Image 87/47 DMX Highlights

The Image 87 and Image 47 have distinct advantages over conventional quartz softlights:

• Metal alloy fixture includes gel frame, louver and cardholders
• Broad, even light - ideal for blue and green screen
• Low amperage draw, energy savings   
• Universal input 100VAC-240VAC
• Long lamp life, low lamp replacements, low maintenance labor
• Low operating temperature
• Low air-conditioning costs
• More efficient heat management design for stable color temperature
• Uses 5500K, 3200K and 2900K, 420nm blue and 525nm green lamps
• Mix lamps for various color temperatures
• High color rendering True Match lamps work well alongside conventional quartz lights or HMI’s.
• DMX control for stable color temperature and light level control
• Color Gels do not burn out or fade due to lower heat of fixture.
• Traditional Yoke Mount with two position setting, Pole-Op

The Image 87 and 47 are soft, broad lighting sources. In the film world, the Image 87 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 47 is the same light output as the 4ft 4Bank. The advantage for some applications is that the Image 47 has a built-in, onboard 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 Image L80 LED DMX fixture styles available include: Yoke Mount and Pole-Op.  The slim design is only 6.5” in depth and is comprised of a rugged metal alloyed fixture with built-in electronics.  The fixtures include a gel frame, louver and 4 cardholders.

The Pole-Op Yoke allows the Image 87/47 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).

A) Manual Selector Dial: Turns lamps on and off manually without connecting DMX cable to fixture.

B) HO/Std Selector Switch: HO setting operates lamps at High Output; Std setting operates lamps at Standard light output. 
     Note: Std is ½ f-stop lower than HO.

C) IEC Plug Receptacle

D) Fuse: Provides circuit protection.  Note:  If fuse is “blown” or “open”, replace with same type of fuse rating as marked.

E) Power Switch: Turns fixture on and off.  Has built-in indicator light to detect if AC power is present in power cord.  “O” = OFF position.

F) DMX Address: Sets DMX address of fixture.

G) DMX OK: Lights if DMX signal is present and conforms to DMX512/1990.

H) DMX Channels: Sets the Image to control all lamps on one channel or to control lamps individually.  Image 87 uses DMX Channel 1 or
     DMX Channel 9 (1-8 = Lamps, 9 = HO/Std).  Image 47 uses DMX Channel 1 or DMX Channel 5 (1-4 = Lamps, 5 = HO/Std).
     The 9th address (5th address for Image 47) controls the HO/Std setting.

I) DMX-In & DMX-Out: DMX-In receives signals from Dimmer Board.  DMX-Out relays DMX signals through other fixtures or
     instruments.
     Note:  Each Image 87 & 47 DMX fixture has an “AUTO TERMINATE” feature. The last fixture that does not have an XLR cable
     attached to the DMX “Out” port will automatically terminate.

The Image 87 & 47 DMX fixtures may be operated manually with the Manual Lamp Selector Dial.  The selector dial enables you to turn lamps on and off with an “inside-out” pattern.  Note: If all lamps are on, the outside tubes will turn off first.

HO operates lamps in High Output mode.  Std operates lamps in Standard Output mode.  (There is about a ½ f-stop drop in light output in Std mode.)

DMX Operation

Image 87 operates on DMX Channel 1 or 9
Lamps = 1-8, HO/Std = 9

On DMX Channel 1, one DMX address controls all 8 lamps on one dimmer channel.  A 9th address controls the HO/Std setting. 

On DMX Channel 9, the first 8 addresses control 8 lamps individually and address 9 controls the HO/Std setting. 

Note: Not assigning the 9th address results in the fixture operating at the HO setting.

Image 47 operates on DMX Channel 1 or 5
Lamps = 1-4, HO/Std = 5

On DMX Channel 1, one DMX address controls all 4 lamps on one dimmer channel.  A 5th address controls the HO/Std setting.

On DMX Channel 5, the first 4 addresses control 4 lamps individually and address 5 controls the HO/Std setting. 

Note:  Not assigning the 5th address results in the fixture operating at the HO setting.

One of the best applications for DMX Channel 1 mode is when lighting Blue and Green Screens or large Cycloramas. 

For example:  One row of Image 87 fixtures can be set to DMX Channel 1 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 (5th address on Image 47) on all the fixtures renders control over the HO/Std settings.

DMX Channel 9 (DMX Channel 5 for Image 47) may be preferable for achieving light effects such as flickering, chasing or creating light patterns.

The Image 87 and Image 47 DMX are the brains and the lamps are the beauty of the Image 87/47. 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.

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 they 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. In addition, Kino Flo has developed its own line of visual effects and designer colors for Blue and Green screen and Virtual Studios.

The Image 87/47 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 safety-coated. Safety-coating protects the user from broken glass if the tube breaks.

Safety-coated lamps are required for Rental and Location applications. For permanent installations or Studio applications such as
TV Broadcast, uncoated lamps are recommended.

Kino Flo uses 800ma cathodes on all its 4ft lamps to stand up to 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 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. For example, this renders for 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 the industry introducing new developments and constantly improving the efficiencies and formulations of its lamp technology.

Heat Management Design

For Kino Flo, heat management is a critical design element of fixture design. The physical heat of the lamp or the buildup 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 buildup.

A well maintained lamp temperature extends the lumen maintenance, color temperature and life of a lamp.

The Image 87 and 47 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 buildup 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 Mount and Pole-Op

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 Image 87 and 47 Yoke Mount can be mounted to a junior receiver (28mm) using MTP-I80. Another option for the Image 47 Yoke Mount is to mount to a baby pin (16mm) using MTP-I40. Both assemblies are sold separately.

The Pole-Op Yoke 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 87 and 47 can be controlled through a DMX 512/1990 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 Flos 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.

The versatility of the Image 87 and 47 allows the user to control all lamps or individual lamps through DMX control.  This is especially useful when lighting blue and green screens or achieving light effects like flickering, chasing or creating light patterns.  With the additional “Auto Terminate” feature, the last fixture that does not have an XLR cable attached to the DMX “Out” port will automatically terminate.  This can be a timesaver as it takes the guesswork out of knowing which DMX fixture is the last one that needs to be “closed” or “terminated” for proper DMX signals.

Cost savings attributed to fluorescents cover a broad range of concerns:

• Low energy costs
• Less heat so lower air-conditioning expenses
• No gel replacements because of low heat
• Few lamp replacements due to long lamp life
• Lamp replacement labor reduced by a factor of 10

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