The Imara S10 and S6 are studio fixtures with the characteristics of the Image series, but with a more concentrated spread of light along both horizontal and vertical axes. The Imara S10 puts out about the same light output as a VistaBeam 600, yet draws only 5.2A at 120VAC (2.6A at 230VAC). The
all-in-one Imara DMX fixtures also feature new levels of control by combining the benefits of lamp switching with lamp dimming making them ideal for film production, TV broadcast and digital photography. Both models use Kino Flo’s True Match® high color rendering 55W compact lamps (CRI 95) available in tungsten and daylight.
DMX and manual lamp dimming
DMX and manual lamp switching
Yoke/Pole-Operation Mount
Reflector, Louver and Gel Frame
True Match® daylight, tungsten balanced lamps
Detail Of Features
More Information
Imara Highlights
Concentrated, broad, even spread of light on horizontal and vertical axes.
DMX and manual lamp switching/dimming enhance color and intensity control.
Honeycomb louvers in 90° and 60° focus, cut the light better than barndoors.
Yoke Mount or Pole-Op Mount designs mount easily, improve focusing.
High output, energy-efficient technology boosts light output at lower power, heat levels.
Low amperage draw means low energy costs.
Efficient heat management design maintains stable color temperature.
Compact, lightweight design for studio and for location set lighting.
Color gels last 10 times longer than when used with hot lights.
Fixtures take high color quality (CRI 95) True Match® lamps: 2900K, 3200K and 5500K.
Fixtures also operate visual effects lamps: 420nm blue and 550nm green.
The Imara series adds depth and variety to Kino Flo’s line of high output fluorescent studio fixtures.
Imara’s unique features, such as a new hi-beam SoftCut reflector design, delivers a classic movie studio soft light
that spreads light evenly across the horizontal and vertical axes. The Imara S10 puts out about the same light output as a VistaBeam 600 yet draws only 5.2A at 120VAC (2.6A at 230VAC). The Imara S6 is half the size of the S10 drawing only 3.2A at 120VAC (1.5A at 230VAC).
Light level adjustments are controlled with DMX and manual lamp switching as well as DMX and manual dimming. Unique accessory holder brackets are designed for holding the gel frame and honeycomb louvers. In addition,
the accessory holder brackets allow for four-point rope hangs for specialty rigging applications. The fixtures
are lightweight, operate coolly and run on very low power. How low? The Imara S10, for example, puts out as much light as a 3,000 Watt tungsten softlight, but uses less than 1/10th the heat and power!
The Imara takes Kino Flo’s True Match® 55W compact lamps in tungsten and daylight (CRI 95), the same lamps that have achieved great success in Kino Flo’s Diva-Lite and ParaBeam series. The availability of Kino Flo’s narrow band 420nm blue and 550nm green lamps make it an additional option for difficult to light composite screens.
Imara S10
Imara S6
TV Studio lighting directors will appreciate the even field of illumination and
high
light level along with the integrated DMX lighting controls. The Yoke and Pole-Op mount options allow the fixtures to easily hang from a grid. The fixtures can be controlled from a lighting desk without the need of conventional dimmer packs. The savings in power make every studio manager mandate for energy conservation readily achievable.
Cinematographers welcome the Imara to their fold for its compact size and
high output. It draws half the amperage of a VistaBeam 600 at about the same effective light output. Its flicker-free operation and voltage controlled electronics offer stable
color rendering and take the worry out of shooting at higher camera speeds.
DSLR still photographers who are now working with moving image capture will appreciate the cool operation and high light level in a concentrated evenly lighted area. The beam spread can be further controlled through the use of honeycomb louvers to create a very cosmetic soft edged spot. Digital image makers will be able to shoot in light conditions normally reserved for strobe lighting applications. As a professional cool light, Imara maintains stable color rendering over as much as a
12-hour shooting period without overheating the set or requiring excessive power.
To fully appreciate what the Imara Series presents, it is useful to compare its light beam characteristics with other well known Kino Flo fixtures.
Imara S10 Imara S10
Open Face w/ 90° Louver
The Imara S10 DMX utilizes a SoftCut reflector designed to emit
a bright narrow even spread of soft light. The edges of the beam are distinct. This concentration is useful in TV studios and photographic applications where the subject is localized and the spread of the light is required to be more directed.
