Photo Basics 402 uLite Video Lighting Kit

by F.J. Westcott Co.

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 30 x 7.5 x 13.5 inches ; 16.8 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 16.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0026HMKFI
• Item model number: 402
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #77 in Camera & Photo > Accessories > Lighting > Lighting Controls & Modifiers > Soft Boxes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: April 13, 2009

Product Description

We've all heard of the wonders of using Green Screen for video, but for the first time ever, we teach how simple and easy this technique really is. Play live at a rock concert, conduct an interview in front of the Eiffel Tower, enjoy a day at the beach--the possibilities are endless. The Westcott 402 comes complete with everything you need: Lighting, Green Screen, Educational DVD, Digital Video DVD and free trial of Adobe Premiere Elements 7 software.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

60 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent starter kit for green screen and lighting for photo and video!, June 25, 2009

By 

Nathan Andersen "film lover, philosophy profe... (Florida) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Photo Basics 402 uLite Video Lighting Kit (Electronics)

(What's this?)

Length:: 1:07 Mins

You want to add interesting backgrounds to video interviews and photo portraits? Green screen allows you to do it without the expense of going to exotic locations.

Photo Basics has created an easy, well-designed kit that has just about everything you need to do green screen right.

Green screen basically takes advantage of the fact that several video and photo editing programs can cut out a specified range of color from a video clip or photo. Bright green works nicely, since it stands out and most people don't wear it (and you have to make sure they don't if you want it to work!). The key to doing it right is that the screen has to be uniformly lit, so that your photo or video editing software can cut it all out.

This kit comes with two lights on stands, a 9'x 10' green flannel screen, a simple instruction video, a CD with a few funky backgrounds (some you can see in my video) and a one-month trial of Adobe Premiere Elements (so you can try out the effect if you don't have anything else that will do Chroma Key). What you need, in addition, is a more permanent video editing solution, a video or still camera, and some way to mount the screen on a flat wall.

The screen is made of very nice quality fabric. It's a durable, wrinkle-resistant, felt type material with a reflective surface on one side and a fluffy surface on the other. There is a slot on one end of the screen that you can run a tube through if you have a frame, but there are also 3 brass eyelit rings on each side of the screen that you can use to hook your screen onto the wall, either with adhesive backed hooks or screw in hooks. I suppose you could also use tape.

The light stands are solid, and elevate to about 7 feet - they may not be professional strength but they seem durable and don't wobble, even at maximum height. The collapsible softboxes are also nicely built. You open them up like an umbrella and put in the included 500 watt bulbs, then put on the white diffusing cover to spread the light and eliminate glare.

This is a very nice kit, and you could do a lot with it. I shot this video quickly with my Canon VIXIA HF10, setting up the screen in my office where I didn't have a lot of room to back up and get a wider shot. I used Final Cut Express 4 to edit and eliminate the green. I used a few of the backgrounds that are included with the kit, and some other random footage I had on my camcorder from a local park. (I apologize for the foreground: I guess I could probably use a haircut).

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great value. Excellent kit for anyone. Green screen for your home!, June 23, 2009

By 

Kiyo M. - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Photo Basics 402 uLite Video Lighting Kit (Electronics)

(What's this?)

Length:: 1:44 Mins

I made a really quick green screen at the end of the video review.

If you're new to how green screen works, it's actually really simple. All it is is extracting everything that's green in POST-production. The hardest part is getting the actual production done by having the correct lighting and setup (without shadows, etc), or else it just becomes a nightmare when you actually edit. You need the right tools to do it and this kit is a great arsenal to accomplish a proper green screen -- as long as if you have the space to do it.

The packaging/presentation is clearly targeted towards the average consumer instead of professionals. The box actually looks like I'm buying Guitar Hero (even the DVD menu reminded me of the game). Despite that, I feel this is still perfect for both beginners and semi-professionals. Basically anyone who wants to accomplish a green screen -- the proper, professional-like way.

I actually looked up how much each of these would cost if you were to buy it separate; the kit comes with:
(1) 9' by 10' wrinkle-free green screen (around $70)
(2) 7' Light stands (around $70 / $30 each)
(2) Light kit + soft box (around $200 / $100 each)
(2) EIKO Supreme Photoflood 500 watt, 120v, E26 Medium Screw, 3200 Kelvin incandescent bulbs (around $14 / $7 each) -- the weakest of the set, but it does the job.

