A bad year for ClayPaky?

The history of the Italian brand is a veritable rollercoaster when it comes to business issues. After the success of the Sharpy, or K10 in 2014, CP became part of the Osram group. Then we had Supersharp, Mythos, Axcor, Arolle, or Tambora Batten, but life showed that these were devices that came out too late or did not catch on in the market. On top of that, the lack of resourcefulness towards counterfeits caused the Italian manufacturer to be resold to the German ARRI AG group with problems.

Last year was the group's first full year. One would like to say that the change and cash injection from the giant should push the brand forward. In my subjective opinion, this has not happened. The legendary Italian brand that has existed since 1976 is slowly disappearing from the lips of Europe, which is a shame.

There were a few new products last year. Maybe they will interest the market more and breathe new life into the brand?

Tambora product series

It can be said that since last year, the Tambora series from CP has been a collection of effect devices with which we can complement the standard plot. Flash, Rays and Stromy devices fully complete the Italian manufacturer's catalog of strobes and blinders.

The first one, the Tambora Flash (middle one in the photo) is a hybrid device that, according to the description, can be used as a strobe, wash and blinder. It features 4x 31° lenses, each with a 100W RGBWW LED light source. The top and bottom of the pan has been supplemented with strips of cold white strobes with controllable 16 segments in total (8/8). That is, the strobe stripe we are familiar with.

TamboraRays (bottom) appears to be a classic floodlight equipped with 27x 40W RGBWW LEDs and a total beam angle of 7.1°. For the device we have available overlapping Frost filters that will split our beam from 10° to 80°.

Tambora Stromy (above) is nothing more than a strobe based on 675 pieces of 2W SMD LED RGBW. In the full control option, we have 27 pixel sections at our disposal.

What's interesting and cool to me because I can include in one paragraph. All devices in the series are IP66-rated and weigh about 10.35kg (+/- 100g), relatively speaking. This is because the housings are identical and the devices are compatible in connection. Each device features 16-bit dimming resolution, several curves and a mass of macro effects from CP.

Orkis CYC

Here we have an interesting proposition, as it completes the range of products with a device for highlighting cycloramas, or backdrops. Quite out of the ordinary for competitor products such as Footsie from Robe, or other "Cyc's" as we know them, since the device is equipped with a single asymmetrical lens instead of a strip across the width. If it shines as they say it will, it could be an attractive alternative to the devices we are familiar with, which require more space across the width.

The device has one centrally located HCR COB LED light source of 210W with RGBCAL (red, green, blue, cyan, amber, limie) color mixing mode. In addition to the standard saturated colors, it provides us with the ability to crank out white in the 2500K to 8000K range while maintaining a CRI above 98.

The device can work in any orientation and we have the ability to suspend. The whole device weighs less than 6kg. Unfortunately, here we have an IP20 waterproof class. That is, the application is mainly indoor.

The rest of the company

I couldn't decide on the 3rd setting, because I personally wasn't particularly captured by any of them. Of course, we got more devices in the Aqua version. B-Eye K15, or Arolla are already available with IP66 waterproof rating. Along the way we also had the Volero Cube, which is a funny square wash equipped with 4x 60W RGBW with cross-shaped strobe strips. By the way, has anyone bought the Midi-B FX?

The last invention that I won't devote too much text to here, but maybe someone will be interested in is the Mini-B Sparky Aqua. That is to say, a bit like the wash in the old way, but in a new edition. The almost 20 centimeter pan holds 330 pieces of 1W SMD leds with RGB color mixing mode. What's unheard of these days is that the unit is fixed-focus - meaning there is no zoom. The illumination angle is given as 120°. A foreboding marvel.

In conclusion, whatever sympathy I may have, black clouds hang over Clay Paky. They already seem to have everything on offer to create a finished plot. We know how it is when someone has everything... However, I wish the best for them to catch another success on the scale of K10 or Sharpy.

You will , of course, find product information and much more on the distributor's website.