Tiffen Lowel V-light User Manual

Lowel V-light Instructions

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General Warnings

The Lowel V-light is a professional
lighting fixture. Read these
instructions and lamp manufacturer’s
warnings before operating.

n Not for house hold use, use only

for film, video or imaging purposes.

n Do not leave fixture unattended.
n Unplug fixture when not in use.
n V-light is available as either

a 120v model or 230v (CE approved) model.
Make certain that lamp voltage matches power
source voltage. Example: never connect

a 120 volt lamp to a 230 volt source.

n Units such as these emit

considerable light and heat, and if not
properly used, could be dangerous.

n V-light should not be positioned

extremely close to people. Ultraviolet light ray
emissions can cause damage to the eyes and
reddening of the skin. The likelihood of either
occurring is increased with length of expo­sure, focus intensity and proximity. Therefore,
lights should be kept away from people.

n V-light safety glass tube must be

used to protect people and property in the
unlikely event of a defective lamp exploding.

n Avoid aiming the light at, or placing

too close to, people, delicate objects or
flammable materials.

n Do not interfere with ventilation

by covering the lights in any way.

n For proper ventilation, do not tilt

down beyond 45 degrees or operate sideways.

Technical Data

Size closed:

7.3 x 7.3 x 1.3",
(18.5 x 18.5 x 3.3 cm)

280° constant
tension
no-yoke tilting
from light

Weight with cable:

1.5 lbs. (680 g)

Max. wattage: 500
Max. amperage:

4.2 at 120 volts

Beam control:

door angle provides
vertical beam control
Fits on: 5/8" (1.59 m)
studs and accessories
Materials: primarily

1.3” (3.3 cm)

aluminum and Ryton

Cable:

16' (4.88 m) #18/2

Switch: in-head
U. S. Patent:

4322779

3.9” (9.9 cm)

Performance

With 120v, 500w, 3150°K, GDA lamp

Notches
for normal
position of
doors

handles

Protective
glass tube

280° constant
tension no-yoke
tilting from
stand-fitting

4.4” (11.2 cm)

7.3” (18.5 cm)

Lamp/Beam Data

Lamp F. C. (lux) at 10' (3 m)
Code Volts Watts °K Avg Life doors norm doors 180°

GDA 120 500 3150 100 hr 43 (465) 25 (270)

V1-240/250 240/250 500 3150 100 hr 37 (395) 20 (215)

The above lamps are low-pressure lamps.
Tota and V lamps are not interchangeable.

V-light

AC switchCool door

Slot & lock for

umbrella and

gel-frame

n Lights should be operated with lamp

filament horizontal.

n Never operate V-light with the

Mounting Bar covering the lamp (bulb).

n Never touch hot parts only touch

handles & knobs for light adjustments.

n Do not use near standing water.
n Avoid mounting lights directly over

people unless secured with a safety cord
or cable.

V-light Fuse

The V-light is fused.

Fuse A and spare replacements B & C are
located under the rear cover plate D of the V­light.

B

A

Beam angles-points at which intensity drops
to 50% of maximum

V-light Operations

Loosen the large knob located on the side of
the fixture, swing L-link (mounting bar) down
away from lamp housing, position housing,
and tighten knob, swing reflector doors open.
A permanent finger grip is provided on each
door to facilitate ease of handling during
operation of the unit. The on/off switch is
located on the rear panel of the V-light.

Warning: Lights should be operated
with lamp filament
horizontal.

To Store

C

V-light

Closed for storage and travel.

A
B Maximum light intensity, doors at 75°.

Metal stops built into the light’s housing

V-light Door Positions

prevent doors from closing beyond the
safe operating position.

C Maximum vertical spread, doors at 180°.

CBA

When fixture is cool to
the touch. Unplug light.

D

Fold the reflector doors
back completely and
swinging the bracket in
front of the lamp and

Model / Code Volts Fuse Amps / Volts

V1-10 120 5 / 250

V1-10CE 230 2.5 / 250

glass sleeve provides
protection during
handling and storage.

Lowel V-light Instructions

V Light ControlsV Lamp Replacement

Warning: Always unplug unit before relamp­ing. Lamps must be operated at their rated
voltage. Only use low-pressure lamps. Fixture
must be cool before lamping. Avoid touching
“glass” with bare fingers. Insert lamp careful­ly, to avoid breaking porcelain ends. Due to
inconsistencies in lamp (bulb) production, an
individual lamp may function for less than
rated life. Some lamp manufactures are of bet­ter quality than others and may provide longer
life and better performance.

