Last month, Hamburg based Briese Lichttechnik established Briese NY, its first U.S. division office. I recently sat down with Gerd Bayer, who heads the office to talk about Briese, and to get an up close and personal look at some of their products.It doesn’t take a whole lot to figure out what makes the Briese light different – and that’s before you even plug it in. You may see deflectors, pencil or stick type lamps and large parabolic reflectors among other companies’ products, but none put them together the way that Briese does. The result is a unique way of distributing and controlling light. Briese was the company at the forefront of the large, umbrella style parabolic movement. With seven sizes available today, no one comes close to matching the range of focusable parabolics offered by Briese. The other thing which makes the Briese Focus unique is that it is essentially an exoskeleton with a reflective surface underneath. The beauty of this arrangement is that since the structure is on the exterior there are no ribs or spreader assembly compromising the interior.
Gerd already had a Focus77 set up when I arrived at the Briese NY office on West 27th Street. As I watched him move the flash head utilizing the focus tube or wand from the flood to the spot position and back (near the outer edge of the umbrella inward and out) the change in the position of the light on a subject is very much like watching a Fresnel being opened up or closed down.
The linear flash tube which the Briese Focus uses seems to produce a directed, even and efficient light. I’m going to address one thing right now as a user of the wonderful Elinchrom Deep Throat Octa which is a little larger than the Focus77 because someone is bound to ask: Inspite of being similarly shaped, the differences in the shape of the flash tubes, the interiors, as well as the ability to move the Briese flash tube, nets differences in lighting patterns and characteristics. With the addition of diffusion materials on both however and depending on where the Briese flash is positioned, I believe the differences may be narrowed. The Focus100, which was not available, and the Deep Octa are essentially the same size.
The components of the Focus system excluding the power pack and a light stand include: The Focus umbrella, the flash tube, shield and deflector: the focus tube/wand, the flash/lamp base, the mounting assembly, the set up assist/storage post, a breakdown ring and a transport bag. Gerd cautioned me that one of the most important things to remember in handling the Focus is not to pull on the ribs. He says that the most common repair he sees is exterior rib breakage, and usually because of someone trying to open or close the Focus improperly. If you place the collapsed umbrella on its end, insert the set-up post into the ring opening and apply a little pressure, the Focus takes shape. The breakdown process while different is just as simple: You place the breakdown ring on top of the exterior rim of the Focus, insert the set up post, apply some pressure and the umbrella collapses. Perhaps because I am a bit of a “gadgeteer,” I did not find the set up/breakdown process at all intimidating, but I do think that I would have felt differently if a Focus220 or 330 had been in front of me; where some things are concerned, size really does matter! I can certainly understand how some people might find the set up/breakdown process different enough to be a little too involved or worrisome.
The Briese Focus comes in one finish: hard silver. If you want to alter the characteristics of the resulting light, diffusion panels can be secured to the tips of the Focus. A soft grid can also be attached to the tips for another level of spread control. I pressed Gerd, as to what type of material is used on the interior surface of the Focus. I had heard that it was Kevlar; he smiled and indicated Briese does not disclose that, but went on to say that the material is special because the Focus range is also compatible with the Briese line of tungsten and HMI products and has to be able to withstand substantial heat. All in all, I was impressed with how well made the Focus components are, and how seamlessly they fit together.
The Focus77 was attached to an 800w/s multi-voltage, Briese Yellow Cube Pack. The 800i weighs about 17 pounds and when the lid is on — you guessed it — is a yellow cube with a carrying strap. This obviously is a real departure from the typical black or grey box one usually sees in the studio. The air cushioned sliders on the bottom of the pack are both a thoughtful and utilitarian touch. The pack has outlets for 2 heads. Interestingly while I wasn’t intimidated by the Focus77, the 800i was a different story. There are a lot of pressure pads for flash and modeling light control. I’m confident that if I spent time with the pack, that its operation would become second nature, but my initial reaction was “Oh my God!”
