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1. ADJ Inno Color Beam Z7 2. Blizzard Lighting Helios Spot
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7. ELEKTRALITE ElektraLite ML-602 8. HIGH END SYSTEMS SolaSpot Pro CMY
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11. PRG Best Boy Wash 12. PR LIGHTING XRLED 500 Spot
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13. PHILIPS VARI-LITE VL4000 Spot luminaire 14. ROBE LIGHTING INC. Pointe
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5. COEMAR Infinity Spot L 6. ELATION PROFESSIONAL Satura Spot LED Pro
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9. JB-LIGHTING Sparx 7 10. MARTIN PROFESSIONAL Mac Quantum Wash
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3. Chauvet Professional Rogue R2 Spot7 4.Clay Paky/A.C.T Lighting A.leda Wash K10 TW
For this look at moving light technology, CPM spoke with moving light manufacturers about what they see as developing trends and how they were moving the “state-of-the-art” forward. What new technologies were they implementing in their product designs? How were they addressing the requirements by end-users to be more energy efficient? Here are some of their thoughts on moving lights and some of the items that you should consider when looking to buy or rent new fixtures for your lighting needs.
When it comes to light sources, there are two big directions that lighting manufacturers are taking—LED-based systems and more efficient, lower-wattage discharge sources. Almost all manufacturers now offer a moving light that uses LEDs as the light engine to provide light and color. While these models do draw less energy, they still do produce some heat, so heat dissipation from the light engine is a very important feature to consider. Poor heat dissipation will result in reduced life of the LEDs themselves, and potentially other parts in the light, like the motors, which can react negatively to the heat. Also, even though LEDs are getting brighter, they are still not producing similar outputs to larger discharge lamps. This is fine if you have shorter throws or use the lights closer to your subjects. Since you can no longer use wattage as a yardstick to measure lights when looking at LEDs, look instead at lumen output to start matching lights to find comparatives.
Everything LED
Many manufacturers cited LED light engines as the big trend their product development teams are embracing. “The trend we are seeing is the lamp source going to an RGBW LED source that is very bright, offering low-cost operation, and is able to color mix very well,” says Rich Anders, regional sales manager with Mega Systems (distributor for PR Lighting). For Director of Sales Eric Loader of Elation Professional, it’s very easy to define. “LED, LED, LED. As LED engines improve in performance and come down in price they are competing more every day with traditional discharge lamp solutions, and because of less heat and longer life, are reducing maintenance and energy costs tremendously.” Director of Sales Frank Luppino with Blizzard Lighting agrees, saying, “LED technology for moving lights has developed into a reliable, yet powerful source that is cost effective.”
For Ford Sellers, senior product manager with Chauvet Professional, it’s the higher outputs with better features that are driving HOW to purchase lights with an LED source. “The development of moving LED fixtures that deliver a pro level of output, while also providing all of the labor and energy savings advantages associated with LED technology, has been a huge development. We’re also seeing more pro-level features like variable scrolling, color splitting, beam shaping, and sharper beam angles in LED moving fixtures that are priced within reach of the average HOW. That’s critical as churches usually don’t have the budget or crew of technicians of a concert tour; when moving LED fixtures started appearing in concert applications, not many churches could afford them.”
When LEDs were first introduced for lighting, they were normally used for wash or fill lights as well as for color effects lights. Very few were ready to keylight a subject, as the color balancing wasn’t that well developed and most weren’t bright enough to light pastors or performers. This has shifted as today’s LEDs are used in profile and spot fixtures—both conventional and moving lights. “There is a growing trend of using LED as keylighting as well, now that LED technology has matured [to this point],” comments Jerry Seay, southeastern regional sales manager with Robe Lighting Inc. “Churches are looking at the total cost of ownership (TCO) of lighting instruments over time, and are taking into account the energy consumption, as well as maintenance and lamp costs (on non-LED-based instruments).”
