Co-owners Oleg Smirnov and Eugene Merkulov first crossed paths with SGM eight years ago working with small moving heads and consoles. Rediscovering SGM years later, they were positively surprised by the new SGM. "A modern, well-organized company with a fresh perspective and perfect quality products", said Oleg Smirnov and added that SGM soon became their first choice of manufacturer for upgrading their inventory.
"We loved the new design and form factor together with the technical specifications of the fixture, which demonstrated the result of the philosophy and vision for the renewed SGM brand."
Merkulov, who is also the company's main lighting designer and technical director, explained, "A closer look multiplied our excitement. Most products are IP65-rated and have wireless DMX channels on board. All fixtures have RDM and RFID, and all of them are LED fixtures featuring LEDs with correct, bright, good-coloured output. As a rental company we have plenty of outdoor lighting jobs and SGM's product range fits perfectly; dust and moisture protection together with great light intensity."
The most powerful fixtures that the company Marinov&Merkulov had in stock were 700 W HMI lamp moving heads, which made them consider 1200-2000 W fixtures during their upgrade. Merkulov stated, "Buying bulb fixtures seemed such a step back for us. They are rather expensive to maintain, have short hours and have a high cost, while being rather archaic regarding colour wheels, shutter blades, etc."
Working every year on specific jobs with Rostov Circus, Marinov&Merkulov were able to introduce the G-Spot moving head as a new luminaire for the New Year show. With two-three shows per day for a period of four weeks, the fixtures had to be durable with long lamp hours in a dusty environment. Dealing with a limited budget, the G-Spots were just right for the job, flooding the arena and the dome with powerful colours and graphics. Merkulov said, "The G-Spot is a bright idea. I love all its features: high IP-rating, wireless control, low maintenance technology, LEDs instead of bulbs, RDM and no old-school details like colour wheels. They can be used indoors and outdoors. They are great spots but they can also be used as washes. Their wide lens and high intensity makes them truly universal."
(Jim Evans)
