Following the advice on THIS video elsewhere on this site, I have embarked on the search for these lights. This is my first time in the market for lights so I'm a bit scared I may not fully understand what I'm getting myself into with these old lights. Is there anything I need to consider before buying them as opposed to the newer units like the coollights which I would really love to get but would rather gain some experience with lighting as a whole on the cheap first? I'm not even sure what questions to ask really. Anything anyone with some experience with them can share will be very helpful. Like can they all be down-globed? Most of the ones I see are 1ks and up especially the fresnels.
Colortran lights: What do I need to know?
- Thread starter jamani
- Start date
Jarrett P. Morgan
Well-known member
Unfortunately it is much easier to find 1Ks and up (and sometimes 650s) for cheap as these were the workhorses of the old studios. I have two 1K strands and I love them. For lower wattage lights, there is more demand and less supply, thus the prices are higher.
homestar_kevin
Well-known member
I've actually bought 8 colortrans since first watching that video and have been enjoying them so far.
They're very old and get very hot, but they're great for the money.
They're very old and get very hot, but they're great for the money.
-What are you guys doing for stands? As I said, I'm new to this so it would help to know if there are any special considerations to be made when it comes to getting stands for these.
-Most of the ones I'm seeing do not have barn doors. How are you guys going about getting these?
-Can they be used with dimmers?
-How about scrims?
-Most of the ones I'm seeing do not have barn doors. How are you guys going about getting these?
-Can they be used with dimmers?
-How about scrims?
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Chris Santucci
Veteran
I have about 15 Colortran fixtures and I've been recommending them for years now.
I made adapters for the 650 watt Mini Pro heads to fit on the standard 5/8" stands.
All my other heads fit on 5/8".
All my heads came with barn doors and I even have a 5K with barn doors.
I have a bunch of scrims for my Mini Pro heads. You just have to look for heads with the accessories or retrofit something.
They will ALL work with the appropriate dimmer.
I made adapters for the 650 watt Mini Pro heads to fit on the standard 5/8" stands.
All my other heads fit on 5/8".
All my heads came with barn doors and I even have a 5K with barn doors.
I have a bunch of scrims for my Mini Pro heads. You just have to look for heads with the accessories or retrofit something.
They will ALL work with the appropriate dimmer.
RyanT
Veteran
Another idea is just to look into par cans. You can brand new 1k par cans for about 40 bucks. The globe has to be bought separately, but they're great industry standard lights.
If you look around on Craigslist and eBay you can usually find them for pretty cheap. They also have 500w, 320w, and 75w par cans, so you can get them in a number of different sizes and wattages. Great for bouncing and shooting through diffusion, just like those open face colortrans. Just another idea. The fresnels you probably can't beat for price though, these would only really substitute for the open face and par lamps.
Also as long as the build on these lamps are good and pieces aren't just falling off, you really can't go wrong with anything tungsten.
If you look around on Craigslist and eBay you can usually find them for pretty cheap. They also have 500w, 320w, and 75w par cans, so you can get them in a number of different sizes and wattages. Great for bouncing and shooting through diffusion, just like those open face colortrans. Just another idea. The fresnels you probably can't beat for price though, these would only really substitute for the open face and par lamps.
Also as long as the build on these lamps are good and pieces aren't just falling off, you really can't go wrong with anything tungsten.
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homestar_kevin
Well-known member
I just got a new colortran actually, an older 6 inch fresnel that I need to get barn doors for.
Anyone have any idea? or should I just find some 6 inch barndoors and try to franken-rig them on there?
Anyone have any idea? or should I just find some 6 inch barndoors and try to franken-rig them on there?
paulears
Veteran
PAR64 is 'the' standard rock n roll light - the aluminium can is dirt simple and cheap - the lamps expensive. They only really suffer from one problem for video use (well two, if you consider heat a problem) and that is they are very narrow. The wide angle version is really quite narrow - so no use for flooding an area with light.
The number in the name refers to the number of 1/8th inches the diameter is - a PAR 64 is 8", a 56 is 7", a PAR 36 is ..... etc, right down to the 16 - which is 2".
They rarely need barndoors as the spread is too narrow, but the only other adjustment is beam rotation, because it's oval, not circular.
The lamps themselves do tend to explode if they get stuck in the can, which can be exciting - but you need care whe rotating the lamp because it's so hot. There are some designs that surround the two pin rear lamp connector with a chunky heat proof handle - these PARSAFES are very useful, as without them, you have to grab hold of the hot ceramic - not good!
