5600k and 3200k flouro websites.

Re: 5600k and 3200k flouro websites.

Does it make sense to pop some of those 65watt fluoros (300 watt incadescent equivalent) from a couple of those sites you mentioned into $15 photoflood reflectors with sockets, mount them on stands, and use them like traditional lighting indoors during the daytime? (Of course do manual white balance, maybe add an umbrella, etc).
 
Re: 5600k and 3200k flouro websites.

lowes has the lights of america available online, the model number is 8055ss
for the record, lights of america has the worst customer service on earth, emailed back and forth for awhile till they responded with the info, because their site doesn't contain it...

*** anyone have success using these or other models "cheapo electronic ballasts"  when shooting at 24p... or happen to know if the ballasts operate at 25khz or 60khz?
if you had success, and do not know if it's 25khz/60khz what was your shutter speed?
(from what i could find all electronic ballasts are 25khz, which makes them flicker free.... just want to verify this with users)

later gaters :-]
 
Re: 5600k and 3200k flouro websites.

..if i remember correctly the fixtures im using run between 50-60 hz with the electronic ballasts.. but no flicker at all. the hum is so quiet you have to stick your head in the fixture to hear it, and just one of the 2 banks comined with the 56k (5550k) t8 3000 lumen bulbs im using is well enough to use as a soft key light . with 4 bulbs running. i have to throw nds on. shooting with 1/48th shutter in 24p.
 
Re: 5600k and 3200k flouro websites.

thanks for the getback, actually found a 8055 ss lights of america fixture at a different walmart.... this one hums quite loudly, seems like just another fixture
however, the box was obviously a return, had tape on it and everything

again,maybe it's a defective product, or aged

if you're doing music videos, or sound is not really vital...definitely usable,

someone picked me up another ballast, will have a review tomorrow :)

don't forget real kino-flo t12's will work in these ballasts....
 
Re: 5600k and 3200k flouro websites.

Just wanted to throw in that I've been using that same light fixture IAL found for a couple of months. Bought it at Lowes for $14. The bulbs I'm using are 5000k Sun Sticks (not always great when mixed with incandescents), but awesome when there's a little bit of daylight coming in a window). The Sun Sticks (Sylvania?) have a CRI of about 92. I've loved the slight warming they give to the 5600k daylight color balance setting.

What do I like about those Lights of America fixtures? They look nice on a light stand. I like the fact that they don't look much like a shop light. I hang them off the stand from one of their chains or use bungie cords to help with the setup. It's also easy to throw one on a chair next to someone being interviewed.

What do I dislike? I don't think I would start with this fixture if I wanted to add a new balast or something because there aren't any screws or easy ways to take it apart. Also, the electronic balasts do hum quite a bit. The hum isn't bad for location work (you probably won't notice with a small amount of ambient noise), especially if you stuff a sock or muffle in the right place on the fixture, but I wouldn't use them in a studio and a your sound guy (if you have one) might not like them. But hey, at less than $30 (fixture and bulbs) I have great 5000k soft lighting.

I'm currently looking for some lights to compliment this fixture with the 5000k sun sticks, to brighten up a room, add fill, etc. I've been trying to find those fluorescent fluorex work lights that run at about 6000k, but haven't seen them around for a while. Anyone use those? They're made by lights of america, too.
 
Re: 5600k and 3200k flouro websites.

i use them with the 3000 lumen 56k t8 bulbs. they didnt hum at first, and then started to, but still dont do it all the time.. but like you said.. i dont really notice. .. untill this mon i was in a small bathroom with them.. then i could hear it ambiently, but i was shooting  mit sound anyway. but it  wouldve annoyed me a little  if i was trying to do important dialog or anything. it wasnt loud enought o make them unuseable, but just loud enough to make it annoy me that it was there. it seems to vary based on what type of bulbs im running as well. im looking at other fixtures to put the bulbs in for close quarter lighting and dialog like that. cause when the light is close to the mic in a small environment like that bathroom it woul be nice to have a quieter ballast. but for everything else theyve worked fine so far.. so lightweight.. like 1or 2 lbs or somthing probably so i hang them from whatever i want. with the hooks and chains they come with..
 
Re: 5600k and 3200k flouro websites.

