flexible like u can get from broncolor verso for example.
 

AnthonyFlores

New member
They are made by Briese Lichttechnik in Hamburg, Germany http://www.briese-studios.de/de/briese-lichttechnik/lichttechnik.html

You can't get the same look from a Bron or Profoto Para.
You can't focus them in the same way and get that super crisp sun-like-light.
You can get a Briese Focus to look like a para though by unfocusing the light and using diffusion.
They are pretty amazing lights...but why buy them? They are not that expensive to rent and they come in several different sizes, to give you the look you need.
Thanks everyone, I will definitely consider renting when I'm back in LA ... however, I'm currently in the Caribbean and was considering this as a way to do some portraits for a very prestigious official who could probably help me get a lot more work -- maybe even some celebrities at some point.

As I was already planning to get a Profoto kit, I might just adjust that and get a Broncolor kit with the para to get "close" to this lighting ... and then perhaps rent or buy Briese down the line, if I love it and truly need it.

Btw, which "single" light is it that he's using, and what would be comparable models? At some points it looks as though the lighting is continuous -- but at other points he has the remote flash trigger on top of the camera ...

Thanks again -- and I will definitely contact them just so that I have a reference for pricing and future information. Their stuff looks amazing and also like it could be used for cinema work and interviews, which I will definitely need at some point :)

Anthony
 

AnthonyFlores

New member
It can definitely be used for video work. Adam Frish shot the Amy Winehouse Rehab video with the Briese. One of my personal favorite songs... so here's a link.

http://www.adamfrisch.com/musicvideos/amywinehouse/indexmovie.html
Thanks David, I actually googled "adam frisch briese" and came across this link:

http://www.cinematography.com/index.php?showtopic=17036

I really do love that they work for both stills and cinema since a big part of what I do will be shooting with the Red Epic down the line.
 

kipling

New member
The Broncolor Para is a virtual copy of the Briese (which is why I thought it was a Para:)), and like the Briese allows you to focus the light. The Profoto version is also very good, but I believe only allows a few positions to adjust the light focus.

I think Briese stopped making adapters to use Broncolor heads/packs ... Briese packs aren't a favorite compared to Broncolor or Profoto. Kind of finicky.

Broncolor para will give you that look you were referencing but aren't as versatile for other looks ... and you can also rent them.

-Marc
The flashheads are completely different and produce a different looking light. The Bron uses a ring flash that is faced into the para, the briese has a very long flash tube that illuminates the para very evenly.
I've used both and see a distict difference in the light.
Actually I find the Bron more like the Profoto, which also just uses a flash head that is facing inward. The profoto can also be focused to some extent with different adapters, move the head closer or farther away...but it's nost the same.
There's actually a difference between all the Briese focus units. You really need to try them and depending on the distance to the subject you better off with one compared to the other. A 180 is very nice for 3/4 to full body portraits, a focus 96 is nice for beauty shots, etc., etc.

Take a look here and you can go through all the different focus models and see the difference.

http://www.brieselichttechnik.de/de/blitzlicht/produkt-ansicht/focus/focus-44.html
 

AnthonyFlores

New member
Okay forgive my ignorance ... but getting a "continuous" bulb (like filmmakers use with the Briese) a horrible thing for stills? I know flash is much more common and probably optimum in some ways, but would be nice if I could kill two birds with one stone.

Sorry, I know this is a photography forum, not filmmaking, just trying to soak up as much info as I can and so far everyone has been an amazing help.

Anthony
 

VICTOR BT

Member
anthony... absolutly no problem using the HMI bulb, it is 2500w and has great output (umbrella itself gives a lot of light for the power of the bulb)... the data is given in Lux if u download PDF under Taglischt.
i personally prefer to use the HMI lights even for still photography. and i know many photographers who do it, and move to continuous lights.
one thing u should remember though, for the 2500w+ watt the ballast of briese is heavy and big, and for each light u will need one ballast, and on location (without in-line), for this power u will need a big generator especially if u plan to work with more than one head. so, each photograph can becomes a big and bulky production with no really ability to scale down. for example, if u take broncolor Verso, it can run 3 heads, with 2 asymetric complitly independable distribution, and u can even add a battery dock to the generator, which will allow u to run overall 650w of model light (which is great unlike many other battery generators), and overall, Verso with its battery is about the same bulk and weight as one ballast for 2500-HMI.
again, no issues for studio work, but if u plan to go out (especially with honda-like generator), the high output HMI is a thing of a true production-scale, assistants etc etc... in case of Spot lights (like Arri compact units or dedolights at about 575w), the things are much more compact and the output of the spot is really strong to make it usable for photography. but of course, this is Spot, not Briese Focus.
u can also have the Focus umbrella and exchange it between Flash and HMI or even Tungsten, or even use the 650 modeling light of the flash unit, if it suits your filming/video.
 

AnthonyFlores

New member
Ahhh ... thanks so much Victor. Very helpful stuff! I may PM you about specifics since it's gone pretty far off the original topic. Great shots on your website, btw ... Thanks again :)
 

VICTOR BT

Member
guy, turned to be lighting forum issues indeed,
actually it makes sense, cause with cameras discussed here, Light instruments and techniques are even more important than ISO or Lens performance, although high iso is great flexibility, and personally, lens performance/character at open to mid aperture is prime issue for me too.
except maybe Landscape photography in general, some type of docu, and some architcture and alike, almost for all other areas, usually, those high-end cameras are accompanied with lighting touch - whether it is just to add some punch to natural light, or to build a full lighting set. so, i think normally, they should be considered as One of the Main tools.
 

fotografz

Well-known member
guy, turned to be lighting forum issues indeed,
actually it makes sense, cause with cameras discussed here, Light instruments and techniques are even more important than ISO or Lens performance, although high iso is great flexibility, and personally, lens performance/character at open to mid aperture is prime issue for me too.
except maybe Landscape photography in general, some type of docu, and some architcture and alike, almost for all other areas, usually, those high-end cameras are accompanied with lighting touch - whether it is just to add some punch to natural light, or to build a full lighting set. so, i think normally, they should be considered as One of the Main tools.
Totally agree. Beyond available light nothing impacts IQ and ideas more than the use of lighting.

I'm always surprised that more attention isn't paid to lighting when talking about MFD ... which perhaps benefits more than any other type/format of capture.

-Marc
 
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