The number in the name refers to the number of 1/8th inches the diameter is - a PAR 64 is 8", a 56 is 7", a PAR 36 is ..... etc, right down to the 16 - which is 2".
They rarely need barndoors as the spread is too narrow, but the only other adjustment is beam rotation, because it's oval, not circular.
The lamps themselves do tend to explode if they get stuck in the can, which can be exciting - but you need care whe rotating the lamp because it's so hot. There are some designs that surround the two pin rear lamp connector with a chunky heat proof handle - these PARSAFES are very useful, as without them, you have to grab hold of the hot ceramic - not good!
David G. Smith
Steak Knife Member
Yes, I use the 1K bulbs exclusively, mainly just to cut down on cost and storage of extra bulbs. The 1Ks can be dimmed, scrimmed or gelled to reduce their output.
Chris Santucci
Veteran
I have a bunch of the PAR64 cans all with 1K lamps in them.
And, you can get TVMP's (for mounting on stands) here (cheapest I've seen):
http://www.amazon.com/Avenger-E390-Yoke-Stand-Adapter/dp/B001GCUXF8
And, you can get TVMP's (for mounting on stands) here (cheapest I've seen):
http://www.amazon.com/Avenger-E390-Yoke-Stand-Adapter/dp/B001GCUXF8
Michael Carter
Veteran
I've got a lot of theatrical fixtures from when I was a still shooter trying to get a more cinema look in the 90's. I use them weekly still.
L&E, Altman, Strand, Colortran, all kinds of stuff.
If you find old theatrical lights, chances are you'll need to:
Open 'em up and check/replace wiring;
Make sure they're grounded;
Replace the connector with a household plug;
Put a TVMP (Avenger, not Matthews) on the yoke;
Chances are you'll need a switch - you'll need an in-line that can handle the max amps. Cool Lights sells a nice, nice switch for about $20;
For fresnels, you may want to update the socket to take a more modern, efficient and affordable style globe.
I have some nice fresnels, but my favorites are the rectangular open-faced lights. I have several, all with barn doors. Three of mine can take the "shop light" bulbs, from 100 watts to 750 - cheap and easy to transport a whole set of globes, and they change in a flash. These things are dynamite for bounce or scrims.
L&E, Altman, Strand, Colortran, all kinds of stuff.
If you find old theatrical lights, chances are you'll need to:
Open 'em up and check/replace wiring;
Make sure they're grounded;
Replace the connector with a household plug;
Put a TVMP (Avenger, not Matthews) on the yoke;
Chances are you'll need a switch - you'll need an in-line that can handle the max amps. Cool Lights sells a nice, nice switch for about $20;
For fresnels, you may want to update the socket to take a more modern, efficient and affordable style globe.
I have some nice fresnels, but my favorites are the rectangular open-faced lights. I have several, all with barn doors. Three of mine can take the "shop light" bulbs, from 100 watts to 750 - cheap and easy to transport a whole set of globes, and they change in a flash. These things are dynamite for bounce or scrims.
David G. Smith
Steak Knife Member
I recently picked up 4 750 watt Altman Fresnels in very good shape. They definitely are not Arris or Moles, but I got 4 of them for $225.00.
Moseph
Veteran
I just ordered 6 of them, they're actually only $10. You just need to buy the crimp terminals.
Michael Carter
Veteran
The Altman theatrical units are actually made by L&E and are solid little lights for a stamped-steel unit. The lens is nice, and users here have put 1ks in them with no trouble.
You can also lamp them as follows:
CXK 300 watt (25hr)
BTL 500 watt (500hr)
BTM 500 watt (100hr)
I tend to use them with 500's the most these days.
They make a 2k with (I recall) an 8" lens which is also a nice light that can take smaller lamp sizes.
What is this????
What is this????
So I pulled the trigger on two 1ks (colortran). Unwrapped them and got hit with this. Is this normal or did the seller fail to include some kind of cable that connect to this? I'm guessing this is what Michael Carter was referring to when he said "Replace the connector with a household plug"? If so how do I go about doing this?
What is this????
So I pulled the trigger on two 1ks (colortran). Unwrapped them and got hit with this. Is this normal or did the seller fail to include some kind of cable that connect to this? I'm guessing this is what Michael Carter was referring to when he said "Replace the connector with a household plug"? If so how do I go about doing this?
That is a standard 20 amp 3pin stage connector. You can replace that with a 15 amp edison connector or use an adapter (stage pin female to male edison). If the tail (cable coming out of the lamp) feels brittle in any way you might want to replace it completely. Also a short tail like that is fine for mounting on a pipe, grid or truss, but if you're working off of stands you might want to install something longer with an inline switch.