Conventional Fixtures - Altman Luminator

[JD]

Needed a low power spot for some super small jobs where the Lycian 1209 would be super over-kill. (think, cabaret shows) That got me into shopping for a very small but full featured spot. (Still need Iris, mechanical dimmer, color boom, with decent photometric data on a 40 to 60 foot throw.) What I ended up with was the Altman Luminator. ( ~$950) Have not got it in yet, but I was pleased with the data showing it will still give 106fc at 60 feet with a max diameter of 8 feet (spot mode.) I was actually surprised they are getting that out of a conventional 360 watt lamp. (FLE) Although I had considered the Comet, I like the dimensions (Yoke width is only 11 inches) on the Luminator and know we are going to be using it in tight locations.

This will turn into a review after I try it out, but for now I was wondering if anyone had used one, and outside of the expected lack of smoothness of any sub-miniature spot, what they thought of it.

[MPowers]

We have a number of these in our rental inventory and have been very happy with them. We have found them to be quite user friendly with even the most inexperienced operators. They are rugged and reliable. They are very low maintenance, to date 100% of maintenance and repair have been due to customer misuse.

[JD]

Well, received the spot and I am impressed. Really puts out a lot of light considering the tiny little MR16 style 360 watt FLE lamp. It uses the same cast base as found on the 1000Q but with a smaller up-pipe and a reducer fitting. Pan has no clutching, just a lock ring that rides on the pipe coupler. Tilt is a lot better, using a blade/clamp method. All controls are on the top except for the front lens adjustment which is on the bottom. Friction color boom with six gel slots that hold actual gel as compared to some factory selected filter. Iris is ok... hey, it's not a trouper, but its good for the purpose. Probably the thing that blew me away was the quality of the fader! It uses a three blade design and has an amazing full field fade without hot-spots or shadows. The unit is a very compact spot that is designed to be operated from either side.

In looking through the inexpensive spots on the market, most are missing one or two major features. This is a full featured spot for under $1000. It's 4 amp draw makes it lightweight enough to plug in almost any outlet, which can be a good thing for club work. About the only thing it lacks is a quick chopper for fast blackouts. (Fader control has about a six inch throw.) This can be worked around if you do not need all six colors in the boom by installing a plate in one of the gel frames.

The front of the spot also has a gel frame holder which can be handy if you are running color correction.