In the realm of moving lights, discharge (or arc-source) lamps are still an excellent option, and the light intensity from fixtures that utilize these lamps is superb.
Overview
The Elation Smarty Hybrid fixture is such a luminaire, utilizing a Philips 280W discharge lamp as its light source. It’s designed to do triple duty as a wash fixture, a spot fixture, and a beam fixture. It’s a fairly compact luminaire, as well, with dimensions of 15.2x15.9x24 inches, and weighing 49 pounds. It uses a PowerCon TRUE1 power connector, has five-pin DMX in and through, and Ethernet in and out for directly connecting to ArtNet and sACN network data sources without the need for converting to DMX cabling. It comes with a short TRUE1 to Edison power cable.
At the 190w setting, the lamp will last up to 6,000 hours before requiring replacement.
The Philips lamp used in the fixture can be set to a lower power level, decreasing the lamp output but extending the lamp life. At the 190w setting, the lamp will last up to 6,000 hours before requiring replacement.
For mounting, the fixture comes with two omega brackets that attach to the bottom of the base, onto which pipe or truss clamps can be attached. A safety cable is included with the fixture.
For features, the fixture supports the usual intensity, pan, and tilt parameters, all at 16-bit resolution. The cyan, magenta, and yellow blades of the color mixing system are individually controlled with either 8-bit or 16-bit precision attributes, depending on whether the standard or advanced profile is selected. In addition to the color mixing blades, a 14-color color wheel is available.
There are two gobo wheels and two prisms available. The first gobo wheel supports gobo rotation and wheel rotation, while the second wheel does not support gobo rotation. For prisms, there is a 16-facet prism and a 4-facet linear prism, which can be used independently or combined through the prism parameter channel’s built-in macros.
Other parameters provided are zoom, focus, frost and strobe. Some parameters (the CMY parameters, for example) are 16-bit attributes when using the advanced profile.
Operation
The Smarty Hybrid was quick and easy to unbox and set up. I used it sitting on the stage floor, and simply needed to connect DMX and power to the unit for use in DMX mode. Like most intelligent fixtures, the Smarty Hybrid has an LCD screen and push buttons for accessing the configuration menu. This unit’s configuration system was a little easier to use than most, with a higher resolution color screen that was easier to read and provided more room for text. The manual adequately explains most of the settings.
This unit’s configuration system was a little easier to use than most, with a higher resolution color screen that was easier to read and provided more room for text.
The light responded well to all control inputs, and I experienced no issues while working with it. The motors are faster than expected and quickly moved to new positions.
The zoom range is impressive, from a tiny beam focus to a very wide wash. At a throw distance of about 90 feet, I was able to zoom down to a diameter of 2.5 feet, which gave a brightness of an intense 3,800fc at center (using white light). At the same throw distance, the opposite zoom range gave me a diameter of 30 feet, and the brightness ranged from 6fc at the outer edge to a center brightness of 60fc. The beam brightness progressed smoothly across the diameter of the beam, so it should blend well when used with other Smarty Hybrid fixtures to provide an even wash of light.
At a throw distance of about 90 feet, I was able to zoom down to a diameter of 2.5 feet, which gave a brightness of an intense 3,800fc at center (using white light).
The gobo wheels work well and provide a nice variety of patterns (these are shown in the user manual for the fixture).
The colors look great, are very well saturated, and quite vibrant.
The frost feature adds a nice smooth look to the field of light, and a pleasant soft edge to the beam.
Evaluation
The fixture is impressively bright, and I love the color and ease of use. It feels well-built. The speed of the motors means that if you prefer for your lights to move in black, you would not need to black them out long to do a transition--a fraction of a second.
The cooling fan noise is noticeable but drops to an SPL level of about 40 dBA or lower when you get about 10 feet away.
Being an arc-source discharge lamp fixture, lots of heat is generated by the lamp, and so cooling is critical. The cooling fan noise is noticeable but drops to an SPL level of about 40 dBA or lower when you get about 10 feet away. Yoke motor sounds (for pan and tilt) are louder than the fan noise and are noticeable from across a quiet auditorium. They would probably be heard over very quiet music, although today’s contemporary music and its associated listening levels would drown it out. Slow movements during quiet parts of a program shouldn’t be as loud. However, it’s not objectionable nor unexpected to hear the fixture move.
I liked having the option of using Ethernet protocols directly with the fixture and not needing to turn my ArtNet or sACN signal from my laptop into DMX to connect to the fixture—this would save on infrastructure costs. And the option of an Ethernet output jack, as well, means that you can daisy-chain your fixtures and not have to end-run back to an Ethernet switch. With most AVL infrastructure moving to Ethernet-based technologies, this makes a lot of sense, and I’m pleased to see it.
... the option of an Ethernet output jack ... means that you can daisy-chain your fixtures and not have to end-run back to an Ethernet switch.
With an MSRP of $5,800, the fixture brings a great deal of brightness to the stage and provides a lot of flexibility to use it as a wash, spot, or beam fixture. Any time you can get multiple use types out of one device like this, it’s a win for the user’s pocketbook. Elation offers a two-year warranty on both the fixture and lamp to help protect the end-user’s investment. For churches desiring bright fixtures that can handle multiple functions, the Smarty Hybrid is worth considering.
Any time you can get multiple use types out of one device like this, it’s a win for the user’s pocketbook.
I’d like to give a shout-out to A.C. Lighting for its provision of a license for Chroma-Q Vista to assist me with my product reviews, and the staff at The Summit Church in Apex, N.C., for allowing me to use their auditorium for testing the fixture.
MSRP: $5,800