A number of manufacturers concurred on the trend of moving lights that work in many different ways—as a spot, as a wash, and as an effect light—thereby reducing the need for larger inventories. “The biggest trend I see is that churches are now looking for multipurpose instruments that can be used for multiple applications, and also units that are more compact and quieter than in the past,” says Seay. “I’m seeing that many churches are looking to add floor packages to their existing lighting system. By adding multipurpose instruments, there is a lot more flexibility in terms of their usage and placement. This makes it much easier to create different and dramatic looks, since having lighting instruments at different elevations really adds a lot of possibilities from a design perspective.’
Brad Schiller, product marketing manager with Philips Vari-Lite, reports, “More and more, house of worship (HOW) installations understand the benefits of multi-use luminaires. Instead of growing their inventory of different purpose fixtures, they are moving toward more full-featured luminaires.”
The move to more efficient light sources isn’t just limited to changing from a discharge source to an LED light engine. There have been some remarkable improvements as the trend of lamp manufacturers is to produce more efficient discharge lamps that are lower wattage, and when paired with improved optical design from the luminaire manufacturers the result is more light output with lower power drawn. Working together, these manufacturers—lamp and luminaire companies—are producing much more efficient lights. “Clay Paky has been designing new luminaires with LEDs, but they have also designed new discharge-based luminaires that are much more efficient,” explains Brian Dowd, vice president of sales for A.C.T Lighting (Distributor for Clay Paky). They are producing fixtures that draw less power, have higher lumen output, and are smaller in size. It’s not about wattage; it’s about lumen output. There are some companies that are still only pushing larger fixtures. I see the trend as smaller in size, faster, brighter, and less power needed.”
End-users in the HOW market want to significantly reduce their power usage, without sacrificing output. The manufacturers listened and have tried to reflect these needs in new product developments. “I would say it is the driving force of our product line,” says Anders. “New units are not only LED-based lamp sources, but discharge lamped fixtures are trending toward lower wattages with high output. We are starting to see 1,200W and even 575W units practically go away from this market segment—especially with high-output, low-wattage lamps like the Osram HRI 280W. At 280W it easily has the output of a 575W fixture.”
Usage innovation
We also wanted to know what were some of the innovative uses of moving lights that the manufacturers had seen recently in HOW applications. “One of the obvious uses is crowd washing with beam units like you would see at a concert; this has been trending for a while, but what is really interesting is the expanding use of movers to project “texture” on either the rear stage wall or on the congregations side walls during the actual message” Anders comments. “It’s also worth mentioning that we have seen color wash movers becoming more popular than static color wash fixtures.” This is a move that Schiller notes, as well, adding, “Many HOW customers are utilizing traditional automated lighting and moving away from LED-effect-only lights.”
Loader has seen moving lights being used “basically like followspots or moveable ellipsoidal spots to light scenic elements with units that offer framing shutters and iris control. A moving head spot that has a motorized framing system can be used to replace four to six conventional ellipsoidals in your lighting rig.” ADJ Marketing Manager Brian Dowdle holds that his company is seeing HOWs purchasing multiple, moving heads and creating professional, high-end lighting shows for their stages. “They combine a variety of moving heads styles [into] one show: spots, washes, zooms, and beams,” he says.
With moving lights in HOW applications, it’s not always about a highly dynamic light show; they can be used for subtle lighting moments, as well. “We see churches using moving fixtures to focus on elements of a service or stage as well as to color the platform,” reports Sellers. “I’ve seen some wonderfully subtle use of moving lights during worship services. Many churches are using a single LED moving spot to replace several traditional lighting fixtures. Subtle use during services can be in contrast to more energetic programming where you might see more use of color, movement and projected patterns.”
According to Blizzard’s Luppino, end-users benefit by moving from traditional, discharge-based moving lights to LED-sourced ones. “Using RGBW quad LED technology means there is no color wheel,” he says. “You can mix any color of light without the constraint of a color wheel.” In addition to the reduced maintenance and power draw that you get with LED fixtures, Schiller feels that color mixing is a key feature that makes LEDs more appealing: “Color abilities make LED-based moving lights very attractive to many markets, including HOWs.”
“With LED, we are seeing [new church construction projects] that are going almost 100% LED from the downlights to the architectural accents, as well as the key, fill, and backlight on the stage area,” Seay says. “On new builds, this is fairly straightforward. Many are creating one DMX-controlled system that allows them to tie in their stage lighting with the architectural control system.”
