The Sea Changer Wash is a dichroic color changer with a Fresnel lens built by Ocean Optics out of Dunedin, Fla. The company has devised an in-strument that is designed to attach to the lamp housing of an ETC Source Four ERS series of conventional lighting fixtures. In other words, it’s a cool color changer that converts a leko to a Fresnel. Ocean Optics already had a Sea Changer dichroic color changer that uses the Source Four lens, but due to high demand, it recently released the “wash” version of the product.
The Sea Changer Wash is designed to attach to the lamp housing of a Source Four without the use of any tools. You simply remove the barrel from the leko and attach the Sea Changer color changer/Fresnel lens assembly. The Sea Changer by itself is only 11 inches by 7 inches and weighs 11 pounds. The yoke on the ETC fixture is removed from its normal place on the leko and screwed directly into the sides of the Sea Changer. This balances out the fixture and distributes the weight correctly for easier manual focus. The physical size of the color-changing unit does become an obstacle when trying to focus the instrument at certain angles. To compensate for this problem, Ocean Optics offers a 16-inch-long yoke as an accessory.
This product runs on four channels of DMX, one for each color wheel. The unit has a typical CYM color changer, which allows for just about any color combination. But Ocean Optics has taken it a step further and added a fourth wheel. The stock color for this wheel is a green dichroic; however, a custom dichroic of a different color (amber for instance) or a dimmer wheel can be substituted for the green. Personally, I found the green hues to be the best I have ever seen from any color mixing system. They call it “extreme green.”
Ocean Optics claims to have invented (and patented) a dichroic-coated glass four-wheel system that will not fade over time due to use or excessive heat. I find this hard to believe, but time will tell. [The only dichroic filters I’ve ever seen fade or peel were dark filters that had problems in the manufacturing phase. – ed.] The transmission of light through the extra lens is pretty good. I measured 9500 lux at 20 feet coming out of a Source Four leko with a 750-watt lamp and the Sea Changer attached. That’s about 90% of the light normally emitting from a Source Four ERS with a 26 degree barrel. I then measured the light output with a full red saturation (magenta and yellow color wheels at full saturation) and compared it to a regular leko with Rosco 27 (primary red) gel in front of it. I got more light output out of the Sea Changer than the gel, but the same color hue out of both of them. It was a very impressive comparison.
The Sea Changer requires power separate from the lamp, but the self-sensing internal power supply will run on anything from 90 volts to 240 volts. It takes four channels of DMX512 to control it, and it runs through a 5-pin XLR connector to each fixture. There is an LED numeric display module on one side for addressing the fixture. The Sea Changer will also run from the front panel display or from any RDM (Remote Device Management) controller.
I noticed a few other things about this module. When I viewed the “spot” model, I noticed there was zero effect on the beam size. The wash model is different; it comes equipped with a zoom trombone barrel for beam sizing the soft edge. The spot model allows the user to attach standard accessories such as gobo rotators, but the wash fixture does not appear to.
The module is completely silent and contains no fans at all. The color mixing system can easily be removed from the housing to clean off dirt and fog fluid build up. It does not change color quickly (one full second from zero to full-color saturation), but it changes as smoothly as silk.
This is a great addition to any lighting system and provides great colors silently and smoothly. I think this instrument is perfect for theatre and small trade show applications. Storefront displays would also greatly benefit from using these items. If you have a chance to use them, they are highly recommended.
What it is: Dichroic color mixer with Fresnel lens (wash model) that attaches to the lamp housing of an ETC Source Four.
Who it’s for: Anyone who needs color mixing with silent action.
Pros: Great colors, efficient, no tools required, silent, smooth action.
Cons: Slow color change speed, needs its own power.
Retail price: $1,995 (excluding Source Four fixture).
