QUIET ON THE SET

Since HMI lighting is so popular in the movie and TV industries, it's no surprise that the Joker-Bug lights worked great while capturing HD video with the 1D Mark IV. I was able to handhold the Mark IV and shoot video of Jason while he led the photo class with the scene lit only by the Jokers. As mentioned in the Mark IV review, the video could easily be used by Jason for educational or promotional purposes.

At the end of the class, Jason shot a video of his students discussing what they thought about incorporating both video and stills into their photography business. Lindsey then edited the video, added some background music and the clip went up on Jason's Web site. Unlike some similar promotional clips you might see on photographers' Web sites, the Jokers provided professional-looking video lighting with very little effort.

(To see that clip, click here.)

When paired with an HD-DSLR, Jokers could be used to light a variety of situations from a bride and groom talking about their wedding day to a product demo or a photography how-to video.

That's not to say that these sorts of videos couldn't be shot with other continuous lighting—or even on-camera LED lights—but with Joker HMIs they'll just look better. And who wants to drive a Datsun when you could get behind the wheel of a Rolls Royce?

THE BOTTOM LINE

Joker-Bug lighting from K 5600 many not be the cheapest continuous light source out there but for video or still photography, they're one of the best. If most of your studio work is done with strobes but you want to try something new, rent a Joker-Bug 400 or 800 set-up and see if you like it. If you're like us, you'll quickly see the benefit of being able to blend gorgeous HMI light with the natural glow from that big 5600 K ball up in the sky.


K 5600 Joker-Bug 400 & 800

www.k5600.com/crossover
 
Pros: Provides gorgeous HMI continuous light for video and/or still photography; easy set up; kit is compact and easy to travel with; adapters available for Profoto accessories.

Cons: Pricey.

Price: $6,539 for 800w Joker-Bug System; $5,260 for 400w Joker Bug system