FITP Hi-light background thread!!!!

I have had a shot at both types, The one that FITP sells is great value and you should not think that you are taking second best. The previous argument was from someone who is at the top level of the tog game and sees things a little differently from us beginners. Not a dig at Hoppy in any way and he is the one to ask for answers(y).

As a relative beginner if you were to compare my first attempts with Grahams Hilite and the one from Lastolite I bet you would fail to see the difference.

Graham (fitp) has really helped a lot of us to get stuff at an affordable price, just wish he would build a website:LOL:

I guess when I bought it I thought it would be the magic bullet but as always in life it takes work.

Take your time, have fun, ask questions but most of all improve(y)

ps: Please read this(y)

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=349942
 
Ok...Here is my tuppence worth...

I bought the smaller one...min 1/2 price of real one...I COULD NOT AFFORD TO BUY A REAL ONE...

Overall I have found it to be like most camera stuff...a learning curve...I am buying a second flash to give a more even light...BUT I WANTED ANOTHER FLASH AND WAS GOING TO GET ONE SOON...so no real extra cost there...ALSO THE REAL ONE NEED TWO FLASHES AS WELL...so defo no real extra cost...

We know/have read about the extra zips...ILL DO IT IF I NEED/WANT TO...

The sides are black...GOOD OLD FITP IS GOING TO PROVIDE A FIX FOC...whats more does anyone want...

The back leaks light...POSS A WHITE SHEET (ASDA BED SPREAD) CLIPPED TO THE BACK OR ITS THAT 2 LIGHT SET UP AGAIN (covered above)...so covered that...

The pro at my camera club uses a real one and we did a side by side...over all his comment was...IF YOU ARE A PRO YOU USE PRO STUFF (Lights/lenses/cameras) YOU SUBSIDISE BUYING THESE WITH YOUR INCOME...FOR EVEN A SERIOUS AMATURE HE THOUGHT IT WAS GREAT...AND STATED EVEN THE REAL THING IS NOT 100% PERFECT...

ITS ALL ABOUT THE USE AND MONEY BALANCE...

I DRIVE A VECTRA...NOT THE PORSCHE...BECAUSE I CANNOT JUSTIFY THE COST FOR ITS WOULD USE...IT IS NOT A CAR PAID FOR BY A BUISNESS...

I am more than happy with my purchase...will mod if req to...and if it was not for FITP there are a whole lot of people who could/would not afford/have a hilite (type) setup...

SO...

From us poor the toggers...cheers Graham (FITP)..!!!

I'll continue to buy with confidence...and know that what i am buying is not always original...but I can afford it...and the after sales service is second to none...

If you feel offended by this...Please excuse my wee rant...!!!


STEVIER
 
With all due respect guys, it is great to hear your opinions.
It would, however, be even better to have some sort of photographic evidence to go along with your claims.


(y)


I would really appreciate some visual proof of your findings because I am looking at
the same products at the moment.
 
Johnny Thunder said:
With all due respect guys, it is great to hear your opinions.
It would, however, be even better to have some sort of photographic evidence to go along with your claims.


(y)


I would really appreciate some visual proof of your findings because I am looking at
the same products at the moment.
Click to expand...

I am on holiday in Spain until a week on Friday. I will have the hilite up and running at the weekend. I will be using 2 sb900's with su800 commander and 2 sb25's to light the inside. They will be conncted to the camera with cables. I will post some photographs during the following week.
 
Johnny Thunder said:
With all due respect guys, it is great to hear your opinions.
It would, however, be even better to have some sort of photographic evidence to go along with your claims.


(y)


I would really appreciate some visual proof of your findings because I am looking at
the same products at the moment.
Click to expand...

I posted a couple of posts in this tread showing the illumination issues in the corners - the white inserts that FITP has promised should help a lot here. There are also some test shots which I was pleased with.

