Altman – good enough?

[Frank Otto]

Altman makes a good product.

I’ve used Altman fixtures off and on…it’s always been a matter of cost or availibility for the project – some studios and facilities also in the budget mode bought them as a less expensive alternative to the Century units. Sometimes you just use what comes with the box you’re in or the truck that’s sent to you.

Historically, Altman has compeated with Century, Kleigl, Ianiero, Times Square and Colortran, primarily in the area of theatrical light – just recently they’ve been producing “portable” fixtures for television. The Altmans’ structural quality compares well with the Arri fixtures – neither are as robust as a Mole unit.

The choice of kits is really dependent on what your needs are – do you need two equal wattage lights or do you need a mix of wattages? The Jr. Softlight is adaquate for some set ups and it has an eggcrate as an accessory which will help in the control- a soft box on a larger wattage fixture would be a better choice, again a cost issue.

– but for a first kit, it works.

Cheers,

Frank Otto

[Spiro]

Thanks a lot for the feedback Frank. The more research I’ve done, the more comfortable I’ve become with the Altman kits. They seem to be a decent middle ground between Arri and Lowel. And without a doubt the price fits my budget perfectly (although I’m sure my wife would vote for the $800 Lowel kit!).

Thanks again.

[Spiro]

Are there any negative opinions of Altman’s out there?