Kinoflo Divalite 400

I have 2X Divas and they still work all the time. They're go-to lights for reality TV, docu-series work and corporate interviews.

You'll pay 'em off in a few months of work. I love LEDs too and have slowly been switching over as the light quality and batteries get to where they need to be but Kinos have some life in 'em.
 
traviswears said:
I have 2X Divas and they still work all the time. They're go-to lights for reality TV, docu-series work and corporate interviews.

You'll pay 'em off in a few months of work. I love LEDs too and have slowly been switching over as the light quality and batteries get to where they need to be but Kinos have some life in 'em.
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I had a Producer ask me last week "Do you have a Diva? I want a Diva for this interview.". So yeah, Divas are still being used and still in demand. The name "Diva" was great marketing by Kino. A 2' 4-bank is a much more flattering light than a Diva, but the Producer wanted a "Diva" because the job was interviewing a Hollywood starlet. And in the mind of the Producer a "Diva light" must be some glamour light that is particular flattering. ( I won't actually use the Diva as a key light and will instead use a 4' 4-bank through a 4 x 4 diffusion frame. )

I used two Divas flown as keys on an ESPN two-camera, two-person interview not long ago. Not much else out there that is as utilitarian as the Diva for the money. Everything in one convenient hard case.

Nice work nataraja.
 
The 2' 4 banks (that's the 4-foot wide one, right? or do you mean something else) are amazing but so big and difficult to move around by yourself. Plus the giant flo bulbs vs the little diva ones.

Anyway I'm seeing a lot of folks now put a Diva or two Divas side by side through a 4x4 diffusion frame with gridcloth or similar on it. There are at least two companies (scrim Jim and someone else) that make a collapsible 4x4 frame and you use velcro or elastic bands to put the diffusion on so it's not like it used to be. One person should easily be able to handle all that themselves.

Of course a single Diva with the Flozier still looks pretty nice too.
 
I use my diva set on nearly every job. Small, versatile lights. If I have my pick I'll put a pigger light through a 4x4 silk, but we often use divas as key lights on interviews as well.

Recently I've had some Kino Celebs in the lighting package, which have been pretty excellent...but for my own personal use I'll save over a grand of cash for the penalty of having to swap out bulbs, or gel to color temperature.

I've also picked up a 2K LED Visionsmith RElamp for one of my old Mole Fixtures and it's been brought onto every job since I've bought it. Pretty sweet having essentially a 575w HMI that only draws 200 or so watts of power.
 
I shot BTS on a TV show in South Africa last year and the rental company in Cape Town had two Diva 400s for me, I had used them many times before. They are good, solid lighting tools. To me, the quality of light from a Diva is massively different than the quality of light from any LED. It's hard to put your finger on but Divas have a cetain quality of light to them that I have never seen from another type of light, they kind of have a glow, they are soft with the Flozier in place but still have a little bit more definition than an LED or tungsten through a Chimera. I use them for beauty, fashion and for lighting Hollywood celebs who want that kind of glamor look. You would be well served by Divas. Yes, they are a bit bigger and clunkier than LEDs but that's the beauty of lighting, it really never goes out of style. I have lit scenes with Mole Richardson fresnels that were made 75 years ago and they stiil work beautifully. Sure, lighting tech changes and evolves but older lights can still get the job done. The nice thing about Divas are they are just big, soft blobs of light so they are good for shadowless, flat lighting that we use a lot for press junkets and TV interviews. They are kind of one trick ponies but they do it well. You still need a fresnel, open face or LED for hair light, back light and to throw patterns on a wall or uplight a plant or piece of art but even if you move on to the LEDs later, those Divas are perfect for lighting green screens too. Very versatile tool.
 
Lenilenapi said:
Those ReLamps sound pretty interesting. Are the patterns cast by barn doors or gobos as sharp as with tungsten?
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I've pretty much shot mine through a 4x4 silk on every job...but from what ive seen when setting up they cast clean shadows (i did buy the acrylic fresnel with them). The Only caveat is around the edge of the light is a warmer colored ring. Im not sure if this is a reflection from inside my fixture or what...but you can see it in the heat comparison photo on their site. However it has not impacted my use when shooting yet.
 
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