I Found a LS PHOTO PRO STUDIO FL4N Studio Light For $3.99! I Show it to You and Review it.

December 7, 2020

#407

Gentle Reader,

You are forgiven if you too do not recognize the name of LS PHOTO PRO STUDIO. Before finding this at a local thrift store, I had not heard of them either.

Here is a link to their web site. They have NOT sponsored this article. I am simply showing you how to find their products: 

Welcome to LS-Photo Studio. U.S.A No.1 Photography Stuff – LS-PHOTOSTUDIO  

Here is a link to this light's bigger brother, the only one they still sell with long tubes. It holds SIX tubes:

1650 Watt LS Photo Studio Digital Lighting Fluorescent 6-bank Barndoor – LS-PHOTOSTUDIO

I spied a big black metal rectangular boxy thing was sitting on a bottom shelf at the thrift store. There was no power cable attached. I dragged it out and turned it over, that was when I saw on the back, the printed information as well as the power switches and an IEC AC power socket. 

I looked around the electronics section and spotted a computer monitor with a l-o-n-g power cable wrapped around it's stand. Knowing that monitors usually have a three or four foot cable, I unwound it and determined that someone wanting to test that monitor did what I had done: search other things for the right cable.

I have used studio lighting in the past with "barn doors" which attach to flashes or continuous light sources such as these:

All of these are vintage Spiratone AC powered studio flashes. A barn door fully open is with them, above, and detail shots of it are below.

Like the light I am showing you, the doors close over the light source for storage.

The two photos above show the lamp, closed, front and rear and the bracket I created for it. I have since removed the store's price sticker residue.

These two photos are from an eBay auction for one just like this unit. When I saw that cable, I was justified in claiming the one I found as having come from this light.

These are the mounting knobs it came with which were also missing. I happened to have two knobs that were the correct metric threads and length.

The factory's protective plastic placed on the mirrors, blue on the folding barn doors/reflectors and yellow behind the florescent tubes was still in place.

I peeled the plastic off after removing the U shaped tubes. The sockets are well designed for quick and easy in and out of the tubes.

The photo above I shot at f8.0 in order to show you the tubes on and in place. They are daylight balanced at 5400K.

This thing is big and heavy and I have never had any type of studio lighting like it. It is 26 inches wide in total (knob-to-knob), twelve inches top to bottom and five inches deep.

Initially, I tried to copy the mount on the factory bracket using a 3/8" coarse threaded bolt and long threaded rod connector nut, as seen above.

However, the threads on the black light stand adapter protruded and the light rotated as a result.

Below is a closeup shot of a 3/8" threaded rod as well as the long connector nut.

Threaded rod comes in many diameters and is used in commercial buildings to suspend all kinds of things. The aforementioned long nut is used to connect pieces of rod.

You can see my light stand adapter attached to the adapter I bolted to the bracket.

Two power switches for half or full power and the IEC socket with power cable in place.

Flattening the ends of the brackets with my bench vise did the trick, the holes were already there. These pieces of metal came from an old computer table which I kept for years. "You're never know, you might need this someday." I have said to myself many times. In this case, I was correct.

I used another smaller piece from the same set of pieces which fit inside the two bracket's round pieces. It was threaded in one end with that Allen bolt for it. I drilled through both tubes and bolted them all together.

 

It occurred to me for use in this room lighting objects for eBay auctions that the light would work best hanging from the ceiling. 

Years ago, I bolted a piece of wood to a metal L shaped bracket and bolted to it to the rafters through the ceiling drywall. 

Above are a number of vintage and newer lights and reflectors and diffusers I have had for many years which I store by attaching them to 3/8" bolts protruding from the bracket.

These photos show the aforementioned bracket/board and the threaded rod and safety chains I attached to it to support the light.

The safety chains were an afterthought. While threaded rods are designed to hold a lot of weight, the bracket I have up there may not be. Plus, they limit the light's ability to rotate should I bump into it.

Above and below shows the light on and illuminating an eBay object.

As you can see from these two photos, the light is a broad source which helps to minimize shadows.

I copied the six-bank FL6N's statistics from their website and used that information to deduce the following:

 

"LS Pro Photo Studio FL4N Studio Lighting Kit

4-Bank Fluorescent light panel with barndoor
 

Reflector Equivalent : Total 1100 Watt of output
Supply Voltage : 110v 60Hz
Size: 24"W x 12"H x 5"D
Two Bank control ON/OFF switches on the body (Two switches   control four bank)
Four-Way Barndoors
Double Barndoor Wing (More Even Light Reflection)
10,000 Hour Lamp Life 

(4) x 55W 4 Pin Type Light Bulbs

Base: 2G11
Bulb Type : Fluorescent Bulbs
Color Temperature: 5400K
Length: 21"
Rated Life (Hours) 14000
Shape Single Tube 4-PIN
Wattage (W) 55W

Photography Fluorescent light panel Photography Barndoor Light"  

 

The statistics were written by someone in Asia whose knowledge of English is FAR greater than mine is of ANY foreign language. So I will not criticize the clerical errors.

This is the top of my largest and most sturdy light stand. It reaches to twelve feet!

The threaded portion is 1/4" and below that, it is designed to attach various stand adapters.

This is one of many adapters it will accept. Below are some others I have:

This is another one I have which is designed to attach to the light stand's shaft and also hold an umbrella.

Above is a vintage Spiratone unit that would screw right on to the stand's 1/4" threaded portion. One can insert a flash on one of two sides.

Above and below is the same adapter. Above I made the piece to hold two large shoe-mount flashes together pointing into an umbrella.

The one above, would also thread onto a 3/8" light stand with the ability to also hold a flash and umbrella shaft.

These are circa 1960's Spitratone units which were part of a "Studio-in-a-box" set.

During another trip to the same store, I found this light stand for $1.99. It's top shaft was threaded for 10mm, but I tapped it down to 3/8".

From another eBay auction someone is selling their FL6N light for a bargain price compared to a new one.

I moved the table I usually used to shoot items for eBay to a more spacious area of this room. This allowed me to move the LS light towards the opposite end of the bracket and raise it up. 

The safety chains are now too long, so I wrapped them around the horizontal bar.

I also incorporated the seldom used Victor ten inch lights with diffusers to increase the light output since the LS light was now farther from the table.

With it rotated thus, below, my bald head is just protected from it. I'm six foot three and this is one half inch above my noggin.

 

Will all that being said, what do I think of this studio light? 

I think it's terrific! Being such a large light source which does not require a softbox or other light modifier it produces almost shadow-free lighting.

 

It does not get very warm, it's well made and the price I got it for makes it even better. 

 

With the ability to suspend it or mount it on a light stand it is very versatile. 

 

One of more of these make a very bright and evenly lighted area for both still and video imaging. 

 

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Thanks again for reading our humble blog!

Scott

December 7, 2020

#407