Adaptable and versatile is how I would describe the Rifa eX.

I recently had the opportunity to try the Rifa eX 88 kit with all the accessories: a couple of different tungsten heads (one of which would accommodate three bulbs at once), an assortment of bulbs and, what I almost consider a necessity, an egg crate.

I’ve used Rifa soft lights on previous jobs and have always been impressed with the quality of light they produce. I love the ease and speed of setting one up and being able to position a light in a couple of minutes. To Rifa users this is really no revelation, but what the new Rifa eX gives you is an additional level of adaptability. Interchangeable lampheads is really a great idea—knowing that you can go into a situation and use the Rifa eX as your key light and build around is a great feeling.

Prepared for All Occasions
Since you have to be prepared for both tungsten and daylight situations, I rely on a lighting package that consists of two Lowel Caselites (a four-lamp and a two-lamp equipped with daylight fluorescent tubes and a second set of 3,200 K bulbs), a Lowel ViP kit, two Rifas, a reflector and a couple of Mole-Richardson Tweenies. I love to use the Rifa with an egg crate; in fact, most of my lighting for an interview is done that way. The egg crate enables me to keep the light off the background and use another source for a background light, thus adding some depth to the shot.

In a recent location shoot, we had strong daylight coming in through outside windows. Fortunately, the windows were equipped with blinds that we used to control the intensity of the sunlight. The plan was to use the daylight illumination and add in Rifa eX 88 with the FLO-X3 lamphead and three Lowel 65W daylight fluo lamps.

The changeover from tungsten to daylight was quick and easy. With just a twist of the wrist, the tungsten lamphead with its bayonet-type mount was off, and just as quickly it was replaced with the FLO-X3 lamphead and three bulbs.

Even More Versatility
I’ve used the same Rifa eX as an overhead light for B-roll product shots with the tungsten lamphead. It produces nice, soft, even light, minimizing unwanted shadows. Changing back from the fluorescent to tungsten was very fast. Being able to work quickly is always welcome to the producer.