Did you say easily change the
lens??? I guess that's the case most of the time. Still it's useful to carry a un-sharpened long pencil in your pocket for times they stick. Plus a small pry bar to get the lamps out once seated. We have even started the practice of using a pipe and rubber mallet to seat the new lamps into the
base. Just something strange about new S-4 fixtures that has always been a problem. The lamp bases need to get warn in to work properly.
As for the
PAR over the S-4, that's a judgement
call. At one
point we had at least 600 parcans in
stock than we bought about a thousand S-4 fixtures when they came out and started selling off the normal parcans. In the past couple of months we got up to about 1,500 or more S-4 PARs but our normal
PAR can stock grew back to about 600 again having personally wired about 300 new ones.
They both have their uses. I for instance prefer the longer snout on a
PAR can than the flair off a S-4
fixture unless in wide
lens for
stage use. Granted there are barn doors and top hats, but the overall flair is different. Depends upon the range also in addition to what you are used to.
Plus with a
PAR can fixture you can use
ACL lamps and Raylights, much less boost the lamp up to 1,200 watts if you so desire. But there is something to be said about a standardized lamp and not needing to
stock complete lamps for every beam spread.
By the way, I hope the Altmans did not just go into the trash or it will be a mortal sin upon the temple of the theater you took part in.