Conventional Fixtures DMX Iris- who uses them?

Kelite

Senior Account Executive
Premium Member
Knowing how modern ellipsoidals are pressed into use for a variety of purposes- how many of you CB'ers use a drop in iris?

And those that do.... is it DMX or not? Does it matter?
 
We have a handful on manual iris units for our Source IV's, but no DMX ones. In fact, I cannot recall a time when we really wished we had a DMX iris. Most times we would have to go and refocus the entire instrument anyway, so manually adjusting an iris unit is no problem in our case.

~Dave
 
Speaking of irises, anyone have irises fo rhte altman 360Q's lying around?

Jon
 
I have wished for DMX irises for use on elipscans many a time. Besides that though, I do like to have a few around for odds and ends. I am also a big fan of the S4 10deg spotlight, so therefore and iris there is a must.
 
I have a few irises in stock, all manual. Used mainly for Source 4's as follow spots or when you just need to make the beam a little smaller. I don't think that I have felt like we needed to own any DMX irises.
 
If one is willing to sacrifice convenience for cost, (MSRPs: Drop-in Iris=$134; DMX Iris=$775+$150 Power Supply) I recommend http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/glossarys/7518-aperture-reducer.html.

Speaking of irises, anyone have irises for the Altman 360Q's lying around?
Since these were not of "drop-in" style, you pretty much have to buy the entire fixture, or at least the gate assembly. (Unless you're replacing failed ones, which often happens as the 360Q is not the kindest fixture regarding gate temperature.) Again, a sheet of galvanized flashing, a pair of tin snips, and a bi-metal holesaw will get you quite far for little cost.
 
I have a DMX iris high on my list of purchases for the future. I use an Apollo Right Arm for a spotlight, since I don't have a true spot position, and I would love to throw an DMX iris in for additional remote control.

The cost is prohibitive though. For the same price I can get a lot of other equipment on a school budget.
 
Similarly, I have a couple in stock (non-DMX). They don't get much play to be honest, but when I DO use them, they're awfully handy . . .
 
We use the tin foil 'aperture reducers' at my college but the other summer the LD [-]specked[/-] spec'd a DMX iris because of a very specific look, the light was to light the face tightly then expand so a DMX iris was the ticket.
 
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(Patent Pending)

Please check with Apollo at LDI '10 for more info!

Are you serious?

Anyway... Have no irises. I would like to get a few, but we need to replace some of our old lekos first. Besides... I don't know if they would be used enough to qualify for a purchase.

I like the aperture reducers, though.
 
... I am also a big fan of the S4 10deg spotlight, so therefore and iris there is a must.

At some point I really must take pictures, but last year I made a custom bracket to turn a Source Four 10deg with an iris into a really nice followspot (considering the ingredients were a S4 and some bits of scrap). It has one handle that extends from the back of the fixture. Twisting that controls the iris. Another handle extends perpendicular to the side of the fixture, and just in front of the pivot point. Also, the pivot point has been shifted slightly forward to balance the weight of the lens. Having everything balanced properly makes a huge difference for novice operators (this is used at a high school).


On a slightly more topic-related note: irises are very useful, but I haven't come across any circumstances where a DMX-controlled iris in a conventional fixture was desirable enough to justify the expense.
 
...I would like to get a few, but we need to replace some of our old lekos first. ...
In the early 80s, my professor was buying 10 or so LekoLights and wanted to get the iris option. But it was around $40 per fixture and Strand Century had just released its PAR64 can, for $36 each! So he bought 12 ParCans instead. (Bad can by the way, but still.) We had a few old Lekos with irises (but no shutters!) and rarely used those. Today a drop-in iris is about the same price as an S4-Par. I'd rather have more fixtures.
 
I've got 4 manual Irises and 2 DMX. As was mentioned above I plan to match the DMX Irises with my Right Arms or my I-cues to create a follow spot look. I haven't used them yet but that's why I got them. Manual Irises are very useful for just tweaking things a bit as Alex mentioned.
 
I'd rather have more fixtures.

Exactly. Cover needs first, add ins afterwards.

I think the only reason I would ever need a DMX iris would be for a light that was mounted on a RightArm (especially because I would not need to buy a power supply) or Auto Yoke, that way it would be more like a moving light - but without the cost.

Thank you, Gafftaper Method.
 
Thank you for your insight, gang. I can always depend upon sound logic (and maybe a dose of BS for good measure) to keep me on target.


:grin:
 
I have a DMX iris high on my list of purchases for the future. ... and I would love to throw an DMX iris in for additional remote control. The cost is prohibitive though. ...
:pray: IF only one (or two!) of the color media manufacturers offered a DMX-controlled Iris, competition might drive prices down into the affordable range. IF only there were an industry trade show where such products could be introduced to the market.;)
 
Derek I have a sinking sensation you are on the LSA e-mailing list....
 
I used 2 DMX irises last spring in a show that I hung. The LD used them for a couple of different emotional moments to focus in on the character's distress & to open out into his happiness. The theatre that it was in also doesn't have any good places for a followspot and a moving light(s) wasn't in the budget. We rented them from DTC pretty cheap for a 5 week run.
 

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