I've got a vinyl train sourced from a Lorry Tarpaulin firm turning up this week so I am really looking forward to seeing how that works with the hilite.
 
im a little puzzled by this, and feel i need to make a comment.

Hoppy and Flash are having a little tiff on 1 item, Hoppy recommends flash A LOT so there clearly isnt an axe to grind. Hoppy knows what he is talking about, those of us who know who he is and what he did in a past life will know that his opinion and suggestions on what can be improved are not just idle ramblings. I think that Graham and him need to settle their differences out of this thread, and allow this thread to remain on the product.

Ive also bought a couple of items and had some prices and Graham is good, but there is ALWAYS room for improvement and free quality advice should never be overlooked or viewed as unhelpful.
 
matty said:
im a little puzzled by this, and feel i need to make a comment.

Hoppy and Flash are having a little tiff on 1 item, Hoppy recommends flash A LOT so there clearly isnt an axe to grind. Hoppy knows what he is talking about, those of us who know who he is and what he did in a past life will know that his opinion and suggestions on what can be improved are not just idle ramblings. I think that Graham and him need to settle their differences out of this thread, and allow this thread to remain on the product.

Ive also bought a couple of items and had some prices and Graham is good, but there is ALWAYS room for improvement and free quality advice should never be overlooked or viewed as unhelpful.
Click to expand...

Matt, as far as I (and I'm sure Richard) am concerned the situation has been resolved. The observations made were noted and (as previously stated) despite the manufacturer telling me that Richard's complaint was the only one they had ever received, I have commissioned a set of retrofit internal corner panels which should cure the "problem" and they will be available free-of-charge to anyone who has bought one of these.

I am always happy to receive feedback from my customers and suggestions for new product lines or where improvements can be made to existing ones are more than welcome.

Hopefully the corner panels will be here later this week, so anyone who has purchased (and still owns ;)) one of the HighLights and would like a set of these free-of-charge then please pm me and I will send them out to you poste haste.
 
Flash In The Pan said:
Matt, as far as I (and I'm sure Richard) am concerned the situation has been resolved. The observations made were noted and (as previously stated) despite the manufacturer telling me that Richard's complaint was the only one they had ever received, I have commissioned a set of retrofit internal corner panels which should cure the "problem" and they will be available free-of-charge to anyone who has bought one of these.

I am always happy to receive feedback from my customers and suggestions for new product lines or where improvements can be made to existing ones are more than welcome.

Hopefully the corner panels will be here later this week, so anyone who has purchased (and still owns ;)) one of the HighLights and would like a set of these free-of-charge then please pm me and I will send them out to you poste haste.
Click to expand...

good stuff, very good "customer care"....everyone can draw a line under this and move on with the task of lining your pockets buying flash-related accesories...:p:D
 
Back onto the lighting the train subject, someone told me they angle their hi lite foward a little, ie the top leaning over towards the model. This apparently helps loads with the illumination of the floor. It will need 2 stands or a boom type stand if using the middle hook only.
What you feel about having it leaning slightly, i dont know. But maybe its worth a try.
Dean:)
 
It is a big softbox really so light does spill - the trick is how much and placement of the subject.

I don't use the HL for that though. I've seen some use 1 or 2 lights as well as 2 in the backdrop and a subject light or 2 but I don't have 5 or 6 lights (well I do if I use small flash). Additional light is required to light the train - up to you how to deliver that.

Can be done easily in Ps (just a few seconds) but if there's a lot of images (100s), it can take a lot of time
 
Johnny Thunder said:
If it is capable of lighting the train, then doesn't this suggest too much spill?
Click to expand...

I think it depends on the material used for the train. If you're using vinyl, it's probably going to be reflection more so than illumination.
 
Flash In The Pan said:
Matt, as far as I (and I'm sure Richard) am concerned the situation has been resolved. The observations made were noted and (as previously stated) despite the manufacturer telling me that Richard's complaint was the only one they had ever received, I have commissioned a set of retrofit internal corner panels which should cure the "problem" and they will be available free-of-charge to anyone who has bought one of these.

