Lastolite hilite advice

[scottduffy]

Guy's i know this has probably been asked before but i used the search facility and couldn't find answers to these specific questions so here goes.

A) Will i be able to evenly light the 6x7 foot hilite with 2 interfit ex150 mk2 lights?

B) Will the 6x7 foot hilite be large enough or has anyone wished the had gone for the 7x8 version?

C) If i buy the train that goes with this will i be able to light the train with 2 YN465 speedlights whilst using the lights on the background.

The reason i a looking at this Hilite is mainly due to not having much space to work in. I really have no room in my house for a background support and paper. I can get away with using a black background i have hanging from my living room curtain pole but the white background shots will be very difficult in my smallish living room. On a previous post someone mentioned that the hilite can be used for black background shots if you turn it around so thats a bonus.

I don't suppose there are any alternatives to the hilite but if there is i'm open to suggestions. The cheapest i can see the hilite is £220 which (if i can get it working well) i think is pretty reasonable.

 

[SK617]

I have the 6x7, and i do sometimes wish for the 8x7. But this is due to doing groups at events, for couples its fine.
Point to note though, i dont use the train

 

[gman]

The size etc could depend on what you are shooting?

 

[scottduffy]

Graham it would more than likely single portraits maybe the odd couple. I was wondering if i could shoot a family portrait of say 2 adults and 2 kids with the 6x7 or if i would need the larger one.

I wonder if anyone has used the chinese copies and if so what are they like.

 

[Phil Bennett]

Graham it would more than likely single portraits maybe the odd couple. I was wondering if i could shoot a family portrait of say 2 adults and 2 kids with the 6x7 or if i would need the larger one.

I wonder if anyone has used the chinese copies and if so what are they like.

I shot a pic of 8 kids, ranging from 4 to 17 this weekend with the 6*7, a little PP in Photoshop and all was okay.

I think 2 adults and 2 kids you would be okay.

Its an excellent product from Lastolite

Phil

 

[chip]

A) Will i be able to evenly light the 6x7 foot hilite with 2 interfit ex150 mk2 lights?

I'm not familiar with those particular lights but I use a Bowens 500 in each side and they are set between 1/16th & 1/8th power to shoot f11 at 400 iso.

B) Will the 6x7 foot hilite be large enough or has anyone wished the had gone for the 7x8 version?

I have shot a family of 6 on a 6x7 (2 adults & 4 kids) but that is about as tight as I would want to go.

C) If i buy the train that goes with this will i be able to light the train with 2 YN465 speedlights whilst using the lights on the background.

I have only used the train a couple of times and it was a pain so now use a completely different setup if I want full length portraits.

 

[TG.]

Point to note though, i dont use the train

What do you use instead ?

I was wondering if i could shoot a family portrait of say 2 adults and 2 kids with the 6x7 or if i would need the larger one.

I wonder if anyone has used the chinese copies and if so what are they like.

You would probably get away with a 6x7 however you would probably need to do some PS work on it, i have an 8x7 and still sometimes have to do PS because of space, i took this one on it HERE the price hike between the 6x7 and 8x7 is ridiculous.

I wasn't aware about the Chinese copies, any links

 

[Flash In The Pan]

I wasn't aware about the Chinese copies, any links

 

[TG.]

Oh yes i forgot about the ones you were selling Graham, thinking back though didn't you only have a few to sell which was quite a while back ? anyway how do they compare to the lastolite

 

[Mr Mike]

Oh yes i forgot about the ones you were selling Graham, thinking back though didn't you only have a few to sell which was quite a while back ? anyway how do they compare to the lastolite

I borrowed one of FITP's large ones from a mate and was so impressed i had to go out and buy a lastolite since these were no longer available. I didnt want to spend the money but when it arrived the build quality and materials were far better, i couldnt make the cheap one work with one light where as the lastolite has a highly reflective back (on the inside, black on the outside) which bounces the light much more efficiently requiring less power, the cheap version has the same on both sides so the light tends to leak out the back rather than bounce back to the front. The cheap ver doesnt stand so happily as the lastolite either although i am comparing 8x7 against 6x7 so hard to be sure.

