Yet another fluorescent lighting thread

[Dave Pecunies]

So I am ready to drop some money on some fluorescent banks. I am far from an expert on lighting, but I know enough to be dangerous. I have read many post from Richard A among others on the Coollights and am sold. Based on others advise from this board I want to start with a pair of 6x55w banks for lighting white and green screens and build a kit from there with a 2x55 and 4x55 (I already have some "hard" lights). Unfortunately Coollights is out of the portables until the end of April and that does not work for me. I started searching around for other alternatives and found some Amvona banks that are very reasonable.

http://www.amvona.com/?page=shop/fly...roduct_id=3323

They are slightly bigger and heavier but about $250 less expensive than the Coollights, sorry Richard. The Amvona site does not give a big write-up on them so I am wondering if anyone has any experience with these light and can poke some hole in this purchase? I have made purchases from Amvona before and been pleased with their service and price/quality ratio. Given the nearly $500 savings and that I was going to have to eat PB&Js for a month or two to even afford the Cools this seems like a good deal. Maybe now I can even eat ham sandwiches.

[Bill Pryor]

You might want to check http://www.flolight.com . I was in the same boat, going to order from Richard but they weren't in stock, so I went to Flolights to order some similar ones and ended up getting the 500LEDs instead of flourescents. For lighting greenscreen, the fluorescents are better because they have a broader spread.

[Dave Pecunies]

Thanks Bill. I like the LEDs. What are you lighting with them/it? How do they fit into your kit? I am going to go with the fluorescents to start and the flolights are still $170 more than the same thing at Amvona, so unless someone can talk me down I am jumping in...

[Paul Cascio]

What happens if 1 LED burns out, or breaks? Do several/all go out too?

[Bill Pryor]

The LEDs are supposed to last for 40,000 hours or something in that range, which is 4 times what fluorescents last. That's years. I shot for six years with 3 Lowel Caselight fluorescents and that set is still in use by others and no bulb has burned out yet, although people have dropped and broken one or two when switching between 3200 and 5600.

Also, each LED is a separate tiny light, so one can go out and not really affect anything.

I use them primarily for locating lighting of interviews, although I've done a 2-person studio shoot with them. The fluorescents are softer and broader than the LEDs, and when you are up fairly close with one, say within about 10 feet, in most cases you want to use diffusion gel. They are sort of halfway between a fluorescent and a fresnel--softer and not as much throw as a fresnel, more focused and harder with a little more throw than a fluorescent.

The downside for some people is that they are strictly 5600K, but I shoot mostly daylight because my camera looks better under daylight than tungsten (don't know why, just does; same for the DSR500 I used to shoot with).

These LEDs are much smaller, thinner and lighter than the equivalent fluorescents. I've used them with tungsten lights by gelling with CTO.

[Greg Schlueter]

What do you think of this kit...
http://www.pclightingsystems.com/fl/3200%20kit.html

[Peter Moretti]

I am very pleased with Westcott's Spiderlites.

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=112227

[Dave Pecunies]

Thanks for the input.

Greg, the DayFlos look like a really good deal. Do you have one of the kits? 1400w per head seems like a lot. Especially when compared to the Wescott's 750w per head for a lot more money. I know Wescott is more-or-less a name-brand in lighting but that seems like a big discrepancy.

Peter, I have looked at the Wescotts before but they are a little out of my price range for now. I am still leaning toward the Amvonas for now for the screen lighting and maybe a DayFlos or two for key/fill in a few months. I hope they are what they say they are.

[Bill Pryor]

Here's what one comment on resellerratings.com says about Pacific Coast:
http://www.resellerratings.com/store...ystems#reviews

I came close to buying from them but was put off when I couldn't really get a straight answer.

[Dave Pecunies]

I was skeptical at first but after reading the review I don't think I will purchase from them. That is REALLY cheap for 4200w of light. I have purchased from amvona before and they were fine to deal with.

[William Wilson]

Originally Posted by Dave Pecunies

I was skeptical at first but after reading the review I don't think I will purchase from them. That is REALLY cheap for 4200w of light. I have purchased from amvona before and they were fine to deal with.

Dave,

post back on this thread once you get the new lights. I would love to hear your first hand feed back on them. I have been eyeing the Coollights, but everytime I find the spare money to replace our light kits they are out of stock, so I go buy something else for our studio. I think the Coollights are a great product from what I have read, but if these work as well and are a lower cost I would certainly consider them too.

Thanks!

Bill

[Richard Andrewski]

Thanks guys for updating everyone on my stock situation. Now a bit more "up-to-date" status from someone who actually knows the particulars might be in order after that!

The only portable I am out of stock on are the CL-655P. We have plenty of the following:

CL-255P
CL-255PMD
CL-455P
CL-455PMD

1 CL-655PMD left

And studio models:

CL-455
CL-455MD

I'm sure Amvona is a fine alternative and good luck with your purchases wherever they may be...

[A. J. deLange]

Has anyone seen CRI ratings on LEDs?

[Dave Pecunies]

Bill,
I will update this post when my purchase(s) are made.

Richard,
After re-reading my post I can see where someone may take from it that you were out of "portables" and I apologize for that. I said that I was looking for the 655 and that you were out of the portables until the end of April, info garnered from your site. Sorry to anyone who mistook what I meant, I would edit the post if I could.

This is a forum for information on lighting and I see no problem in informing other on my situation in purchasing lights in hopes of helping others in need. If that information informs others on your or anyone else's in-stock status so be it. it is not a knock on you or Coollights. If you had them in stock I would already own a pair and would not have had to seek out other alternatives. At the end of the day Coollights not having the lights in stock is a credit to your product.

[Richard Andrewski]

Originally Posted by A. J. deLange

Has anyone seen CRI ratings on LEDs?

No, its not very common right now. LEDs are in an early state and CRI has not yet been discovered as an important buying specification yet for most of the buying public for LEDs. Just as fluorescents had very little CRI information on them a few years ago too, but now practically everyone prints it as a spec.