Moving head lights have commanded a lot of attention lately, thanks to their impressive ability to shoot beams in all directions and cover an entire room with special effects. But when it comes to raw speed, there’s still no type of lighting effect that beats a moving mirror, or scanner. What makes a scanner so fast is that its internal optical mirror is its only moving component, unlike a moving head effect whose entire (much heavier) yoke rotates a complete 360°. Powered by a single motor, a scanner’s mirror can really whip around and cover a lot of space in a short time. (Think speedboat instead of yacht.)
So if high-energy music is part of your gig, and you want your light show to really burn rubber – whether you’re a DJ, band, club owner, stage director or concert production engineer – you definitely need to include scanners in your lighting toolchest.
Haven’t shopped for a scanner lately? Neither had we, so we decided to scan some models from American DJ and Elation, covering the gamut from DJ to concert hall/major production. The company offers something for everyone, and we looked at units whose price ranged from $300 to over $2,000.
This is obviously a wide spectrum, but one common theme emerged right off the bat: these are definitely not your grandfather’s scanners! We think you’ll be as pleasantly surprised as we were with the brightness, advanced features, exceptional quality and (yes!) breakneck speed these ADJ and Elation scanners give you for the buck.

American DJ Deluxe Scan 250 ($299.99) and Performance Scan 250 ($399.99)

For being so affordable, these portable 250-watt halogen scanners amazed us with their bright output and abundance of professional features. They offer DMX control, 11 colors, 9 gobos, strobing, and no-duty-cycle operation. Why, they even come with high-quality Philips brand bulbs! DJs, bands and small-to-mid-sized clubs looking for a budget-friendly, reliable intelligent scanner with all the pro essentials probably won’t find a better value anywhere. For 100 bucks extra, the Performance Scan gives you rotating gobos and clockwise and counterclockwise gobo and color scrolling.

American DJ Accu Scan 250 ($699.99)

This 8 DMX-channel model moves you up to a 250-watt discharge lamp, brilliant enough for mid-to-large clubs and stage shows. You also get high-quality stepper motors with 1.8° microstepping, for very fast, smooth and accurate movements, plus multi-voltage operation for use anywhere in the world. There are lots of effects too -- 7 rotating changeable gobos (1 dichroic glass), 9 colors, rainbow scrolling, 100% dimming and more. With 48 internal programmable steps for stand-alone operation, it’s also a very easy piece to use for rentals and display applications.

Elation Vision Scan 250 ($1,499.99)

Marketed under the Elation Professional brand, this 14-channel 250-watt discharge model has all the bells and whistles a large club or stage director could want in a professional scanner, including: gobo morphing via 2 gobo wheels with 13 total gobos (6 rotating); 8 dichroic filters with rainbow scrolling, 3-facet rotating prism, variable speed strobe, and user-conveniences like remote DMX addressing and multi-voltage operation. With maximum pan 170° and tilt 85°, it can also sweep across a pretty wide area. A truly pro unit for a very sharp price.

Elation Vision Scan 575E ($2,199.99)

Need a lot of light at 60 or 80 feet? With a hefty output of 12470 lux at 18°, this beefy 575-watt unit can handle ultra-large arenas, concert halls, stage tours and major productions. It’s got all the features of its 250-watt cousin plus more, like the flexibility of three beam angles -- 18°, 20° and 22° -- and three extra lithographic gobos. An all-new electronic ballast makes it extremely lightweight and great for touring applications. This powerful top-of-the-line unit sells for a middling price, so it offers an outstanding value. But by now this didn’t surprise us, because it’s something we found to be the case with all the American DJ and Elation scanners we reviewed across the board!