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Basic Question before buying a Kino Flo


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Im not sure if this is the right place to post this but I have an offer to buy this set used for $500

 

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1061333-REG/kino_flo_kit_2gf_120u_gaffer_4_4_bank_2_light_kit.html

 

All I own is tungsten lighting and this seems like an okay deal for me. Do you believe (with Boston prices) that this will be a good purchase?

 

Thank you,

CM

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Im not sure if this is the right place to post this but I have an offer to buy this set used for $500

 

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1061333-REG/kino_flo_kit_2gf_120u_gaffer_4_4_bank_2_light_kit.html

 

All I own is tungsten lighting and this seems like an okay deal for me. Do you believe (with Boston prices) that this will be a good purchase?

 

Thank you,

CM

 

Depends on the age of the ballasts. Do you have pictures that you can post?

 

Guy Holt, Gaffer, ScreenLight & Grip, Lighting Rental and Sales in Boston

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All of that for $500?

 

Get a quick condition check and buy it now.

 

Just know the plugs between the fixture and ballast are the biggest pain imaginable.

Edited by Macks Fiiod
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Depends on the age of the ballasts. Do you have pictures that you can post?

 

Guy Holt, Gaffer, ScreenLight & Grip, Lighting Rental and Sales in Boston

I have attached a photo that was sent to me.

 

All of that for $500?

 

Get a quick condition check and buy it now.

 

Just know the plugs between the fixture and ballast are the biggest pain imaginable.

Macks,

Others are telling me I should invest in Quasar Science tubes. What do you think?

post-75077-0-65660800-1530215536_thumb.jpeg

Edited by Cory Matthews
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The image is too small for me to make anything out... at a glance they seem fine.

 

Aren't the quasar tubes like... really expesnive? How long do they last?

They are $45 for a 2 foot daylight balanced light and $75 for a 4 foot daylight balanced light. Not too expensive but now I’m not sure if I should stick to four 2 foot Quasars for a temporary key or buy the dated Kino Flo lights...

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Hell for $500 I might be interested in that kit.

 

Kino 4x4s are a nice soft source and a hell of a lot easier to rig overhead then comparable LED soft banks. They weigh practically nothing.

 

samplethief1lg.jpeg

 

The pictures attached are from short film I lit called "Act Your Age" that takes place in a senior center. I have taken a similar approach to school classrooms whenever there was an opportunity to do rigging.

samplethief3lg.jpeg

 

To create contrast, we brought a 6k HMI par in the windows on one side of the room. But, with contrast comes the necessity to fill and that is the strong suit of the Kino 4x4s.

samplethief4lg.jpeg

 

If you are fortunate enough to have a drop ceiling, you can take the approach we did in "Act Your Age", where we hung 4'-4 Bank kinos with Opal coved below the fixture to make a "Bay Light." Coving the Opal under the light, redirects it horizontally so that it will dig into the talents eyes - much more flattering than the top light of overhead fluorescents.

 

samplethief8lg.jpeg

 

As you can see here, with the right rigging equipment, you can use drop ceilings like a studio grid. Use this link for

more pictures of productions that used drop ceilings on location as if they were a studio grid.

 

Guy Holt, Gaffer, ScreenLight & Grip, Lighting Rental & Sales in Boston

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Thanks for the tip, Guy! Maybe if I were to buy a couple more kits I could recreate this technique. Im not sure if I will use this kit at my main workplace unless they were to help me out with new bulbs. Ill mainly be using this for personal interview work as far as I can tell (for now).

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If it's in good condition, buy it. And if you don't want to buy it, PM me and I will. The only downside is they're unwieldy. I got by with a Diva for interviews for years. (Which I'd be happy to sell you, but I'd want $500 so this kit's a way better deal!) But Kino 4x4's have been some of the most used and useful lights forever. LEDs are in now, and in a lot of ways better, but that doesn't make this kit any less solid.

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The image is too small for me to make anything out... at a glance they seem fine.

 

Aren't the quasar tubes like... really expesnive? How long do they last?

 

Depends which ones you buy.

 

The Led T-8 bulbs are relatively cheap but you also need their wiring harness.

 

The QED Crossfade are more $$ 4' Bulb is $275.00

 

Rainbow 4' is $599.00

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Thanks for the feedback everyone. It was a smooth deal and was told they were used about 10 times. They look brand new and work perfectly. Im going to be testing them out by banking them (4x8) and seeing which diffusion works best. They arent the brightest but are better than nothing.

 

-CM

Edited by Cory Matthews
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