The original Academy Award-winning ARRIMAX remains the ultimate choice for productions requiring maximum light output. The 580 mm (22.8”) diameter, parabolic facetted reflector provides continuous focus adjustment from 15° to 50° beam angle and, since the ARRIMAX does not require a set of spread lenses, shadows are sharp and easily cut.

Safe and easy for both lamp type bases 18/12 kW, 18,000 W single ended lamps use a sturdier GX51 lamp base for which ARRI engineers have designed a special lampholder that alleviates mechanical stress from the lamp pins, now serving only as an electrical connection. The lamp clamping mechanism is self-aligning and uses a rugged, recessed lamp lock handle. To ensure that crews can easily use 12,000 W lamps or versions of 18,000 W single ended lamps with G38 bases, the new lampholder accepts either lamp type with no modification or adjustment.

Weighing only 125 lbs and having a small shallow profile of merely 23”, the Alpha 18K can use a Ceramic glass lens or Standard 24” Fresnel to create the smallest, lightest and most versatile 18K ever designed.

At the core of this innovation is a custom made reflector molded out of quartz composite material. This allows the lamp to be placed much closer to the reflector, therefore reducing the physical size of the Alpha 18K by a third compared traditional 18K’s on the market. The light output from this new reflector increases output by nearly 15%, adding a softer and smoother lighting pattern compared to the oversized conventional aluminum reflector.

The extrusion/vent system is precisely angled to get maximum cooling efficiency , the small diameter reflector allows for better heat circulation, along with a new back bulkhead, which assures that the Alpha 18K operating temperatures remain within specifications in any critical position, including straight down.

A double suspension system (one to the lamp heat sinks and one to the chassis support) makes the Alpha 18K lamp less fragile to rough handling, occurring during location transportation.

Whether it’s creating a soft Fresnel look or a hard shadow using the open eye set-up, the Alpha 18K gives any cinematographer or lighting director the tool he needs to get the job done.