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Kino Diva 400’s and complimentary lights for 3(or more) point shooting.
Ok I just got two Kino Flo Diva 400’s that we intend to use for lighting green screen backdrops evenly. I’m well practiced in lighting with an Arri kit with a 1k, 2 650’s, and 2 300’s and a few peppers. However, this kit will not be available anymore. I’d like to be able to light interviews and broll with these Kino’s and I plan on keying with one, and perhaps back-lighting or scratching with the other and dimming it back quite a bit to get the desired ratio. Without a third light though I might need to scratch or rim with a window and use the barns on the kino to create some lighting for the background composition.
First question, is I haven’t used these Kino’s myself yet for anything other than green screen and I wonder if people with direct experience could relate their impressions of lighting interviews and broll with these Kino’s. I have heard people say very good things about them as keys, but how about as a scratch, backlight, or background light?
Second question is my budget won’t allow for it immediately but should I be able to soon shouldn’t I buy a third light for more specific sculpting of background compositions. I’m use to using three or four lights at times on the background alone. I’ve thought perhaps I’d just get an arri 300 or 650 for this need. Any thought?
Lastly, a DP friend of mine who has these Diva’s mentioned that he uses the LitePanels at times to scratch and fill with. He just mounts them wherever he needs to (either on a stand or on furniture). I’ve wanted to get them for a long time for my expedition shooting but I never thought to use them in conjunction with diva 400’s… $2100 for two LightPanels is also a lot. Nearly 2/3’s the cost of two Diva 400’s. I certainly won’t be able to afford them for a bit, but I’d love to hear reaction to this proposition.
Oh dang! One more Question.
Would people let me know what an average rental rate is for one or a set of these Diva 400’s?
Ok that’s it! Thanks for considering and weighing in!
Chris
Chris Baldwin
Shoulder High Productions
Media of the World; For the World!
https://www.shoulderhigh.com
ne*********@**********gh.com -
2 Replies
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Hey Chris,
Well, I think you’ll enjoy using your Diva 400 as a key. It wraps beautifully, and comes with all the standard fluorescent plusses: quick bulb change, no re-strike issues, low heat output, short “throw” (won’t spill onto the BG), and dimmable.You could use the 2nd Diva for a backlight/hairlight, but it’s a pretty heavy/bulky compared to a 300w fresnel.
Where the Diva will let you down is on your backrounds. They don’t have much punch & their qualities that make for a flattering key, make for a very undramatic backround light.
You might want to consider a Source Four Ellipsoidal (I have one of the Junior/Zooms). They’re inexpensive & a great way to project a pattern on your backround.
Not sure if a company budget, or lack of one, is preventing you from buying a couple of Fresnels, but if it came down to a choice of having the gear I needed to do the job, or suffering without, I’d buy the lights myself (if I could afford it). You are judged by the images you create – unfortunately the client won’t know that you only have two lights – they’ll just see something that may look less-than-inspired. Buying used is an option too.
As for the Lite Panels, I could sell you mine. It produces soft, even light – but just not enough of it.
Not sure about the daily rental of the Diva’s.
Best,
Ken
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I’m generally in full aggreement with your opinion that I need a few frenels for background sculpting.
What are some of the good places to go to look for used lighting equipment?
And if you are actually serious about selling your Light Panels, please email me.
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On a more technical note though. I know this might seem a funny question since I’ve already purchased them, but what’s the comparison of light output to these Diva 400’s to an Arri 1k with small chimera? Is the diva more light or less? Yesterday we had two open faced 1 k arri through a 4×4 frame of 250 diffusion. Is that equivilent to one Diva or both?
How do I compare the output and punch of these lights to Arris and HMIs?
Thanks
Chris Baldwin
Shoulder High Productions
Media of the World; For the World!
https://www.shoulderhigh.com
newsletters@shoulderhigh.com
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