a good followspot?

[BlackBelt]

Any recommendations on who makes a good followspot? What accessories do I need with one, and about how much should I expect to pay?
Thanks for your knowledge...
BB

[Rimmer]

It depends on what sort of venue you are using it in. Strong make big boys follow spots like the Gladiator and the SuperTrooper (reference: What Abba wrote Super Trooper about) but they are dangerous in the wrong hands and expensive.

Strand make some filament lamped follow spots but most of them are small venue sized. Lycian is another (american) manufacturer but I have always seen them as a poor mans SuperTrooper. Dangerous too.. :confused:

A Pani follow spot might suit you. It generally uses a Clay Paky type golden scan lamp which aren't as expensive as some of the brighter follow spots.

Other things to consider are, most follow spots use discharge lamps which are rarely dimmable. They are the cleanest light but use expensive and often explosive lamps. You have to decide how much time and money you can put into transporting and maintaining the larger units. Filament lamped follow spots are cheaper and can be run off dimmers.

Venue size makes the difference.

Rimmer