Anders concurs, saying Mega Systems is seeing HOWs add LED-based moving lights. “Especially now that they can get a cost-effective LED lamp source requiring less cost of operation and maintenance,” he says. Tyler Wise, national sales manager with ElektraLite, also concurs, saying, “Most churches are adopting LED technology overall to lower maintenance costs and energy usage while simultaneously increasing light output.”
LED sources are by far the biggest recent innovation in professional lighting, but they are by no means the only ones. Contemporary churches are having a major impact on a wide range of new feature sets for moving lights.
Meanwhile, Luppino reports, “The energy savings alone make the ROI worth upgrading.”
Wise reports that end-users have told ElektraLite that 30% of their reason for wanting to acquire LED technology is to increase energy efficiency. “More end-users are interested in staying current with technology, and also looking to reduce maintenance costs on their fixture inventory,” Wise adds.
This move to LED-based lights is huge, Loader emphasizes, “especially with some energy companies offering rebates for installing LED lighting systems.” Dowdle adds that the ideal is “to hit the sweet spot where a HOW can accept a particular brightness vs. power draw.”
Basic smarts
Just as with any other product, when considering moving lights look at the vendor and manufacturer and check their history and how they handle repairs and warranty service. “Choose proven vendor/manufacturers with a long history,” Loader suggests. “All lights can and will break, eventually—even LED—so you need to make sure you have local service and support. There are companies popping up every day putting their stickers [brands] on moving lights at prices well below the market level. Buyer beware, it has become easier for companies to produce small quantities of units, but at the same time, the lack of innovation and quality control can really affect your investment. So while you think you are saving money, in the long term, you are not. Also, even with LED fixtures you need to make sure you service/clean them regularly based on the manufacturer’s suggested service schedule—albeit a lot less than traditional lighting fixtures.”
There are many other benefits to LED-based lighting solutions. Since the wattage is lower, the amount of airflow required to cool the instruments is reduced. This results in a lower impact on your facilities’ HVAC systems. Less airflow required means smaller and quieter fans, resulting in a quieter fixture. Color changes are faster and more seamless than with a color wheel, as well as virtually silent. With discharge-based luminaires many of these efficiencies are also present, with the exception that there will be lamp costs and the required maintenance of lamp changes.
No matter which path you choose, the technology will keep improving and moving forward as manufacturers listen to the end-users’ desire for a more cost-effective, energy-efficient solutions. Stay tuned with CPM to learn of the next advancements in moving light technology, as well as other areas of technology that makes production just that much easier.
1.ADJ Inno Color Beam Z7
The ADJ Inno Color Beam Z7 is an LED moving head beam fixture with motorized zoom, allowing for a variable beam angle from 10 to 60 degrees. The fixture is powered by seven 10W RGBW quad color LEDs. It has four built-in light shows and 64 built-in color macros.
2.BLIZZARD LIGHTING Helios Spot
The Helios Spot LED moving head produces RGBW colors via a single 150W Red Butterfly LED module light source. The unit features include 16-bit 540/270-degree pan and tilt, one fixed gobo wheel, and one rotating gobo wheel (each with five metal and two glass, plus open), along with a three-facet rotating prism, high speed shake, and 1-13 Hz cycle strobe, random speed strobe.
3.CHAUVET PROFESSIONAL Rogue R2 Spot7
The Rogue R2 Spot from Chauvet Professional features two continuously and variably scrolling color wheels that allow a wide range of easy color splitting options. This 240W LED moving LED fixture has a 16.5-degree beam angle and offers seamless fading between gobo wheels, plus motorized iris, frost, and a three-facet prism.
4.CLAY PAKY/A.C.T LIGHTING A.leda Wash K10 TW
An LED washlight provides tunable white color temperature through additive mixing, ranging from 2,700 to 8,000K. Light source: 19 LEDs; LED nominal wattage: 15W; 16- to 68-degree electronic zoom; linear 0%-100% dimmer on a dedicated channel; White CT Emulation 2,900-7,500K; Tungsten Lamp Emulation; high CRI (>94); available in white, gold, and chromed-plated versions. ; ">http://www.actlighting.com">
5.COEMAR Infinity Spot L
The Infinity Spot L is designed with a 1,000W lamp in a compact and easy-to-service body. The unit features include CMY color mixing, fast zoom mode (1:5 in 0.4s), and morphing effects. The effects engine is equipped with two gobo wheels, rotating prisms, iris, proportional frost, and CCT control. Internal display battery and Art-Net also available (optional).