Yeah, IAL, you just reminded me of the other thing I like about them. They are lighter weight than most of the other shop lights I thought about buying. That was a huge plus for me.

And, like you said, I bet these LOA shop lights don't hum much with the T8 lights in them. I hadn't thought of that. It's probably my T12 Sun Sticks that are causing them to hum louder than most people report. Hmm. Maybe I should try to find some high CRI T8 lights. And maybe if I get some 3000k T8 lights I'll be able to use practicals or my Halogen lights with this fixture easier (without the color temp problems I have between my Sun Sticks and practicals). And if the fixture doesn't hum much with T8 bulbs, I'll probably buy another one, because besides the hum I like them a lot.

Back to Lowes for some T8 bulbs!
 
Re: 5600k and 3200k flouro websites.

I have the LOA work light I got from them online (see color temperature and worklights thread in this section) for about $35. It has one funny looking bulb - not the long fluoro bulbs most people think of.

Anyway, no hum. 300 watts equivalent (65 watt actual draw). (The box says 500 watt equivalent, but someone on this site did a test and it is closer to 300). 6500K. It is closer to sunlight at other times in the day other than high noon clear sky (which is 5600K).
 
Re: 5600k and 3200k flouro websites.

Okay, I got two of the daylight balanced 5000K 65 watt (300 watt equivalent) fluoros (at $28 a pop). Like everything else under the control of Murphy's Law, my excitement was turned to dissapointment to find that they won't fit in my reflectors! I take off the reflector dishes around the socket and it fits, but the light is not directional at all, and not suitable for the use I want. I guess I have to try some other reflector dishes.

Update - I found a solution. For $2 at the hardware store, find those socket extenders (I don't know the proper name) which you put in a socket which has electric sockets on the side, you know the kind you put in an overhead light socket in the basement so you can run a power cord to something else. Place that in the light socket of the traditional photoflood reflector and it extends it far enough so these huge fluoros fit in the reflector.
 
Re: 5600k and 3200k flouro websites.

I've also purchased a big, collapsible reflector (not the dishes I just referred to, but an actual reflector designed to reflect existing light). The nice part of this is that matching color temperature is not an issue because it reflects existing light, it doesn't get hot (like halogens), it reflects very well (it should, I paid $60 for it!), there are no cords to trip over, is appropriate indoors and outdoors, assists with indoor shooting during the day, and takes only a second to position and reposition to get a shot (assuming a person is operating it, and it's not mounted on a boom). The downside is getting the right distance relative to the field of view in the shot, not having control of where the sun is (or isn't) at any given moment, and it may require an extra person to operate (unless you want to buy a holder for it to mount on a stand - I have five kids, roughly translated as five potential reflector holders).

Overall, I feel like this will be an very important addition to my lighting possibilities (I've been playing with it for the last couple of days - nothing on tape yet).
 
Re: 5600k and 3200k flouro websites.

[quote author=Everdene link=board=lighting;num=1083945797;start=15#27 date=06/02/04 at 16:18:14]... I'll probably buy another one, because besides the hum I like them a lot.

Back to Lowes for some T8 bulbs!
[/quote]

Did you find any high CRI T8s at Lowe's?
 
Re: 5600k and 3200k flouro websites.

The best I could find is 86 CRI Philips T8 bulbs at Home Depot (the Lowe's around my place only had one generic T8 bulb). Anyway, these Home Depot T8 bulbs are quite bright, brighter that the T12's I've used, even though they are only 30 watts. They have nice color. They come in 5000k and 3000k. The 3000k match nicely with halogens and the 5000k work well with sunlight coming in from the outside.

My fixture (that LOA shop light) still hums a little too much, even with the T8 bulbs. No change on the hum between the T8 and T12 bulbs.
 
Re: 5600k and 3200k flouro websites.

Okay, I'm finally gearing up to build my own floros and have absorbed a lot of the info here.
Next question: For those with floro panels, how are you mounting them? Are you using C-stands or some other variation.

I want to be able to take them to locations (not run and gun stuff of course) but I want them to be at least marginally portable.

Or is there a guerrilla version of the c-stand that I'm overlooking.
 
Re: 5600k and 3200k flouro websites.

