Photoflex Community Discussion

StarLite QL

2012-12-13T21:39:55Z

Can the StarLite QL be set on manual mode? Thanks.

http://www.photoflex.com/products/starlite-ql

Video Studio Questions

2012-08-20T14:24:38Z

I am in the early stages of setting up a more permanent lighting setup at my current job’s studio area.

The area is a large, carpeted conference room. Around 1/3 is devoted to to video production.

It’s an education company, and the main layout is a large, wall-mounted, magnetic whiteboard in the center of the room. Ideally we would like to make this mobile for more lighting options, etc.

For lighting we have 3x StarLights with Medium softboxes. We are looking into adding a Constellation 3 as the key light with larger soft box.

Typically one light is the to left as a backlight, one light is to the right as a fill light, and one light is up as high as it can go as the key. It’s high up to reduce the shadows of the objects on the whiteboard.

We film educational training videos with this setup, as well as live-streaming sessions, and would like to remove as much clutter as we can from the floor.

Our video equipment:
Panasonic HMC150
Canon EOS cameras (T3i, 60D, 7D)
Canon GL-2 (for streaming at the moment)

Questions:

1. I’m looking for recommendations for mounting the Photoflex lights (StarLight and Constellation 3). It’s a drop ceiling, so we are currently testing some scissor clamps. We are also looking into trussing options.

2. Whiteboard Lighting. Has anyone had any experience lighting a whiteboard? It’s hard to light a whiteboard without shadows from the objects on the board and hot spots from the light. Any ideas?

Note: I will post accurate dimensions of the room soon. But I’m thinking it’s around 15-20’ high, and plenty of horizontal space.

Can I use a softbox with Lowel Tota Lights?

2012-06-11T22:22:03Z

Yes, we have adapter hardware for this. Since the light was not designed for use in a soft box, it is not as efficient as a StarLite bare bulb style system, however it will work in medium or larger SilverDomes. The connector you need is the VC-BL4002

What is the CRI of the CoolStar 150 watt Fluorescent?

2012-06-11T18:17:34Z

It is about 80-84

Do you offer a dimmer for the StarLite?

2012-06-11T18:15:59Z

We do not offer a dimmer. When using our 1000w or 500w Starlite lamps or any other lamps for other fixtures with a dimmer, the color temperature will drop. In addition, you will hear a louder noise on our Starlite lamps. For this reason, we do not recommend a dimmer, rather use additional diffusion faces or the available 1/2 and 1/4 stop faces for the soft boxes.

have a disposal recomendation for broken CoolStar fluorescent bulbs?

2012-06-11T18:12:32Z

The lamps are definitely subject to breakage if they fall over, what we recommend is that if this occurs you should only clean up using disposable gloves, Ziploc bag the pieces and take it to your local landfill or recycling center for proper disposal. Here is a link to a great site that will allow you to search for a local disposal site. earth911

I just bought a Starlite QL and when I take pictures they turn out yellow. What am I doing wrong?

2012-05-18T23:28:40Z

The light from the tungsten bulb is around 3200 Kelvin which is significantly warmer than daylight. If you are using film, then you need to use tungsten balanced film, not daylight balanced. If you are shooting digital, just set your camera for tungsten. Though for the most accurate color balance in your digital camera, do a custom white balance or try setting the white balance manually between 3000 to 3200 & choose the setting which gives you the best results.

Can the Starlite be used with umbrellas?

2012-05-18T23:27:23Z

You could put an umbrella into the swivel mount, but there is no reflector designed for the Starlite to project the light into the umbrella, so used in this fashion, it would not be a very efficient light. The Starlite was designed to be used with soft boxes. The bulb is intentionally designed with a long shape in order to most efficiently illuminate a soft box.

What camera settings should I expect to use with a constellation in a large soft box with the three fluorescent bulbs?

2012-05-18T23:26:13Z

With the soft box face 5’ from the subject, at ISO 200 at 1/30th , expect to get about F2.8 with just one bulb turned on. With 2 bulbs, the output is doubled & will get you F4. All three will be a half stop more than F4. If you change your ISO to 400, then you can get one more f-stop or a faster shutter speed of 1/60th.

With the Starlite & Constellation, when should I use the 1000 watt tungsten bulbs and when should I use the 150 watt fluorescent bulbs?

2012-05-18T23:23:52Z

The 1000 watt tungsten will give double the light output of the 150 watt fluorescent and it is color balanced to indoor 3200 Kelvin light. So it will mix well with interior lighting and give you a little more power. The fluorescent is balanced to daylight, so it will mix well with window light. It will generate much less heat, save your electric bill and last a lot longer than the tungsten bulb.