Attendees at last year’s LDI tradeshow were introduced to the newest addition to Vari-Lite’s flagship 3000 series of auto-mated lighting fixtures. The VL3500 Wash fixture fills in a gap in the very top echelon of Vari-Lite’s fixture offerings. Build-ing on the line’s already rich feature set, the fixture is an evolutionary step from its closest sibling, the VL3000 Wash, with at least one trick up its sleeve that’s not found anywhere else in the series.
Learning from the Class
Sharing styling cues with the rest of the series, the new fixture uses the slightly deeper base seen on “Q Series” (quiet) fixtures. With the rest of the 3000 series sharing almost identical bodies, the most apparent physical difference with the new fixture is an enlarged lens aperture at the front of the fixture. The fixture includes a set of three interchangeable exit lenses in clear, fresnel, and buxom formats. Each of the lenses has been designed to have identical weights, guaranteeing uniform fix-ture balance.
Adding to an already strong combination of user selected lenses and extensive zoom capabilities, Vari-Lite has added a second internal lens set that allows for an even wider range of beam spread. The internal lens set consists of a lens split down the middle, with each half folding in and out of the light train. The fixture includes two different types of user replaceable lens sets for this function.
Dimming and strobe functions are provided by independent systems, ensuring complete concurrent control of both parameters. The strobe is implemented via a dual-blade system for high-speed strobing. The color system is nearly identical to the VL3000 Wash, with four variable channels of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and CTO color correction. The new fixture adds a second fixed-color wheel, each of which includes five color slots plus an open position. The moving-yoke fixture offers a tilt range of 270 degrees, while the pan stops allow for 540 degrees of rotation, or one-and-a-half full turns.
A Bright Pupil
The 3000 series has built up a strong following, due in no small part to the high output light source that is shared throughout the platform. With the VL3500 Wash, Vari-Lite introduces a new lamp to the line, a 1500-watt short arc lamp from Phillips. In combination with the new lamp, the VL3500 Wash offers an industry-first feature for designers. Users can now select — from their console or the on-board menu — between three power modes. These modes power the lamp to 900, 1200, and 1500 watts respectively. The lamp manufacturer has said that they expect no difference in lamp life when using the lamp in different modes. In addition to the standard lamp, an optional 7500K high color temperature lamp will be available. An auto-ranging power supply is standard, allowing the fixture to operate on voltages from 200-264 on 50 or 60 Hz AC.
Graduation Day
At a recent unveiling of the production fixture, Vari-Lite indicated that the new fixture is — in part — a direct response to the users of the VL3000 Wash, especially in regards to the quality of the beam and distribution of the light field. With the included stipple and fresnel output lenses, the fixture offers a noticeable improvement over its predecessor in flatness of field, with only a slight center hot spot in the widest zoom configuration.
The clear output lens has been designed with long-throw and aerial beam applications in mind. With the clear lens mounted, the fixture has a noticeably brighter output and an extremely tight beam. In this configuration, the beam has a very sharp edge and is unsuitable for washing nearby surfaces.
With the VL3500 Wash, Vari-Lite has made it clear that it does not plan to be surpassed by anyone in their market segment when it comes to large-scale wash fixtures. By delivering to users a wide variety of requested improvements, it seems that the VL3500 Wash will become a mainstay workhorse for large events and arena tours alike.
Phil Gilbert is a freelance lighting designer and programmer. You can contact him by e-mail at pgilbert@ plsn.com.
