I can’t believe I missed this – I must have been stuck up on the new Mac III instead of looking around at other manufacturers and what they’ve prepared for PLASA and LDI this year. Vari*Lite has introduced a new Wash luminaire into the market – but instead of just being a wash fixture, this fixture can also act as a spot fixture.
Vari*Lite’s optics are superior on the market (if you’ve used them, you know), and having a fixture that can output like a wash and project like a spot is a great tool to have in your rig. A bit of information from the press release:
Vari-Lite is pleased to announce the new VL3500â„¢ Wash FX luminaire. The unit, exceeding an output of 50,000 lumens, is a remarkable wash luminaire that is also capable of acting like a spot luminaire. In its color bulkhead the VL3500â„¢ Wash FX contains one FX pattern wheel with four spring-loadable rotatable and indexable 50mm glass patterns along with one open position. The dual-wattage unit runs at either 1200W or 1500W and runs 900W in standby. The luminaire projects polished images with the ULTRA clear front lens which ships with the unit.
When asked to describe the market readiness for the VL3500 Wash FX luminaire, Bob Schacherl, Vice President of Sales for Vari-Lite said, “Lighting designers and customers have increasingly expected feature-rich products that can be adapted or configured to meet the widest possible range of applications. We pride ourselves on meeting those expectations and the VL3500 Wash FX follows onto the successful design strategy we used with the VL3500 Wash, meaning the same incredible beam intensity, wide zoom range and dynamic color capabilities still exist. The addition of rotating patterns and ultra clear lens now creates a fixture that crosses over between hard-edged and wash luminaire and furthers this product line’s flexibility.” Schacherl confirmed that existing VL3500 Wash luminaire owners will also have the option of purchasing a conversion kit that easily re-configures their fixtures into VL3500 Wash FX luminaires.
So, we’re looking at a bright, high output lamp, great optics, dual output wattage, and the ability to project images like a spot. Outstanding, Vari*Lite!
