Fluro's -- which to buy

[razerfish]

I finally came into a little money and am buying equipment we need. I already picked up an assortment of Lowell lights from Ebay, along with a bunch of other stuff we needed.

I would really like to get a fluro setup because real soon it's going to get very hot in Arizona, and I'd like to keep the heat down on shoots as much as I can.

Can someone give me some good advice about the Lowell Caselite vs. the Kinoflo equivalent? Ruggedness? Dimming ability. Portability. Strenghths / weeknesses. Should someone get two 2 lites or 1 four lite setup?

I almost pulled the trigger today at B&H on the Lowell 4 lite setup but pulled back. I wanted to get some more information. I also called EVS but was on hold for 28 minutes. I will never give them any of my business in the future!

Any thoughts?

(Oh, and I will be making a few small grafflights myself)

 

[Barry_Green]

Re: Fluro's -- which to buy

I just went through this, and ended up with a couple of CaseLite 4's.

Nothing wrong with the Diva at all, and it's probably even tougher constructed, but the Lowel offered a little more value (it's less expensive, and includes lamps and a mediocre stand). The main thing that made the decision was the size -- the CaseLite travel kit is much smaller than the Diva kit. Two CaseLite 4's are smaller, in their cases, than a two-Diva 200 kit was.

As for ruggedness, I've used 'em on many shoots, and I think you have to be a little cautious with them. I don't think they're indestructible, not by any stretch. I don't think they're fragile either, but you do have to treat 'em with care.

For light output, the CaseLites include mirrored barn doors (mirror on one side, black on the other) that can increase the output by over 50% (Lowel claims double!) For dimming, the CaseLite 4 lets you turn off individual tubes, which is like having a fixed dimmer at 100%-75%-50%-25%, whereas the Kino has a true dimming ballast, which is a lot smoother.

Two CaseLite 2's will cost a lot more than one CaseLite 4. The CL2's are about $800 for a kit, the CL4 is about $1100. I thought about getting a four and a two, and I ended up going with two 4's... just couldn't justify going for the smaller lights. With that said, there have been many occasions when we've used the CL4 with just one tube on! If you're competing with daylight you'll really, really want all four tubes (and the mirror intensifiers), but if you're in closed circumstances a CL2 would probably be fine. The CL2 is very small and compact. I like the larger spread-out surface of the CL4, it's more appropriate for simulating the look of a Chimera (especially if you clip a sheet of diffusion on the front of the barn doors).

With all that said -- I really like the CaseLites. The work well, they're compact and portable, the cases look really cool, and the two of them even sort of "dock" together on the cart. The case is big enough to hold four daylight tubes in reserve, as well as the stand and power cord and eggcrate and reversible barn doors. I wish the stand was sturdier, usually I use the CL on a C-stand or something like that, but for an all-in-one kit the included stand is okay.

If you're getting it for personal work, interview stuff, etc., the CL is probably fine. If you were going to be renting your gear out, I'd say definitely get the Kino Diva instead. People will pay for the Kino Flo name, but nobody calls and asks if you have Lowel gear available.

They're both great lights, you'll love 'em both.

 

[powerdog]

Re: Fluro's -- which to buy

Take a look at the Mole Biax, too. I like it a lot: it's dimmable, good quality, and reasonable price.

 

[Rush]

Re: Fluro's -- which to buy

Having been in the same room with Barry while he was testing the two light solutions, I agree with every statement. I do agree also that you have to treat them with care, that is why I don't have them in rentals, because some people who rent lights don't kid glove production gear. Kino's have been on most film shoots I have been on, they are pretty standard. Caselites, like pro-lites, are more for personal use of a pro who takes the time to learn their strengths and weaknesses, and weilds them accordingly.

BTW Razerfish, sorry you were on hold so long, whenever you called. I don't want to make excuses, but we have had a VERY busy February, mostly due to the Videomaker show. We only have 4 salespeople, so if each of us is on a line giving personal attention to someone else, we cannot usually get off the call and take too many other sales calls, because it diminshes the service we are giving to the existing customer. However, someone should have at least got your number and offered to call you back. That is what leads me to believe it was a fluke, because we have two customer service folks who just do that, and get the messages to us sales guys. Again, I apologize for the long hold period. If you would like you can send me an email to rush@evsonline.com, and I will be back in the office on Thursday, whereupon I will reply and try to get any further questions answered within 24 hrs.

 

[GregJacobson]

Re: Fluro's -- which to buy

I use Kino 4tf 4 banks because they can also power 2ft bulbs and you can buy some zip wire so you can take them out of the banks and build them into the set.   You can dim Diva Lights but the 4 banks allow you to turn bulbs off individually.

Also, 4ft 4 banks are not much more expensive than the 2 ft 4 banks so are a much better value.

The trick in making this affordable is using your own zip wire to make extentions.  If you by the Kino Flo extentions you get take to the cleaners.

So one 4 ft bank can either power 4 ft tubes or 4 2ft tubes.  I have 30 ft of zip wire on each tube so I can take them out and plant them anywere I want.

The downside of the 4banks is they are not as portable even when using 2ft bulbs.   Also you cannot dim them nearly as precisely as a Diva because you are just turning off individual bulbs.

What you gain is a lot more versatility, and if you need it, a lot more light when you use 4 ft bulbs.   Two 4 banks are not much more expensive than 2 Diva light 200's.

But if I was to pick between the Diva lights and the Caselights I would do what Barry did and get the Caselights because they have a solid case and have reflectors that extend out.   And the stands they come with form a good enough base so you don't have to worry so much about lugging sand bags.