DIY light kit

I wanted to share this as its very helpful for others also doing video here. This thread, obviously, was also started here on potn and I came across it looking for inspiration on how to duplicate the kino flo style lights. while i wish i could have made diva lite 400's its not that easy so like most others i ended up making tegra 4bank and a 2bank instead :P

https://photography-on-the.net …/showthread.php​?t=1205854

i have worked with a diva lite setup on many shoots, the videographer i worked with owned them but i was the PA on set so it was my job to set up his gear while he was preparing interview subjects and figuring out his framing. for obvious reasons i fell in love with these lights. anyone that has used a kino flo would probably agree that they are hands down super easy to use and fast because they dont get hot. I work for my university producing video for our athletics department creating updates interviewing coaches, recruitment videos, and soon video blogs as well. and they needed to purchase a light kit but didnt want to spend a lot and i didnt want them to buy a small lowel light kit that barely puts out much light but is good quality. i proposed i build lights for them and after testing them out i can say it was rather easy and very successful.

these lights are by no means portable and are just as fragile as any expensive light made out of plastic and thin metal lol. but man they are crazy bright. i used all stuff found at home depot and lowes. T5 fluorescent strip lights, the brightest you can buy before you go into industrial lighting.

i am only posting this in hopes that sharing it here will also help inspire an aspiring videographer/shooter into building their own lights because professional lights are just too expensive for most of us to actually own.

there are tons of different ways to do this or with other types of light sources but this one is a personal favorite because it does not get hot but on the downside its big and bulky

here are some of my shots of what i built, taken with my iphone 4S

Nice job!! Love good DIY stuff. That looks great for ISO 100. No hotspots.

http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=9MmsLGqS-rY

Very similar!

Glueeater wrote in post #14843640
http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=9MmsLGqS-rY

Very similar!

because he isnt the first person to do it. also i already started building my lights before i found his video but i did get the idea for using the conduit hangers from part 3 of his video on his light setup. im using mine for video hence why it was shared in the video section i also linked to the thread that got me started in my OP

I perfer to just buy a 2x2 layin fixture and mount it to a stand, the build in diffuser softens the light so no harsh catch cans in the eyes.

Looks like fun Brian! My suggestion would be to add another fold in those outer reflector wings if you can. That way you can start to control some of the spill from these lights. What you have there is a basic "splatter light" right now, with very little control. Working with real Kino Flo lights you know that they have some control via the bend-able side (or top/bottom doors, depending on how the Kino is oriented) doors. Splattering light all over a small set can be a real problem.

Just this week I worked on a job for CBS Sports where we had two different set ups in one smallish room. The first was a Green Screen setup and that's where we used 2 x 4 foot Kinos to evenly light the green screen. But we couldn't have too much spill from those lights leaking onto the rest of the set or the talent. So the doors were closed just enough to only light the green screen. To keep the color temps all the same the key light came from a smaller, 2 foot, 4 tube Kino with an egg crate to lessen the spill from that light.

These types of lights are great for evenly lighting a subject, but they can be cumbersome at times. They definantly have their place.

Good luck with your build and keep us updated with any changes you make to them!

That is certainly a neat solution. As a result I am pondering the use of suspended ceiling fixtures for a number of reasons:-

1. Most have an egg crate type diffuser available as standard.
2. The tubes are enclosed making transport easier
3. The control gear is enclosed making them safe
4. 4 Tube 600 x 600 fittings are cheap as chips, just add DJ speaker stands (also cheap as a cheap thing) and you are good to go.