Image Features Include

    • Dmx lamp switching
    • HO/Standard switching
    • Individual lamp control
    • Adjustable Yoke Mount, Pole-Op Mount
    • Gel Frame, Louver
    • Instant-on, dead quiet
    • True-Match® daylight and tungsten lamps
    • Remote hand-held lamp control (DIM-5 optional)

     In 2010, Kino Flo introduces a Pole-Op Mount for the Image Series.

The Image 85 and 45 are soft, broad lighting sources. In the film world, the Image 85 is probably the most popular light for lighting blue and green screens because of its even cast of light and individual lamp control.
It is also a popular light on stage and location used outside of a window, a large front or side fill, or as a top light.

The Image 45 is the same light output as the 4ft 4Bank. The advantage for some applications is that the Image 45 has a built-in, on-board ballast. It also has Dmx control and Yoke or Pole-Op Yoke Mount. So for news studios and smaller virtual studios, it is the ideal light source.

The Junior Pin Assembly (MTP-I80) can be used on the Image 85 or 45 Yoke Mounts to mate to a junior receiver (28mm). The Baby Receiver Assembly (MTP-I40) can only be used on the Image 45 Yoke Mount and mates to a baby pin (16mm). The MTP-I40 is not strong enough to hold the weight of the Image 85. (Both assemblies are sold separately).

The new Pole-Op Mount allows the Image 85/45 to be hung from a pipe grid and adjusted from the ground using a long pole. The fixture includes a yoke with an attached junior pin.

The blue cup alters the Pan (left or right) and the white cup alters the Tilt (up or down).

Image Fixture Dmx Control Panel

The Image 85 and 45 have Dmx control to turn lamps on/off and an additional channel to lower the light level by
½ of a stop. There are 2 modes of operation - Individual mode and Fixture mode. In individual mode each lamp has its own address. In Fixture mode all the lamps are controlled from one address. On the information to follow many of the examples will be based on the Image 85.

Image 85 and 45 Dmx Fixtures may be operated manually with the manual lamp selector dial. The dial enables you to turn lamps on and off with an “inside-out” pattern (i.e., if all lamps are on, the outside tubes will turn off first).

The HO/Std switch sets the output level of all the lamps in the fixture. In HO mode all lamps operate at a high output level. In Std mode all lamps operate in Standard light output. There is about a ½ f-stop drop in light in the Std mode.

Note: Manual lamp switching, HO/Std as well as remote hand-held control (DIM-5) is disabled as soon as Dmx cables are applied. For Manual control with Dmx cables plugged in, set address to “000”. There is a five second
delay when switching between Dmx and Manual control.

DMX Addressing



Prior to hanging any instruments set the Dmx address of each Fixture. Push the tabs above or below the number window to set the address. (Valid addresses range from 001 to 512.) The yellow light above the address block will illuminate if a Dmx signal is present.

Each Image 85 fixture operates on 9 addresses. After the first Dmx address is entered, the Image 85 Fixture automatically captures 9 addresses. Eight addresses to lamps 1 – 8 and the 9th address to control the HO/Std Select feature. The 9th address controls the HO/Std setting of all the lamps in the fixture. A dimmer level of 0%~50% sets the lamps in the HO mode. Dimmer settings from 50%~100% sets the lamps into the Std mode.
For the sake of simplification, it is advisable to select address sequences such as 10, 20, 30, 40 and so on.

Each Image 45 fixture operates on 5 addresses. After the first Dmx address is entered, the Image 45 Fixture automatically captures 5 addresses. Four addresses to lamps 1 – 4 and the 5th address to control the HO/Std Select feature. The 5th address controls the HO/Std setting of all the lamps in the fixture. A dimmer level of 0%~50% sets the lamps in the HO mode. Dimmer settings from 50%~100% sets the lamps into the Std mode.
For the sake of simplification, it is advisable to select address sequences such as 10, 15, 20, 25 and so on.

Dmx Termination

The Dmx Terminate Switch must be set to open ( O ) on Fixtures within the Dmx chain.

Set to closed ( I ) when the Fixture is the last Dmx control device in the chain.

Any theatrical lighting board with Dmx 512 protocol can be used to individually turn on/off lamps in a Fixture.

Image Fixtures can be jumpered using the In and Out ports. As many as 100 Fixtures can be jumpered on one chain as long as the Dmx cable run remains under 1000 feet or 40 x 25ft Dmx cables.

The fixture uses five-pin XLR male and female connectors to receive Dmx signals from the dimmer board and jumper the fixtures in a series. Dmx pin-out wiring follows the USITT Dmx 512 standard:

Pin 1: Shield
Pin 2: Data -
Pin 3: Data +
Pin 4: Spare -
Pin 5: Spare +

NOTE: If a fixture or ballast loses its Dmx signal it will hold its last Dmx command. For this reason it is important to turn a fixture or ballast off using the Dmx commands. For example, if you try to turn off the lights by turning off the dimmer board, the lights will remember their last Dmx command and stay on. The fixtures require a Dmx Off or
Black-Out command in order to turn off.