I have been using the train with mine, it looks a bit grey but a little PP can soon sort that, when you dont have much room this is a great product. I am hoping for the Black Bottle Top for christmas so i can use it for High or Low key shots, i believe the bottle top absorbs light very well making it a great item to own.

Anyone who has black bottle top confirm ?

 

[Kris]

Flash - if you have a contact, tell them to make a green screen chroma-key version of the hilite.

Normal cloth green screens are a pain in the arse to light separately and get a good distance to the subject and avoid shadows, and I dont need a big one as most chroma-key is head and shoulders to avoid the subject 'floating in space'.

Edit - I dont mean bottletops, actual green hilites.

 

[Flash In The Pan]

Flash - if you have a contact, tell them to make a green screen chroma-key version of the hilite.

Normal cloth green screens are a pain in the arse to light separately and get a good distance to the subject and avoid shadows, and I dont need a big one as most chroma-key is head and shoulders to avoid the subject 'floating in space'.

Edit - I dont mean bottletops, actual green hilites.

It would be a custom order anyway, so I don't see any problem in getting a chroma-key version produced, I'd need to check with the factory though...

 

[HoppyUK]

I borrowed one of FITP's large ones from a mate and was so impressed i had to go out and buy a lastolite since these were no longer available. I didnt want to spend the money but when it arrived the build quality and materials were far better, i couldnt make the cheap one work with one light where as the lastolite has a highly reflective back (on the inside, black on the outside) which bounces the light much more efficiently requiring less power, the cheap version has the same on both sides so the light tends to leak out the back rather than bounce back to the front. The cheap ver doesnt stand so happily as the lastolite either although i am comparing 8x7 against 6x7 so hard to be sure.

I have been using the train with mine, it looks a bit grey but a little PP can soon sort that, when you dont have much room this is a great product. I am hoping for the Black Bottle Top for christmas so i can use it for High or Low key shots, i believe the bottle top absorbs light very well making it a great item to own.

Anyone who has black bottle top confirm ?

Good summary I don't think that either you or I were the only ones unhappy with the FITP HighLite copy, whereas the original Lastolite is excellent.

I don't know about other cheap copies though, they may be fine :shrug: All you have to do is copy the original properly, which is hardly difficult.

 

[TG.]

It would be a custom order anyway

Graham do you think they would do a custom 8x7 bottle-top, as for some reason Lastolite don't sell that size :shrug:

 

[Flash In The Pan]

Good summary I don't think that either you or I were the only ones unhappy with the FITP HighLite copy, whereas the original Lastolite is excellent.

I don't know about other cheap copies though, they may be fine :shrug: All you have to do is copy the original properly, which is hardly difficult.

I don't want to have to go over old ground again,Richard, however you were the only person who contacted me with a complaint, if the product was so bad I would have expected at to have received negative feedback from at least one other person, but I didn't.

My plan, if a new batch are to be produced is to have a "solid" rear panel (white inside/silver outside) and white internal corners, rather than the black ones that featured on the first batch, which should address your main concern(s).

Ultimately though it's like everything else in life, if you want something that performs 100% like the "real deal" then pony up the cash and buy the real one, it's the only way you'll ever be happy with your purchase.

 

[Flash In The Pan]

Graham do you think they would do a custom 8x7 bottle-top, as for some reason Lastolite don't sell that size :shrug:

No, I've already asked them and they won't make them at all.

 

[HoppyUK]

I don't want to have to go over old ground again,Richard, however you were the only person who contacted me with a complaint, if the product was so bad I would have expected at to have received negative feedback from at least one other person, but I didn't.

My plan, if a new batch are to be produced is to have a "solid" rear panel (white inside/silver outside) and white internal corners, rather than the black ones that featured on the first batch, which should address your main concern(s).

Ultimately though it's like everything else in life, if you want something that performs 100% like the "real deal" then pony up the cash and buy the real one, it's the only way you'll ever be happy with your purchase.

