Almost four years to the day after the presentation of the Xtylos, the first beam moving head using a laser source, Claypaky unveils on the same German lands a new fixture developed on a similar technical basis and designed to “walk” on the toes of sky tracers: the Skylos.
Dylan de Matteo, product manager at Claypaky highlights the new features at the stand in this video.
Skylos
If the projector itself could be similar to an imposing moving head of the beam type, its name leaves little doubt as to its abilities: the Skylos is indeed a skytracer, but that is not all! Inside its imposing head, behind the huge 30 cm diameter glass lens near the nose/front, hides a powerful light engine using laser sources and the first data sheet is surprising!
With a power consumption of 600 W, Claypaky claims to be able to compete with the 4000 W xenon lamps that are fitted to many searchlights!
If until now a certain number of beam-type devices offered an alternative to sky tracers on short-distance projections, it is on long ranges that the light flux could not compete with that of a xenon source.
The promise did not fall on deaf ears and we can’t wait to be able to test the beast in more exhaustive conditions than those of an Exhibit Hall and maybe be able to tickle the clouds and beyond!
But back to the functions of the fixture. Unlike the Xtylos which is equipped with an RGB laser source where each primary color can be controlled, the Skylos uses a wheel of 15 colors to color its beam.
An interchangeable gobo wheel is there to animate the beam as well as several superimposable prisms such as a rotating 6-facet, a rotating linear, and a fixed 4-facet. The resulting combinations promise powerful “moonflower” effects.
The fixture has a module allowing a small zoom adjustment between 0.5 and 5°. A 5° “soft edge” frost filter is also installed on board. In charge of exteriors due to its skills, the Skylos is stamped IP66 with the word “marine”, designed to resist the abuse due to corrosion. Finally, the fixture has an internal temperature regulation system allowing it to operate in polar cold weather (-40°C at the lowest).
Midi B FX
Another Claypaky novelty, still in the same “spatial” spirit but this time with a more theatrical interpretation, the Midi B FX, is a wash that could be described as an “FX upgrade” of the Midi B.
It is neither more nor less than a classic Midi B to which we have added a perforated circular extension, of the same diameter as the head, a removable extension that integrates several independently controllable RGB LED strips.
If the effect is fun, Claypaky has fortunately thought of a quick dismantling system for the module, this one does not seem to be compatible with a beam other than tight except to create effects through the slits in the plastic casings.
For more information on the Claypaky website
