paulg
27-02-2012, 12:59 PM
I took delivery of a couple of these last week from Thomann in Germany. I know one or two people took an interest in them following a gallery post by Charlie. I'd been looking to get some so I thought I'd take the plunge based on his comments and I thought it might be useful to give you some more feedback too.
First things first. The claim that the 25W LED is comparable to a 150 HTI bulb is twaddle. Thomann confirmed by email that the light is not as bright as either a 150HTI or a 250W ELC, and bench testing confirms it isn't. But, it is not far behind an ELC. Often, pictures from digital cameras can deceive so to put it into words, mid spectrum colours and white stand out very well and will easily carry 15-20m in a dark (but not pitch black) environment. Colours less visible to the human retina (indigo/ crimson/purples) don't stand out as well at more than about a range of 10m. Hopefully that should give you an idea of how 'bright' a 25W LED is. If you want something similar to a 250W ELC, go for the 50W version.
It has a 17 degree beam angle which is isn't ideal but that is a trade off when using LED - narrower beams make the gobo's smaller but more intense. You can work out how big gobo's will be at specific distances using your maths O levels!
On to the unit itself. It's not too badly made, and it feels fairly solid although dropping it would no doubt end in tears. The units are smaller than many moving heads and one unit would fit into a box about a foot square - making them very easy to package and transport.
The focus is quite good and the gobo's are very sharp and clear. There are one or two very nice gobo's and also rotating gobo's which is a plus in this price bracket. One gobo is similar to the rose gobo on the Wizards so that has potential. Throw in a bit of smoke and they really do look the part.
There is a very useful slow pan stand alone mode which can be used where you don't want the head to be too active and a similar fast mode that isn't too overwhelming for an audience. On board sound to light is, however, a little bit over active. The controls are straightforward and the units dmx without any issues.
For around £207, with a 3 year warranty, you can't go far wrong for the 25W version. The 50W version is an extra £170 so only worth the investment if you do really big venues or day rooms that are hard to darken.
First things first. The claim that the 25W LED is comparable to a 150 HTI bulb is twaddle. Thomann confirmed by email that the light is not as bright as either a 150HTI or a 250W ELC, and bench testing confirms it isn't. But, it is not far behind an ELC. Often, pictures from digital cameras can deceive so to put it into words, mid spectrum colours and white stand out very well and will easily carry 15-20m in a dark (but not pitch black) environment. Colours less visible to the human retina (indigo/ crimson/purples) don't stand out as well at more than about a range of 10m. Hopefully that should give you an idea of how 'bright' a 25W LED is. If you want something similar to a 250W ELC, go for the 50W version.
It has a 17 degree beam angle which is isn't ideal but that is a trade off when using LED - narrower beams make the gobo's smaller but more intense. You can work out how big gobo's will be at specific distances using your maths O levels!
On to the unit itself. It's not too badly made, and it feels fairly solid although dropping it would no doubt end in tears. The units are smaller than many moving heads and one unit would fit into a box about a foot square - making them very easy to package and transport.
The focus is quite good and the gobo's are very sharp and clear. There are one or two very nice gobo's and also rotating gobo's which is a plus in this price bracket. One gobo is similar to the rose gobo on the Wizards so that has potential. Throw in a bit of smoke and they really do look the part.
There is a very useful slow pan stand alone mode which can be used where you don't want the head to be too active and a similar fast mode that isn't too overwhelming for an audience. On board sound to light is, however, a little bit over active. The controls are straightforward and the units dmx without any issues.
For around £207, with a 3 year warranty, you can't go far wrong for the 25W version. The 50W version is an extra £170 so only worth the investment if you do really big venues or day rooms that are hard to darken.