ELATION FUZE WASH 500

The Fuze Wash 500 by Elation Lighting is built for any application where a fully automated Fresnel is required. It is a moving head LED Fresnel with massive emphasis placed on the optical quality which permeates through the Elation range. It has a backlight too, which makes for a really nice look. In a nutshell, the Fuze Wash 500 is a simple, proven, timeless classic (the Fresnel) which has stepped up to meet the demands of modern, high-end, precision lighting.

While Elation Lighting is known to most lighting techs, operators and designers around Australia, the brand is much more prevalent overseas, especially in Europe and the United States. A few recent examples of shows who have specc’d Elation fixtures include (but are not limited to) Taylor Swift, Coldplay, Pearl Jam, Bruno Mars, Megan Thee Stallion, Rolling Stones, Zach Bryan, Chris Brown, and Coachella

Construction

The light is lighter than it looks. For a light this size, you would think it would be much heavier. It can be a little awkward to handle at times, and that probably has something to do with the fact that, at 18.5kg, it’s starting to get to the upper end of the one-person lift range.

The motorised barn doors are a really nice touch. They are a rougher, matte, almost greyish black colour which seems to work better than a normal shutter as it’s not reflecting, but instead absorbing light. They are well worth having but are not the quietest or quickest shutters, however they are definitely fit for purpose. One thing I did find in using them is that they are quite precise. You can index and recall the position of the blades, and they go back to exactly the same spot over and over again. The precision is impressive when you think about the leverage of the barn doors.

Max Power Consumption is 609W. Not the most efficient fixture I have ever seen, given that it is effectively a moving Fresnel, but far from the worst too.

Optics, Colour, and Brightness

The Fuze Wash 500 is driven by a 500W RGBMA (Red, Green, Blue, Mint, Amber) LED engine. It is a native 6,500K cool white. The colours are impactful, punchy and saturated. It features a nice soft field which lends itself well to a soft, even wash; exactly what you want if you are trying to light a stage.

The stand-out on this light is the high CRI LED engine. Elation are running with a range of different types of fixtures with the same LED engine, called ColourTune Technology. While ColourTune is not available on the Fuze 500 Wash at the moment, the upgrade has been announced and is coming.

ColourTune Technology is lighting fixture software by Elation that allows for precise control over output and colour accuracy across Elation’s range of full- spectrum LED lighting fixtures. Users can customise lighting output to meet their exact needs, whether emphasising brightness or colour fidelity.

Like a number of other brands, Elation are building their own lighting ecosystem. A lot of their new lights are being released with effectively the same LED engine. This is a high-end quality control measure which aims to give consistent and uniform light across the whole range. Those in areas of lighting where precision is important will appreciate this concept. Not only do the colours match, but so do the colour temperatures, the dimming curves, redshift, changing between colours, and more.

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What is redshift?

As it pertains to lighting, redshift refers to the corresponding change in colour temperature as a light is dimmed. Tungsten fixtures tend to get warmer (lower Kelvin value) as they dim. Until recently this did not happen in LED lighting, but now is starting to happen with some of the higher end LED fixtures.

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Something that doesn’t seem to get talked about much is that with some lighting brands adopting more similar and compatible parts, including LED engines, we may (theoretically) see cheaper repairs.

The Fuze Wash 500 boasts output of 17,000 lumens, impressive for a 500W wash light, and a CRI of 92.

Although it’s using a native additive colour mixing system, it does feature a subtractive mixing system emulation as well. It has variable CCT ranging from 2400K to 8500K.

Applications and Features

The Fuze Wash 500 does everything a Fresnel is supposed to do, and does so to a high standard. Once you hang it and patch it in, there is no need to touch it again. All the functions of the light (including moving the barndoors) are controlled at the desk.

The large zoom range goes from 6° to 53°, almost a 9:1 zoom ratio. Zoom is a motorised function, as are the barn doors. Electronic dimming and strobing is included, as well as variable 16-bit dimming curve modes.

The Fuze 500 Wash would be best suited to a TV, film, or theatrical set up. A situation like this would make the best of the best feature of the light, which is its high quality, high CRI colour engine. It would work better as a permanent install piece or as part of a venue’s inventory. It could work well with a production company too provided care was taken when handling and transporting them.

It would work anywhere an ordinary Fresnel is required but this is a very big step up from a normal Fresnel.

It does feature a really nice, subtle back light, or aura if you will. It works really well behind the Fresnel lens. I think it’s a great look and a nice touch.

Control and Programming

The Fuze 500 wash had a much larger DMX footprint than I expected for a moving head Fresnel. With the barndoors, it has six different DMX modes which ranged from 19 channels up to 30. On the topic of DMX, it is compatible with both wired 5-pin and wireless DMX. It has an in and an out for RJ45 Ethernet too. It is RDM compatible and also works with Art-Net and sACN protocols. There’s also an onboard control panel with four buttons. It features 16- bit Pan, Tilt, and Dimming control, all of which add to the precision of these three parameters.

Verdict

There is no infinite pan and tilt, there is no pixel mapping, it’s not a double-sided light, and it doesn’t shoot lasers. If you are looking for eye candy and fancy tricks, The Fuze Wash 500 is not what you are after.

This is a 500W full spectrum RGBMA LED Wash fixture with a Fresnel lens. The quality of the High CRI LED engine is second to none.

If you are after a top end Fresnel and you are lighting for camera or another medium in which the small details make the biggest difference, then the Fuze Wash 500 will be very hard to go past.

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Product Information: www.elationlighting.com

Distributor Australia and New Zealand: www.ulagroup.com

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The Specs

• 500W 6,500K RGBMA (Red, Green, Blue,
• Mint, Amber) LED Engine
• Up to 17,000 total lumen fixture output @ 6,500K
• CRI up to 92
• Wide zoom range from 6° to 53° Variable 16-bit dimming curve modes CMY emulation
• Virtual colour correction Green/magenta shift Virtual gel swatch book Motorised zoom
• Optional indexable ovalizer lens Optional motorised barn doors Variable 16-bit dimming curve modes
• High speed electronic shutter and strobe
• Dimensions: Without snoot 350mm x 407.9mm x 550.5mm (L x W x D). With snoot 389.5mm x 407.9mm x 550.5mm (L x W x D). Weight – 18.5kg