Whether they are Strand or ETC, we generally just call them “lekos”. I personally was introduced into the lighting business with a plethora of Strand fixtures which were exact matches to the Source 4 series except for the fact that the Strand ERS’ could actually rotate inside the yoke collar; which was perfect for orienting gobos instead of having to burn yourself to adjust it inside the gobo frame. And thus I digress.
So we all know the two most popular brands of the typical ERS, but there was always one company that was always trying to be like everyone else: Altman. They started off with the 360Q but it was heavy, clunky, and didn’t meet up to the expectations as the other ellipsoidals on the market. So they made some improvements and introduced the 3.5Q. Closer, but still not quite the same.
And now finally, years much later than it should have been, Altman has introduced its latest series; the “Phoenix”. It’s pretty much all that you would expect to see from any ellipsoidal spotlight. And really, the fixture even looks the same as Strand’s.
So while I’m a little dumbfounded as to why Altman would waste their time seemingly just trying to copy the competition, I will give them some, albeit very small, props as to their choice of lamp. They did stick to the good ol’ conventional pattern and made the Phoenix compatible with both GLA and HPL lamps in 375w, 575w, and 750w choices. Not to turn around and bash the props I just gave, but I still can’t understand why they didn’t directly compete with the LED ERS race that is currently going on. But that’s just my own perspective.
Like I mentioned earlier about my favorite Strand feature, the Phoenix takes the form more from a Source 4 and allows just the barrel to rotate a full 360 degrees for gobo alignment instead of the entire luminere. The lenses are also standard with the choices of 5º, 10º, 19º, 26º, 36º, and 50º.
Oh and one more thing, what would an Altman fixture be without it’s DUAL LOCKING HANDLES?
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