Graham, you already have two examples of negative feedback on this thread alone, and others have posted their disatisfaction on here before - in some considerable detail.

You may not be aware of their posts, but others have tried and failed with your product and have since replaced it with the genuine article. It's not for me to name names but it's a matter of record posted on here. I'm not surprised they chose not to contact you about it, given the incredibly aggressive and unpleasant nature of the public response I got from you as a result of my complaint. If you don't want to go over old ground, then don't raise it.

I'm pleased to hear that you plan to make some of the changes I suggested in subsequent productions; it could easily be good, but the original was not.

 

[Mr Mike]

I would like to confirm here, I did not and would not say the FITP hilites are bad, like i already stated i was so impressed by it i had to have one but he could no longer supply them. The difference between it and the real deal lastolite hilite is reflected in the price difference which is huge.

The point i tried to push was if you had only ever seen the FITP version you would have felt like me when considering the purchase of the original item at its very high cost, thing is when it arrived i could clearly see where my money went.

Basically if I could have a FITP ver i would have because it was very Cheap

 

[Flash In The Pan]

Whilst I remember, if a second run are commisioned I'll get zips added to the top and bottom too. So to reiterate, the improvements required would be

1) solid back panel
2) white internal corners
3) zips on all four sides

I'll do my best to get these produced to exactly the specification that any potential buyers require, so please post any suggestions here or pm me and I'll see what I can do.

Please bear in mind though that a) these products are, on the whole,assembled using parts that are already available and b) will be substantially cheaper than the branded product, so I can only work within the constraints of what the manufacturers already produce.

 

[HoppyUK]

Whilst I remember, if a second run are commisioned I'll get zips added to the top and bottom too. So to reiterate, the improvements required would be

1) solid back panel
2) white internal corners
3) zips on all four sides

I'll do my best to get these produced to exactly the specification that any potential buyers require, so please post any suggestions here or pm me and I'll see what I can do.

Please bear in mind though that a) these products are, on the whole,assembled using parts that are already available and b) will be substantially cheaper than the branded product, so I can only work within the constraints of what the manufacturers already produce.

Graham, the main parts that need to be changed to bring your highlight copy up to the standard of the original are:

1) Thicker front diffusion material.
2) White opaque back, black on the reverse for double use as a black background
3) White opaque sides
4) White opaque corners (though I think silver might be even more effective)
5) Zips all round

A white surround border would be nice (instead of black - might save a bit of PP with a train) and velcro tabs along one short and one long side for attachment of a train. The clip-on stand could also be better, but it worked well enough.

 

[Flash In The Pan]

Graham, the main parts that need to be changed to bring your highlight copy up to the standard of the original are:

1) Thicker front diffusion material.
2) White opaque back, black on the reverse for double use as a black background
3) White opaque sides
4) White opaque corners (though I think silver might be even more effective)
5) Zips all round

A white surround border would be nice (instead of black - might save a bit of PP with a train) and velcro tabs along one short and one long side for attachment of a train. The clip-on stand could also be better, but it worked well enough.

1) Thicker front diffusion material.

Might not be possible, I'm not sure, as they are constructed using off-the-shelf parts

2) White opaque back, black on thereverse for double use as a black background

My thought was to use the white/silver (for the outside) which is what Lastolite do for one of their versions

3) White opaque sides

See point 1

4) White opaque corners (though I think silver might be even more effective)

I wonder what the effect would be of having both the corners and internal rear panel in silver, too much?

5) Zips all round

That's a given


6) white surround

That sounds like a good idea

 

[HoppyUK]

1) Thicker front diffusion material.

Might not be possible, I'm not sure, as they are constructed using off-the-shelf parts

2) White opaque back, black on thereverse for double use as a black background

My thought was to use the white/silver (for the outside) which is what Lastolite do for one of their versions

3) White opaque sides

See point 1

4) White opaque corners (though I think silver might be even more effective)

I wonder what the effect would be of having both the corners and internal rear panel in silver, too much?