To change lamps
1

Flip up each porcelain socket holder A
at the ends of the V-light and remove glass
sleeve and lamp.

2 Insert new lamp B and glass sleeve C

carefully. To avoid possible breakage of
the safety glass, close these porcelain
socket holders very gently over new
lamp and glass sleeve.

3 Always install a new lamp with the raised

glass “tip” D located at the center of the lamp
(bulb) facing forward. Fixture will not operate
without using the protective glass sleeve.

ABDC A

VIP Lampak

Code: ViP-61

Provides transparent, semi-rigid foam filled
storage for spare lamps. Never put hot
lamps in lampak.

Tota-shade

Code: T1-21

Set (4)

Code: T1-24
Size: 9 x 4.5" (23 x 11.4 cm)

Add-on barndoors provide more precise con­trol. Attach Tota-shade panels to the top and
bottom reflector doors with black clips facing
in. Side panels are attached by turning panel
clips at 45-degree angle and attaching to bent
rod ends on top and bottom doors. Tota­shade will hold 10 x 12” gel sheets even with
an umbrella installed.

Universal
Mounting
Bracket

The V-light has a
Universal Mounting
Bracket (UMB) A
located below the
fixture, adjacent
to the stand fitting B.
It facilitates the mounting of V-lights and
accepts several light control accessories.

Tota-frame

Code: T1-20

Holds 10 x 12" gels. Unfold
frame, extending
frame bar and insert through
front slot of UMB Lock with
knob. Pans and tilts with the
light, collapses for storage.

Tota/Omni Gels

Gels are secured to the frame with corner
spring clips. Gels should not be doubled up.
Precut, tough, fade resistant Lowel gels are
available in daylight blue, frost diffusion
& neutral den­sity,.Gels can
be cut into var­ious shapes to
cover only part
of the frame
and subject.
(See gel instruc­tion sheet.)

Tota-brella

Standard/Silver

Code: T1-25
Size: 27" (68.6 cm) open,

19" (48.3 cm) closed.

Special/White

Code: T1-26
Size: 27" (68.6 cm) open,

19" (48.3 cm) closed.

Photographic umbrellas convert relatively
hard light sources, such as spotlights, into
relatively soft sources that provide soft shad­ows and highlights. Although not appropriate
for every subject or mood, the quality of light
can be very beautiful. There are two umbrellas
designed for use with the V-light, a woven,
soft silver umbrella and a softer white umbrel­la that produces a softer light and also may be
used as a large diffuser. To mount umbrella

A

B

insert umbrella shaft through round hole in
UMB and lock with knob. Tota-brella and
Tota-frame cannot be used simultaneously.
Warning - When lights with umbrellas are
extended very high, or used on undersized
stands or in areas of heavy “traffic”, it is
advisable to add weight (such as the Lowel
weight) to the base of the stand to reduce the
chance of lights falling over which could
damage the umbrella, the lamp and possibly
cause personal injury.
Warning - To prevent possible umbrella
damage, avoid full or near-full spot reflector
settings on the Pro or i-light
and do not use a Super-spot
Reflector.

Flag-link

Code: ViP-50

Screws into bottom of UMB on
ViP Lights; female flexi-lock accepts
one Flexi-shaft.

Tota-tatch

Code: T1-34

Spring clamp attaches
Tota-flags and Tota-flectors
with or without
Flexi-shafts, to stands,
pipes, and flat surfaces. The snap-in
fitting rotates to help position flags.
Tota-tatch may also be used to
hold and position black & white
cards, cue cards, gels, etc.

Flexi-shaft (2)

Code: T1-50

A flexible arm positions
Tota-flags and Tota-flectors.
The fixed end of the
Flexi-shaft snaps into
a female connector on the
Flag Link, Tota Tota Tatch,
Tota-daptor, Tota-clamp and
a few other Tota components
the rotating end snaps on to the flag,
flector etc. Avoid overstressing
connectors while bending
and twisting.

Tota-flag

Code: T1-52

8 x 12” (20 x 30 cm)

Tota-flector

Code: T1-54

8 x 12” (20 x 30 cm)

Tota flags can be used
singly or snapped
together end to end
or side to side. Flags
can be attached to the
light with a flexi-shaft.
Flags block or “feath­er” light off back­ground, subject, or camera lens. Tota-flectors
can be attached in the same way and used to
redirect some of the light. It can also provide
close-up fill illumination from the sun or other
source over a small area. Slight convex bow­ing of the surface will reduce the intensity
and increase the area illumination.
Avoid mounting flags or reflectors directly
over people unless secured with a safety
cord or cable.

