Precision Reflectors are increasingly used in film lighting for efficiently illuminating multiple objects from a single source. However, their potential for simulating distant light sources is often overlooked. Achieving natural daylight's characteristics—like light falloff and intensity—is challenging but precision reflectors can come in clutch, despite light spill requiring larger, more power-intensive lights. Pairing Filmgear®’s Power Beams with reflectors allows gaffers to enhance output by reducing spill.
To answer the question of whether or not reflectors highlight the strengths between Fresnels, faceted PARs, and beam projectors, we experimented with each fixture across a variety of scenarios and observed the output, shadow quality, and general daylight-likeness. We hypothesized that the Power Beams’ tighter beam angle and greater output would pair well with a precision reflector to take the age-old brightness versus clarity tradeoff to its extreme.
The following images have been lightly edited for clarity to adjust for varying lighting levels.
Starting from Figure 1, there was no significant difference in light quality. Shadows were similarly soft, but the first two lights could not match the Power Beam's 4800lux compared to the 1500lux and 2700lux of the Fresnel and Par lights.
In Figure 2, the Fresnel at full flood provided the cleanest and sharpest shadows of the bunch, emphasizing the fresnel’s biggest strength, its cutability.
In Figure 3, a quirk of beam projectors becomes evident: the high optical quality of the Power Beam’s glass mirror reflects everything in the lamp head, including the arc of the globe depending on the spot/flood level. As expected, the Power Beam is best used when you need a strongly defined shaft of light to cross great distances.
Overall, the results highlighted the true strengths of these fixtures and where their best placement is on your set. The Fresnel shines with its clean and crisp shadows, the F-Series shows off with its powerhouse output, and the Power Beam pierces with its narrow beam shafts and longer throw.
FilmGear® offers a wide range of film lights including the Hybrid Power Beams, Daylight Faceted PARs, and Daylight Fresnels used in this test. If you’re interested in running some tests of your own, you can always schedule a one-on-one demo at your convenience. Simply contact us at (323) 780-8880 or email info@filmgearusa.com to book a demo at your location or ours.