We (Swarthmore College) spent the summer discussing what kind of fixture to purchase as we were replacing our old Color Commands. We wanted a unit that was energy efficient, had good punch, and could change color. After a number of demos of a variety of products we settled on the ETC D60 Lustr+ fixture. I did a little research and discovered that the D60 ships with a 9" 25º lens (round field). That lens would be perfect for our application. On page 2 of the Selador D60 Spec Sheet it mentions that the unit ships with a 25º lens. We then ordered 15 of the units.
When we received the fixtures I addressed all of them on the deck before putting them into the air. As I was doing this I discovered that two of the fixtures had fans that didn't work. I called ETC and had two replacement units shipped out and returned the non-functional units. Once we had all the units working and addressed, we hung them from our grid and turned them on. We were very surprised to discover that the field angle seemed much smaller than the 25º that we expecting. I then took one of our Source 4 26º units and set it next to one of our new D60's. Indeed, the 26º was substantially larger than the D60 with the 25º lens. I then hung a Source 4 19º next to the D60 and the field spread seemed about the same. We were quite shocked and confused at this.
I then called ETC and left a message with Jim Uphoff explaining our confusion/aggravation/disappointment. Jim called me back and left me a voice mail explaining that the 25º lens isn't really 25º, it is more like 20º. I then dug around the ETC website some more and eventually found the D60 Lustr+ photometry files. In them I found that the 25º lens is really a 21º lens and that the 35º lens is really a 27º lens. Had we known this, I would have ordered the units with 35º lenses.
To solve this issue, I ordered the 35º (really a 27.3º) lenses and just put them in. Lo and behold, they aren't right either! There is no way that they are even 27.3º. So I ended up installing bot the 25º and the 35º lens. That just barley solves the problem. This kind is not the kind of product I would expect from ETC.
My complaint is that the product says it comes with a 25º lens but in reality it is 21º. That makes a difference. If I wanted a 21º spread, I'd get that product. Now I have to order an additional set of lenses and further delay the implementation of out new gear. If the 25º lens is really 21º, just call it a 21º lens. Likewise, the 35º lens which is really a 27º lens should be advertised as such. This is very misleading. Am I now not to trust that a 19º Source 4 really is 19º?
To compound my aggravation at all of this I discovered that the profile for the D60 in the ETC Ion that we have doesn't accurately reflect the color picking options of the unit. All of the colors that the unit's output are yellow. R80 is very green. If I use the color wheel, I discover that the problem still persists. Am I supposed to make custom R80 only to have the software for the console updated and the profile change?
I have lost a significant amount of faith in ETC and will think long and hard before I make a purchasing decision involving ETC equipment in the future.
When we received the fixtures I addressed all of them on the deck before putting them into the air. As I was doing this I discovered that two of the fixtures had fans that didn't work. I called ETC and had two replacement units shipped out and returned the non-functional units. Once we had all the units working and addressed, we hung them from our grid and turned them on. We were very surprised to discover that the field angle seemed much smaller than the 25º that we expecting. I then took one of our Source 4 26º units and set it next to one of our new D60's. Indeed, the 26º was substantially larger than the D60 with the 25º lens. I then hung a Source 4 19º next to the D60 and the field spread seemed about the same. We were quite shocked and confused at this.
I then called ETC and left a message with Jim Uphoff explaining our confusion/aggravation/disappointment. Jim called me back and left me a voice mail explaining that the 25º lens isn't really 25º, it is more like 20º. I then dug around the ETC website some more and eventually found the D60 Lustr+ photometry files. In them I found that the 25º lens is really a 21º lens and that the 35º lens is really a 27º lens. Had we known this, I would have ordered the units with 35º lenses.
To solve this issue, I ordered the 35º (really a 27.3º) lenses and just put them in. Lo and behold, they aren't right either! There is no way that they are even 27.3º. So I ended up installing bot the 25º and the 35º lens. That just barley solves the problem. This kind is not the kind of product I would expect from ETC.
My complaint is that the product says it comes with a 25º lens but in reality it is 21º. That makes a difference. If I wanted a 21º spread, I'd get that product. Now I have to order an additional set of lenses and further delay the implementation of out new gear. If the 25º lens is really 21º, just call it a 21º lens. Likewise, the 35º lens which is really a 27º lens should be advertised as such. This is very misleading. Am I now not to trust that a 19º Source 4 really is 19º?
To compound my aggravation at all of this I discovered that the profile for the D60 in the ETC Ion that we have doesn't accurately reflect the color picking options of the unit. All of the colors that the unit's output are yellow. R80 is very green. If I use the color wheel, I discover that the problem still persists. Am I supposed to make custom R80 only to have the software for the console updated and the profile change?
I have lost a significant amount of faith in ETC and will think long and hard before I make a purchasing decision involving ETC equipment in the future.
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