“The Pointe was like taking the first beam fixtures manufactured and putting them on steroids.”
This was how the original Pointe was described to me before I used it. Now Robe has taken this fixture to the next level.
The original Pointe had a zoom function that spread the pencil beam up to 19 degrees in beam mode alone — and a lens that widened the aperture if you wished. But it still just had a color wheel, some stamped gobos and a prism. Not exactly what I could really call a hybrid fixture in my eyes. But that’s all changed with the advent of the MegaPointe, which was just released as we head into LDI right now. It takes the Pointe to the ultimate professional level.
The fixture shares the sleek look of many of Robe’s recent yoke fixtures contain, and the flat black molded shell keeps the fixture light in weight at 48 pounds, yet also keeps the fixture sealed well. At about 25 by 9 by 15.6 inches (HxWxD), it’s barely larger than the original model, yet packs double the punch in terms of output.
Two Omega clamps allow this fixture to be hung in any direction. I plug the fixture in via a True-One connector, knowing it will adapt to any voltage. DMX can be applied via 3/5 pin XLRs or RJ45 EtherCON connections.
The Light Source
Osram has built a special proprietary 475-watt short arc discharge lamp (named the 5 RO) with a custom reflector design that Robe initiated. It has an electronic ballast that can be run in full 470W mode, or at a 380W ECO mode to save lamp life. Even at 470 watts, the bulb is rated to last 1,500 hours, and 2000 in ECO mode. What’s really the cat’s meow is that the user can adjust the CRI of the lamp between 80 or 90. This means that if you desire a crisp native white color temperature of 6200°, which the Pointe can deliver, you will see an astonishing white beam, just before the cusp of where it wants to turn slightly blue.
For those designers who would rather run the fixture with a lower level CRI, the MegaPointe has the ability to do this. The user can mix a pretty saturated red in the low CRI mode. The beauty of this mode is that one simple DMX channel allows the user to switch their CRI on command. Kudos to Robe for giving LD’s what they have been asking for lately.
The optics are slick. First off, they have done away with that evil necessity of having a hot spot instead of a flat field if you want to use a beam fixture. One can zoom it tight and throw the beam out of focus to achieve that old beam one is used to seeing, but why bother anymore? This beam can still deliver the lumens without the hot spot splitting the beam.
The MegaPointe comes with a proprietary 14:1 optical system. I love that the output lens is just 150 mm wide, reminding one of the original Vari-Lites of years gone by. In Beam Mode, the fixture can zoom from 1.8- 21° wide. The spot mode goes from 3-42°, something that might be expected from a large-format spot fixture.
While this type of bulb naturally wants to create a hot spot in most fixtures, the custom reflector helps eliminate most of that. Mind you, Robe was smart in remembering that many LD’s like the fact that they can throw a hard edge beam into a sharp focus and get that halation they want at times. But this time, they took it a step further in the other direction. They have a single DMX channel that allows the programmer to move the actual bulb back and forth slightly in order to get an almost perfect flat field. This field is smoother and better than most hard edge lights I play with.
As noted, in terms of output, the MegaPointe has twice the brightness of its predecessor. In Beam mode, this beauty dishes out over 20,000 lumens. My meter is reading 2,250,000 lux at about 20 feet away. In spot mode, it’s reading 750,000 lux at the same distance.
The dimming curve is linear and fairly straight. Yes — at 30% intensity the output is at just that. It’s not at full. Gone are those days of banging your head against the console because you couldn’t adjust the dimmer to act like all the other fixtures in your rig.
All of the typical sync/random/pulse strobe functions exist and are mechanical.
Color and Beam
If you have used the Pointes before, you will be familiar with some of the same attributes that have been held over. For instance, the color wheel comes with the same colors from the optional TV color wheel. While I do wish they had a real lavender in the wheel instead of a No color-Lav in that slot, the beauty of this fixture is I no longer have to bitch about that particular dichroic filter and can color mix my own Lavenders, as many shades as I need.
