The Digital Video Information Network - View Single Post - Which Kinos for me? - two Foto-Flow 400s (kit) or two Diva-Light 400 kits?

Rush Hamden · April 12th, 2005, 09:08 PM

Hi Jim,
I would say that you have to evaluate what you are looking to do with the kits. I broke down some of the differences between the Diva and the Gaffer kit, and it should hopefully help you make a decision. I don't know much about the foto flo's, but I included what I knew:

The Diva lights are more compact 2-ft. instruments, the gaf kit is longer.

The Diva's put out more Watts because they have a U-shaped bulb that puts out greater wattage (55W), so in reality it is 4' long but curved in half, the other kit uses straight 40W bulbs.

The gaf kits are longer so they wrap around a face better, and can also be used vertically to light someone's entire upper body. So functionally they differ from the shorter Diva's.

The Diva kits have a ballast built-in, so there are no trailing expensive ballast cables, but just a simple power cable. The gaf kit has a separate ballast, but that way, if something happens to the ballast, you can just fix it and not the entire instrument.

The 2 Diva kits weigh 50lbs together, and come in 2 separate lightweight cases for doing separate jobs, the gaf kit looks like it weighs 70lbs and it's all in one metal case.

The Diva kits have a dimming ballast, but the other kit does not. I think the gaf kit will allow you to individually power off lights though, but one of us will have to call Kino on that one. The fotoflo has a three way dimmer.

Either way, you win with a Kino. All their kits are a peach to work with!

Edit: Here is a link to a similar post:
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?s=&threadid=42115

April 12th, 2005, 09:08 PM	#2
Rush Hamden Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Burbank, California Posts: 122	Hi Jim, I would say that you have to evaluate what you are looking to do with the kits. I broke down some of the differences between the Diva and the Gaffer kit, and it should hopefully help you make a decision. I don't know much about the foto flo's, but I included what I knew: The Diva lights are more compact 2-ft. instruments, the gaf kit is longer. The Diva's put out more Watts because they have a U-shaped bulb that puts out greater wattage (55W), so in reality it is 4' long but curved in half, the other kit uses straight 40W bulbs. The gaf kits are longer so they wrap around a face better, and can also be used vertically to light someone's entire upper body. So functionally they differ from the shorter Diva's. The Diva kits have a ballast built-in, so there are no trailing expensive ballast cables, but just a simple power cable. The gaf kit has a separate ballast, but that way, if something happens to the ballast, you can just fix it and not the entire instrument. The 2 Diva kits weigh 50lbs together, and come in 2 separate lightweight cases for doing separate jobs, the gaf kit looks like it weighs 70lbs and it's all in one metal case. The Diva kits have a dimming ballast, but the other kit does not. I think the gaf kit will allow you to individually power off lights though, but one of us will have to call Kino on that one. The fotoflo has a three way dimmer. Either way, you win with a Kino. All their kits are a peach to work with! Edit: Here is a link to a similar post: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?s=&threadid=42115 __________________ Want to get more from your hard-earned gear? Digital Cinema Filmmaking Course 24 hours of educational video on 16 DVDs, focused on filmmaking savvy, examples, demonstrations, and tips. Learn Scriptwriting, Formatting, Editing, Camera Operation, Lighting, Exposure, Audio, and Directing.