The Prolycht Orion 300 FS LED spotlight is a follow-up to the original Orion 300 that I reviewed on the site back in January.
Prolycht has taken a lot of feedback they got from the original Orion 300 to make improvements. It is good to see a company listen to consumers and want to improve their product.
The Orion 300 FS is a versatile spot light that combines six-channel color mixing technology, high output, and the ability to run a range of lighting modifiers. In a lot of ways, it could be compared to an ARRI Orbiter.
Lights in this form factor are becoming increasingly more popular because of their versatility. Along with the Orion 300 FS having the ability to create just about any color, you can also attach light modifiers, a Fresnel, and a projection lens. It is this versatility that makes it stand out from most other lights.
The design consists of the lamp head and a separate power supply/controller. This is fairly common with lights such as these. Having multiple components can be a pain, but it does allow you to use the light on smaller-sized light stands because you don’t have all the weight sitting just on the fixture itself.
Gone are the days where a light was just a light. A lot of today’s modern lights are now a seamless blend of hardware and firmware. The Orion 300 FS is an example of blending software and hardware. This is something we are seeing a lot more of.
Who is Prolycht?
You may have never heard of Prolycht before. Prolycht is a new lighting company, that just like quite a lot of other lighting companies, has its roots in China. Their founder, Anqing Liu is a lighting research scientist who graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Smart Lighting Research Center and worked at Philips Lighting Research Center in Boston.
Prolycht has also gotten practical input from Rodney Charters ASC and Mitch Gross also serves as a technical consultant.
The Orion 300 FS is not the companies first light, they also make the Thunderlite and Thunderlite ONE.
RGBACL
Just like the original, the Orion 300 FS utilizes red, green, blue, amber, cyan, and lime (RGBACL) LEDs that are precisely mixed together. According to Prolychyt, the Hyperlight color engine can emit almost any color and accurately emulate any light source. Just for reference, the ARRI Orbiter also uses RGBACL.
Create a wide array of different lighting sources
The light is Kelvin color temperature adjustable from 2000K up to 20,000K. You can also choose from hundreds of preset Lee or Rosco filter colors as well as emulate the specific color signatures of dozens of light sources such as halide street lamps or cool fluorescents to match with background fixtures.
How do you control it?
The Orion 300 FS controller/power supply uses a nice sized LCD screen that clearly shows you information about the light. While it is not a touchscreen, it is still pretty quick to access all of the available lighting modes and make changes.
The light can also be controlled via Prolycht’s free Chroma Link iOS app. Multiple units can also be controlled remotely using the Chroma Link app, DMX or several other popular protocols.
Bowens Mount & Multiple accessories
The Orion 300 FS uses the popular Bowens-style reflector mount and Prolycht offers a comprehensive range of modifiers including a 2x Fresnel lens, projection lens with gobos, dome softbox, diffuser, lantern, barn doors, and reflector. The Orion 300 FS head is also compatible with a huge wide array of third-party modifiers.
Power & Power Draw
The Orion 300 FS draws 320W. The light can be run from mains or battery power and is available in V-lock or AB battery plate versions.
Weight & Size
The lamphead weighs 3.7kg (8lb) and the power supply/controller weighs 3.2kg (7lb).
Output
The Orion 300 FS is claimed to be able to output 261 fc at 9ft (3-meter) with the standard reflector. With the new Prolycht 2x Fresnel lens the company claims an output of 1055 fc at 9ft (3-meter) with a 15-degree beam angle.
2x Fresnel
Speaking of the Fresnel, it has been specifically designed to work with Prolycht’s color LED spotlights, with the optics precisely aligned to the Orion 300 FS emitter array. According to Prolycht, the Orion 300 FS with the 2x Fresnel lens is the first focusing color-tunable fixture for the film and video industry.
23-degree Projection Lens
Prolycht also offers a 23-degree projection lens accessory for the Orion 300 FS. The collimated lens system features sharp focus and shaping controls, and according to Prolycht, there is no color fringing and it produces even edge-to-center brightness. It includes a standard 4-leaf adjustable gobo, an adjustable iris gobo, and 16 precut metal gobo designs.
I have previously tested this projection lens and it works really well.
What does it come with?
The Orion 300 FS consists of a head with a yoke, plus a separate ballast/control module for flexible mounting. It is supplied with standard reflector, 5-meter connection cable, power cord, production case, safety rope and a quick-release clamp to clip the ballast to a lightstand.
Specifications
Price & Availability
The Orion 300 FS and accessories are available immediately from authorized dealers in the US, UK, EU, and China. The light will retail for $2150 USD, and the 2x Fresnel will cost $320 USD.
For more information visit www.prolycht.com or www.prolycht.us.
