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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Dedolights...

Rick Darge

Rick Darge

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I love Dedos. I have a Kino kit which I use all the time and have been thinking about investing in a Dedo kit. I'm just not sure if I should buy a complete kit (4 light 150W kit) or get each light individually. Don't see much of a cost savings with the kit. And not sure if should go for the Dedos with the built in ballast or the separate ballasts. I know with the built-in ballasts, you can't operate the dedo upside down. Not sure what other differences there are... I just know I really dig these lights despite how pricey they are.. Thoughts?
 
Hi Rick,

I have both Tungsten and HMI Dedo's and if you can get past the sticker shock, or are patient, you'll be super happy with the instruments. The most often used lights on my productions are the Kino 4x4, Diva 401's, and the Dedo 150's. Lots of other stuff too, but those guys are the workhorses on simple shoots.

The Dedo kits are overpriced IMHO. I keep an eye out for good deals and while I picked up the 200w HMI Sundance as a kit, I put together my own DLH4 kit out of a combination of all new components from ebay and B&H, Barndoor Lighting etc. and was able to shave about a grand off the kit price.

I prefer the remote ballasts, for the reason you mention, and that in most instances you can hang the dimmer from it's included loop on the stand making it easy to adjust output. Given that one of the strengths of the dlh4's is that you can put them almost anywhere, you generally do... in inaccessible places, or popped on a cardellini up out of the way, it's sure a lot easier to dim from a remote dimmer than having a grip working his/her way up to the lamp to adjust output.

Hope that helps,

Steve
 
Go with seperate ballasts, easier to operate. There is a multi ballast, 4 channels also. Its useful but requires the power to be fed back to it, its neat but may be less convenient if the heads are spaced over a wider area but unlikely if its a small set up. Also the power supplies to fail from time to time, having the separate units allows some contingency if one chooses not to work.
 
Dedos are built like a tank - if you have plans on staying in this industry, those fixtures will stay with you for a long, long time. I bought mine via a UK company (Creative Video) for quite a nice price about 10 years ago. Since then they've been dropped, rained upon, handled (as in: abused) by airplane luggage handlers. The bag does show sure signs of wear, but the Dedos are just fine.

Personally I prefer those with separate, single dimmable ballasts - that way I can spread the lights around the room, yet keep the dimmers somewhat close to me. Also makes the lights lighter, giving me more options as to where to place them.


Disclaimer: I have no connection to either Dedo or Creative Video.
 
Dedos are great units, but they aren't my favorite. I'm afraid I still like the old basic fresnel quite a lot.

I definitely prefer separate ballasts on Dedos.

I tried the combination ballast. When your set up is small enough its kind of neat to just dial your stuff in and fiddle. On most set ups though its unwieldy to cable it.

I recommend for general cinema use the individual separate ballast units.
 
Rick Darge said:
I love Dedos. I have a Kino kit which I use all the time and have been thinking about investing in a Dedo kit. I'm just not sure if I should buy a complete kit (4 light 150W kit) or get each light individually. Don't see much of a cost savings with the kit. And not sure if should go for the Dedos with the built in ballast or the separate ballasts. I know with the built-in ballasts, you can't operate the dedo upside down. Not sure what other differences there are... I just know I really dig these lights despite how pricey they are.. Thoughts?
Click to expand...

Rick, we have 3, and use them all the time, but I've rarely felt the need for four. Most rental houses here rent them by kits of 3. 4 is starting to be a whole lot of slashes in frame, the whole point of Dedos is to highlight something, and rare is the occasion when you want to highlight more than 3 things (think about it...)

One dedo we use ALL the time - I'd say 50% of our shots use at least one.

Our Joker Bug is our most used light (because it becomes so many different things) then second I'd say the Kino 4x4, third the Dedos.

I'd say it takes about a year if you shoot often to pay off the Dedos in saved rentals. But then they last for ever.
 
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+1 Rob.

That's the other reason that I built a "kit" myself. I already owned a couple of Arri 150's so four Dedo's was overkill. I've got two of the DLH4's and that's been enough.

BTW, I've got a Joker on the acquisition list, I'm thinking the 400 as it goes easily into the a source 4, but am curious to your opinion.

Rick, you should check ebay today...
 
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Thanks guys for the feedback. The kits I've seen on ebay are of the older non aspheric2 design. Is this newer design desirable?
 
+1 on the separate ballasts.

The older ones are still good lights, but the Aspheric 2 are the ones to get if you have the budget - wider zoom range is always useful.

Think a 3 head kit is great, but I have 4 heads, and glad I do. Have used all four for quite a few shoots - great for pools of light exactly where you need them.
 
Tungsten Dedo lights are very much so worth the cost. If I were to buy a light kit personally - the 4head 150w would be my #1 choice. I'd go with the kit because one or two just won't be enough for a scene. On LOST we kept 3x 4Head kits. Indispensable in moody outdoor/indoor scenes.
 
I've had 6 of the Tungsten 150's for a couple years and love them! They travel well, are built strong and spot like hell! I also carry a few Mole Tiny's since the Dedo's don't flood very wide... sometimes I have to hide a light close in and cover a broad area (that's when I pull out the Tiny's).
 
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dedo's are great lamps, and pack a lot of punch into a small package. The 150 lamps with built in Ballast are the bomb. The ones with separate ballast are nice also because it creates a smaller head able to squeeze into a smaller space, but that need is rare.

I just bought the Dedo Octodome with both tungstun and HMi lamp heads.... love this light!
 
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