12Jul Linco Flora 4500W 3 piece lighting kit sale and some thoughts on CFL lighting
Linco actually sells good lighting kits, but the pricing on a normal starter kit like the one above usually comes in at around $900 for a 2 light kit and goes up from there. But right now they are offering their Flora lighting kits for a little bit better than half price ($427 buy it now with free shipping).
I own a couple of these kits. The build quality and design is well above what you find in some of the low price Cowboystudio kits and the umbrella soft box design is much easier to assemble. These heads are also rated for up to 8 amps of continues load which means you’re really only limited by the physical size of the CFL bulb you use.
(skip ahead if you don’t care about the math)
I was asked a few days ago about getting larger bulbs for a set of lights, so here’s how you would figure out what your head can handle. The math works out to Amps x Volts = Watts, the light kit above has a 8 amp fuse so 8 (amps) x 115 (volts) = 960 watts max per head.
In this case I’m talking about actual watts used by the CFL not it’s equivalent incandescent bulb rating. Divide that 960 watts by 6 sockets and you have a max rating of about 150 watts per bulb. Since a 105 watt CFL (400 watt equivalent) has a 4 inch diameter, you wont be able to fit 6 bulbs of that size into the socket spacing and since each socket can handle up to a max of 150 watts, you’ll never have to worry about blowing the fuse or overloading the head.
While I’m on the subject of bulbs, this image is from a test I did awhile back. While some manufactures claim a given watt rating and equivalent light output, some lower price bulbs aren’t actually giving you what’s advertised. In this case all 5 of the above bulbs are supposed to be 45 watt CFL’s with a approximate incandescent equivalent value of 200 watts of output. The 4 brighter bulbs are ALZO 45 watt CFL bulbs while the much dimmer light in the center is a Cowboystudio 45 watt CFL bulb. Sure you’ll save $15 buying the Cowboystudio 4 pack, but you’re also getting about half the light output.
The price might be tempting, but it’s worth it to spend a little extra and get the good bulbs if you actually want good light output from your kit. All CFL’s are not created equal and I’m not sure if there is any real regulation in the market. Many of the lowest priced bulbs seem to be re-branded with a higher ratting even though the true value is something much lower.
If you’re interested in picking up a Linco Flora lighting kit, check out my fill review here. The build quality and design make them well worth the price when they are on sale(IMHO), especially if you’re looking to upgrade. Also if you’ve run across any other lower performing CFL on the market, let me know. It might be helpful to put together a buyers guide covering the best CFL lights for video work.
July 13th, 2013 at 6:42 am
Deejay,
You offer some great information, but you totally discredit your message with poor grammar.
Peace: tranquility, calm.
Piece: part of a whole.
Then: at that time
Than: used as a function word to indicate difference of kind, manner, or identity ;
July 13th, 2013 at 7:28 am
Fixed. Sorry Jason, I often knock out these quick posts between shoots, at the airport, and in the motel. I look them over for spelling errors, but sometimes miss the easy stuff. I have an editor for that sort of thing, but I can’t afford to pay him to clean up daily blog posts.
July 21st, 2013 at 9:02 am
Youre an idiot, grammar nazis should get into classrooms and off blogs stfu the rest of us are learning just fine.
Thanks for the hard work, don’t respond to critics unless its constructive and not mean spirited.
July 14th, 2013 at 12:39 pm
Thanks for another great post. I purchased the Linco Flora kit based on your recommendation though I haven’t had time to use them yet.
What I like about your blog is that it covers way more than the latest camera gossip but rather topics such as audio, lighting etc. Keep up the good work. My only complaint is that you don’t post frequently enough!
July 14th, 2013 at 12:48 pm
… though posting has picked up recently and that’s awesome.
July 26th, 2013 at 7:31 pm
Hi – Could you update a link to this deal as the current one doesnt seem to go to the 4500w kit?
Cheers
August 16th, 2013 at 11:02 am
I just bought this kit. They had an auction for $408, free shipping and I was the only bidder. I was really hoping they’d mess up and send me the 85 watt bulbs, but alas they were 50 watt. The Cowboy studio 2275 Watt Softbox set I upgraded from have 5 45 watt bulbs in each softbox vs 6. So the Linco is brighter but not a ton brighter. I need to buy some 85 watts. The light stands however, are vastly superior.
These are way easier to set up than building a tent with Cowboy Studio, but I can see why people are moving to LED panels. You still have to unscrew and carefully pack 18 bulbs, then stick on the velcro diffusers to transport and setup these lights.
The Lincos I ordered had some random sized holes in the back of a couple of the softboxes. The only thing I noticed as far as quality defect.
So these are a nice starter set on sale for $400 but they are not worth the full price when not on sale.