Wait a minute and stop. A
pre-focus lamp on any
Altman fixture designates it at as a 360 not a
360Q. Does not matter what the
lens train is because for the most part they are the exact same. In other words, that crazy
360Q you found with the
pre-focus (P-28s) lamp
base does not have to be a 4.5x6.5
lens train any more than it has to be a 6x16. Different pineapples but other than that, it’s the same
fixture.
As for 3.5Q’s same story with the differences between a 3.5Q5 and 3.5Q6. Same basic
fixture, different lenses or positioning of them. In this case unless you match one
fixture up with another, it’s really hard to tell the difference. They look the same from the outside. 10 years later and I find out for sure finally that the one
fixture marked as a Q5 which had seemed to have a slightly narrower beam actually always was a Q6. Be careful with generalizations.
But a field width marked on a
lens train is a really really good idea in general no matter what the brand and model.
On the difference between a
360Q and S-4, for me it’s a question of second generation (
halogen) and third generation (dichroics) Lekos. Taken in that light of course the S-4 is going to have improvements and more efficiency. Man, how did they ever do sometimes great theater in the “golden age of theater” without a S-4
fixture???
I’m reading Christopher Innes’ “Edward Gordon Craig - A
Vision of
Theatre” right now and they are talking about
incandescent moon light effects as opposed to gas lighting
foot light effects to create atmosphere of reality verses atmospheric of impressionalism. In other words, if you have 2,800K for a
color temperature on
stage, it’s going to be intense and bright. Put a 3,200K plus lamp next to it and it will become dim. Without that 3,200K lamp it’s back to being bright. In other words, take that lamp efficiency (no
Altman dark spot at the center of the beam) and it’s lesser
color temperature with using second generation EHD type lamps out of the equation, and design is the same and fixtures are fixtures both doing a good job above 1st generation lighting fixtrues (the
Altman 360 for instance as a late comer but still part of that era of lighting.)
To make it more
clear, use what you have. If you have 20 fixtures of
360Q use them. If you have that plus five S-4 fixtures, you would want to use the S-4 for the special purpose lighting such as situating an actor with it’s more intense beam or projecting a
pattern with it’s more refined beam of light. After that, light the
stage as best you can and classify such fixtures as to their best usage or most needed usage. Better use? If I had $1,000.00 to
purchase some Lekos with I would buy perhaps one used S-4, than after that 8 of the used
360Q if not all of the
360Q. That’s as opposed to getting stuck with only 4 of the S-4, having them really bright and clean but not having enough fixtures to light a simple show. In buying new, no I probably would put extra money into not buying a
360Q given it’s an older style of
fixture, but if I had to watch money, that possible $100.00 per
fixture for a new
360Q verses a S-4 might become a major factor. I can always add to my inventory later, that is once I have an inventory.
This is all considering a
360Q fixture with a FLK/HX-600 grade lamp. If you are still using the EHD/EHG lamps, you are in the stone ages because there is only a slight difference in
color temperature at best between the
HPL and FLK between fixtures. Output will be different, the FLK is a brighter lamps but without the more efficient both
filament and
reflector/
lens train.
On efficiency however as I have said a few times, the HPR lamp in a
360Q might just be a brighter and more efficient lamp than the
HPL even when in a
360Q verses a S-4
fixture. Don’t think anyone has done a shoot out yet. I did do a shoot out between a Color Command 750w lamp inside a
360Q type
fixture and a 750w lamp in a S-4. The
360Q grade
fixture kicked the S-4
fixture’s
butt in
color temperature though it had more of a dark spot in the center, and intensities will have been about the same given that
360Q had a less efficient
reflector/
lens train. In other words, if you soup up your
360Q, especially with the HPR, there is a good chance it will best a S-4
fixture. This is all given second generation
Altman fixtures to third Generation
ETC fixtures. There are other second generation and third generation fixtures on the market that have long standing debates on being better fixtures overall.
Altman is the standard because they produced a decent and reliable product at a decent price.
ETC came to market first with their 3rd generation light and it’s a good
fixture,
Altman and stand were sleeping at the trigger than did improve but the new fixtures (see other discussion) have their own problems making them not quite good enough to surpass the S-4 yet. On the other
hand, the
HPL lamps are just about as good as they are going to get with the
Ceramic heat sink now. The FLK lamp with it’s internal
reflector is constantly getting better. So given
Strand is not rated for 750w,
Altman 10 years from now unless
ETC further improves the
fixture, the Shakespeare
fixture if improved might be what everyone wants eventually. After all 15 years ago, who ever heard of
ETC? Plus there is lots of other brands on the market.
On shutters warping, A tidbit from my old mentor is that
Altman had as a sales add at one
point that the shutters would not rust or warp - something like that. They quickly had to do away with that little advertisement. A
shutter for a
Altman 360Q costs about $1.75 each. If you know a welder/metal fabricator, you can have them make stainless steel ones out of a thicker
gauge of metal and they should last longer yet. Upgrade the
reflector and lamp in the
360Q and it will also run a
bit cooler in theory. Still as long as your lights are not work lights left on all day, reflectors burning is not much of a problem normally. Teflon glides on a S-4 are nice, but try some spray graphite on the
lens train of a
360Q. Slides just as well as long as it’s clean from paint and corrosion. The
360Q is second generation and don’t get me wrong the S-4 is better but the
360Q with some care can work very well still thirty years after it came to market.