raicttec Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 Hello I am new to this forum.I am the Drama and ICT technician at Rastrick High School West Yorkshire UK.We are currently in the stages of upgrading and replacing all the info structure in our main hall. We are having a lot of lanterns referbished but are looking into moving lights. We have looked at Mini Mac profiles my main question is are these any good? The will be used mainly for small A-Level and GCSE production but will also be used for Big musicals now and again.My Main question is are they any good?Any help or recomandations would be greatly recieved.ThanksKarl (Ps We are on a quite tight budget!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 Well the MiniMacs are only 150w (discharge) so they aren't the brightest lanterns in the world, so they would have no chance trying to cut through a 1k rig. Plus they don't have remote focussing so you have to focus them on the front of the unit, which means for refocused specials they might be a little useless. Perhaps you should try Robe 250w fixtures or Mac 250s. For instance, AC Lighting have some Ex-Demo Flightcased 2x Mac 250s with Lamps etc for £2,300 or High End Studiospot 250s for £2000. Have a look at the website... AC Lighting Clearance Section Robe 250's are a nice price and brighter than Mac 250's but as I've not used them I can't comment! HTHStu PS. Just had a thought - would you use them enough to warrant the cost for them? Perhaps it might be cheaper to rent them when you need them instead of keeping the Macs etc lamped and maintained etc etc. It might be cheaper and more useful to buy some new lanterns (Source Fours and Cantatas etc)... Just a thought that should be thought! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raicttec Posted July 7, 2003 Author Share Posted July 7, 2003 Thanks Stu I am currently in talks with AC Lighting which was were the Mini Macs were coming from. They have ofered me 2 Mac 250 for £2000 and 1 mini mac for £696. Would you go for these or buy 4 of the Mini Macs? By the way we are also buying 24 new standard lanterns such as Par64 and Source 4 Jnr on top of this. Thanks For Your Help Karl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 Have you looked at the Coemar range? I ran a few of these a wekk ago and was very imnpressed, the Ispot 150 was much better than I expected and is worth a look. I know that alot of the hire companies dont yet have much but if you get on to coemar uk and speak to Chris Hale he will almost certainley be able to sort out a demo of whatever you want to look at. or if you would rather you can PM me with your details and ill get him to give you a call. Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 Thanks Stu I am currently in talks with AC Lighting which was were the Mini Macs were coming from. They have ofered me 2 Mac 250 for £2000 and 1 mini mac for £696. Would you go for these or buy 4 of the Mini Macs? By the way we are also buying 24 new standard lanterns such as Par64 and Source 4 Jnr on top of this. Thanks For Your Help KarlI wouldn't say the MiniMacs would be a good idea, and the same for Mac 250's really. Problem with Mac 250's is they really are club geared in their gobo selection etc, and they aren't particular bright among a 1k wash. I'd seriously look at the Robe Moving Lights - they are an up and coming force it seems in the market. They are a great price and have some good features (for instance, one model of the 250w fixture has zoom!). Robe What desk are you going to be using for these lights? Stu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 I can only agree with most of what's already been said. Given that you're looking for movers to integrate into a rig of S4s, Parcans, etc., MiniMacs wouldn't stand a chance brightness-wise. Robe moving heads are where you should be looking if you're after buying new, I reckon. (There's a WWW link elsewhere in the thread.) They do good products at a very competitive price. And you're already aware of the selection of Macs that AC Lighting currently have on their second-hand list, so I won't tell you about those. <_< Someone (Stu?) also brought up the subject of control - it's something to think about - do you already have a desk that's capable of driving moving lights? If not, it's something that you need to factor in ... AC seem to have an ex-demo Fat Frog for reasonable money which, while far from being my favourite desk, would do you nicely by the sound of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 And if they needed a control desk (although I know for a fact Gareth would disagree! <_<) you could do alot worse than to look at a Fat Frog... Stu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 (although I know for a fact Gareth would disagree! :P):unsure: :D :) Check out the edit I just made to the post directly above yours! I felt like a complete sell-out typing that, but given that it's a school drama studio and they sound like they just need a basic low-budget desk that can do the fundamentals with dimmers and movers, then why the hell not a Fat Frog, eh? <_< (Must be going soft in my old-ish age ...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 Oh dear Gareth, it must be the old age! <_< I was way too fast in posting my message back! I shall always wait 5 minutes now before posting to allow for edits and re-edits! hehe Stu(Personally I'd buy a nice shiny Pearl 2004, but I realise money doesn't grow on trees!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raicttec Posted July 7, 2003 Author Share Posted July 7, 2003 Thanks GuysWe are getting a Fat Frog. What is the quality like from the AC Lighting Ex Stock quality like? anybody purchased. We have £2800 to spend on moving lights and are definitly using Ac Lighting to purchase from what would you suggest?Karl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 Well don't forget to remember to buy 16A TRS in that price, some form of 16A distro board, and plenty of 3/5 pin DMX cable and a couple of terminators. I expect you know this already, but it's worth saying! Hmmm I don't know, if I was you I'd put the £2,500 (using £300 (rough estimate) for the items stated above) into a nice pot and dip into it as and when required, meaning you could rent Mac 500s when required... I'd love to recommend Mac 250s but I do feel they might not do what your after (Mac 250's (or any 250w discharge source) being a bit touchy on a 1k (or equiv) rig.) Best to see what other people say on here as well! HTH Stu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raicttec Posted July 7, 2003 Author Share Posted July 7, 2003 Has anyoneHave heard of Ac Lightings own Tourspot 250 £1,020.00Tourwash 250 £1,020.00Tourspot 575 £1,450.00Tourwash 575 £1,450 As these after speaking to Ac lighting are supose to be better and brighter than the Mac 250? Karl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raicttec Posted July 7, 2003 Author Share Posted July 7, 2003 Sorry the Tour 250 prices are not set in stone!!!Karl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 Never come across AC Lighting's own-brand movers before ... Is the £2800 just for the heads, or does that have to cover the desk too? If the former, you'll have no bother affording a couple of the Mac250+'s from AC's second-hand list, and have a wedge left over for some decent data and mains cabling. If the latter, perhaps you can squeeze them hard enough that they might do you a deal on a couple of the Mac250's and the ex-demo Fat Frog, but then you'll be scratching around to find enough for cable, which is important (it's quite difficult to get data to the heads without it ... <_< ). Mac250's aren't the brightest moving heads in the world, but I guess they'll be OK for your needs. To answer your question about the quality of their 2nd-hand kit - I don't know, I've only ever bought new from them before. But I think they hold all their 2nd-hand stock at the Leeds branch, so seeing as you're in West Yorks why not give them a call and arrange to go over and see the kit? Call Jonathan Walters on 0113 255 7666 - he's a good bloke and I'm sure he'll give you all the help you need. (I'm beginning to sound as though I work for AC, but I don't, honestly! I've just dealt with them in the past and found them to be a good bunch of guys to deal with. Credit where it's due, and all that ...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelic Posted July 7, 2003 Share Posted July 7, 2003 Call Jonathan Walters on 0113 255 7666 - he's a good bloke and I'm sure he'll give you all the help you need I second that motion - great guy (as well as all of the others at AC!) I'm very intrigued about the prospect of AC lighting's own heads, especially at that price - I've found some Movitec (?!) 575 heads at £1500 each, but I'd rather go for the AC ones for peace of mind! Tell me more, please! Regards, Rich. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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