Price of lights

Zblock

Zblock

Well-known member
Not that I don't know what a kino flo is but COME ON! How can a company charge so much for a bank of florescent lights. Any one could DIY a kino flow for about $100-$300 dollars. I've seen many studios that make their own.

I think in this day and age we should be able to come up with a low heat, energy efficient, really bright light for cheap. LED something.

Sorry just me rambling. I've been shopping for lights lately. :)
 
Well, if you can come up with a ballast that doesn't flicker, with high output, high CRI tube from off-the-shelve and package all of that in a slim, durable and light package then I would love to buy it from you.

With that said there are other fluorescent alternatives such as Cool Light. I've used both Kino and CL and I find CL to be very good at a fraction of the price. You don't get quite the build quality and slim profile of the Kino but it's very close.
 
I feel your pain bro.
Another alternative is StevenStudios on ebay. Same bank selectable fixtures that come from Flolights (same factory) at about half the cost. Delivered in one week. Own two, no problems or issues whatsoever.
 
gco said:
I feel your pain bro.
Another alternative is StevenStudios on ebay. Same bank selectable fixtures that come from Flolights (same factory) at about half the cost. Delivered in one week. Own two, no problems or issues whatsoever.
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?? Link please. Searched but can't find what you're talking about...
 
It's the DIMMING function that adds so much to the cost.

That's it.

Your mystery is solved.

You can build high-output, high-cri, zero-flicker, high-frequency-ballasted flos for cheap... making them dimmable is something different all together. The dimmable ballasts account for probably 30% of the overall cost of the light, then there are other factors in SOME kinos... like the ones that have amphenol connectors for example.

I fully agree they are over-priced, which is why I built my own flos years ago... but once I started building flos that dimmed I found I couldn't sell them for more then a couple hundred off of kino prices... and have it be worth my time.

I was paying about $140 per ballast with a dimming circuit... just to give you an idea... and that was running 2 x 55w biax. My net cost for a dimmable 4 x 55 biax (like a kino diva) was around $350... and a total ***** to complete. (reliable dimming issues, etc.)

Here's the deal... you can get into high CRI flos for pretty cheap... with electronic ballast etc. All you have to do is be willing to accept a lack of convenience... you can get the same f-stop of exposure with distance and light controls (flags, duvetyne).
 
MattinSTL said:
It's the DIMMING function that adds so much to the cost.

That's it.

Your mystery is solved.

You can build high-output, high-cri, zero-flicker, high-frequency-ballasted flos for cheap... making them dimmable is something different all together. The dimmable ballasts account for probably 30% of the overall cost of the light, then there are other factors in SOME kinos... like the ones that have amphenol connectors for example.

I fully agree they are over-priced, which is why I built my own flos years ago... but once I started building flos that dimmed I found I couldn't sell them for more then a couple hundred off of kino prices... and have it be worth my time.

I was paying about $140 per ballast with a dimming circuit... just to give you an idea... and that was running 2 x 55w biax. My net cost for a dimmable 4 x 55 biax (like a kino diva) was around $350... and a total ***** to complete. (reliable dimming issues, etc.)

Here's the deal... you can get into high CRI flos for pretty cheap... with electronic ballast etc. All you have to do is be willing to accept a lack of convenience... you can get the same f-stop of exposure with distance and light controls (flags, duvetyne).
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Never the less I salute you sir.
 
I will also add, Kino Flos are proven, reliable, professional, easy to mount etc.....

I think it is clear I believe the price of Kino's to be worth it.

There are other viable alternative. Check out Richard's stuff at Cool lights. They all get great reviews here, and they don't cost nearly as much as Kino.
 
I was fortunate enough to meet Dedo Weigert, inventor and owner of Dedo Lights. He talked extensively about his lights and what it takes to create them. After that, I never questioned their incredibly high price tag. I seriously felt bad for bitching so much in the past.

For a long time, I too was annoyed by the incredibly high prices associated with filmmaking. But then, I realized it's simple supply and demand. To create amazing equipment like Kinos and Dedos takes a ton of money for research, development and manufacturing. They truly are cutting edge products. However, they are not sold in mass quantities, so the price needs to be high to recoup. An extreme example would be Boeing planes.....

And I really believe you get what you pay for. At Wooden Nickel in LA, where I rent my lighting/grip stuff, they've got Kinos that have been used and abused and they still work like champs (granted Bryan, the owner, has to repair one every now and then due to some clowns abuse). But you won't see generic lights there - no way.
 
I can't argue that good lights are stupid expensive. I have made and/or modified lots of my own through out the years. It didn't matter how good something was if I just didn't have the money to pay for it.

But one thing I have realized over the years is that you are never really buying the tool. You are buying what the tool can do for you. When you buy good lights (or any quality gear) you are not just buying lights. You are buying dependability, versatility, effectiveness and piece of mind. A good investment.
 
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IF one were going to the trouble to build DIY flos (and I'm not), perhaps the cheaper and simpler alternative to dimmable would be switchable banks/tubes.
 
But one thing I have realized over the years is that you are never really buying the tool. You are buying what the tool can do for you. When you buy good lights (or any quality gear) you are not just buying lights. You are buying dependability said:
Good point Jim. I have said for years "don't become emotionally attached to any hardware, it is no more than a wrench to a mechanic or a hammer to a carpenter -- It is a tool, no more, no less"
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...although one wonders if that should read "peace of mind"...

ahhh, the pitfalls of written communication.
 
Jim Brennan said:
You are buying... piece of mind. A good investment.
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I wouldn't mind buying a few pieces of mind to replace parts of mine.
What's the going rate per synapse???
Drogar-Shock%28DBG%29.gif
 
My brain? Pre DOS, v2.0 no!
My memory? 128KB of RAM (like the first Mac), key word being random; my memory works if/when it wants to.
And I'm dual boot- it takes 2 kicks in the a$$ to get me started in the morning...
 
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