All About Par Cans

Par cans are know to be the most popular of lighting fixtures, found in theatres all over the world. Par cans are most commonly found in theatre environments, but they can also be found at festivals and concerts, shops and retails displays, conferences and loads of other venues.

So what's the reason for their popularity? I imagine it's something to do with their versatile nature. You can choose from many different sizes of par cans, and you also have many choices when it come to fittings.The actual beam of a par lamp can either be spot (profile), flood or standard, making it a highly flexible lantern. On top of this you can choose the direction and spread of light by fitting what's known as barndoors. You can also change the spectrum of light with special colour frames and gel filters.

For example you can get PAR16 cans and you can get PAR64 cans. So a Par64 lamp will be 64 x 1/8 inches in diameter ie 8 inches across.

Ok so we understand the sizing of the Par lamp but what is most suitable for what application? Well for instance, to provide highlights in small indoor areas,such as a retail or bar space, it's most common to use PAR16- PAR30 cans. These should be sufficient to supply you with enough light. If you just want to provide general background lighting or if you are providing basic illumination for a small stage ie a rock band in a pub, the most common choice is to use PAR36 -PAR46 lamps. If you are going to be lighting a large area such as big theatre stage, or a large rock concert, you would most commonly choose PAR56 -PAR64 size lamps. With regards to the number of Par cans you use, this very much depends on the type of effect and how much cover you want to provide. Sometimes you are better using multiple smaller cans along one area than trying to achieve more light with fewer large cans as this can cause an overpowering flood effect (not to mention intense heat in one area).

Progressing on from standard Par cans and with the development of LED technology there are now also a wide range of LED Par Cans available on the market eliminating the need for replacement bulbs, gel filters and with many offering simplistic control from the actual unit they are a popular choice for low maintenance requirements.

Please be aware that the fittings can get extremely hot. This is particularly the case with larger cans and extra caution will be required if using the floor mounted types. In certain situations when inexperienced lighting technicians may be accessing the lights, such as in schools and youth theatre groups the LED versions may be more suitable as they generate very little heat.

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