5) Zips all round

That's a given


6) white surround

That sounds like a good idea

Thicker front diffusion material is essential, but I think two layers of the old material would do the trick.

The colour of the outside-back is just a neat way of providing an alternative background option. I thought black, but maybe a very light grey would give a nice variety of options with quite simple lighting effects. If the finished product was the same size at the Lastolites, people could also fit their bottletop background options.

The sides must be opaque, same as the back. The way these things work is to contain the light inside so that it bounces around as much as possible before being forced out of the front. That's what gives the evenness. And it prevents unwanted light spilling out all over the place. The deeper you can make it will also make it more even too - just an extra couple of inches would help, and make it more stable.

Definitely not silver for the inside of the back, you'll get hot spots for sure. Bright matt white. Ditto the sides. TBH I'm not 100% certain about silver for the corners - why don't Lastolite do it? Cost? Manufacturing difficulties? I found that it improved things (crude test with kitchen foil) not by a huge amount, but usefully. I think it's worth trying for sure, but test before ordering a hundred! May be more trouble than it's worth.

The things that will transform the evenness of the light will be the opaque white back, sides and corners, plus the thicker front.

 

[EOS_JD]

Guy's i know this has probably been asked before but i used the search facility and couldn't find answers to these specific questions so here goes.

A) Will i be able to evenly light the 6x7 foot hilite with 2 interfit ex150 mk2 lights?

Should be ok

B) Will the 6x7 foot hilite be large enough or has anyone wished the had gone for the 7x8 version?

I use both. I own the 6x7 and a friend has the 7x8. 6x7 is perfect for most ocassions but for events the 8x7 is better. 8x7 will not fit in many clients houses but the 6x7 does!

C) If i buy the train that goes with this will i be able to light the train with 2 YN465 speedlights whilst using the lights on the background.

You can. But it takes me 20 secs to make white in Lightroom. Use a large softbox and use that to help light the floor.

The reason i a looking at this Hilite is mainly due to not having much space to work in. I really have no room in my house for a background support and paper. I can get away with using a black background i have hanging from my living room curtain pole but the white background shots will be very difficult in my smallish living room. On a previous post someone mentioned that the hilite can be used for black background shots if you turn it around so thats a bonus.

You cannot use it for black by turning around. The black on the Hilite is too shiny and reflective. You can buy the Bottletop though in a few colours - black being one. Works perfect and hangs over the hilite - kept in place by the rods that support the hilite. If you have tight space forget the 8x7!

I don't suppose there are any alternatives to the hilite but if there is i'm open to suggestions. The cheapest i can see the hilite is £220 which (if i can get it working well) i think is pretty reasonable.

There's a seller on here does cheap versions from China - Not as good as the Lastolite one but seems to work!

 

[EOS_JD]

Graham it would more than likely single portraits maybe the odd couple. I was wondering if i could shoot a family portrait of say 2 adults and 2 kids with the 6x7 or if i would need the larger one.

I wonder if anyone has used the chinese copies and if so what are they like.

Very tight shooting 4 people unless theyre not full length. I've shot 6 but that needed extra Ps work.

 

[EOS_JD]

It would be a custom order anyway, so I don't see any problem in getting a chroma-key version produced, I'd need to check with the factory though...

Not sure why you wpould want that because the lights would be no use in the hilite? Better with white and a croma key cover so you can use both styles (like the Lastolite Bottletop covers.

 

[Flash In The Pan]

Definitely not silver for the inside of the back, you'll get hot spots for sure. Bright matt white. Ditto the sides. TBH I'm not 100% certain about silver for the corners - why don't Lastolite do it? Cost? Manufacturing difficulties? I found that it improved things (crude test with kitchen foil) not by a huge amount, but usefully. I think it's worth trying for sure, but test before ordering a hundred! May be more trouble than it's worth.

The things that will transform the evenness of the light will be the opaque white back, sides and corners, plus the thicker front.

My feeling is that if the corners are silver and the back and sides are white you'd definitely get uneven illumination, the reflective areas all need to be made of the same material.