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Optikinetics - why?
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GregM View Drop Down
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    Posted: 28 August 2013 at 10:18pm

Guys,

Can anybody explain to me why the ols Opti stuff is now so sought after?, I just don't get it.
 
Like many of us I'm quite partial to a bit of the old school kit - in fact every treasured bit n bob I own can be classed as 'old', being primarily kit I couldn't afford back the when it was new! - I think I'm single handedly keeping the secondhand Pulsar lighting market alive!, let alone the HH and Cirtonic PPX amp markets......I have to stop at some point.
 
I never had, and still don't have any particular desire for, any of the Opti projector range, but I can't help myself from watching them when they crop up on ebay - I just watched an Opti Solar 250 sell for GBP305..... I don't get it, why are Opti's so sought after?, what do people do with them these days?
 
Greg
 
 
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dylan-penguinmedia View Drop Down
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James Tengo is a big Opti fan - he'll tell you!
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ceharden View Drop Down
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Porn wheels
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GregM View Drop Down
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Originally posted by dylan-penguinmedia dylan-penguinmedia wrote:

James Tengo is a big Opti fan - he'll tell you!
 
Queue James...........Thumbs Up
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Perhaps it has been SO long people have forgotten I) how dim they were and ii) how amazing poor the motor cabling was on the FX!!
Lets be honest a good oil wheel with some jizz either side of it is a great effect, but a 250W Halogen lamp never really had the punch, I did get as far a putting an Opti oil wheel in an old 1200-MRG CP Tiger scan, that rocked, loaded a water-glass into the Gobo wheel and everything, amusingly enough the Tiger seemed take longer to heat up the oil than a solar 250....
 
Plans to load more stuff into the job were binned after a hose came off a 5w argon laser rig and demonstrated a lack of IP rating on a fixture with 2 huge fans!!!!!
 
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GAZ. View Drop Down
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They are nice units the solar 250's I've got a few of them. Unfortunatly mine dont get used these days due to them all needing new focus lenses. Replacements are really expensive and I cant justify spending the money on them at the moment.
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GregM View Drop Down
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Originally posted by ceharden ceharden wrote:

Porn wheels

Ah yes 'that' wheel - it seemed all a tad racey at the time (I remember trying very hard not to mesmerised by the one running upstairs at Squires Tufnell Park store) but, really, it wasn't porn was it , loads of perky nips but nowt more - apparently

So, apart from storing them as treasures (and I get that, I have plenty of bits I now own 'because I can'), what are they used for? I'd not be happy with a treasure owing me £300!
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ceharden View Drop Down
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I find the biggest problem with the older ones is where the metal tabs holding the lenses seem to have softened with the heat and no longer hold the glass tightly.

They were quite good with an oil wheel in and pointing at the ceiling in a student room and blowing smoke through the beam....

They have their uses but not sure they're worth the prices being thrown about here, unless they come with a lot of accessories for that.
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Points: 11308 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jbl_man Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 August 2013 at 8:53am
Solar 250's....i had quite a few of these new back in the day,and they weren't that good,lots of light spill from the top cover vents (really obvious when used near a white ceiling) and optically not great either,the big Hanimax 250w projector had the same A1/223 bulb,but a good one third brighter and sharper than the opti,as was the Rank Tutor,and both were better built and more robust than the Opti.

I agree with Greg,i really dont get why they sell for that much money on ebay,i would have thought £75 to £100 would be adequate for a mint condtion one personally....i guess some people have more money than sense to pay £300 for one of these.
Be seeing you.
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woody2 View Drop Down
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they were mentioned in grand design magazine around 6 months ago with picsLOL
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oldskool View Drop Down
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Ok its confession time!
 
I was head of the Optikinetics UK and export sales and marketing teams for a while until March 2009. I launched the Opti Max wheels, V truss and various other things whilst there. Funnily enough its very different working for the organisation rather than being a user of the product.  It is easy to buy a brand new Solar 250 at retail for £380.00 including the VAT if you really want one so £300 used seems a bit pointless to me.
 
I freely admit I think the Tutor 2 is a better projector and the Solar 250 has its faults but lets not forget the Solar 250 was designed for DJs back then and is the easiest projector to use and keep swapping effects around on. Mr Nasty is right, the original terminations on the Crouzet motors were a joke, always snapping at the entry point and no way of repairing them but they did improve.   
 
I think these days a 250 watt M33 halogen capsule with 1200 lumens at lens is lacking in brightness and if adding liquid wheels to my rig would use the GoBoPro. Its a 250 watt metal halide jobbie with 2800 lumens at lens and as projectors go much better than a Solar 250 but very expensive in comparison. 
 
On the other hand, every single spare part for the Solar 250 can be bought, Opti are very good at keeping parts available for the longest possible time, you would not believe the things we had in the old sheds. So those spring clips for the lenses should be available for a few pennies and it might be worth talking to me about the lenses too.
 
Its funny, Opti has a whole range of fans who just love the stuff and used to come and spend time at the factory talking about the good old days. Even I am not that mad about Opti gear but do get rather more passionate about my ASS Concert cabs, which I suppose is no different to an opti nut or even an Eddie Stobart follower getting dreamy eyed about their favourite thingsLOL 
 
Oh and dont get me started about the Grand Designs projectSleepy


Edited by oldskool - 29 August 2013 at 5:32pm
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GregM View Drop Down
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Points: 525 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GregM Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 August 2013 at 5:04pm
Wow, now there's some insight I hadn't imagined this question ever receiving - thanks Oldskool.
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