Image 85 Image 85
Open Face w/ Silver Louver
The Image 85DMX uses a shallow reflector designed to emit
a very broad soft light. This fixture is useful for large area lighting allowing the most flexibility in spacing from 5ft to 10ft centers.
The Image 85 DMX is the most common fixture used for blue and green screen lighting as well as replacements for Space Lights.
VistaBeam 600 VistaBeam 600
Open Face w/ 90° Louver
The VistaBeam 600 DMX uses a parabolic reflector designed
to emit a narrow lateral beam. The edges of the beam are feathered, providing a gradual drop-off of light above and below the beam. This beam structure is ideal for distance and as a raking far cyc.
Imara Fixture Styles
Yoke MountPole-Op Mount
The Imara DMX fixture styles can be ordered as Yoke Mount or Pole-Op Mount.
The Yoke Mount
Imara w/
Yoke Mount
Yoke Assembly (Included)
Junior Pin Assembly
for Yoke (28mm)
The Imara S10 and S6 DMX with Yoke Mounts are ideal for studio or location lighting. The Yoke Mount is designed with two holes to allow the yoke bracket 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 Yoke can attach
to
a stand or studio grid hardware via a standard junior pin or Junior Pin Assembly for Yoke (MTP-I80), sold separately.
The Pole-Op Mount
Imara w/ Pole-Op Mount
Imara Pole-Op Assembly
(Included)
Junior Pin
(Included)
The Imara S10 and S6 DMX with Pole-Op Mounts, ideal for TV broadcast, include a yoke with an attached
junior pin. The fixtures can be hung from a pipe grid and adjusted from the ground using a long pole.
The blue cup alters the Pan (left or right) and the white cup alters the Tilt
(up or down).
Pole-Op detail
Other Rigging Options
Unique accessory holder brackets are also used to enable for 4 point rope hangs for specialty rigging applications.
SoftCut Reflector
The Imara includes a SoftCut reflector design that emits a high output concentrated beam of light on both the horizontal and vertical axes. This can be useful in applications where the light is required to be more directed. The beam spread
can be further controlled through the use of honeycomb louvers to create a very cosmetic, soft edged spot.
Honeycomb Louvers
The Imara fixtures include a 90° Honeycomb Louver. The Honeycomb Louver further concentrates the light beam without the use of barndoors. The specially designed metal foil louver is also available in 60° which focuses the light spread with minimal light loss.
The louver fits into the accessory holder brackets.
Gel Frame
The Gel Frame comes with Gel Clips to fasten the gel to the Frame.
The Gel Frame fits into the accessory holder brackets.
Imara DMX and Manual Control Panel
A) DMX Dim Channels: Sets the fixture to use 1 DMX channel to dim all 10 lamps or 5 DMX channels to control lamps in sets of 2. (Imara S6 has 1 or 3 DMX channels.) B) DMX Address: Sets DMX address of fixture. C) DMX Indicator: Lights if valid DMX signal is present. D) DMX-In & DMX-Out: DMX-In receives signals from Dimmer Board. DMX-Out relays DMX signal through
to other fixtures or instruments. E) Fuse: Provides circuit protection. Note: If fuse is “blown” or “open”, replace with same type of fuse rating
as marked.
F) 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. G) Dimmer Knob: Manual dimming control H) Lamp Select Switches: Turns lamps on manually in sets of 2.
DMX Operation
The Imara features DMX control of dim levels as well as choice of all lamp or
2-lamp operation.
The Imara S10 uses either 1 DMX channel to dim all 10 lamps or 5 DMX channels to control/dim lamps in sets of 2.
The Imara S6 uses either 1 DMX channel to dim all 6 lamps or 3 DMX channels to control/dim lamps in sets of 2.
Each Imara DMX fixture has an “AUTO TERMINATE” feature. This automatically senses the last fixture within the DMX chain and will transmit the DMX signals correctly. This new feature reduces the guesswork out of knowing which fixture is the last one that needs to be “Closed” or “Terminated” for proper DMX signals. See Operation Manual for more information.
Manual Operation
The fixtures can be manually dimmed with the onboard dimming knob. Lamp Select switches turn lamps on and
off in sets of 2.