Constant Tension Tilting

The Universal Mounting
Bracket is the standard
mount of the Pro, i and V­lights. It locks onto any
stand or stud up to 5/8” (16
mm). Tilting is possible
with the UMB’s adjustable
constant-tension mecha­nism. The V-light, has two
independent constant-tension mechanisms,
one adjusted with the large knob located on
the light housing B, the other is adjusted with
the large knob located on the UMB A

A

B

Tota-daptor

Code: T1-35

5/8” (116 mm) female
fitting with 5/8”
(16 mm) stud has 2 female
flexi-locks for attaching
Flexi-shafts.

2

Stands

The V-light will lock onto stands with top
studs up to 5/8” (16mm). We recommend the
either the Lowel Uni-stand or Uni TO Stand.
Where elevation greater than nine feet is
required, we recommend Lowel KS Stand
with Lowel Poles or Half Poles. Lowel
Weights add to stand stability and should be
used when appropriate. The V-light can be
suspended from beams, posts and tops of
sets with the use of a Lowel Space-clamps,
Lowel Grips, Interlinks, Tota-clamps or other
mounting accessories.

Uni-stand

Code: UN-33
Size: 21.5" (54.6 cm) folded.

Extends to 7'11"
All aluminum stand, wide
base, legs can lie flat to
floor, large locking knobs.
Folds compactly to fit in
smaller kits.

Uni TO Stand

Code: UN-55
Size: 21.5" (54.6 cm) folded.
Maximum height:

7'11" (2.4 m)
Base diameter: 43"

Based on design combination of
Uni-stand & Omni-stand. More
stable than Uni-stand, more com­pact than Omni Stand.

Tota-mount

Code: T1-32

Tota-mount supports
any of the ViP fixtures
atop doors and parti­tions. Doors can be
open or closed.The
light can be inside or
outside room, since
swinging arm extends past most door jambs.
Tota-mount can be flipped over and nailed to
studio set walls or Gaffer-taped to windows or
tile, wood, metal and other wall surfaces.

Gaffer-tape

The highest quality, cloth-backed adhesive
tape attaches Lowel mounts to windows
and walls.

12 yd roll

Weight: 8 oz (227 g)

30 yd roll

Weight: 1.25 lbs (567 g)

Code: GT-12

Code: GT-30

Mounting Tota-mount &

Vipod with Gaffer Tape

Use 12”of Gaffer-tape on each bar on Tota
Mount or side of Vipod and burnish down
with a coin. Avoid wallpaper, soft composition
board or flaking paint. Never attach to the
ceiling with tape. Use original Lowel Gaffer­tape. Many substitutes leave adhesive residue
or lack sufficient strength. When properly
attached, Tota-mount or Vipod will support
the Iight for days. However, on dirty or poorly
bonded surfaces, or with improper or poorly
applied tape, there is the danger of the mount
falling down and causing serious damage.
Check adhesion periodically. Prevent direct
light from overheating tape. Remove tape
when cool, by peeling back diagonally. Tota­mount should not be used with lights heavier
than 3 lbs. (1.33 kg)

Lowel V-light Instructions

Tota-clamp

Code: T1-30

Tota-clamp supports most lights
that fit standard 5/8” studs. Tota­clamp can be attached to pipes,
stands, or flat surfaces. When
clamping on furniture, use thin
wood or cardboard to avoid mar­ring. To rotate stud, turn wing nut
counterclockwise several turns.
The stud can be locked in any of four
positions; two for the 5/8” stud and two
for the end with the 1/4-20 tapped hole.
A 1/4-20 screw can be used to lock on
some microphone yokes and various
accessories. Tota-clamp has two snap-in
fittings for Flexi-shafts.

Scissor Mount

Code: CM-20

Attaches i-lights, and V-lights
to dropped ceiling: Clamp X
bars of grid lock to T-Bar of
ceiling. Attach fixture to mount
stud and tighten. Pro lights
should use the Grid Lock for
dropped ceiling ounting.Avoid
mounting fixtures directly over people unless
secured with a safety cord or cable.

Safety Cable (3)

Code: CM-50
Size: 34" (86.4 cm)

Braided stainless-steel cable adds security to
lights and accessories that are attached to
overhead pipes, beams, dropped-ceiling
grids, etc. (Set of 3)

V-light Mounts

For additional information

on these products & more, consult product
instruction sheets, relevant sections in the
Lowel Catalog or visit the Stands & Mounts
section of www.lowel.com

Problems, info, repairs, etc.