So it really is a value. I was surprised how affordable this is, considering you get all these essential tools to accomplish really professional looking, proper green screen. I think what you have to consider the most is whether or not you have enough work space in your home to set this up.

It comes with 3 discs:
1. Adobe Premiere Elements 7 (just a 30-Day Trial)
2. Animated Backgrounds (just 10 in .avi and .mov format -- I used one of them for the video I uploaded on the review)
3. Educational (it lasts just 30 minutes; about 10 minutes covers how to set up the kit and tips; another 10 minutes showing how to simple edit in Adobe Elements & iMovie [requires a plugin]; the last 10 minutes show how easy it is that a group of kids ages 7-14 can do it on their own (I'm sure they had a LITTLE help, though). I wonder who the writers were? It was quite "LOL". It was actually interesting. I'm sure those kids will have a career in acting.)

The DVD covering the setup is presented by Vice President of Photo Basics, Kelly Mondora. She makes it easy to understand and does not go into too complicated in-depth, but she gives enough basic information and tips very clearly. (I wish she would have taught my digital effects course! No offense to my professor. I really could have used this kit then too!)

I really love how easy the collapsible soft boxes are to set up and put away; there's another light kit I've used before and it was so ridiculously hard to put those things together. Everything is easy to store away and portable.

Pros:
- Great for consumers and semi-pros (actually can look pretty professional); no matter what level you are, as long as if you have the passion to do it.
- Great value. Very affordable considering all the things you get.
- Portability - easy to put together and put away.
- DVD instruction is very clear and helpful. I wonder why I paid hundred of dollars to learn this in a college course, when I could have had a better basic knowledge, and most importantly, the actual TOOLS included for less.

Cons:
- The light gets the job done (incandescent light; just like your regular light bulbs in a home, but it's super bright at 500watts), but I'd say it's definitely the cheapest component of the kit. The lights are inexpensive but 60 hours lifespan is not that long. (Then again, this is a kit made for consumers, so I'm probably being harsh)
- The items smell like a shoe store.
- Doesn't come with anything to attach the green screen (the DVD recommends using 'wall hooks', so I wish they could have just included them, instead of using pins to put holes in my wall or tape.)
- A support system or a bag would have been really nice (I'd say that would make it more 'complete').

Whenever I really love a product, it usually deserves a 5 star. (In reality this product is probably more a 4 star being harsh) In the end, despite my pet peeve with the light bulb, I am really impressed with this kit considering it's more towards the main consumer target. I love it! I highly recommend it to anyone interested in doing a green screen. It will definitely make a great gift to anyone: whether you're a filmmaker or just want to impress your family to have fun.

For more control and advance users, I recommend learning Adobe After Effects and motion tracking to get more out of the green screen. It's really all up to your imagination.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great Kit, But Lacking a Few 'Key' Items, July 14, 2009

By 

Lon J. Seidman "lon401" (CT) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Photo Basics 402 uLite Video Lighting Kit (Electronics)

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As an all-in-one kit, the Photo Basics 402 on the surface appears to be all inclusive. In the box are two moderately powered soft boxes, some software, a few sample backgrounds, and an absolutely enormous green screen.

You can see some of the other reviewers' results in their video reviews on this page. There's no question this kit provides just about everything needed to do some decent green screen work. But there are some problems that I'd like to point out:

1. What appears to be a free standing flat green screen in the marketing photos is actually an enormous (and heavy) rolled up green blanket in the box. What's more, the manufacturer does not provide any hooks or other tools to aid hanging up the screen (at least my box doesn't have it). Expect to take some time to get it flush and static. Even small movements of air can move the screen enough to give some errors.

2. The only software included with the package is a sample version of Adobe Premiere Elements which will expire after thirty days. There is nothing for Mac users, although the current version of iMovie supports green screens.

The Photo Basics 402 kit succeeds in that everything in the box will work once you invest a little bit more to get a full version of the software and the screen stabilized. Still, a comparable setup with a better screen could be pieced together on Amazon for a comparable (or maybe even lower) price.