Sir Your Work Is Fantastic, I am an old man in My 80's & I have learned so much watching Your Video's Thank You so very very much.

Got a view of the Nanlights and I love them. Thanks for making me aware of them.

I agree with Bob Sykes, the Bowens is the best light modifier. It provided the best natural look for my liking.

Excellent video John. I purchased the Nanlite Forza 500 along with the FL-20G a few months ago. I am glad to see it is respectable compared to the Mole Richardson. I never thought of connecting it to a strobe though. That is a cool idea.And thanks for providing the product number for the Moles.

Super helpful video. Thanks for making this!

You asked, and the Bowens is way better than the other two. It is the only one with a natural light look, in terms of a nice gradation of tones from the shadows to highlights, and pleasing contrast. I think it's the closest to a sunlit portrait. Definitley worth seeking out. In fact, it is the really hard light that I've seen that looks like natural light to me.

I have the FL20G and I can't attach it to the profoto-bowen adapter for some reasons

One of the nice things about the use of constant lights is that it stops down the pupil of the subjects eye and often adds more color to the iris of the subjects eye. I've experimented with adding a hotlight to my portraits just to get that effect, but using a fast shutter speed to eliminate the "color" of the hotlight from my strobe that creates the overwhelming majority of the exposure.

fabulous - i was aware that the great george hurrel use those old hotlights and really close - when i have used led lights models have complained eeven with very weak 60w llights - but i know that in movies especially in the 1930s they used hot lights actors got used to the lights - i like the look of it

I discovered Fresnel lenses only recently and I use an inexpensive 10X one to great effect. It allows me to focus the light and shine directly into an optical snoot, rigged together using a few bits and bobs, so that the lens sits flush against the back of the optical snoot with it's bowens ring removed to ensure next to no light spill, either with a gobo or iris attachment. The beauty of using the Fresnel lens with this is that it allows me to only use a 200Ws strobe or even just a 76Ws Speedlight with a snoot projector that otherwise requires a much more powerful light. I purposly picked this inexpensive Fresnel lenses, which is actually similar in design to the Aperture one without the barn doors, due to it's small diameter; it sits nicely alongside my optical snoot and is perfect for my hack.

Great info, as always.

In fact, Nunlight is a copy of the development of the Aputur company. A copy that is similar in appearance, but was made thoughtlessly. The essence of Fresnel modifiers is to create a beautiful gradient spot of light. The original fresnel from Aputur has two lenses - the first is a fresnel, the second is an aspherical lens, which is located next to the mount. Moreover, this design was created specifically for the Aputure LS 600d Pro device. To summarize, no replicas are capable of creating a beautiful light pattern.

Thanks John. Another great Quick question. Just ordered new Godox projector. One accessory is a variable diaphragm. With this ( and changing the focal length of attached lens ), would it give similar results? Thanks friend.

Great video... very well explained. Also, I dont know why you're smiling, but everytime you do, it's contagious! and I find myself involuntarily smiling as well LOL

So helpful! Thank you!

Vet interesting video as always and my preference would be for the Bowens. I don’t think you answered the video title question though!

Thanks for the thorough and complete explanation. Every so often, I revisit Fresnel lighting. This video joins my other investigations in reminding me why I don’t use Fresnel lighting. Either expensive or hard to use and then, what do you get? If you compare results with a deep Octabox (which you introduced to me), the deep octa yields a better result. If you disagree, how about doing a video comparing the two methods?

Hi John. Great video; I love trying to create old Hollywood style portraits! Do you have any experience with Lupo Dayled lights? They're similar to the old tungsten fresnels, but they're LEDs instead. I think they're British or German lights.

