PROLIGHTS ECL FRESNEL CT+M

A lot has changed in lighting over the last 30 years, but Fresnels are still in high demand for any application where high quality soft sources of front light are required.

As we have moved over to LED technology, initially we have seen a slower uptake for LED Fresnels when compared to LED profiles or pars. Part of the reason could be that when compared to the pars and profiles, the quality of the light source is much more important.

PROLiGHTS have released a range of different size LED Fresnels, with the EclFresnel CT+M designed to sit between their 1K and the 2K Fresnel. It is an LED Fresnel with the focal point being the optical quality of the light source; an LED Fresnel that is good enough for TV.

Construction

It weighs 9.9kg and has dimensions of 338mm(W) x 573mm(H) x 428mm(D). It is smaller than your equivalent non-LED model. It has a built-in menu on the side and can be used in stand-alone mode as well as with 5-pin DMX.

The light draws 350W of power; not bad for a light that has been designed to sit in between a 1K and a 2K Fresnel for output. You could almost get three of these for the same power footprint as a regular 1K Fresnel.

The yoke is moveable and has been set up so that it can be hung off a single clamp and can be used with a spigot on a stand.

Optics, Colour and Brightness

The main selling point of the light is the optics. It uses a custom RGBAMC 350W LED array which consists of Red, Blue, Green, Amber, Mint and Cyan, but not all in equal amounts. It gives high precision reproduction of the white spectrum as well as an extensive range of rich colours. With enough patience and fine tuning, you could create just about any colour possible with light. It boasts a CRI of 97, one of the highest we have ever seen. A lot of emphasis has been placed on the precision and tunability of white light.

It has green and magenta white shifting, great for lighting skin tones to camera. It has tuneable colour temperature ranging from 1,800K through to 20,000K. As for brightness, it is designed to sit somewhere between a 1K and a 2K Fresnel with about a 10,000 lumen output.

The lens is eight inches in diameter, the same size as a PAR64 for those familiar.

It has a zoom range of 9° – 81°, so a 9:1 ratio. Zoom is operated manually on the fixture, not on the desk or the onboard control panel. It features an eight-leaf barn door (one leaf top, one leaf bottom and three either side) which absorbs more light than it reflects, which is a good thing when trying to shape the light. It has an option for six different dimming curves, a big deal when getting intensity changes just right is a priority.

Applications and Features

It is not a feature-heavy light. The only automated features are the colour and the intensity. You position the light manually as well as focus and use the barndoors. The main features are the light engine, the quality of the colours it reproduces, and how well you can fine tune the light.

The 350W LED engine seems to be a popular size and seems to finds itself being used in a lot of mid-size venues, as well as in film and TV.

You would use the EclFresnel CT+M anywhere that required high quality soft light. Ideally you would use it for TV or film purposes as that is what it has been designed for, but you can use it to light a theatre show, in a corporate venue, and it would be at home in the inventory of a production company.

Control and Programming

The only console controllable features are the colour and the intensity. The positioning, focus and barn doors are done manually. This may seem a little limiting as it will dictate where you can hang it and what you can use it for, but I think the trade-off is well worthwhile.

Designing the light this way means that there are no motors or automated moving parts. Not only will this reduce maintenance requirements, it will also reduce the amount of heat that it gives off, as well as the amount of noise it makes during operation. A huge plus in situations where excess heat and noise can be an issue.

It may not sound like you have automated control over much, but the amount of control you have over the colour is impressive. You can tweak and fine tune the colour to your heart’s content. With enough patience, you could probably make any shade of any colour possible with LED light.

It is compatible with wireless DMX. It can also be run off an external battery, meaning you could run it without cables.

Verdict

This is a fantastic light.

The Fresnel is a personal favourite; traffic lights would have Fresnel lenses if I had my way! It’s always great to see manufacturers trying to improve them and adapt them for modern day high-end use. PROLiGHTS have approached this with a different LED array with an emphasis on reproducing true and accurate colours, and extra emphasis on white.

The feature list is not as flashy as some of the other newer lights on the market, and It’s not jam packed with features and gizmos. What it has is superior optical quality and anyone who is after an LED Fresnel that is good enough for TV should check out the PROLiGHTS Eclipse Fresnel range.

Product Info: www.prolights.it/en/

Distributor Australia and New Zealand: https://www.showtech.com.au

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The Specs

• Source: 350W six colour LED
• Luminous flux: (9.4°) 3,867lm – (80.8°) 9827 @4,000K
• Lux: (9.4°) 5,706 lx – (80.8°) 451lx @5m @4,000K
• CRI: 97 @3,200K; 96.8 @5,600K
• Zoom range: 9.4° – 80.8° manual Lens diameter: 8” / 200mm / 0.31”
• Lens type: Fresnel glass lens with AR coating
• Colour control: XY, CCT, Gel with Source Emulation, Tungsten emulation, HSI, User preset
• CCT: Linear CCT adjustment from 1,850K – 20,000K
• Control Protocols: DMX512, RDM, CRMX Dimensions (WxHxD): 338x573x428mm Weight: 9.9kg