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Richard Andrewski - Cool lights - reviews?


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Hi, I just convinced my friend to purchase some "cool lights"

specifically these:

http://www.coollights.biz/clmf0150-cool-li...esnel-p-63.html

http://www.coollights.biz/clmf0070-cool-li...snel-p-120.html

http://www.coollights.biz/clsft1-softbox-5...tand-p-105.html

 

I couldn't find any reviews except from the site - and who trusts reviews from the actual website?

 

The price, low wattage + heat, and near day light temp were the reasons for the purchase.

I heard these might have a green spike, but I can't imagine that being a big correction problem with a gel. He shoots digital, I shoot film so we plan on using both. I'm under the impression that these aren't that bright, but if the 150w is equivalent to a 650w tungsten that's plenty for us.

Edited by Danny Lachman
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Richard, what is it that the "kino look-alikes" have reflective barndoors? Doesn't that defeat the purpose of a barndoor, cutting unwanted light? I've seen these lights used with the barn door panels removed and reversed.

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JD,

 

Actually, as a you and a lot of others may realize, barndoors on a softlight (of any kind) are usually a "feel good" thing. Its so hard to control soft light with barndoors that can actually fit on a fixture and not be "unwieldy", still being able to fold up nicely and all that.

 

Eggcrate filters actually control side spill much better or otherwise temporary flags that are large enough (like foam core for example) is another common way.

 

Thus, the barndoors on many fluorescent fixtures these days have mirrors on them to act more as "intensifiers", increasing the surface area emanating light. Many people appreciate this feature and feel its a bonus. A few don't like it so they just remove the mirrored aluminum. Thus, its better to think of them as intensifiers than barndoors.

 

However, the mirrored idea only works well with soft output fixtures--anything with a harder output like LEDs, it just doesn't work. Too many specular highlights running all over the place when you close the barndoors in a bit.

Edited by Richard Andrewski
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  • 2 months later...

a quick question about the cool lights fluorescent units... are the bulbs interchangeable with kino flo diva bulbs? i just ordered the cool lights 2 bank unit, and now comparing the lumen output, is it possible to use the kino bulbs? they look like the same design.

 

thanks

 

Brandon

JD,

 

Actually, as a you and a lot of others may realize, barndoors on a softlight (of any kind) are usually a "feel good" thing. Its so hard to control soft light with barndoors that can actually fit on a fixture and not be "unwieldy", still being able to fold up nicely and all that.

 

Eggcrate filters actually control side spill much better or otherwise temporary flags that are large enough (like foam core for example) is another common way.

 

Thus, the barndoors on many fluorescent fixtures these days have mirrors on them to act more as "intensifiers", increasing the surface area emanating light. Many people appreciate this feature and feel its a bonus. A few don't like it so they just remove the mirrored aluminum. Thus, its better to think of them as intensifiers than barndoors.

 

However, the mirrored idea only works well with soft output fixtures--anything with a harder output like LEDs, it just doesn't work. Too many specular highlights running all over the place when you close the barndoors in a bit.

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a quick question about the cool lights fluorescent units... are the bulbs interchangeable with kino flo diva bulbs? i just ordered the cool lights 2 bank unit, and now comparing the lumen output, is it possible to use the kino bulbs? they look like the same design.

 

thanks

 

Brandon

 

Hi,

 

I think I already answered your email but I'll answer here too. Last time I checked which was a while ago, it worked fine. Its not an ongoing test we do though as we like to stay compatible with the more mainstream bulbs which are in much larger use (especially in TV stations) like Osram, Sylvania, G.E. and others like those.

 

Lumen output of our bulbs and Kinos are about the same. 3000 mean lumens. Don't look at the startup lumens as its not a relevant spec.

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Your ballasts run at 40kHz, while Kino's are at 30. Any reason you know of for that? Does it affect performance in any way?

 

No particular reason other than the ballast we chose was already at that frequency and thats actually a very common frequency these days with T5 type ballasts like the ones the 55w tubes use.

 

And at those kinds of frequencies, no matter what shutter speed or FPS you happen to be using, you won't see flicker. Driving tubes at a higher frequency can only help, not hurt and no evidence has been seen that it reduces tube life.

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