Good All-Around Zoom?

On the topic of speed of focusing. In a zoom you have more options, thus, it takes more time. First you have to point it in the right place. The designer then can look at it and say: bigger or smaller. Then you have to set an edge (sharpness), then do your cuts. With a fixed focus unit all you do is point and set the edge and cuts, no extra steps, as long as the designer did his math when he drew the plot.
 
Heres my 2 c's on zooms. I have worked in a handful of houses that have a 15/30 zoom mounted on 18 centers in 2 ceiling slot positions. Each instrument in single circuited. Basically, you choose what you want FOH and your fixtures are already there. You can add as needed, but they will not let you take any of those fixtures down or move them. For a situation where it costs a lot of labor to haul fixtures up and down like it is at the venue I mentioned, having these zooms is a huge time saver. On the other hand, I hate them overstage. The shear size of them kills you. The focus time can also bit a bit frustrating as well.

One other note... they are great for projections if you need that projection to be a perfect overlay of something or anything where you can not get that "perfect" size done. Throw a zoom up and run the lens until it fits. Zooms are great to have a few around... but they should in no way take over for fixed focus fixtures.
 
Having used most major manufacturer's zooms, I put my vote in on the S-4s, especially if you already have other S-4 units in stock. They're really considerably faster to focus than the two-knobbers.

-my $.02,
-Ford
 
Oh, don't worry, I'm still here.

Source Fours are currently looking like the way to go. I've heard good things about them, some bad, but mostly people seem to be saying that the Source Fours are all-around, for the money, the most logical choice.

Sharyn: The GLA lamp, from what I can see online, is a replacement lamp for the Colortrans, is a 575W lamp, much like the HPLs. If we were to put the GLA into the Colortrans, how would the light output compare to the lamps we're already using (FEL, I believe) in the Colortrans? It's an important consideration, because if it's any dimmer, the Colortrans are already being washed out by the Source Fours we're using in most of the rest of the light plot.

Thanks for the help!
 
If we were to put the GLA into the Colortrans, how would the light output compare to the lamps we're already using (FEL, I believe) in the Colortrans? It's an important consideration, because if it's any dimmer, the Colortrans are already being washed out by the Source Fours we're using in most of the rest of the light plot.
Thanks for the help!

Moving the C-Tran's to 575 from 1kw doesn't gain you much in the way of intensity improvement, but you get the ability to load up more fixtures on a 2.4kw circuit, an advantage IF you're short on dimmers and/or circuits.

In no case is the C-Tran with a 575 or 1kw going to be as bright as an S4, especially if the S4 is at 750 watts. The S4 has a better reflector and optics - as does pretty much any of the newer similar designs - Shakespeare, Leo, SL, and Selecon.

In my mind though, I'd be moving to GLA's or GLC's anyway, over an FEL, as you then gain some reduction in heat at the gate, good for the shutters as well as any gobo's, plus reduced heat at the color filter.

Steve B.
 
If you do a search around for FEL Lamps you will find that there are many suggestions for more efficient lamps, but here is a quick overview. The GLA (HX-605) is the Long Life lamp (akin to the HPL575-X) and the GLC (HX-604) is the high output lamp. You actually may see a marked improvement over the FEL. If you want there is also a 750w version which are the GLE (HX-755) and GLD (HX-754). In this case, the GLD is the high output lamp.

There have also been discussions about older fixtures here on the boards, and it is possible, if you keep your lights in good shape that they will perform as well as if not better than a Source Four.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back