Source 4

wow thats awesome. no its freakin' awesome.
when i first read berns post the first thing that flashed thru my mind was 'can this be done to Richards CDM's?'
I still haven't played with Richards CDM's but I have his 150 and 70 arriving in the next few days
 
Hi, all. Could anyone who has had experience with these units help with a couple issues I have with my fixture, please? First, how difficult is it to turn the inner knob (used for flat field adjustments), and to remove the lamp from its socket? I found it almost impossible to turn the knob, and even then, it could only move about, I'd say, 10-20 deg. in either direction maximum! My guess is that this isn't normal, having seen on youtube someone bench focusing it with ease. Next, the lamp, too, I've found very difficult to remove from its socket. It took me about 15 minutes trying to pry the thing out. For a brand new unit, is this normal? Hope someone could chime in.

Kind Regards,
J
 
That does not sound normal, but...

There are two adjusting knobs on the back of the fixture. It’s been a while since I’ve done it, but if I remember correctly you may need to loosen the inner knob before the outer knob can move freely. The outer knob should be turned counter-clockwise to loosen it, then pushed laterally. It takes a firm push, but shouldn’t be stiff. It doesn’t move very far; I would guess it’s about a centimeter from one edge to the opposite.

I don’t have one in front of me at the moment, so this is just from memory.

It should have come with a user manual, but if it didn’t you can download it here.
 
Hi, Iain. The two knobs are independent of each other. After havingg spoken with the resellers who also checked with their in-house tech and stock, I shouldn't have the difficulty in question. I am only able to turn the inner knob (outer one moves fine) with the help of a wrench and some cloth to protect the plastic outer casing. And even then, there is a lot of squeaking, which suggests the pin or nut inside the whole mechanism has become stuck or too tight for use. Will yet have to hear from the suppliers, though, not until next week. If anyone has had the same issue before, would love to hear from you as this'll help explain the fault to them clearer or quicker.
 
It's always interesting when an old thread revives, isn't it?!

The first few posts made it sound like Source 4's are relative newcomers in the film industry. I would have a hard time saying how long I've seen them in use but it has been at least 15 years. They have been a staple of my lighting packages for a good long time. The shutters make them fantastic for controlling spill such as a bounce card within the set--you can fill the card for maximum softness but trim out the spill. I often use this setup for hairlights for interviews--fly a 1x4 foamcore bounce off a c-stand arm behind the subject and fill it up with a Source 4 on a dimmer. This delivers a nice wide source that I can reduce in width in seconds if I choose to, as well as dim up and down, add color etc. since the source is on the ground, not up in the air.

Regarding the Source 4 Mini: ETC just introduced an LED version of the Mini that comes in a 90+ CRI version (they call it the "gallery" version) which allows line level dimming without color shift, and is quite reasonable (especially compared to the full-size LED version, which is quite pricey but has some great features). Also: there is a more modern variation of the optic tubes designated "HD" that provides a much cleaner and sharper edge without the typical chromatic fringe of the classic ones.

I could go on and on about all the ways I use these units but suffice to say--they are great!
 
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