...if cost really is that important and you need to go with a lower end board, avoid Leprechaun equipment, It may be cheaper but I've never had any luck with it, it tends to break easily and often.
Yes, I agree...
I'm not sure how the price is in relation, but
Strand Lighting makes some OK boards. I don't prefer them over
ETC any day, but at least they work. Just get something generally new, bc some boards are sorta fiddly from the 'older days.'
The
Express board from
ETC is an excellent, very easy board; yet, it's able to do so much. They're great for educational settings, and good for a church too I'd imagine. It's widely supported, it's layed out logically, and chances are the price has gone down over the past year or two since it's not 100% new.
As for the PARs and Fresnels,
Altman is a good company. Generally,
Altman's
ERS instruments have been trouble for me in the past. They seem to get jammed easily, and sometimes they are just a pain. The 360 &
360Q, however, both are decent instruments-just find them new or almost new. Don't waste time with those old
Altman KL instruments (they look like huge boxes...they were good at, well, one
point). They are a pain!! You may be able to get them for like 5 bucks from an old company, but I'd still (unless you're like, in some huge unorthodox pinch) not get them...by some
gel with the money.
Since you're at a church, you may be able to
nab some things from a local community college or communtiy
theatre that is wishing to renovate their stuff to. Stuff like fresnels and pars, perhaps.
If you've got the money,
ETC makes their S4
PAR and S4
ParNEL which seem to work well. The
ParNEL isn't perfect (sometimes it leaves a lesser hot spot in the center in flood mode) but any
fresnel, even those Altmans, do that.
Out of curiousity, what sort of scale productions/events do you
stage in your church? At mine, which I really go to to be honest, does really small, pittily things; however, if you're doing rather large productions then you're in good shape.
One thing, I can say all this stuff but as others said,
GO WITH A COMPANY. And I suggest you find someone who you know is a really good LD or Electrician (preferablly both if possible, but I'd pick an LD over and ME). Ask them for advice. Find a good good company, not some random "yeah sure! we can do lights..." company. I didn't see where you were locate, but check to see what the local lighting supply company is and contact them. I know Barbizon, though expensive I'd imagine, does installations and planning. Even if they don't help you out, I'm sure they'd be able to help you out finding a GOOD company just bc you would prob would be buying from them in the future.
Don't do this alone. Find a good, LIGHTING company. I can't stress that enough. My school has gotten some really bad company to oversee our new blackbox's construction and they've gotten us all
ETC dimmers and instruments and board, which is nice, but the instruments are just sorta like 'what were you thinking?' The
dimmer layout blows, their aren't NEAR enough. They're doubled everywhere and crap. Nothing but PARS and ParNELS... no
ERS. It's just stupid.
Good luck with your project!