Lowel equipment and kits are sold through
authorized Lowel Dealers and, in some coun­tries, Authorized Lowel Distributors. Repairs,
problems, suggestions, and requests for
brochures, instructions, parts lists may be
handled by your authorized Lowel Dealer
(Distributor) or directly with Lowel. Electrical
repairs should be made only by Lowel or a
qualified electrician.

Lowel ViP System, Lowel V-light, and Lowel
Pro-light are trademarks of Lowel-Light
Manufacturing, Inc.Patent Nos. 4777566,
4322779, 0011772 (Europe), 1292007
(Japan).

3

Lowel V-light Instructions

A

Camera

B

A

Camera

B

C

A

Camera

B

A

Camera

B

CameraAB

C

V-light for the New Pro

The wide angle coverage area of the broad throw
V-light makes it the ideal choice for lighting a large
area evenly.

The V-light is an open face (lensless) fixture. Therefore

its capable of throwing sharp shadows. The V-light’s
versatilities are easily extended by addition of light control
accessories. For example, adding a Tota-brella instantly
transforms the light into a soft Key (main) light or Fill
(secondary) light.

The V-light is a tungsten-halogen source. Its color tem­perature will be in the 3000–3200k° range, depending on lamp
choice. To use V-light in locations where its output will mix with
daylight (5600–6500k°), its color temperature can be converted
by adding various strengths of day blue gels to the Tota-frame
for more realistic white-balancing in video or film.

The V-light & Pro-light are part of the ViP system.

As a starting point, when using them together in simple setups,
use Pro-light A for focusing on your subject, and a second Pro
B for fill if desired. Use a V-light C to illuminate your back-

ground evenly. Position of the lights and distance to the subject
can be varied for different creative results. Add diffusion gel in
a Tota-frame, or attach an umbrella to create a softer source.

For soft Key & Fill in a classic interview setup,

use 2 V-light’s with reflective umbrellas A & B from 3/4 angles.
Varying the distance of either light from the subject will vary the

contrast ratio between Key & Fill. V-light’s ability to light even­ly makes it ideal for archival copy work. See Setup #2 below for
further information.

The oversimplified diagram above shows some of the
ramifications of positioning lights for different subject types
& lighting effects. The diagram is only useful as a starting
point for new pros. All subjects & scenes are different and
make different demands upon lighting. The height of the
lights & camera, and the subjects angles & reflectivity
must be considered.

Example Setups using V-light

Setup #1

To simply raise the ambient level of light in a room,
point the V-light at a white wall or ceiling (from a safe
distance of several feet or more). Position the light so it won't
be in your shot.

Because the coverage area of the V-light is so wide,

it may be necessary to trim its spill, especially to reduce risk
of shadow in your shot caused by use of overhead boom micro­phones. Accessory Tota-shades attach quickly to the
light & allow you to cut output on 2 or 4 sides. Flexi-shafts
& Tota-flags can also be attached for increased light
control options.

Setup #2

For archival copy work (Example: a painting hung on a wall)
start by placing V-lights A & B on stands at 45° angles to the
wall, on both sides of the camera. Vary the angle to the
wall/camera to reduce unwanted reflection. Large subjects
may require 2 V-lights at different heights on each side.

These are just some starting suggestions.

For an in-depth understanding of the creative decisions
involved in the art of lighting, we suggest Ross Lowell’s
acclaimed book, Matters of Light & Depth. Available from Lowel
and many of our dealers.

Setup #3

In classic interview setup, use 1 V-light A with diffusion and
Tota-frame as the key light, and another V-light B with reflec­tive umbrella as the softer fill light. Vary position & angle to
camera for desired creative effect. Note: the output of the V­light key will be harder/sharper than the V-light fill because the
umbrella addition creates a softer source.
Option: add a third V-light C to evenly light the background.

Lowel-Light Manufacturing, Inc.

90 Oser Avenue, Hauppauge, New York, 11788

Call: 800 645-2522 or 631 273-2500

e-mail: [e-mail]
www.lowel.com

Ver. 2.1 © 2010 Lowel-Light Mfg, Inc. 940

4

BE CAREFUL to gently close ceramic

levers around the lamp glass tube. It is
fragile and may crack. Insert the lamp so its

Lowel V-light Additional Warning

center nipple faces forward from the fixture.

Lowel-Light Manufacturing, Inc.

90 Oser Avenue, Hauppauge, N.Y. 11788

Call: 800 645-2522 or 631 273-2500
e-mail: [e-mail]
www.lowel.com

CLOSE SLOWLY

The Lowel V-light is a professional lighting system.

Read the V-light instructions completely, and lamp
manufacturers warnings, before operating.

ver. 2.0 ©2009 Lowel -Light Mfg, Inc 941