Setting the unit to Fixture mode allows the user to re-create the “Inside-Out" pattern of the manual switch.

One dimmer channel controls the lamps, a second channel the HO/Std setting. Assign the first address to a dimmer channel. Adjusting the slider up or down sets the number of lamps to be turned on. For HO/Std control on Image 85, assign the 9th address to the second dimmer slider. For Image 45, assign the 5th address to the second dimmer. From 0%~50% operates all the lamps in the fixture at HO mode, from 50%~100% in the Std mode.

One of the best applications for the "Fixture Mode" is when lighting Blue and Green Screens or large Cycloramas. For example: One row of Image 85 fixtures can be set to Fixture mode on a common address. When the fader on the dimmer board is brought up or down, all the Fixtures on that address will have the same lamps turned on. Assigning the 9th address on all the fixtures renders control over the HO/Std settings.

Dimmer level - Lamp response Sliding the fader on the dimmer board from 0% ~ 100% controls the number of lamps that are on within a fixture. Note: the lamps may respond ± 4 channel levels, depending on the dimmer board.

IMPORTANT! The dimmer board/light console should have its channel set to Linear light output response. (Linear response is the default setting on most dimmer boards.)

HO/Std Control: Image 85, assign a second dimmer channel to the 9th address to control the HO/Std mode.
Image 45, assign the 5th address. Dimmer level 0%~50% operates all the lamps in the fixture at HO mode,
from 50%~100% in the Std mode.

Setting the unit to “Individual Lamp” mode allows each lamp within the fixture to have its own address. Although this option will use up a lot of addresses, it may be preferable for certain situations. The “Individual Lamp” mode is useful in achieving light effects like flickering, chasing or creating light patterns.

After the first Dmx address is entered, the Dmx Image 85 automatically captures 9 addresses. Lamps are on addresses 1- 8. The 9th address controls the HO/Std mode. For the sake of simplification, it is advisable to select address sequences such as 10, 20, 30, 40 and so on. If the 9th address is not addressed the fixture will default in the HO setting. Settings of 0%~50% on the dimmer slider on the 9th address will operate lamps in the HO setting. Settings from 50%~100% operate the lamps in the Std mode and the overall light output of the fixture drops by
½ f-stop.

For example, if the Dmx Image 85 base address is set at 001, the configuration below will provide eight lamps individually addressable through Dmx 512. Address 009 controls the HO/Std mode.

After the first Dmx address is entered, the Dmx Image 45 automatically captures 5 addresses. Lamps are on addresses 1– 4. The 5th address controls the HO/Std mode. For the sake of simplification, it is advisable to select address sequences such as 10, 15, 20, 25 and so on. If the 5th address is not addressed the fixture will default in the HO setting. Settings of 0%~50% on the dimmer slider on the 5th address will operate lamps in the HO setting. Settings from 50%~ 100% operate the lamps in the Std mode and the overall light output of the fixture drops by
½ f-stop.

The Image 85 and Image 45 Dmx are the brains and the lamps are the beauty of the Image 85/45. The vaunted
T-12 tube offers a large surface area of soft light. The wide design creates a nearly shadowless display that drops off evenly.

Smaller source fluorescents, such as the compact 55Watt lamps used in the Kino Flo ParaBeam or ParaZips, can be brighter, but they are a bit more directional and create denser shadows as well. Kino Flo compensates for the lower light level associated with T-12 tubes by overdriving each one with the Select ballast as described above.

A discussion of the various lamps available for use in the Image 85/45 Dmx in the Lamp Section provides more
information on the types of lamps available from Kino Flo. It's important to know that the True Match daylight
and tungsten 4ft tubes common on sets around the world are unique to Kino Flo because the display broad,
even color correct light that cinematographers have come to depend on. These are the only high color rendering fluorescent lamps made for the professional film and video production.

The Image 85/45 Dmx will operate any 4ft T-12 tube but the color will not be true and the life span will be shorter. All True Match lamps used in the Image fixture are available in Safety-coated and Non-Safety coated versions. Safety coating protects the user from broken glass if the tube breaks. The lamps can operate independent of the fixture allowing them to be built into sets or custom soft boxes or hand held as a single tube for an eye light.

Long Lamp Life

Kino Flo uses 800ma cathodes on all its 4ft lamps to stand up the higher output achieved by the Kino Flo ballast. Additionally, the 800ma cathodes are also designed to relieve the stress of on/off cycles, especially on Dmx products. In some cases, the Dmx operator may set the units on a "chase mode" or other effect that increases
the on/off cycles of the lamps.

All fluorescent lamps display a lumen depreciation curve. This means that over months of use the light output gradually drops and lowers in color temperature.  A lamp may be rated at 10,000 to 20,000 hours but its useful
light quality is shorter. It is realistically more in the 2000 to 2500 hour range. In a Studio environment this adds up to about one year of continous use.

