$150 HMI Source-4 pars

Michael Carter

Michael Carter

Veteran
EDIT: TYPO - they're $75, not $150...

We went through this a few years ago when a used light vendor was clearing out Enliten show pars - Source 4's converted to cold-start HMI (or HID I guess?) Several of us picked up on those. Biggest issue is the available globes - 85-ish CRI, available in either 7200k (like $45 if you shop around) or 6000k (haven't tried one yet but found one for just over $100).

Anyway, I use one fairly often, with the 7200k globe it requires 1/2 CTO and 1/2 minus green for just-right color rendering - still a lot of light, and they're handy for night shoots for faking moonlight without gels.

Used Lighting has a bunch going for $75, plus shipping - light, safety cable, E-ballast, lenses, barn doors. Hell, try to find a Tungsten Source 4 for that!

But - these are the models with the ballast attached to the yoke (the Enliten brand uses a separate ballast which can be placed up to 50' away - fairly noisy fan in the Enliten).

In the age of Astra 6x panels, the old 575 par isn't as necessary, but for me the efficiency (and how cheap it was) makes a great office-interview-in-front-of-the-window fixture, even with gels. (Or use less gel and WB to the key, can make outdoor scenes go nicely warm). But for $75, I might grab one, handy for outdoor nights, music videos - that's a buttload of light for seventy five bucks.

Here's the link, hope this helps (nope, not affiliated with these guys): https://www.usedlighting.com/14612/tmb-power-par-hmi-575w
 
Not sure if that $75 unit includes a lens kit, and there is no weight listed for the unit. With the ballast built into the yoke that's not a problem if your mounting to pipe or truss, but could be on a stand
 
I've put these on medium kit stands for interiors, which isn't ideal but hasn't caused me any problems and that's what fits in my HMI kit case. I definitely prefer beefy baby stands or C-stands for these when possible. I used to have the TMB's and got rid of them in favor of Chroma-Q's which were the same price at the time but better in every way (HR, 6000K 90CRI, G22, variable fan, dimming/dmx).

I suppose the TMB power pars could be cool if you really can't spend any money and don't mind all the downsides, or maybe if you don't need the CRI or color temp or fan noise and want to put a bunch of them together for tons of punch for little money.
 
That Kupo master HD combo stand for $150 is a steal for a really hardcore stand. Free shipping from Adorama or B&H.

For $75, I still may grab one - I do a fair amount of music videos where sound isn't an issue, and a lot of blue light is handy. great for outdoor night shots, too.

Not the perfect light by any means, but... seventy five bucks for a ton of lumens.
 
There's still some hot-start chroma-qs in Canada. If the shipping and duty weren't so miserable, I'd be an owner. I'd like to know how much noise they make. If they're very quiet, it might still be worth it. I have a job coming up, a biggish night exterior, where I could just rack up half a dozen of those things into a butterfly for "moonlight."
 
Plus, with the Chroma's you get the G12 bulb which is easier to find in a proper CRI and temp. I'd guess you could remote the ballast if you knew how to keep the igniter near the head and do it properly?
 
G22, but yes.

The ignitor is almost certainly in the back of the lamp head. It'd be very unusual for them to be very far away on a hot-start device. I'd rehouse the ballasts entirely and therefore be able to use larger, quieter fans.

As an aside: I have tried hot-starting G12 bulbs as used the 150W stuff I think we've both played around with. Many of them will stand it. Some have internal metal structures that arc over before the lamp starts. I have not found a high-colour-temperature type that will put up with being hot started. I'd really like to find a source of 6000K-ish 150W stuff. I once saw some 5200K advertised but they wanted a lot of money for about 20 of them, so like an idiot, I held back. The commonly-seen Topspot-branded types aren't that good.

P
 
Phil, maybe I'm not sure what you mean, but I've been using Andrew's 150W 6000 K lamps in my source four HIDs for quite a while. Works pretty well I'm afraid he's going to discontinue them soon though
 
Phil Rhodes said:
G22, but yes.

The ignitor is almost certainly in the back of the lamp head. It'd be very unusual for them to be very far away on a hot-start device. I'd rehouse the ballasts entirely and therefore be able to use larger, quieter fans.

As an aside: I have tried hot-starting G12 bulbs as used the 150W stuff I think we've both played around with. Many of them will stand it. Some have internal metal structures that arc over before the lamp starts. I have not found a high-colour-temperature type that will put up with being hot started. I'd really like to find a source of 6000K-ish 150W stuff. I once saw some 5200K advertised but they wanted a lot of money for about 20 of them, so like an idiot, I held back. The commonly-seen Topspot-branded types aren't that good.

P
Click to expand...

I found a little Osram 150 bulb that's just perfect daylight, modded a 2" fresnel for it - I strike it from a Ballast sold on Amazon for fifty bucks, did a tut on that here some time back. Cold start though, and no dimmer. But a handly little light. It's a tiny little times-square fresnel, good hair light, etc.
 
Yes, I've seen those. Difficult to mount in a G12 base intended for a more conventional 150W type, but my principal concern was simply UV emission. Does the data sheet have anything to say on the subject? I seem to recall they aren't shielded in the way that (I believe most of) the conventional G12 stuff is.
 
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