6.ELATION PROFESSIONAL Satura Spot LED Pro
Elation claims that its 300W Satura Spot LED Pro moving head is as bright as a 575W discharge fixture. Its LED engine is designed to consume half as much energy and is built to last 80 times longer than a discharge lamp. It features a crisp beam, full spectrum of colors and graphics, and emits a flat field of light. MSRP: $7,599.95
7.ELEKTRALITE ElektraLite ML-602
At only 60W (comparable to a 250W HMI lamp), the ElektraLite ML-602 is the newest profile spot fixture in ElektraLite’s portfolio of moving head fixtures. The ML-602 features electronic dimming, variable strobe, focus, prism, a seven-color wheel, as well as coarse and fine (16-bit) pan/tilt. Two pattern wheels, both interchangeable, each hold seven patterns, with one of the wheels including variable speed rotation. Shipping July 2014. MSRP: $999
8.HIGH END SYSTEMS SolaSpot Pro CMY
With a maximum output of more than 13,000 lumens from a 320W LED source, the SolaSpot Pro CMY is designed to replace existing 700W and some 800W arc fixtures. Includes linear CTO, two gobo wheels, a fixed color wheel, quick zoom and focus, a prism, iris, frost, and HES's patented lens defogger. ;
9.JB-LIGHTING Sparx 7
JB-lighting's Sparx 7 washlight builds on top of the PLASA Innovation award-winning JBLED A7 with 19 RGBW LEDs, an advanced cooling system, and a brand new effects engine. The Sparx 7 has a zoom range of 4- to 40-degrees and a maximum power consumption of 350W. ;
10.MARTIN PROFESSIONAL Mac Quantum Wash
The Mac Quantum Wash features a 750W RGBW LED light source (50 15W LEDs), a 1:5 motorized zoom, color wheel and color ring effects, electronic, variable speed strobe, variable color temperature—2,000-10,000K, 540/270 pan/tilt, and DMX and RDM control. Neutrik PowerCon AC input connector and locking five-pin DMX/RDM connectors for Data In/Out.
11.PRG Best Boy Wash
The Best Boy Wash features a 1,500W arc source that generates 60,000+ lumen output; a 6:1 zoom (10 to 60 degrees) that works hand-in-hand with a beam size iris; a glass gray-scale dimmer for smooth dimming; and a separate strobe mechanism. It also includes a rotating, indexable gobo wheel to add beam effects. Optimized for television lighting by including a dedicated minus green filter and a color temperature wheel that varies from 3,200-8,000K.
12.PR LIGHTING XRLED 500 Spot
The XRLED 500 Spot is the latest moving head from PR Lighting. It is equipped with a 280W 4-in-1 RGBW LED. The beam angle is adjustable from 12 to 36 degees with motorized zoom and the color temperature is adjustable from 2,700K-10,000K. It also features seven rotating gobos, seven fixed gobos, one three-facet prism, iris, dimmer, strobe, and focus.
13.PHILIPS VARI-LITE VL4000 Spot luminaire
Philips Vari-Lite claims the VL4000 Spot luminaire achieves more than 33,000 lumens of output. It includes the new Infinity color mix system, a 9- to 47-degree zoom, dual rotating gobo wheels, two adjustable animation wheels, framing shutters, iris, an independent rotating prism with divergence control, variable frost, battery powered LCD menu, and more. Shipping June 1, 2014.
14.ROBE LIGHTING INC. Pointe
The Pointe is intended as an all-in-one light, with the characteristics of a beam, spot, and wash fixture. Measuring 75,250 lux at 20 meters in beam mode (2.5 to 10 degrees) and 82,400 lux at five meters in spot (5 to 20 degrees), with two gobo wheels (fixed, rotating), two prisms (linear, circular), and weighs 32 pounds.
