Smith-Victor KT500U 2-Light 500 Watt Thrifty Basic Umbrella Kit (120V)

Comments about Smith-Victor KT500U 2-Light 500 Watt Thrifty Basic Umbrella Kit (120V):

Good product at a reasonable price. Ready to go out of the box. Basic system that does the job.

Comments about Smith-Victor KT500U 2-Light 500 Watt Thrifty Basic Umbrella Kit (120V):

It is a good kit for who starts to learn the basic photography lighting. As named, the kit is very basic. Good thing is that the kit is quite easy to set up and the included brochure simply illustrates some basic lighting modes the beginners can follow. I have a little trouble with the socket. After screwed up the reflector, the socket could be accidentally loose. I figured out that after two bulbs were burned off.

One of two 5/8" stand mount has some defects, it does not fit well with the stand pole top. Another one is good, and I compared two mount fixtures but cannot figure out why.

The umbrella works OK. Since each bulb is only 250W, the bounce light from such uncoated umbrella is not bright enough. I alway light "through" umbrella instead of "bounce" by it.

Anyway, for such a reasonable price, I don't expect too much and am satisfied with this kit. It WORKS! but don't forget to stock extra bulbs in your home.

Comments about Smith-Victor KT500U 2-Light 500 Watt Thrifty Basic Umbrella Kit (120V):

It's true this product is a nice starter set, and the lights are easy to set up and move around as needed. However, both bulbs only lasted about an hour. Not cool (hence why I'm giving this 3 stars instead of 4). So if you're dead-set on purchasing this product, make sure you purchase extra bulbs. Some kind of carrying kit would be a good idea too, because the cardboard box it ships in doesn't quite cut it long term.

Comments about Smith-Victor KT500U 2-Light 500 Watt Thrifty Basic Umbrella Kit (120V):

I recently purchased this product and was amazed at how easy it was to set up and change light setup form one end of the room and got great photos with the equipment.

Comments about Smith-Victor KT500U 2-Light 500 Watt Thrifty Basic Umbrella Kit (120V):

Used these for taking family portraits at Thanksgiving! Loved them!

Comments about Smith-Victor KT500U 2-Light 500 Watt Thrifty Basic Umbrella Kit (120V):

This light was really worth my money. I dead really brought it for video shooting but I like how it came out on my videos, because of that i also to photography with with, im going to buy another kit very soon. This is a MOST GET PRODUCT

Comments about Smith-Victor KT500U 2-Light 500 Watt Thrifty Basic Umbrella Kit (120V):

I am new to using studio lights, and these lights are very basic and easy to use. They only take a few minutes to put together, turn on and off easily, and cool down quickly. My only issue with these lights is that the reflector bowl needs to be screwed in very tight if you want to use the umbrellas because the added weight pulls them down.

Comments about Smith-Victor KT500U 2-Light 500 Watt Thrifty Basic Umbrella Kit (120V):

I am a photography student and we needed 2 tungsten lights for our lighting course. This is fairly durable, easy to set up and for the price we paid for it, gets the job done.

Comments about Smith-Victor KT500U 2-Light 500 Watt Thrifty Basic Umbrella Kit (120V):

I am a photography student at the Art Institute Online, and I need an enxpensive light kit to start out on. I read reviews about this kit and decided to buy it. When I got it a piece was missing and I was only able to use one light. I contacted the company about the missing piece and was told I would recieve it and it's been months and I still don't have it. I find that the umbrellas don't really make a difference in diffusing the light. Now I need to find another kit because I can't really do anything with one light.

Comments about Smith-Victor KT500U 2-Light 500 Watt Thrifty Basic Umbrella Kit (120V):

Used for an indie film shoot with ctb and cto gels. It provided sufficient light, but was very difficult to control.

Burnt the stock bulb quickly, but others lasted well.

Comments about Smith-Victor KT500U 2-Light 500 Watt Thrifty Basic Umbrella Kit (120V):

The light kit came exactly as described, as expected, and as needed. Works great for making classroom videos.

Comments about Smith-Victor KT500U 2-Light 500 Watt Thrifty Basic Umbrella Kit (120V):

I purchased these lights intending them for studio or interview video projects. They've performed well so far. Unfortunately, since I'm in Australia, the lights weren't designed to run on 240v mains... which means I had to buy a Step-Down Transformer.

Also - the head clamp and directionality of the lights is a bit rough... but they work. So far...

Comments about Smith-Victor KT500U 2-Light 500 Watt Thrifty Basic Umbrella Kit (120V):

I love everything about this product not only it's cheap but it's also easy to set up! You really can't go wrong with that. My only issue is that it didn't come with a case which would've been perfect if it did.

Comments about Smith-Victor KT500U 2-Light 500 Watt Thrifty Basic Umbrella Kit (120V):

Was Lookin for an inexpensive light kit. And this one really exceeded my expectations. Great value, looks great' & works better than I expected.

Comments about Smith-Victor KT500U 2-Light 500 Watt Thrifty Basic Umbrella Kit (120V):

for in store picture taking. very easy to use. great value

Comments about Smith-Victor KT500U 2-Light 500 Watt Thrifty Basic Umbrella Kit (120V):

We purchased this product to use at a formal banquet. We wanted to be able to take photos of singles, couples and families in their formal wear to commemorate their evening. The goal was for them to have their picture taken, pay, and walk away with a framed photo. We pulled it off!! We had some printer issues, but the light kit was a good help. The lighting wasn't superb, but it definitely added something beneficial. Would've like more lighting. One complaint: one of the two bulbs burnt out the very first time we plugged it in and turned it on. I mean, it actually popped, blew a hole in the glass. So we had to buy our own replacement buls due to time.

Comments about Smith-Victor KT500U 2-Light 500 Watt Thrifty Basic Umbrella Kit (120V):

For 100 bucks, I'm not sure that you could do any better than this. The build quality is better than I expected. The stands are pretty strong and stable and can get quite tall (nearly 8 feet I'm guessing). The light bulbs supplied were 250w but they put out an ample amount of light. I bought some 500w bulbs as well, which I haven't used yet. The diffuser umbrellas are a lifesaver, and one of the reasons I bought this kit. I do automotive how-to videos for a classic car parts company and shoot indoors. These provide lots of light, and the umbrellas make the light soft and diffused. Overall I'd say if you're just doing basic video or photography and don't have any lighting, these are a great place to start, especially on a budget.

Comments about Smith-Victor KT500U 2-Light 500 Watt Thrifty Basic Umbrella Kit (120V):

teh bulbs burn out REALLY quickly so make sure to buy replacements. they are supposed to last a few hours but ive had some blow out within the hour

Comments about Smith-Victor KT500U 2-Light 500 Watt Thrifty Basic Umbrella Kit (120V):

This product was exactly what I needed at a very reasonable cost. It is lightweight, easy to setup and use. I choose this lighting set as a starter for a home studio and it works perfectly.

Comments about Smith-Victor KT500U 2-Light 500 Watt Thrifty Basic Umbrella Kit (120V):

For the price this kit delivers. For portability you cant beat it- the light stands fold down to a small managable size. We also got gels and barn doors which make it pretty functionable. We're traveling with this kit for smaller shoots- it wouldnt be great for lighting a movie set or the like but for photographing interiors it's great.