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Thread: Cheapest QUALITY moving head dmx light?

  1. #21
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    I buy a lot of lighting equipment from China, but I do not buy moving heads. My experience with moving fixtures from China is that the optics are inferior, and they break. I have had one explode, and another catch fire. You get what you pay for.

  2. #22
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    I'd stick to chauvet or a similar brand to be honest... at least then you get some QC between the Chinese factories and you, as well as some sort of guarantee that doesn't involve shipping back to China...
    If in doubt... Give it a clout?

  3. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by specialistgraner View Post

    The tour I was LD on for this year, we had 2 Intimidator Spot 350 moving heads, they're pretty nice,
    They certainly look very sharp and crisp with bright saturated colour, but many on here would want a tighter angle than 12 degrees I think, given the popularity of Sharpy's. By contrast the Beam 350 offers a much more Shapry like 4 degree angle, but to my eyes at least in the demo videos, doesn't appear crisp or sharp. Maybe it's because it lacks the autofocus of the Spot version.

  4. #24
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    It all depends on what he wants it for Al. Beam effects are very single minded and to some degree have an even greater requirement for large numbers of heads. At least a couple of half decent profiles with 2 gobo wheels can do interesting textures on floors/walls as well as beam style effects in haze

    I've got some beams but only in addition to my profiles, not instead of.
    Frikkin Lasers
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    You are using Bonetti's defense against me, ah?

    I thought it fitting, considering the rocky terrain.

  5. #25
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    If you are looking for the Sharpy type fixture without the price tag, the Elation Platinum Beams are very good bang for the buck.


    As far as cheaper Chinese fixtures go, they are hit or miss. I have seen a great many die after not long and getting replacement parts/service for them is difficult. I know a rental house that just buys a new fixture when one craps out, cheaper in the long run and that way they still have usable inventory.

  6. #26
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    Quote Originally Posted by norty303 View Post
    It all depends on what he wants it for Al. Beam effects are very single minded and to some degree have an even greater requirement for large numbers of heads. At least a couple of half decent profiles with 2 gobo wheels can do interesting textures on floors/walls as well as beam style effects in haze

    I've got some beams but only in addition to my profiles, not instead of.
    Fair comment, but some of the Sharpy lookalikes such as the ADJ Vizi Beams, have quite a few Gobos built in, 14 + Spot in each of the 5R and 2R.

    I can't comment on the Chauvets as I'm not familiar with them.

  7. #27
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    Fair comment, but some of the Sharpy lookalikes such as the ADJ Vizi Beams, have quite a few Gobos built in, 14 + Spot in each of the 5R and 2R.
    What has the number of gobos in a beam fixture got to do with anything?

    They have such a tight beam, you simply don't use them for textures and fx of that nature like I was talking about. And putting a gobo into the beam path simply restricts how much light comes out the front, which sort of fights against the very thing everyone likes them for.

    Seriously, they are a pretty much one trick pony, I'm not even sure why they bother putting gobos in them at all. (I'm stretching a point here, before all you LD's jump on me about this statement.... )

    Other than reading the spec sheets, have you ever actually done any lighting Al?
    Frikkin Lasers
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    You are using Bonetti's defense against me, ah?

    I thought it fitting, considering the rocky terrain.

  8. #28
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    I agree with Norty, without wishing to sound like an old git, I was trained in classical theatre lighting, starting at the National Youth Theatre and then moving onto the RSC before moving to "rock" lighting. In the early days it was very much you would have a particular light for a particular effect. But then things got a little more flexible, with the introduction of Varilite light style yolk fixtures. This was great fun for me as a VL programmer and was very lucrative. BUT we still used conventional lighting such as par cans. Now maybe we are spoilt for choice many of the moving head fixtures are to some extent multi purpose, such as the VL2000 onwards series and Martin Macs etc. But some are not, in my humble world I think I would use Sharpy type fixtures for what they are intended a nice sharp beam, a particular effect. Be aware of looking at datasheets for too long without knowing what you are trying to achieve. It is the right thing to ask and the advice here is excellent, but what do you expect the fixture to do? The questions anyone needs to ask is is this for one really great lighting effect or do I need something multipurpose. The Swiss army knife approach is great, but you don't see many high class chefs using them lol

    Just my 10c. BTW Al, what experience as an LD do you have, I haven't come across you in the industry before

  9. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by Laserhobbit View Post
    BTW Al, what experience as an LD do you have, I haven't come across you in the industry before
    Me neither... admittedly I've only been a professional LD/Technician for 15 years or so, so may not have bumped into you yet on a gig Al... :/
    If in doubt... Give it a clout?

  10. #30
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    Never said I had.

    Norty's complaint against a suggestion of Intimidator Beams instead of Spots, was that they were 1 trick pony's and had no gobo's:

    Quote Originally Posted by norty303 View Post
    It all depends on what he wants it for ... Beam effects are very single minded and to some degree have an even greater requirement for large numbers of heads. At least a couple of half decent profiles with 2 gobo wheels can do interesting textures on floors/walls as well as beam style effects in haze
    Just saying that the Vizi Beams might be more interesting as they have 14 gobos built in. Nothing more, nothing less.

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