In this review we take a look at the Kino Flo BarFly fluorescent fixture in two different kits: the 400 and the 200. They use the same technology throughout both models, the difference is that the 400 runs four lamps and the 200 runs two lamps. These lights are incredibly useful in demanding on-location or studio shoots. In tandem, they are ideal for even a small crew as they can be set up and struck in matter of minutes.

Slimmer Fixtures Adapt to Your Needs

The BarFly 400 and BarFly 200 fixtures are very thin and come with removable center mounts that literally snap on and off. This means that you can easily use the mount to connect the fixture to your C-stand or go without the mount to place the light in inconspicuous locations (gaffer's tape anyone?). That's always been a trademark of Kino Flo's fixtures but this particular removable mount design is the easiest to work on and off the mount that you'll have no problem taking a new direction from the DP when he wants to move the fixture behind a bookcase. The fixture without the mount measures just 2 inches deep and is lightweight enough that you could secure it to a wall, ceiling or some other surface in a pinch. Despite its weight, the fixture is rugged enough to withstand a life out on location with the crew and include a removable gel frame and a very unique Honeycomb Louvers that slide in and control the angle of the light.

Broken Lamp, No Problem

When our kit arrived one of the lamps had cracked upon transit, so our first task was to replace it. (Broken lamps are a common problem with shipping, even with the best protection.) The design for the lamp sockets make "changing a lightbulb" even easier if you can possibly imagine that. The socket slips in at an angle as you lay the lamp down towards the reflector in its resting position and snaps into place. Assuming most of your replacements will come when a lamp burns out (not broken), the ease of use here is outstanding. With a little bit of experience you could be doing this in a split second with a single hand. No joke. Anyone familiar with replacing incandescent light bulbs should be drooling at the thought. So, with this convenience and the convenience of the removable mount as we mentioned before, we instantly had an appreciation for these fixtures (and we hadn't even turned them on).

A Ballast of Great Lengths

We often compared the BarFly kits to the Kino Flo Diva 400 we've been using for several years with much pleasure. The Diva houses the ballast on the fixture (making the depth thicker and a bit heavier), whereas the BarFly takes a more traditional approach and runs the ballast off 12 feet from the head extension cord. In our kit, we found a 25-foot extension which we could add to move the ballast off even further away from the fixture. This is ideal if you're shooting in some tight locations and need the extra distance or the greater ability to hide the fixture somewhere. The BarFly documentation even notes that you can use up to three 25-foot extension cords, although we can't imagine a shoot of our own where we'd need that much distance between the fixture and the ballast. This might be more appropriate for the Hollywood types, but at least it's a possibility.

The ballasts are well built and control each lamp individually. For both the 400 and 200 kits, individually controllable lamps are ideal to adjust output (although not as ideal as being dimmable). This makes the 400 kit even more useful for those who might be interested in just a single kit as you can run it as if it were the 200 with just switching on two lamps. Versatility is really key with both these kits. It's not only seen on the fixture, but it shows up again on the ballast with the individual switches. There's also a standard and high output switch to choose from as well, which will give you an extra boost of intensity from the lamps should you need it.