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Medium Flood (MFL): a PAR lamp beam spread narrower than Wide Flood but wider than Spot, producing a typical oval light pattern; standard mid-range PAR fixture configuration.
Overview
Medium Flood (abbreviation MFL) is not a device or manufacturer brand, but a standardized designation for the beam characteristic (the beam angle of the light cone) of a lamp or spotlight. The term originates from the PAR (Parabolic Aluminized Reflector) lamp system and categorizes a reflector or lens in the range from narrowly focused to widely diffused.
The usual order of these beam spread classes, from the narrowest to the widest light cone, is: VNSP (Very Narrow Spot), NSP (Narrow Spot), MFL (Medium Flood), WFL (Wide Flood), and sometimes XWFL (Extra Wide Flood). Medium Flood thus lies in the middle range: significantly wider than a spot, but more concentrated than a Wide Flood.
Classification of Beam Classes
The designation MFL can be found both as a fixed characteristic of sealed PAR lamps (e.g., PAR 64) and as an interchangeable lens on spotlights like the ETC Source Four PAR. The specific angles depend on the lamp type, wattage, and manufacturer; the following values are documented examples and not universal constants. Important: The light cone of a PAR lamp is not round, but oval (elliptical) - it has a wide and a narrow axis.
| Abbreviation | Designation | Characteristic |
|---|---|---|
| VNSP | Very Narrow Spot | very narrow beam |
| NSP | Narrow Spot | narrow beam |
| MFL | Medium Flood | medium diffusion, oval beam |
| WFL | Wide Flood | wide diffusion, oval beam |
Documented angle examples for Medium Flood:
- PAR-64 Lamp (e.g., CP62): MFL produces a distinctly oval beam. Documented values: Field Angle approx. 21° x 44°, Beam Angle approx. 12° x 28°. The often-cited value of about 24° refers only to the wide axis; the narrow axis is roughly half as wide. It is explicitly not a round ~24° beam.
- ETC Source Four PAR (Interchangeable Lens): MFL produces an oval beam of approx. 21° x 34°. In this system, VNSP and NSP are round, while MFL and WFL are elongated/oval.
Use on Set
Medium Flood is an all-round characteristic for broad illumination at short to medium distances, without the extremely hard, small hotspot of a spot or the very wide diffusion of a Wide Flood. Since the light cone is oval, it can be oriented by rotating the lamp or spotlight – thus, the wide or narrow axis is deliberately placed along the desired area. This makes MFL flexible for wash tasks and colored surfaces. Since Medium Flood only describes the beam pattern, the abbreviation says nothing about wattage, light color, or color temperature – these are determined by the specific lamp used.
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Quiz
1. Zu welchem Department gehört „Medium Flood"?
2. Wie viele verschiedene Fachperspektiven bietet dieser Eintrag?