I am always happy to receive feedback from my customers and suggestions for new product lines or where improvements can be made to existing ones are more than welcome.

Hopefully the corner panels will be here later this week, so anyone who has purchased (and still owns ;)) one of the HighLights and would like a set of these free-of-charge then please pm me and I will send them out to you poste haste.
Click to expand...

There are still outstanding issues Graham.

As far as your Highlight is concerned, in my opinion it requires more than just white corners to work properly. As I have said here and also described to you by PM, to properly simulate the genuine HiLite it also needs an opaque back panel and sides also. Currently 2/3rds of the light is not only wasted out of the back and sides, but that light is vital to fill in the areas furthest from the flash heads. That's how a genuine HiLite works - by bouncing the light around inside as much as possible so it is completely scrambled and even, then forcing it out of the front. It's basically like a giant softbox, and obviously they wouldn't work too well either without opaque and reflective sides, and they also need a double diffusion layer on the front to get really even coverage. Problems with the current product will be emphasised when a train is added.

The changes I have suggested will a) minimise fall-off and maximise evenness of coverage, and b) maximise efficiency. Then the front panel needs to be of a thicker material for better diffusion. In other words, just like the original Lastolite HiLite. The choice of materials is just as important as the basic design and shape.

The other thing is that you have also refused to do any further business with me, in case I have "issues" with your merchandise. You even insisted that I return stuff I had already received, that I was quite happy with, and had sent you a cheque for the full sale price. It would be decent of you to review that decision.

Matty, very many thanks for your kind words. I don't want to cause any more trouble and am quite happy to agree to differ, if folks are happy with what they have. I have said what I think people should be aware of, and posted a pic previously :)
 
im drawing a line under this, Im fully aware of the back and forth between Hoppy and Flash, they REALLY need to sit down and talk as they can be of great help to each other. Anymore posts that are off-topic and i will remove them and suspend people posting them.

Graham ive sent you an email and Hoppy, you will also have something to read later.

Play nice please folks.
 
The white corner panels have now arrived, if anyone would like a set please pm me your shipping details again and I'll pop them in the mail (y)
 
My Hi Light came yesterday, its a FITP one, but i got it from classifieds on this forum.
Its the large one, flippin large too. Sure there are a few small alterations that will have to be made for it to be perfect for me, but im well chuffed with it.
I will fit zips in the short sides, i also may be able to get some reflective/opaque material to velcro to the rear if need be.
Cant wait to get the lights in it and have a play.
Dean:)
 
Has anyone fitted the white corner panels yet and if so any advice on the best way of achieving this?

Mine arrived yesterday and apart from taking it out and erecting it to check that it was okay then putting it back in the bag which was much easier than I expected after reading some comments on this (I just aimed it into a corner of the room and it took seconds) I have not tried it out yet as was doing a different project yesterday.
 
Kerioak said:
Has anyone fitted the white corner panels yet and if so any advice on the best way of achieving this?

Mine arrived yesterday and apart from taking it out and erecting it to check that it was okay then putting it back in the bag which was much easier than I expected after reading some comments on this (I just aimed it into a corner of the room and it took seconds) I have not tried it out yet as was doing a different project yesterday.
Click to expand...

I used self adhesive Velcro running parallel with the metal strips. That way it allows it to fold away with no stress. Seems to work fine.
 
I picked up some Velcro the other day in Poundland...... quite a length of it for a pound ;)
 
I know this is an old thread but where can these FITP hilite backgrounds be purchased from?
 
Link to where to buy?
 
I can only find the lastolite version which is out of my budget at the moment.

Is there any similar type of pop up background which I can use flash on to give the same affect?

I'd like to do full body shots and small groups, would a stand and roll be better? If so what's best for white and black material?

Thanks
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top