Recently, I bought a Kino Flo Mega 8-foot single. I saw a used one for sale in great shape and
couldn’t resisted added it to my inventory.
If you are not familiar with the Kino Flo Mega series, it is a fluorescent
light like the workhorse Kino Flo 4-foot series. The difference is the Mega series comes in 6
and 8 feet. The eight-foot light seems
huge close-up.
The Megas are definitely a
specialty light: they are great backlights;
great anytime you need a long-reflected light source; make an interesting
wrap-around key light; and my favorite use of them, they are a fantastic eye
light.
I lit a job at Jim Beam distillery
with Kid Rock. I remember how he almost
always wear sunglasses. I used an 8-foot
Mega Flo as an eye-light. It looked great
with the white line of the Kino Flo reflecting in the sunglasses, moving around
as he spoke. A 4-foot Kino Flo would
have not been wide enough. Everyone
loved it. They thought the lighting look
so good, there was talk of taking me to Chicago for the next job. Here is a picture of me on the set at Jim
Beam, photoshopped of course, I used for my annual New Year Card:
Update July 2019:
I have replaced the fluorescent tube with an 8-foot Quasar Crossfade tube. I love it.
This really ups the game for this light. It is brighter. I can adjust the color temp. It is now dimmable. Best of all, I don't have to pack 8-foot glass florescent tubes around. The 8-foot tubes are awkward to deal with.
I have gone with Quasar Crossfade tubes in all my Kino Flo housings. There are so many advantages, it is just the best way to go. My workhorses are the 4'x4 bank housings, but I also love using my Mega Flo housings. I have 2-6'x4 bank housings and 2-8'x8 bank housing. These are just great for all the wrap you get with the large, wide source.