With the Briese pack, the shortest flash duration is achieved at maximum power. A four-stop range is the price one pays for the multi-voltage capability of the “i”series packs. The “e” series packs which are designed for use in Europe and are 220-240v have a seven-stop range. While the lack of familiarity with the pack controls can be overcome, for some photographers, the four-stop range of the ‘i” packs may be regarded as too limited. Hopefully this power adjustment range issue will be addressed in future products and/or updates. Given that the “i” series power adjustment range is not as robust as other premium brand generators, it was interesting to watch how making power and focus adjustments can work hand in hand in with respect to light output. The Briese generators start at 400w/s and go up to 6400w/s.
Among the new products which Briese has introduced is the “Focus Help” (FH,) a remote controlled unit which will tilt the Focus umbrella as well as move the focus tube in and out. For users of the larger Focus models, the FH will allow precise adjustment and fine tuning of the lights after they have been positioned. This device is clearly an assistant’s dream. While the Focus may be the product that people most readily associate with the Briese name, Gerd made it clear that there are several other stellar modifiers including a line of strip boxes. Like the Focus, the Strip is essentially an exoskeleton lined with reflective material. There are no ribs or wands inside the reflective surface area. The interior appears to be softer silver than that found in the Focus. The Strip comes in a few different sizes and there are louver and baffle options available to provide additional control.
Briese products are available at a couple of studio here in New York for in-studio and location use: Among them is Milk Studios. I was told by one of the equipment gurus that “We [at Milk] like the product and the client demand is definitely there.”
While I did not press Gerd about future product development, we did talk about growth. He indicated that “Continuous lighting and HMI specifically is definitely a growth area.” I was not surprised by his comment: As motion and still applications continue to converge and offer visual continuity across formats, clients may be able to realize significant economies of scale in being able to handle both of these needs on one set, at the same time. As of now his sense is that the Briese flash products are used more in New York for still work as opposed to Los Angeles, where the use of Briese continuous light products is driven by motion work.
Ken Allen of Monster Lighting, a professional film and video lighting house in Los Angeles has handled Briese products for approximately a year now, and says of the system, “It’s just a great product.” Ken confirmed that the light weight of the Briese continuous lamp fixture is an advantage in using and placing them on sets.
The one topic that I have held off mentioning until now is price. There are a couple of reasons for this: I wanted the focus of this entry to be on the Briese products which personally, I find intriguing. The target audience for these products is not the casual shooter, or the guys going at it on Internet forums as to which brand of lighting is better or trying to define what constitutes “professional lighting.” Let’s call it like it is: The market for Briese products includes high end commercial applications and photographers who have the client base and budget to justify or warrant the expense. They must feel that the Briese product will perform on the set as they demand and give the image the look they want and need. In my opinion, products like the Profoto 8Air, the new Profoto Giants, the Broncolor Scoro packs and Paras are aimed at the same markets and photographers make similar decision about there use based on their performance needs and desired look.. The only point here is that Briese is not alone in this regard. Let’s also acknowledge that many photographers rent this type of equipment when they need it, as opposed to buying it outright. You don’t find the Briese product in the popular virtual or brick and mortor stores, but they are found in a growing number of studios and specialty rental houses. I also did not want the discussion of expense to drive this entry because many times discussions on expense and value, just as discussions about “quality of light,” tend to be both subjective and relative.
But for those who are curious about the cost of ownership of the Briese kit that Gerd had set up in the office, here are some familiar products or services for which the price range, in U.S dollars, is comparable: One (1) 2009 Toyota Yaris; or a brand new Phase One 645 camera with a P30+ back and 80mm lens kit; or six (6) 17 inch 2.8GHz Mac Book Pros; or two (2) Nikon D3x camera bodies; or one (1) Canon 5d MarkII and the seven (7) fastest L prime lenses from 14mm through 200mm; or a face lift and tummy tuck.
For more information on Briese, their products, and availability, or about Milk Studios and Monster Lighting, click on the embedded links in this entry.