The Lamps
The Imara fixtures operate on Kino Flo’s True Match® (CRI 95) 55W Compact fluorescent lamps, the same lamps that have achieved great success in Kino Flo’s Diva-Lite and ParaBeam series. With its proprietary chemistry,
the True Match lamps are formulated by Kino Flo to match the spectral sensitivity curves of HD and digital film imaging equipment. In 1995, Kino Flo received a Technical Achievement Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in part for the development of its color correct line of fluorescent lamps.
The True Match lamps allow the tungsten to mix seamlessly with regular studio quartz hard lights. The daylight mixes seamlessly with natural daylight or HMI’s.
The 420nm blue lamps for blue screen and 550nm green lamps for green screen application are also available.
The narrow band lamps provide an efficient light source for special effects compositing.
Imara Advantages
Energy Efficiency
As with all Kino Flo products, the Imara is energy efficient compared to conventional studio fixtures. The Imara S10 puts out about same light output as a VistaBeam yet draws only 5.2 amps at 120VAC (2.6A 230VAC). This is especially important when shooting on location or in a TV studio and power availability is an issue. The low power draw is also an advantage when operating on battery inverter power sources.
Long Lamp Life
Lamp life of a fluorescent for the television and motion picture industry is determined more by its lumen maintenance than by its actual burn time. All fluorescent lamps display a lumen depreciation curve. This means that over time the light output gradually drops and lowers in color temperature.
True Match® Color Correct Lamps
True Match® lamps are formulated to correspond to the spectral distribution curves of film and video cameras as well as look correct to the eye. They are designed to match the colors from quartz units or daylight sources such as HMI's. This gives the camera operator 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 light in the green spectrum, which our eyes don’t perceive as inaccurate. Film and television cameras do record this added green. For example, green renders 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 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.
DMX Control
There is an important practical advantage to the long lived lamps as well. Once a fixture is rigged high up in the studio grid, it can be very difficult to maintain the fixture once the set is built below. As a result, fewer lamp replacements in a hard-to-reach location translate into lower labor costs. By simply mixing True Match® lamps
in the Imara, lighting designers can produce a range of color temperatures using the remote DMX protocol without sending crew members to change out color gels.
The versatility of the Imara allows the user to control/dim lamps in sets of 2. The additional “Auto Terminate” feature senses the last fixture in the DMX chain to transmit DMX signals properly. 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.
SoftCut Reflector Design
Tungsten softlights radiate light in a broad field. Flags, cutters, skirts or louvers are needed to concentrate the light into specific areas. With its unique characteristics and SoftCut reflector design, the Imara produces a high output, concentrated, even spread of light on the horizontal and vertical axes. The beam spread can be further controlled through the use of honeycomb louvers to create a very cosmetic soft edged spot. This concentration
is useful in TV studios and photographic applications where the subject is localized and the spread of the light is required to be more directed.
Heat Management Design
The physical heat of the lamp or the buildup of heat within the fixture will directly influence the color temperature and lumen performance and lamp life.
The Imara fixture design addresses these requirements:
The reflector is properly ventilated near the cathodes (hottest spot) of the lamps.
The orientation of the lamps (with lamp bases up) keeps the cathodes cool and provides best color temperature stability and best color rendering.
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.
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 ventilation.
Yoke and Pole-Op Mount
The Yoke Mount is designed with two holes to allow the yoke bracket to be placed in one of two positions. The additional option is useful when hanging the units with a low ceiling.
The Yoke mounted Imara can be mounted to a stand or hung from a grid using a standard junior pin or Junior Pin Assembly for Yoke (MTP-I80), sold separately.
The Pole-Op Mount already includes a junior pin and can be hung from a grid using standard studio grid hardware. The Pole-Op Yoke Mount offers an advantage of lighting from a grid eliminating the need for ladder access or costly automated rigging and hoist systems. The accessory holder brackets add another hanging option which allows a four point rope hang for specialty rigging applications.
Cost Savings
Cost savings attributed to fluorescents cover a broad range of concerns:
Low energy costs
Less heat so low 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 of reducing fossil fuel consumption, TV studios are looking at cooler, more efficient lighting systems to reduce costs and save energy. 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
