Putting Fresnel lenses on spotlights is a practice over two centuries old — that giant forbidden glass in “The Lighthouse” has the tell-tale ridges and prisms that would suggest it’s at least inspired by the design — but Fresnels on film and TV shoots can create distinctive beams as a spotlight or work as a flood light. LEDs can make them brighter and more energy efficient, with HMIs even brighter still. However, ARRI has announced an update to its range of L-Series Fresnels, making them 90 percent brighter but still similar in weight and size.
Originally introduced in 2011, ARRI L-Series LED luminaires were the first professional alternatives to popular tungsten Fresnels on a like-for-like basis, offering additional LED advantages like independent control of color temperature and brightness along with instant cost savings through major reductions in power draw and cooling requirements. The heart of the L-Series is its core tuneability, color fidelity, rugged durability, and ease of use. ARRI has upgraded it to the latest connectivity standards by implementing network data input and lighting control and utilizes the intuitive onboard control interface known from ARRI SkyPanel. Existing barndoors and all other L-Series accessories are still fully compatible with the new Plus range.
Fresnels aren’t the lightest lights, but the ARRI L-Series Plus has been designed to be as robust and ergonomic as possible. The new ARRI L-Series Plus fixtures come in two sizes: the L5-C Plus features a 5-inch, while the L7-C Plus features a 7-inch Fresnel lens. Despite being approximately the same size and weight as their predecessors, the L-Series Plus products provide up to 90 percent more light output, making them much more powerful and versatile as lighting tools. In addition, the Plus line offers fully tunable white light to achieve the best results for different skin tones, camera sensors, and mixed light environments, while specific color shades can be matched through full-gamut color mixing.
L5-C Plus and L7-C Plus fixtures will be available in June 2024 in blue and silver or all-black colorways, with either a manual or PO yoke. The existing L-Series (L5-C, L7-C, L10-C) will be discontinued upon the release of L-Series Plus.