Here is one thing you can do with the Nanlite and many others that don't have the second focusing lens. If you have flash or a video light, that can use an s2 bracket, you can push the lights in further so it's at in the proper position. I tried this with the new small rig and it worked great. I used a Godox ml60. To get the fresnel to work perfectly the light was almost all the way into the bracket. The led was probably half way or more into the fresnel. The focusing the worked perfectly without the bloom issue. With it in a normal position in the bracket the bloom was there and very little focusing range. I assume this would then work with my ad300 as well as my v1. Because I can move the light further in. So same would go for an ad200 and ad100. Not that the v1 might have to be clamped in an odd spot. I honestly returned the fresnel because I unfortunately wanted to use it with my 200w bowens mount led. And then the issues are present because the light source is not properly positioned. And same would probably happen with bowens mount flashes. But I'm still in the market hoping to find one that will work. Unfortunately it seems I need one with the second focusing lens/element. However that's limits me to video lights and flashes that may fit. Some the second focusing lens is in the way. I'll probably just get the Nanlite and only use the lights that work. If anyone is wondering about the small rig, and why I would get the Nanlite over it. For around the same price, when you get the small right barn doors, the Nanlite is a larger lens. Which is all around better. You may be using it still as a "hard light" source, but it's still a softer version using a larger fresnel. But the small rig did seem nicely built. And is the newest to the market.

is Nanlite FL-20G (and others) only meant for use with led lights or can one use it with strobes such as ad600 pro? thanks, these vids help a lot

I like the traditional hot lights, usually I use ARRI ones, 300w/s for subject lighting and 600-1200 w/s for ambient lighting, instead of gelling the strobes I gel the fresnel with a CTB. I also have a fresnel box, a knock off of the original Elincrome one, is made by Walimex, nowhere near the build quality of the Elincrome but pay for what you get, the light is focused in the same way as the traditional hot ones and it has a Bowens mount, basically is a traditional hot one without the tungsten bulb and instead the back plate has the strobe mount and moves back and forward. A fresnel light is a unique tool, it takes a bit of effort to master it, however no other modifier is so unique and versatile, definitely one of my favourite, it not my favourite.

Tinfoil works wonders with plant pots if your handy with a light fitting or two .

John, i just got the Aputure F10 Fresnel, a 10" Fresnel 15-45°, modifiers; they are not expensive and they do have the zoom / focus feature. They come in the standard bowens mount; and you can get barn-doors for the F10. Build quality is great; and made for 600W and more LED lights; so made for heat.

John! Great videos by the way. Your take on 2 vs 4 barn door assemblies. Why would someone want to use a 2 door vs 4 door? Thanks! I have a few Mole Baby, Type 407 lights and have 2 and 4 barn door assemblies.

You should have used a blue eye model for this test. The iris gets really small using the Mole which you will see a difference in the eyes compared to using strobes.

Haha - I've never opened my Mole Richardson like that - thanks for the tip. I like the photo with the Bowens best, but would try to get buy with my Mole Richardson.... thanks for the informative video - please send info about the light stand and mounts.

Broncolor Flooter is worth mentioning

this might be not the topic but I've never seen this white part of the eyes so white. Is is edited? and there's a circle around the eyes, (maybe a lens?)

Great stuff 👌🏻

does the parabolic modifier from broncolor and parabolix works the same way as a this fresnel ? the idea is also to reflect light in straight line and thats what these two modifier do and they also allow to move the light foward and backward in the modifier to adjust the beam .... maybe you could compare the light output from a fresnel to one of these modifier if you could get your hand on one of them ;)

Any fresnel that can work with godox AD600?

Really nice video. The Audio is great, the lighting is inspiring and the content is very useful.

John one thing you didn't discuss is the fresnel size. The Mole Richardson is only 6 inches. The other two are closer to 10. Even as a focused hard source the size should matter. Have you ever tested that? I'm really curious about that. I've read that a 10 inch is an important size. And is the "industry standard". I actually just watched this video for around the 3rd time to see what sizes you were using. Didn't realize the Mole was that small.

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Defo Bowens is best

John can you add links next time (yes I'm lazy AF) 😂

i would say this look is really good for like a boxer or a edgier action star , where soft loft doesnt make sense! , would dare put this on a woman who doesnt want her wrinkles shown lol

Bowens…