You get what you pay for, and it's well worth paying more for a system that will still perform flawlessly in five years. Whatever you buy, it should come with a healthy warranty, and you should meet the people who will repair it before buying. The most popular moving light effect is the scanner, also known as the automated luminaire. Initially found only on concert tours, or in very ritzy nightspots, the moving light is now a staple of the club industry and in many houses of worship. Because it's easier to move a mirror than the entire fixture, scanners are faster than other types of lighting.
Most dedicated controllers feature a joystick for precise beam positioning.
The best automated luminaires offer smooth travel and pinpoint positioning accuracy. But there's a lot more to the scanner than just an animated beam of light. With the advent of moving light technology, a group of lights can move in synchronized harmony, morphing through seemingly endless colors and effects. Moving lights have made the church lighting expert's job much easier by offering a handful of stock effects. All moving lights provide some method of coloring the light beam.