techieman33
Well-Known Member
$315 is a little on the expensive side.
With the LED Cyc light ETC has set out to change the way we think about cyc lighting.
“Accessorize to maximize” is an often quoted slogan of retail sales and ETC has followed this maxim with the introduction of its LED Cyc light. This ingenious unit is offered as an accessory to ETC’s very popular line of Source Four LED fixtures or “engines” as they are often dubbed. ETC proclaims, “It’s like having a paintbrush right on stage.”
The ETC LED Cyc Light replaces the lens tube on the Source Four LED luminaire. As you would expect from ETC’s x7 color system, the color rendition of this unit is excellent. A 40-foot-wide-by-20-foot-high cyclorama or backdrop requires only six or seven Cyc Lights at a setback of three feet to produce even coverage. Operating at a 65° throw angle, units can be placed in accordance with the 2:1 spacing formula (for every one foot back there can be two feet between luminaires). While this is the spacing of traditional fixtures, it is almost impossible to produce a direct comparison with incandescent single-cell or three-cell unit. The richness and range of color is simply not achievable by conventional means.
Size and Shape
Based on an optically precise mirror and diffuser, the ETC Cyc attachment creates a footprint somewhat larger than a traditional cyc light, but is lightweight and rugged. The units cannot be nested but could travel in a slotted flight case. Including the floor mount stand, the entire fixture is a bit taller than its strip light counterpart so would need to be snuck in behind set pieces or soft goods in practice. It should be noted that this unit only attaches to the Source Four LED fixture bodies, not to the Selador range also marketed by ETC.
If you already own ETC Source Four LEDs, then at $395 list price the LED Cyc offers terrific value for money. The savings in labor, power and gel will over time offset the higher initial purchase price of the fixture. It’s the hybrid car of the lighting industry. The LED Cyc is sure to appeal to rental companies who make up the core of ETC’s customer base. Dual-purpose fixtures are a winner for the purchasing department and the designer.
In our testing process we kept thinking of additional applications for this versatile unit. It would work well inside tents, atriums or as set fill light for TV. On film they could provide a quick additional soft light. If lighting techs were to make all purchasing decisions these units would be everywhere. The ease of set up, cabling and focus is perhaps their finest quality. The extra programming time to manipulate the seven colors is cut down by assigning each fixture a “personality” on the lighting console.
LED’s offer designers a great chance to re-think how they approach their lighting. The ETC LED Cyc is a handy example of adapting new thinking to an oft-overlooked tool, beautifully.
ETC LED Cyc Light
Pros:
• Great richness and variety of color
• Big savings in labor, power and gel over time
• Good field of light
Cons:
• Somewhat larger footprint than traditional cyc light
[TBODY] [/TBODY]
List Price:
$395
I understand it was at USITT (though, unfortunately, I was not). One of the ETC folks I chatted with after commented on how little attention it received at the show; I guess everyone was more interested in the Source Four Mini...
Best,
John
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