ARRI has announced a new Fresnel lens for the Orbiter, adding to an already large array of Orbiter optics. The Orbiter Fresnel lens has a large zoom range of 15-65°.
The Orbiter Fresnel Lens can create a precise light spot with a soft single shadow, and it delivers a true Fresnel output with a real Gaussian field of light. ARRI states that the output of Orbiter with Fresnel lens is comparable to the ARRI L-Series L10 and True Blue ST2/3 with 2000 W Tungsten bulb.
Good Fresnels require a large aperture and a wide zoom range. Despite its large aperture, the Orbiter Fresnel lens housing is compact (approx. 340 mm x 380 mm x 370 mm / 13.4 in x 15 in x 14.6 in) and lightweight (~ 4.5 kg / 9.5 lbs.). Its lens diameter of 285 mm (11.2 in) equals that of the True Blue ST2/3 and T5.
What is interesting is that the large zoom range of 15 to 65° is fully motorized and can be precisely positioned while being controlled locally via Orbiter’s Control Panel or remotely by DMX/RDM or IP based (ArtNet or sACN). As far as I am aware, I don’t know of any other fresnels like this that are motorized.
The Fresnel also has a LED display that tells you the exact beam angle that has been set.
Equipped with a display, status LED, and a high-resolution encoder, the Orbiter Fresnel lens offers information that is easily accessible. The display backlight can be adjusted, and status information and zoom angle are available via the metadata for maintenance and postproduction needs.
Orbiter’s Quick Lighting Mount (QLM) system allows the Orbiter Fresnel lens to be mounted securely and easily. ARRI accessories like the 4 and 8-leaf barndoors can be added to the new Orbiter Fresnel lens to enable a perfect cut. Physical gels can also be used in addition to the more than 300 already pre-programmed gels available for Orbiter.
The Orbiter Fresnel lens will be available in black and retails for $1600 USD and is available for preorder now with shipping in July.
Matthew Allard is a multi-award-winning, ACS accredited freelance Director of Photography with 30 years' experience working in more than 50 countries around the world. He is the Editor of Newsshooter.com and has been writing on the site since 2010. Matthew has won 43 ACS Awards, including four prestigious Golden Tripods. In 2016 he won the Award for Best Cinematography at the 21st Asian Television Awards. Matthew is available to hire as a DP in Japan or for work anywhere else in the world.
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