The CMY system is fast and accurate. I am testing it in the high CRI mode, so a saturated red is not really available. But since it’s the first color on the wheel, it really doesn’t matter. I can bump or roll that color in with time. The orange color is beautiful and uniform, unlike most color mixing lights that will show a beam made of red, amber and yellow particles. When I shine an amber light at the wall I get a flat amber beam, and this makes me smile. Someone got it right for a change.
Just like its predecessor, as soon as I slide one of the rotating gobos into place, the “spot” lens automatically shifts into the focal path, widening the beam. The eye does not notice it popping in.
There is also a beam shaper device in the fixture. This feature is very cool and works as you would think it does. This is meant to be used when the fixture is emulating a wash light. When placed in the light path, it disengages the user from putting any gobos or prism effects in the light’s path.
The stamped gobo wheel is similar to the original Pointe as well, with four small-hole gobos (labeled as beam reducers) that can reduce your beam size to almost zero. There are another 10 static stamped patterns on the wheel. There is a rotating/indexable gobo wheel with nine rotating gobos. They can be replaced easily with the “Slot & Lock” system.
The motorized zoom and focus allow one to dictate how sharp you want the beam. This fixture has no iris, but really doesn’t suffer from a lack of one. There is a variable frost that goes from a light 1° to a medium 5°. The pan and tilt are not continuous, but this fixture is as fast as its predecessor. Once again, Robe has employed their Electronic Motion Stabilizer system to this fixture, reducing beam deviation caused by tilting trusses of hanging fixtures at weird angles.
The Effects
Perhaps the best new feature of this fixture is what they refer to as The Effects Engine. With a range of prisms and an animation wheel, I’m having more fun than a Dead Head at Bonnaroo playing with these. There are two separate prism wheels with three holes in each. All six of them can rotate.
As mentioned before, one slot is occupied by the beam shaper device, which is referred to as the Cylindrical effect. The other two slots on the first wheel include a six-hole linear pattern and an eight-way round one, which is standard fare for many fixtures. But the second wheel is where we start adding in the kaleidoscopic effects and all-around space vibe.
The six-way linear facet and the circular prism are identical in both wheels. I immediately question the sanity of the designer who thought this was a good idea…until I see it in action. Spinning one at a faster speed than the other OR spinning them in opposing directions creates an amazing effect. New to the user on the second wheel is a 32-facet circular prism. Combine that with any other prism, and your EDM show is immediately taken to the next level. These all make for awesome Flower (patent-pending) effects.
No ultimate effects light would be complete without the animation wheel. I’m looking at an aluminum wheel that seems to be a series of dots jammed together in almost a “Night sky” gobo fashion. This wheel could easily be a spinning gobo effect of its own, but when I add it to the gobo or prism wheels already in use I get a mesmerizing beam. The aerial effects of this light are unmatched by any I have ever seen before.
At a Glance:
Two Pointes in One
The MegaPointe is perhaps the brightest and best-thought-out beam/effects fixture on the market, with a beam that can go from 1.8° to 42° with twice the brightness of a Pointe. The aerial effects emitted from this light are unparalleled, and this fixture now also allows for CYM color mixing.
- PROS: Beam light with a flat field. Twice as bright as the Pointe. Color Mixing. Great Effects Engine
- CONS: Cannot swap dichroics on the color wheel
FEATURES:
- Output: 2,215,000 lx @ 5m
- Zoom Range: 1.8°-21° (beam mode)
- Zoom Range: 3°-42° (spot mode)
- CMY color mixing + color wheel
- Gobo Wheels: 14+ open (static), 9+ open (rotating)
- Control Channels: 39/34
- Effects: Dual prism, animation wheel, 12 beam and flower effects
- Remote hot spot control
STAT
- Light Source: Osram 5 RO (475W short arc discharge lamp w/ custom reflector)
- Wattage: 670W at 230V
- Size: 25” x 9”x 15.6” (HxWxD)
- Weight: 48 lbs.
- MSRP: Contact Robe dealer
- More Info: www.robelighting.com
