Info on Flo lights Vs Kino Flos

[Kirk Anderson]

So,

I've been doing lots of research on Flo lights and Kino Flos.

I love the Diva 400's and I've used them a lot, bummer they cost almost $1200 with stands.

 

I found these Flo lights

FL-220

Any they look almost identical except with barn doors.

 

After searching the forums people say to go kino because they like them more and that the flo lights are just kino knock offs, but no one ever gives an example of why kinos are better than Flo lights.

 

Why are Kinos better?

 

Do they give better light? Do they have a better build? Are the bulbs better?

 

And since Flo Lights come with bulbs that could be questionable, couldn't I buy the nicer "Kino Flo" brand bulbs and put them in the Flo lights?

 

I'm mostly using this kit to do jobs I would pull off Craigslist, interviews, shorts, music videos.

 

Do you think potential Directors would be deterred from the name brand flo light vs Kino flo?

 

Thanks in advance for your answers.

 

Kirk

[Doug Brantner]

I've never seen these before, but judging by the pictures, it looks to be made of plastic which is no good.

 

Also, the stand mount/tilt lock looks sketchy on the bottom. KinoFlo's mount on the back, closer to the center of gravity, and they still slip a little.

 

This is cute too: "The included barn doors not only control spill but focus and intensify the light over a small area."

 

Control spill? Sure.

 

Focus and intensify? You've got to be kidding me.

[Chris Keth]

Well, a large part of kinos are made of corrugated plastic. It's not necessarily a bad material. It's what allows kinos to be so lightweight and adaptable to every situation.

 

That hardware looks pretty chincy, though. I wouldn't trust that on a stand let alone rigged in any way that includes that hardware as a point of strength.

[Max Smith]

I actually got a pair of these direct from China under a different brand name.

 

Build quality is a little rough around the edges (literally). And you may have to watch your shutter angle / frame-rate - I haven't had a chance to do much testing but the ballast frequency seemed like a low multiple of mains frequency rather than khz range. If I get a chance I'll do some more extensive testing and post the results. Tubes are standard 55 watt biax.

 

If you are working with a paying client - I would want to rent something rock solid. But for a personal project or a no budget production it may be worth considering.

[Max Smith]

I took a few measurements of my light (A Lishua LS-655) - with 6 x 55 watt Osram daylight (5500 k I think) bulbs installed:

 

1 meter on axis

2 bulbs lit : 42 fc

4 bulbs lit : 84 fc

6 bulbs lit : 130 fc

 

3 meters on axis

2 bulbs lit : 7.4 fc

4 bulbs lit : 15 fc

6 bulbs lit : 23 fc

 

1 meter away - 1 meter off axis horizontally

2 bulbs lit : 20 fc

4 bulbs lit : 37 fc

6 bulbs lit : 60 fc

 

According to my copy of "American Cinematographer Manual" that's somewhere between a 4' x 4 bulb Kino and a 4' x 8 bulb Kino.

 

Didn't get a chance to do a flicker test.

[JD Hartman]

A Japanese company :Teeda also makes Diva type lights. The shell is extruded aluminum, the doors are hard plastic, mirrored on the inside. Fixture mounts with an adjustable 2 axis clamp, which rides in a metal track on the long axis of the fixture. Takes the standard folded U tubes, dimmable. Can't give a website as I bought mine used.