follow spot

[Josh Scott]

I am looking for a follow spot. Any good recommendations? The throw will be 80 feet. The rest of our lighting is 750 watt source fours. We will use it for concerts on scaffolding at the back of the room. Does any know of a place that sales used lighting?

[waynehoskins]

Arc or quartz?

Altman's Comet is a good quartz spot for that sort of throw; Lycian's Super Arc is a good arc spot.

The Super Arc (and any other arc spot, for that matter) is heavy. You really don't want to put a Super Arc up on scaff.

Actually, I wouldn't even put a Comet on scaff. That just sounds like a problem waiting to happen. You need spot booths or spot platforms.

Places that sell used lighting, check a rental house near you. Here in Dallas, I have Samarco, Norcostco, Dallas Stage, Dallas Backup, Gemini, Communilux, and possibly even more. I think it's either Dallas Stage or Backup who have on their website a list of old rental stock they have up for sale.

[Josh Scott]

It is a platform that is set up and torn down. It has railings and a large platform on top, however the only way up there is a lift. I don't know the benefits of arc vs. quartz I would love to be enlightened though.

[waynehoskins]

Arc spots are the strong blue-white that you often see in concerts and dance. They use an arc-source lamp, and are very bright. They also usually have an outboard power supply (the arc lamp works in the kilovolts), which is heavy.

Quartz-halogen spots use a conventional quartz-halogen lamp, and are a much closer match in color temperature and characteristics to your conventional stage lights.

It's pretty much a matter of taste: do you need the spot to stand out a lot, or does it need to be able to blend in with your stage lighting?

[EmilBarnabas]

For 80 feet take a look at the Altman Luminator
http://www.fullcompass.com/product/282752.html

It's quite amazing light output for a small light, and easy to haul up scaffolding.

[D.R.HADDOCK]

I check e bay regularly, I have picked up some great bargins including a 1000w profile and a 2000w follow spot with iris and working lamp. but the bigger the better, 80ft is a long distance for any smaller lights.

[D.R.HADDOCK]

Originally Posted by Josh Scott

It is a platform that is set up and torn down. It has railings and a large platform on top, however the only way up there is a lift. I don't know the benefits of arc vs. quartz I would love to be enlightened though.

arc lights work on a simular principle to electric welders, seen how much light they put out! they original arc lamps used high voltage,and carbon rods, as the rods burnt down they adjusted them manually. these lights produced intensly bright light sources,but where also dangerous,dew to carbon dust, ozone and the risks of high voltage. but the newer arc lamps have a lot less problems and are sealed

[james tucker]

I got a 20 year old Comet that worked perfectly! (recently sold it - its a recession folks and childcare and gas wasn't getting any cheaper)

Comets are really solid follow spots - maybe you have a rental house nearby and you can rent it and see if you like it...

You may want to go with a "beefier" follow spot if you plan on using it in a larger environment or use copious amounts of dark colored gel to do the whole "red light on Jesus as he is going down the center aisle with the cross on his back" thing.