True Match Color Correct Lamps

True Match lamps are formulated to correspond to the spectral distribution curves of film and television cameras
as well as look correct to the eye. They are designed to match the colors from studio quartz units or daylight sources such as HMI’s.  This gives the lighting director the option of mixing quartz hard light sources with fluorescent soft sources. Most lighting designers want the ability to use both qualities of light to enhance the set.

Architectural lamps are designed to optimize government-mandated standards for lumens per Watt efficiencies (energy savings targets). In order to achieve these standards the lamps contain high levels of green spectrum, which our eyes don’t perceive as inaccurate. Film and television cameras do record this added green. This renders for example a Caucasian skin tone as grayish and unattractive. The architectural lamps do not match with other studio lamps. They render colors inaccurately and make correction in post almost impossible.

In 1995 Kino Flo received a Technical Achievement Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
in part for the development of the first color correct lamps for film. Kino Flo continues to be a leader in their field introducing new developments and constantly improving the efficiencies and formulations of its lamp technology.

Heat Management Design

The physical heat of the lamp or the build up of heat within the fixture will directly influence the color temperature, lumen performance and lamp life.

The Image series fixture design addresses these requirements:

• Two special cooling chambers at opposite ends of the fixture provide ventilation.
• The Reflector is ventilated near the cathodes (hottest spot) of the lamps.
• The lamps are properly spaced apart to maximize light output from the reflector and minimize heat build up.

Many manufacturers do not emphasize heat management as a critical design element. They place lamps so close together that they heat each other up and never provide a stable temperature environment.  A True Match lamp
in a poorly ventilated fixture will not perform as well as in a Kino Flo fixture. We have seen customers of other manufacturers buy True Match lamps and wonder why the performance is not as good as in a Kino Flo fixture.
The answer is all in the heat management.

Reflector Design

The Image 85 and 45 are designed as soft, broad sources. Therefore the reflector is a shallow flat reflector to maximize the disbursement of the light coming from the T-12 Lamps. The reflector is made of aluminum with a
mirror-like finish. It is also vented near the lamp cathodes to prevent the build up of heat.

Another great advantage of Kino Flo reflectors over conventional quartz soft lights is that quartz softlights rely
on white painted reflectors that yellow and affect the color temperature.

Yoke and Pole-Op Mount

The traditional Yoke Mount was designed to allow the yoke brackets to be placed in one of two positions. The additional option is useful when hanging the units in a studio with a low ceiling. The Pole-Op Yoke Mount offers an advantage of lighting from a grid and eliminating the need for ladder access or costly automated rigging and hoist systems.

The Image 85 and 45 Yoke Mount can be mounted to a junior receiver (28mm) using MTP-I80. Another option for the Image 45 Yoke Mount is to mount to a baby pin (16mm) using MTP-I40. Both assemblies are sold separately.

The Pole-Op Yoke Mount includes an attached junior pin and offers an advantage of lighting from a grid and eliminating the need for ladder access or costly automated rigging and hoist systems.

Dmx Control

The Image 85 and Image 45 Fixtures can be controlled through a Dmx 512 digital protocol. They do not require dimmer racks. This saves capital costs as well as energy costs.

Most studios are designed with dimmer racks that are regulated from a lighting board. The lighting board sends out a Dmx signal to the rack that adjusts the voltage to the lamps through pulse width modulation. The more quartz lights are used more dimmer racks need to be added. These racks generate heat and noise and require a special soundproof room.

Studios using Kino Flo's can rely on a simple Dmx lighting board to control the fixtures. The dimming electronics are contained in the fixture and do not require expensive dimmer racks to adjust line voltage. The Dmx signal regulates the dimming levels. There is no additional noise or heat generated by this process. Small studios can use dimmer control boards that cost as little as $400.

Cost Savings

• Cost savings attributed to fluorescents cover a broad range of concerns:
• Lower energy costs
• Less heat so lower Air-conditioning expenses
• No gel replacements because of low heat
• Fewer lamp replacements due to longer lamp life
• Lamp replacement labor reduced by a factor of 10

Energy Savings Calculations

With the push for reducing fossil fuel consumption TV studios are looking at cooler more efficient lighting systems
to reduce costs and save energy. Part of this process involves generating energy values to determine savings.

One of the most important values is Btu/kWh.

British Thermal Units per Kilowatt Hour

Any light generates a percentage of usable light and the rest in heat.

For example, a standard incandescent light bulb converts only 11 percent of its electrical input into visible light, while the rest is dissipated directly as heat. There are energy costs involved in cooling the studio environment.
The measure of Btu/kWh is a means of calculating the thermal loads related to operating lighting.

Use the following information to calculate Btu/kWh

Watts to BTU
1 KWH= 3413 BTU/Hr.
1 watt= 3.413 BTU/Hr.
3.413 BTU per watt-hour