As advanced technology grows increasingly more affordable, the lines between conventional and automated lighting fixtures are becoming blurred. It was only a matter of time when dichroic color mixing systems, first applied in expensive moving lights, would make their way into the design of less expensive conventional theatrical lighting fixtures. Wybron featured such an exciting hybrid product at the LDI 2003 Expo.
Wybron’s introduction into the theatrical lighting fixture market is a bold one indeed. With integrated dichroic CMY (Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow) color mixing and sophisticated optical design systems, the Nexera wash and zoom ellipsoidal reflector spotlights are bound to inspire a whole new generation of theatrical lighting fixtures.
First, an explanation of what Nexera really is: the Nexera line of theatrical fixtures includes a 575W wash fixture that resembles the light quality of a fresnel spotlight, and a 575W zoom ellipsoidal reflector spotlight that compares quite favorably to any new generation leko from the major lighting manufacturers. Both fixtures incorporate integrated CMY dichroic filter color mixing.
Unlike a typical color scroller that is placed at the front of the light, the Nexera CMY dichroic mechanisms are located very close to the center of the light path. The fixtures are convection-cooled and servo-driven, and therefore do not require noisy fans. Both units use Wybron Coloram power supplies and are controlled with three DMX channels (one channel for each color, Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow). Similar to high-end ellipsoidal reflector spotlights, the Nexera models share common lamp housings and have cold mirror reflectors. Both fixtures even share the same color mixing mechanics for ease of servicing.
The wash fixture has a beam spread of 11.5 to 19 degrees and the zoom ellipsoidal has a beam angle range of 25 to 40 degrees. The ellipsoidal will accept common M-sized gobos and other accessories including irises, top hats, and color frames.
Why is the Nexera of great interest to the church market? I can think of multiple uses for such a flexible lighting fixture: foremost, Nexera’s color fading ability will greatly reduce the number of lighting fixtures required in the lighting plot for multiple color changes. Even though color scrollers also offer the designer great flexibility in color, the CMY color mixing systems in the Nexera allow the designer to create thousands of colors, with the ability to smoothly fade from one color to another. In addition, dichroic color filters are a much more efficient medium to transmit color. Instead of absorbing unwanted wavelengths of light as in conventional gel, dichroics reflect these wavelengths away from the glass, resulting in purer colors with increased intensity. More important, unlike standard gel, dichroic panels do not fade over time and do not need to be replaced.
Church Production Magazine (CPM) recently accepted two of these fixtures for a thorough test drive and review. Testing of these fixtures took place in my light lab at California State University Long Beach. We set up the two Nexera models along with a matching 36-degree ellipsoidal reflector spotlight with a 575W lamp and a typical 750W fresnel. Although they were “apples and oranges”, we also included some CMY incandescent automated fixtures by Wybron’s competitor’s for comparison. It is important to note that although the wash fixture is currently in production, we tested a prototype of the zoom ERS. Wybron informed me that enhancements to the ERS are in the works, which should improve some of the qualities noted. Both production models should be shipping by the time you read this.
The zoom ERS was quite impressive. Our lighting measurements reported a significant increase of intensity over the conventional ERS. Beam intensity tests showed as much as a 22 percent brightness advantage at the zoom’s 36- degree setting. Unfortunately, as in most zoom ellipsoidals, the field consistency changed significantly with different zoom settings. We found the best field consistency results between approximately 26 to 36 degrees. This zoom range is probably the most useful for the Nexera, and the sheer power of the light cannot be ignored.
We also found that the design of the fixture incorporated some improvements over conventional zoom lekos. Of particular note is the design of the shutters. A new coating is used that make the shutters slide in and out as though they were covered in butter. The base is very easy to remove for easy lamp servicing. Although the visual design looks a bit bulbous, the Nexera was nicely balanced and surprisingly easy to focus. In fact, considering the amount of mechanics in these units, they are amazingly small and light.
Color mixing tests showed consistent color fields throughout the spectrum. As the dichroic systems use a single panel dichroic filter for each color, the key is to make sure that the lamp is in perfect alignment with the reflector. If the alignment is off, you will see uneven color fields. Consistency issues became moot once we properly aligned the lamps. Color mixing is surprisingly accurate as the dichroic panel motors hit their precise marks every time.
Typical of dichroic color systems, the resulting colors were extremely vivid. One very surprising discovery was the amazing primary red achieved with full magenta and yellow. This is the first time that I saw this color mixed from any CMY system!
The same is true for other colors most often used in theatrical lighting, including primary blue, light amber, light lavender, light pink, and the difficult to mix Lee 202 color corrected blue. Kudos to the Wybron engineers who figured this one out. The mechanical noise of the color fading systems was similar to conventional color scrollers. It is important to realize that most color fading will probably be relatively slow, and the resulting noise would be negligible.
We inserted a few gobos in the pattern slot and found the imaging excellent. Like most CMY moving lights, when adding dichroic color the gobos display some color anomalies. This is not always a bad trait as it can give gobos a more three dimensional appearance.
The wash fixture was equally impressive. Designed similar to a fresnel, the fixture produced a lovely soft beam of light. There is a control on the fixture that spots and floods the light. Unlike most fresnels, the Nexera displayed an even field without the center of the beam darkening at full flood. Compared to a much more expensive competitor, the wash fixture boasted equal intensity throughout its field. Like the Nexera zoom ERS, the wash light is surprisingly lightweight and maneuverable.
I can clearly envision churches with a mixture of Nexera wash and zoom fixtures. Using the two models would offer the designer consistent colors that match from light to light. The Nexera fixtures would also be especially useful for churches with limited hanging space and power capacities, and for churches that do not require all the expensive bells and whistles from more complex automated lighting fixtures. We all know many smaller churches that fit this description.
Like most products in the lighting industry, the key is where the price point for these fixtures will be. Although at this writing Wybron had yet to release its MSRP for these lights, purchasing an exceptional zoom ERS with an integrated superior dichroic color changing system for around the same price of a conventional zoom ERS and a very good color scroller would truly be a bargain!
Wybron has taken the bold step to introduce these exciting fixtures to our market. This naturally will lead to even more products that offer increasing flexibility to lighting designers. As a lighting consultant for churches large and small, I am constantly searching for new options to meet the needs of each particular facility. You never know – Wybron’s Nexera lighting fixtures may just be what your church requires.
