Radion G4 - Does it still disco

[cocojakes]

So i'm a bit of a stickler when it comes to disco. I've tried tons of different custom configurations with DIY LED builds, and multiple different prefab lights, and every time I go back to Kessil, for that perfect shimmer with zero color banding.

 

My issue is that lately i'm starting to lose confidence in Kessil, as I've now had 3 Kessil A160 lights die on me. All in the same way (the controller in the light starts to mess up, and not turn on the correct LEDs at the correct levels, so when set to 100% blue, it looks like Windex in the tank, and 100% white is slightly dimmer and slightly yellower than a properly functioning light. Oddly enough, while manually turning the knob from white to blue, every diode lights up at some point along the curve, just not the right ones in the right ratios)

 

This is where the Radion XR15 G4 PRO comes in. The other thing I'm disappointed in with Kessil, is that I can't control the spectrum other than guessing somewhere along the blue-white curve they have designed. I'm sure they spent a lot of R&D coming up with those ratios, but I personally like a more purple looking color. The AP700 would be great, but with the center brace on my 75gallon, I don't want to deal with the lovely shadow a single light would create. Maybe they will come out with an AP350 (half an AP-700, like the XR15 is half an XR30)

 

Ultimately this leads me to my question, dear Nano-Reef community. Does anyone have a Radion G4, and can you take pictures with high levels of surface agitation, all channels 100% to see if there is any color banding with the new optics. Even better, a comparison with G3 and or Kessil on similar settings.

 

I know that G3 optics still have color banding under the right circumstances, I'm really hoping that they somehow solved that problem with the new lenses (at least enough for me to bite the bullet on $1200 lights).

 

 

 

 

PS. I know that if you set it to 20,000k or remove all surface agitation, or turn off the reds, you can reduce or eliminate the color banding issue. That's not the point. If you need to have a fully programmable light such as the Radion, in a very specific setting for it to work as you want, then why pay so much for program-ability.

[TJ_Burton]

Currently, nothing I have experienced (including Gen 4 Radion) beats the Kessil shimmer.

I will say though, that I still very much prefer the Radion. The Gen 4 has a fantastic even spread and the disco effect is barely there. Mind you, if you are a stickler for it, you will notice that the Kessil is closer to a halide.

[evilc66]

"Disco" is generally created due to the separation of the different colors of LEDs. The G4 does not change the position of the LEDs at all, so there will still be the chance of disco. The new lens design doesn't diffuse the light at all, so that's not going to eliminate disco. All the new lens does is create a more even distribution of light across the dispersion area for each LED. Think of it as having a distribution pattern similar to a reflector, but in a TIR lens.

[gus6464]

Yes it still discos. Not as bad as G3 but it's still there.

 

The horizontal light spill on the G4 is pretty bad though. Ecotech should have recessed the lens in the housing some to counter the much wider dispersion of the domes.

[Tmr8188]

I have personally seen an ap700 over a tank with a brace and there is no shadowing from the brace that I could see.

[cocojakes]

I just posted a second topic about this, but thought I might ask if any of you have any experience with it. But how well do you think putting frosted glass, or some other diffusion material under the radion, would work as far as eliminating colour banding? I know it would also drastically reduce shimmer, but that's not necessarily a terrible thing either I'd rather a few slow moving shimmer lines, than a hundred disco dancing ones haha.

[cocojakes]

In case anyone is interested, I went out and got some diffusion gels, and they work like a charm. No more colour banding/disco, just a nice soft shimmer. I couldn't be happier. I had to turn it up from 50% to 70% to keep the same visual brightness, and hopefully I'll be able to get my hands on a PAR meter to find out exactly how it affected the par in the tank.

[TJ_Burton]

42 minutes ago, ConnorFood said:

In case anyone is interested, I went out and got some diffusion gels, and they work like a charm. No more colour banding/disco, just a nice soft shimmer. I couldn't be happier. I had to turn it up from 50% to 70% to keep the same visual brightness, and hopefully I'll be able to get my hands on a PAR meter to find out exactly how it affected the par in the tank.

Very interested! Can you link what you picked up? Any video or pics of the results?

[cocojakes]

I used sheets of diffusion gel designed for movie lighting. Theres a few places online that sell it, the product is ROSCO 116 and ROSCO 117 (one of them is half white, the other is full white) diffusion gel, there is also 1/4 white, along with other variations of diffusion materials and styles. I found that the half white was enough to blend the light without dampening the light too much. I'll take some pictures when I get home today.