Post by: Jamin Lynch on November 24, 2010, 03:52:02 PM
Post by: Silas Pradetto on November 24, 2010, 03:59:36 PM
And I even have the Elation Opti-Zoom, so I get a bit of beam adjustment to boot
Post by: Chad Costanzo on November 24, 2010, 04:27:25 PM
Post by: Rob Timmerman on November 24, 2010, 06:06:16 PM
| Jamin Lynch wrote on Wed, 24 November 2010 15:52 |
I've used the Elation Opti Par before and they look pretty good. Is there that big of a difference between them and the Source Four pars to justify paying about 3 times the price? |
How about design originality? Would you rather buy a Behringer DI-100 or a BSS AR133?
For actual differences, the Source 4 PAR is rated to 750W, vs. the Elation's 575W rating. It's also significantly easier to cross-rent the ETC gear if needed. The ETC unit uses the same lamp as a Source 4, while the Elation unit has a medium bi-pin base, and can share lamps with many of the Altman and Strand ERS units.
I'm also curious where you get the 3x price difference. A Source 4 PAR can be had for $150, vs $100 for the Elation unit.
Post by: Jamin Lynch on November 24, 2010, 08:07:29 PM
| Rob Timmerman wrote on Wed, 24 November 2010 17:06 | ||
How about design originality? Would you rather buy a Behringer DI-100 or a BSS AR133? For actual differences, the Source 4 PAR is rated to 750W, vs. the Elation's 575W rating. It's also significantly easier to cross-rent the ETC gear if needed. The ETC unit uses the same lamp as a Source 4, while the Elation unit has a medium bi-pin base, and can share lamps with many of the Altman and Strand ERS units. I'm also curious where you get the 3x price difference. A Source 4 PAR can be had for $150, vs $100 for the Elation unit. |
That's still a 50% difference in cost. Pretty big when your buying a large quantity. Are the 4's worth $50 more? I've seen the Elation Opti Par for as little as $63.
Post by: Dan Brown on November 24, 2010, 09:00:01 PM
| Silas Pradetto { wrote on Wed, 24 November 2010 14:59 |
No. And I even have the Elation Opti-Zoom, so I get a bit of beam adjustment to boot |
Um, Silas have you compared a Elation Opti-Zoom to a ETC S4 Parnel.
I have and the Opti Zoom put out about half the light of the ETC, both with 575w lamps.
Also the Zoom control on the Elation is terrible, no where near as adjustable as the ETC.
You get what you pay for.
db
Post by: E. Lee Dickinson on November 26, 2010, 08:25:59 PM
I love Elation gear, generally, but the Optipar is a toy compared to the Source4.
Post by: Dave Moldover on November 26, 2010, 08:43:21 PM
FYI:
The metal socket in the opti par can be removed and you can use the HPL 575w lamps (same as etcS4). this makes keeping spare bulb inventory simpler since we use S4 leekos. It takes about 5min per once you know how to do this. - they are not rated for 750w.
Also, I believe the S4par comes with a 4 lens set. The optipars only come with NSP so you have to factor that into cost if you need other lenses.
Post by: Dave Moldover on November 26, 2010, 08:44:12 PM
If I were replacing the whole rig today, I would buy the etc instead of elation even at greater cost.
Post by: Dave Bjornson on December 02, 2010, 06:53:29 PM
| E. Lee Dickinson wrote on Sat, 27 November 2010 01:25 |
Another big difference is in the lamp. The HPL 575 has a very noticeably whiter color temperature than the G9.5 based equivalent. Step it up to the HPL 750 and the output difference is huge. I love Elation gear, generally, but the Optipar is a toy compared to the Source4. |
+100
Buy once, cry once.
Post by: Tony Ferrello on December 05, 2010, 03:28:32 PM
Post by: Dan Brown on December 07, 2010, 10:40:59 AM
| Tony Ferrello wrote on Sun, 05 December 2010 14:28 |
We have around 130 Opti Pars from Elation. They are not as well built as S4 par, unit to unit, BUT we haven't had any problems over then years. There is no output differnce in term of brightness, although the color temp of the Elation is 3050 and the S4 par is 3150. |
Tony,
A little extra info on this - The USHIO long life lamps we buy for our S4 fixtures have a 3050(k) color temp as well. The short life lamps have a 3250(k) color temp (300 hour)
As far as output, I was specifically comparing the "Opti Zoom" to the S4 "Parnel" There is a significant difference between those two. The S4 was brighter hands down - same color temp lamps
db
Post by: Tony Ferrello on December 11, 2010, 06:56:27 PM