Lowel DV Creator 55 Photography Video Light Kit Review DV-903Z

After looking at numerous lights from different manufacturers, I concluded that the Lowels met my needs as far as price for function/performance was concerned. At the Lowel price point, I’m not sure that there are better light kits out there. I needed a kit to shoot specifically – pregnancy, maternity, and baby photography – as well as a kit for all-around use in the studio and on location.

Background and My Needs:

I mainly wanted a light kit to shoot still photography with the following characteristics:

• Easy to Transport
• Rugged – Must Have A Hard Case
• Light and Compact
• 3 Lights
• Multiple Configurations
• Soft and Hard Sources
• Safe

I ended up picking up the Lowel DV Creator 55 Kit on Ebay after looking at various Tota, Rifa, Ambi, and Omni Kits. The DV Creator 55 Kit kit I purchased came with exactly what is sold in the current line-up, except I did not get the new Rifa ex 55 series softbox light. The kit is amazingly configurable and has FOUR lights! I wasn’t really considering the DV Creator 44 or 55 Kits at first, because the street price was significantly more (due to the additional Rifa Softbox Light).

Strong Points of This Lowel Light Kit

The current Lowel DV Creator 55 Kit has a Lowel Pro-Light, a Lowel Omni Light, a Lowel Tota Light, and a Lowel Rifa Exchange 55 Light. The Rifa eX 55 (LC-55EX) allows you to switch lampheads and change wattages, choose AC or DC tungsten-halogen lamps, or even daylight fluorescents. The great thing about the kit is you have access to a full fledged softbox in the Rifa, and the Pro-Light, Omni, and Tota can all pull double duty as hard lights or soft lights, by adding gels or umbrellas. This gives you enough light for portraits, maternity photography, single or double person interviews, or lighting small sets.

If you are the type of person who can read a book and experiment with different lighting setups, then you can get started without any outside training. Not that it wouldn’t be helpful, but you can certainly learn how to use the lights without taking a studio photography lighting class.

I have been extremely pleased with my choice to purchase these Lowel Lights. The kit is a strong value and has plenty of functionality which is outlined in the conclusion below.

Advice for Buying Any Photo or Video Light Kit

I can’t recommend it more strongly, buy a hard case for ANY light kit if you can afford it. It will probably pay for itself in the long run as far as longevity and breakage protection. Buy additional bulbs. If you have them, you’ll be ready when they blow out.

If you are new to lighting, the Ross Lowell book, “Matters of Light and Depth” is a must read. Even though the book is slightly out of date as far as digital technology is concerned (it mentions film everywhere), the craft of lighting is no different with digital vs film. You don’t have to buy a Lowel Kit to benefit from “Matters of Light and Depth” either. The book covers a lot of the basics and principles of lighting and is a good introduction to the craft. A good intermediate book is Light: Science and Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting by by Fil Hunter, Steven Biver, Paul Fuqua. It’s not loaded with snazzy photos of fashion models and it is not the most exciting read, but it dissects the principles of placing lights in a way that I have not seen before. It is worth the price of admission and I highly recommend it.

The normal warning about paying list price vs street price for photography equipment applies to light kits, too. You can get decent deals on new gear if you shop around. If you are considering purchasing on Ebay, I will say that you need to be careful. Many of the light kits I saw looked like they had been through hell. I would avoid those. Also, you will find many pawn shops selling cheap photography gear on Ebay. Most of them know nothing about photography or the condition of the equipment they are selling. That said, if you do your homework and you are patient, you might get a great light kit discount price. I use and recommend B&H Photo Video and Adorama.

Weaknesses:

At the price point, I believe that the DV Creator Kits are a great value for the professional or advanced amateur photographer. I don’t have many complaints with this kit, except that the clamps on the stands can sometimes fracture if you overtighten them (here is a tutorial on how to repair a broken stand). I had one of mine break, although the stand still functions fine. Likewise, the stands could be a little more beefy, but that would probably increase price and weight considerably, and the stands work well and are stable. Again, these are really minor nitpicks.

It would be handy to have one more umbrella with the DV Creator Kit. One more gel holder would have been helpful, too. For four lights, having only one large and one small gel holder is not enough. Of course, you can pick them up later.

My Recommendations, Conclusions, and Overall Opinion of the DV Creator Kit

Any of the Lowel 3 Light Kits are worth considering. If you are just getting started, or are on an extremely tight budget, you may want to look at a Lowel 2 Light Kit and add on to it later. Honestly, you can do a lot with two lights and a reflector. I recommend that you try to get a mix of hard and soft lights, or chose some combination of Omni or Tota Lights. The number of accessory gel holders, umbrellas, gels, barndoors, usually increases with the larger kits and this often makes them a better value.

If you have the money, my opinion is that having a dedicated softbox light is a great addition to a kit. If you don’t have the money, I would follow the advice above.

Which brings me to the big conclusion. I have been using my DV Creator Kit for maternity and pregnancy photography, and I would purchase it again without hesitation. Having access to four lights is great. I like having a dedicated softbox -the Rifa – and I plan on using the Pro Light in spaces where there isn’t much room for a larger light. The Tota and Omni are super flexible and configurable. The people at Lowel are great to work with too, so if you need support, that is a huge plus.

I have had a blast experimenting with all the different lighting configurations this kit allows. If you’ve never had a light kit before, purchasing ANY lights will open up a new creative avenue for you. If you purchase a Lowel light kit, I think you’ll get a great system with plenty of versatility to let your create wonderfully lit photographs (and videos).

Price Check This Lowel Light Kit

• At B&H Photo Video
• At Adorama.com

List of Current Items included with the Lowel DV Creator 55 Light Kit

• 1 Rifa eX 55 (LC-55EX)
• 1 500w, 120v lamp (EHC)
• 1 Pro-light (P2-10)
• 1 Pro-light 4-way Barndoors (iP-20)
• 1 200w, 120v lamp (FVL)
• 1 Omni-light (O1-10)
• 1 Omni-light 4-way Barndoors (O1-20)
• 1 500w, 120v lamp (FTK)
• 1 Tota-light (T1-10)
• 1 750w, 120v lamp (EMD)
• 3 Uni TO Stands (UN-55)
• 1 KS Jr. Stand (DT-33)
• 1 Tota-frame (T1-20)
• 1 Assorted Gels (T1-78)
• 1 Pro & i Gel Frame (iP40)
• 1 iP Assorted Gels (iP-78)
• 1 Flexi-shaft pkg (2) (T1-50)
• 1 Tota-flag (T1-52)
• 1 Tota-brella (T1-25)
• 1 T/O Lampak (TO-61)
• 1 DP/Tota Lampak (DT-61)
• 1 TO-83 Case

(Although this a PixelsAndSuch.com Photo Review of the Lowel DV Creator 55 Kit, many things in this review apply to the Lowel DV Creator 44 Light Kit and to other Lowel Photo Lights and Lighting Kits). Our review policies are here.

Tags: Buying Advice, DV Creator, Lowel, Photo Lighting Kit, review