alzo pan-l-lite-kino diva like-thoughts?

[Rob Katz]

i have been a fan of alzovideo.com for a while.

they are a local lighting firm that does it's own version of the china-sourced lights.

they are not as well known as coollights but their small led light has gotten good reviews.

i've met the owner drew at a local trade show and i think their versions of the china-sourced lights might be a good investment.

i am a small crew-often one-man-band-shooter/producer.

i shoot a far amount of indoor talking heads, some on location, most in a studio.

my clients are not-for-profits, museums, unions, corporations.

most of the footage is presented at events, board meetings, hotels and then lives on the web.

i am looking at this light as an alternative to the heavier, better made, more expensive kino flo diva.

i am looking at the alzo pan-l-lie quad: Pan-L Lite Dimmable Quad Video Light by ALZO

it is their version of a kino diva, a 4x55w bulb flo fixture.

i would use this light as a key interview light.

i shoot with the sony fs100, a large chip camera, so even with 120 foot candles/2 meters open face or 84 foot candles/2 meters with a honeycomb diffuser, with a moderately fast prime lens there should be enough light.

i am looking for opinions about kino diva-like china sourced options.

do folks like their alternatives to the kino diva?

how is the color rendition with the supplied bulbs?

any and all thoughts are appreciated.

be well.

rob
smalltalk productions
nyc

[Seth Bloombaum]

I have not used the Alzo flos, though I'm very happy with some Videssence "divas".

Color Rendition Index (CRI) is a measure of how evenly full spectrum a lamp is.

If you go by the numbers, Alzo bulbs are CRI 91 and Kinos are 95 on a scale of 100. No doubt some would quibble, but anything into the upper 80s and above is really very good. I'd use them. But then I'm a "good enough is good enough" kind of guy, in a world where some are "spare no expense".

[Rob Katz]

seth-

thank you for your thoughts.

i wonder if 5600k or 3200k at cri 91 is easier to get to "good enough".

thoughts?

again, thanks for adding to the conversation.

be well.

rob
smalltalk productions
nyc

[Oren Arieli]

I'm a big fan of these lights. Good bang for the buck. Slightly warm at 2700K. Very directional with the included honeycomb grid. I've even put together a review video here:

Alzo Pan-L-Lite Case light review - YouTube

Feel free to leave YouTube comments with any specific questions so that I can answer them for all.

[Craig Chartier]

Thanks for posting

[Rob Katz]

oren-

thanks for the nicely produced review.

it was very helpful.

in your experience, as an interview light do you find you use all four bulbs?

if so, how far away from the subject is the light?

if not, when using two bulbs, how close is the light?

has the honeycomb grid been helpful.

the honeycomb is one of the reasons i'm looking at the alzo model.

lastly, what else do you use to modify the light output?

thanks in advance for any info you care to share.

be well.

rob
smalltalk productions
nyc

ps-i don't have a you tube presence, so i did not post the above questions on that site.

[Daniel Epstein]

Hey Rob,
I use my Diva 400's as a key light very often. If I can I use all 4 bulbs, add diffusion and warm it up as well.
I do feel the light is not as soft as my small Chimera and needs a bit more make up for shine as well. I think the quality of the light is harder than the Chimera. I would expect similar results from the Alzo. Of course the flexibility of color temperature change and the small current draw with built in dimmer is worth a lot. The Alzo barn door set up looks useful as I use blackwrap on the Diva's sides very frequently. I did ask Kinoflo a while back why they didn't sell some side doors as an accessory. They didn't respond enthusiastically. If I was thinking about a set up I would want (2) 4 bulb units and (1 or 2) 2 bulb units to start. Can't say how long the Alzo's will last but my Kinoflo's have done well for many years although I have had to repair them when inexperienced operators broke parts.

[Seth Bloombaum]

Originally Posted by Rob Katz

...i wonder if 5600k or 3200k at cri 91 is easier to get to "good enough"...

I'm fortunate that my videssence "divas" came with both sets of bulbs, and I do use them both!

Usually, they are bulbed 3200k.
* I use small 3" tungsten fresnels as backlights, this is a good match.
* I have some other soft fixtures, they are all tungsten, a good match.
* most modern office buildings seem to be going "warm white" with their fluorescent bulbs, this is an OK match.

Of course when there is a window in the shot, it will be blue with this approach. Up to you (and any clients?) whether this is a problem. For my work, it is not usually an issue.

Sometimes they are bulbed 5600k, not as often.
* Did a shoot recently in an artist's studio with 16' high windows, color match is pretty critical when shooting artwork.
* I sometimes work with a shooter who likes the look of skin better at 5600k. A very discerning eye.

So, it's situational for me! Color correcting gel from daylight to tungsten is much better than tungsten to daylight. I do occasionally use CTB to gel from tungsten to daylight, but it cuts so much light I usually use half or even quarter CTB, which is mostly.... *good enough!*

Note on the diva-size fixtures - if you want the light to be soft, it has to be close! The further away, the harder the source. I'm also a big fan of 4' fixtures, but they are so much harder to deal with their size when transporting in cars and trucks for quick stuff. I do a lot of quick stuff. When I need them I rent...

[Oren Arieli]

Originally Posted by Rob Katz

oren-

in your experience, as an interview light do you find you use all four bulbs?

if so, how far away from the subject is the light?

if not, when using two bulbs, how close is the light?

has the honeycomb grid been helpful.

lastly, what else do you use to modify the light output?

.

Sorry for the delayed reply. Here are my answers to your questions quoted above:
1)This is actually a two-bulb panel light, although it looks like 4. You have a dimming option, but no option to turn off one bulb (other than unplugging it, I guess).
2) for talking heads, I like to place the bulbs just out of frame, which gives me the benefit of mimicking a much larger source. As a rule, large source=soft source. Having the dimmer is handy, because placing the source that close can be too bright and overwhelm your hair light or practicals.
3)Honeycomb is crucial when you want to avoid spill. It cuts the output quite a bit, but in a room with light colored walls, or when you want to define the lit area, they are crucial tools. It's harder to flag a soft source.
4)The panel light comes with a fabric diffuser (not to be used with honeycomb, as it would defeat the purpose). If I needed a larger source than that, I would go with a softbox, or a 42" scrim and a bright source to light it (usually my 650 fresnel).

Think of lights as tools within your toolbox. Sometimes you need a small hammer, sometimes you need a sledgehammer. You probably want to have the right tool for the right job, otherwise, you're making it harder for yourself. That is why I don't 'swear by' any one particular light source.

Best of luck.

[Rob Katz]

oren-

again, thank you for sharing your thoughts and adding to the conversation.

with the near-next generation of led lights on the market,

do you (or anyone else) think there still is a place for fluorescent tube lights?

is buying flos now, buying yesterday's technology?

thanks in advance.

be well.

rob
smalltalk productions
nyc

[Oren Arieli]

I'm still waiting for a quality 1x1 LED (or similar efficient) light at a price that I can live with. I can't spring for the higher-quality/higher CRI units right now, but I believe in their advantages and eventual domination. Remote phosphor technology looks promising as well. In the meantime, I believe that you'll be well served with fluorescent lights so long as you have enough work to justify the expense and you don't need to battery-power your lights.
I'm no longer worried about blowing fuses, or cooking the talent with tungsten lights. I'm happy with the color rendition and relative portability. YMMV.
For me, there is a place for every type of instrument so long as you can work around their inherent disadvantages.