Meet The Gaffer  

We’ll see! It could be just the ticket we didn’t know we needed:)

I'm surprised it's only 500Watts, maybe Arri has more powerful LEDs lined up to replace jokers and M18s.

@@Photographicelements Unlikely anytime soon. Very large COB LEDs generate an incredible amount of heat and the size of the heatsink and fan to cool an LED outputting M18 level intensity would make it incredibly unpractical. The material used in an HMI where the immediate heat is generated has a very high melting point, whereas an LED chip can start to melt and shift color temperature at much lower temperatures.

@@Photographicelements the light engine is only 400 watts, but the entire fixture has a max power draw of 500 watts

Kyle Van Tonder Thanks for the explanation! Heat management technology is changing very fast & has been the impetus for higher output LEDs as well as small 6k cameras. Aputure’s new 600Watt LED uses new thermal management materials & is the same size as their 300d, from several years ago. I was hoping Arri would be able to use a similar or better materials/ technology, but may have to wait..

Thank you for watching and responding!

It’s a conundrum. I think there will be enough demand by DP’s to warrant having one, but probably not the two I had originally planned on.

EXACTLY !!!!Its like buying a Porsche and top speed is only 40mph :)

Sorry to say: the output doesn’t cut the mustard.

Ha, ha! It’s definitely a quality unit, but we all still have questions:)

So many toys in our future...

I agree. It’s a versatile light and will be especially effective for dramatic work. Larger rental houses will want to have this tool on the shelf. The trick is for us smaller, owner operators who maybe don’t do a lot of dramatic work or even that much work with color and effects. It’s a harder choice to make given the price point and what our clients will be willing to pay. I’ll be getting one regardless and maybe it will become like the Skypanel where it just makes my set life so much easier that I’ll get a second... and maybe I’ll use it all the time and figure out a way to ease it into people’s budgets:)

Agreed. We all want something to replace our workhorse HMI’s so that we can close the door on non-dim, not CCT tunable, even non-RGB units. I don’t think we are quite there yet...

And like some units, it may not replace and just become a new tool that does it hinge an HMI can’t do: dim, CCT tune, RGB, and effects. The kicker is the price and the accessories. I think it will find a niche, but it may be on jobs with deeper budgets...

Yup. We are a needy lot, and regardless how bright it is we will want it to be brighter.

One reason the housing is larger is to allow for weatherproofing. Also, the control and power supply are all in the head. It’s hard when you design a fixture to please every type of industry... it’s just as easy to disappoint them all.

Luke Seerveld When everyone is disappointed . . . that’s when you know you’ve designed a successful product!

The controls seemed opposite the SkyPanel plus I kept thinking it was a touch screen like Stellar because it looks like Stellar. After 15-20 minutes of fooling around I was getting used to the new arrangement and I am not super tech-savvy. The bigger issue is where does it fit in? Sorta feels like a new category light and I already have a lot of choices. Felt a little more specialized... I think Skypanels will continue to rule the roost for a bit.

Yup... my stand in:)

I had a 575W Hive, but it was not a good fit for me. I gave it to a DP who has used it to good effect:)

We always want more...

Need to learn more about the Anthem One, beyond the pitch. The website is not very helpful. Maybe you have links to better info? Interested, but reserving judgment:)

Yup, for many it’s not a no-brainer purchase, but for others it will be a very handy tool:)

We were told there will be an iris!

I see, thanks!

They will receive standard B-size gobos (and holders) as well as a drop-in iris

There are certainly alternatives! The beauty is all the choice we do have:)

I think it does make sense. If it works for the 300d, it should work here as well, but I have no idea if there is a plan for one.

Luke Seerveld yeah I was thinking of Aputure as well. What’s the advantage to having fixed lenses in the first place? Higher optical quality?

I think using the open lens, cone type approach, similar to their M series HMI’s that don’t require lenses, gives you more output. The Fresnel takes away substantial output in exchange for the potential of variable focus, if the lens or light source can be moved.

I actually don’t know, but I would guess that the control panel is necessary to function either remotely or locally.

Some have said it starts at around $7200 with one lens.