I did a little field test with the $35 Lights Over America fluoro work light. I had my DVX hooked up to my TV in our family room. In the afternoon, that room gets only minimal light from the sun because it faces east. I set up that light to come from the direction of the window into the room on one of my kids sitting on the couch. Wow, my family members who typically yawn while I do video work were quite impressed that it looked like sunshine coming in the window! (I white balanced, of course). I would say that these lights are the real thing. Also, I tested two other daylight balanced fluoros. They had a very similar effect, once white balance occured. It was so convincing that I question why I'd ever pay more than that to create that effect (consider that a single HMI light could cost $1,000 to $4,000 or more). Even in the 5600K preset, they looked pretty good.

One of the two other fluoros just mentioned was from:
http://www.fullspectrumsolutions.com/compact.htm. I used the 65w (300 watt equivalent), which doesn't fit in the standard photoflood reflectors - you need to get a socket adapter/extender at your local hardware store in order to fit it in the reflector socket. The third fluro was a 100 watt equivalent (24 actual watts) from Samigon which I got from a local photo store for $15. Inside a photoflood reflector, this puts out fairly well, especially if it is a close up shot and you can get fairly close to the actor. The other two worked from across the room (both 300 watt equivalent).

I was left with the impression that these compact work lights and fluro bulbs (as opposed to getting into the long fluoro tubes and ballasts, etc.) can really do the job to brighted up indoor shots during daylight. I'm impressed.

The CFI rating on the Lights Over America was not as high as the other two, but all seemed to work pretty well. I didn't notice much difference in color, but I wasn't watching for that - nothing obvious jumped out at me. I spent a lot of time investigating the daylight balanced fluoros, and bought three different types, and it was only this past weekend I gave them a real test on a NTSC monitor/TV, and I have to say, they performed better than I was even expecting.
 
Re: 5600k and 3200k flouro websites.

ok how about really small/short fluorescents??

i found these Gyoury bulbs on b&h that are like a foot or less long and they would be great for some in-car shots i have coming up but i don't know squat about ballasts

these bulbs come in 3200k and 5600k with an "amphenol" connector, but i have to figure out where to get a small ballast for the application.

plus i need to run it off of a 12v dc / ac invertor.

matthew
 
Re: 5600k and 3200k flouro websites.

A couple of things:

I use my halogen work lamp stands for a lot of stuff. They aren't as tall as a good C-stand, but I paid 15 bucks a piece for them (with the halogen head), they are pretty solid and collapse small, and I'm pretty sure you could figure a way to hook up a fluoro to it fairly easily. Which is something I'd like to test if I can get another recommendation for an inexpensive 4' fluorescent fixture. I looked at wal-mart for the one mentioned earlier and they didn't have it. I know I can just buy a few different ones to see which one is quietest, but I was wondering if anyone had another specific recommendation. Thanks
 
Re: 5600k and 3200k flouro websites.

If anybody is still looking for those LOA 8055SS Fluoros, I found them at Lowe's for 15 bucks.
 
Re: 5600k and 3200k flouro websites.

Okay, a couple of questions.
I bought some 48" 3000K bulbs with a cri of 85. When I look at the bulb, it looks a lot different than my 3200k halogens. I'm having a hard time judging how different the color temp of the light they are throwing is. Is looking at the bulb itself a good way to judge?

Second, all of the screw in fluoros I can find do not list a color temp or cri. They just say cool and warm. I've tried Lowes, HOme Depot and WalMart. ANy suggestions on that?
Thanks.
 
Re: 5600k and 3200k flouro websites.

Jim, the color rendering index of your bulbs does not meet the requirement of 91CRI for film/video. Most likely the colors will not be as acurate and you will have a significant amount of green peeking out. There is no way you can judge a bulb of its temperature just by taking a look. Your brain will automatically white balance the bulb and everything else around it. Try lighting a piece of white wall while adjusting your incam options. Also when buying bulbs for film/video make sure they squeese a good amount of lumens.
Take a look www.fullspectrumsolutions.com
I have the t12 48" 93 CRI, 2500 Lumens, 5900K bulbs and they do have a slight green tint but you can overrun that via incam settings.
Good luck!
 
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