@@meetthegaffer thank you for your reply

😬

@@meetthegaffer I'd like to see it next to say a Mickey or Jr. Solarspot swung open. I like where LED is going but there's just a falloff "quality" about a tungsten unit. I guess I'm just a bit old school analog.

Ha, ha! Guess we all need to get a Surface...

I’m not sure what you mean. Like there is no control panel at all?

@@meetthegaffer Yes, no control panel. The control panel is removalable and can be hand held due to a wireless link to the fixture. The Orbiter I just acquired has no panel. Can it still be controlled with an iPad, tablet, or laptop running Stellar?

Sorry, man, beyond that initial hands on experience I have barely used the orbiters. I would think you’d want the panel, but I don’t know if you need the panel😬

Yes, it very much depends what units you surround yourself with already and what type of projects you get called on to light. I have enough jobs that call for color manipulation that having quickly tunable lighting is a big plus. The days of color correcting gel are mostly gone for me. That may not be true for others. I would say that our futzing with the controls may have looked clunky, but that interface will be easy to learn... it’s just deep and visual. Yes, you get fooled into thinking it’s touch screen, but I’m glad it’s not. Tactile buttons and knobs are so much better in a real world environment.

Luke Seerveld Have you come across any color rendition issues with tunable RGBs. I saw a demo (check Indy Mogul) where orange captured as red, although the color looked normal to the naked eye. The fix? Using a yellow gel instead of tuning in an electronic yellow gel.

Will be interesting to see how it all plays out, that’s for sure:)

My hunch is that the output is more like a Joker 400, but we were playing with a demo unit. We’ll just have to see what the final product delivers:)

Luke Seerveld thank you 🙏🏻 I spoke to an Arri rappresentative in Italy he confirmed production starts in August 2020 shipping September for thoose who preorder , but we are away from the punch of an M 18 ... probably right maybe M8? Let’s see still a great tool to have on set

Hard to know. Marketing pushes us to believe what we want to believe. I would wait to see it in the wild in real comparison tests. If it was able to replace joleekos and was hard cuttable or could receive a focusable fresnel rather than fixed tubes or really had the throw of an M8 or J8 I would be all over it due to its added capabilities of remote dimming, full color, and effects... but although I see the promise of the design, I’m not convinced this is the magical tool we would like it to be. There is value being first to market with new units, but there are also drawbacks. That said, a lot of people, including me, were skeptical before the Skypanel came out... then we all had to have a few! The main difference in this case is that the Skypanel actually had more output than most of the other units out there if you added the whole RGB capability, which most of us weren’t even looking for. That unit pulled everyone into RGB land and impressed with its output. At the moment I don’t see the Orbiter being that kind of a game changer, but it will definitely be the talk of the town for a while:) Follow your heart, but keep your mind clear... your wallet will thank you.

I’m not sure what you mean by “ma2”.

😁

I think it will do just fine in the higher bracket of production, commercials and dramatic. It may be a tougher sell down market, but it could well take off like the Skypanels. We’ll just have to see. Regardless, I’m looking forward to playing with it:)

Luke Seerveld thanks fella for taking the time to reply 👍👍. For me (and many opinions differ) the Skypanel was a positive game changer. Indeed I had a 360 on a shoot I was on for the last two days. It will be interesting to see where the high end DOP can utilise the Orbiter light and optimise the high rental price to give a better outcome. I, as always, stand to be corrected. Really nice video by the way 👍👍

Appreciate your thoughtful responses! After the hype comes the calm... and then the storm:)

Yes! Maybe not as deep as a full pixel Astera, but yes, there is plenty of depth in this software. I hope you are doing well and the gaffers control is finding a solid user base!

@@meetthegaffer YES. - the event business perhaps needs the 16 pixel remote access, what I am missing on the astera is a white / gel AND effect access via one "bigger" profile.

with the exception of "Light Engine" modes, the DMX modes will be the same as the SkyPanel

Step by step you’ll get there🙂

@@meetthegaffer Oh thanks a lot for that! :) It means the world to me! And by the way, great content you got here. I'm just sick and tired of all RU-vid influencers bollocks where everything is awesome and great like in a LEGO movie. You ask yourself the important questions: what will this improve, where does it fit, is it a smart choice, is it profitable. Love your work! :)