Aputure1200d Pro Light Storm

Teddy_Dem

Teddy_Dem

Well-known member
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Psz8G6v2erQ

https://www.newsshooter.com/2021/09/...att-cob-light/

1200W Daylight Bowens Mount Point-Source LED
83,100 lux @ 3m with Hyper Reflector (Narrow)
22,400 lux @ 3m with Hyper Reflector (Medium)
9,610 lux @ 3m with Hyper Reflector (Wide)
CRI ≥96 TLCI ≥98, CQS ≥95, SSI (D56) ≥73
Weather-Resistant: Dust & Water Resistant
0.1-100% Stepless Brightness Control
Frequency Selection to Reduce Flicker
4-Fan Modes: Smart/Medium/High/Silent
Multiple Control Methods: Sidus Link Bluetooth App
Control, LumenRadio CRMX, Art-net & sACN via
Supports Dual 48V/15A DC Inputs (3-pin XLR), Including
Battery Power Stations & Block Batteries
Junior Pin (28mm)
Separate Control Box for a Lighter Lamp Head
Price: TBD

Interesting and I guess good to see that they went with a Bowens mount as opposed to a custom mount like the Nanlux Evoke did.
 
ahalpert said:
Pricing hasn't been set yet, the article says? But must be more than the nanlux evoke
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All Aputure fixtures have so far been more expensive than their Nanguang counterparts. My guess is that this fixture will be around $3600 - $3800.

The 600d is $1899 while the 300dmk was $1100 until recent price drop, so not quite but almost doubling price when wattage doubles.
 
Teddy_Dem said:
Interesting and I guess good to see that they went with a Bowens mount as opposed to a custom mount like the Nanlux Evoke did.
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I would have preferred a stronger mount even if it means another set of accessories. If the F10 is pushing it on the 600d, the (product that doesn't exist yet) 1200D fresnel will likely be even heavier.
 
rob norton said:
I would have preferred a stronger mount even if it means another set of accessories. If the F10 is pushing it on the 600d, the (product that doesn't exist yet) 1200D fresnel will likely be even heavier.
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I wonder if the fresnel will actually be much bigger if at all? They said something about managing to cram the chips into a small area for the new fixture. So, I wonder if the space needed for it to optically work out is really significantly bigger than the F10? When you saying pushing it, are you referring to the barn doors? I haven't used the barndoors on the F10. The Fresnel itself is fine on the 600d by itself.
 
ozmorphasis said:
I wonder if the fresnel will actually be much bigger if at all? They said something about managing to cram the chips into a small area for the new fixture. So, I wonder if the space needed for it to optically work out is really significantly bigger than the F10? When you saying pushing it, are you referring to the barn doors? I haven't used the barndoors on the F10. The Fresnel itself is fine on the 600d by itself.
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From Run&Gun's post in this thread:

"And as I've never used a light with a Bowens mount, I wonder how much weight and torque they are designed to take? I'm guessing it's probably at its max(if not more), because it's not just a static load. When you adjust the focus on the fresnel, it takes a not-insignificant amount of force and you can feel/see the fresnel moving in the mount."

I only have armchair experience with the 600d. I'm just not the biggest bowens mount fan - the actual mount itself. With all of the improvements in build quality, we should also have a bulletproof, heavy duty mount. I don't have experience with this light either but I assume Arri's QLM (Quick Lighting Mount) on the Orbiter would instill confidence (around 01:56) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKWlmfnzch4

I'm sure it's fine but it seems like an obvious space to improve on. These larger COBs are receiving some much needed weatherproofing and I think the mount should match this increased ruggedness/durability. At the expense of extra sets of accessories, I'd rather a rock solid mount for the heavier modifiers used on these larger lights. The 120d doesn't need to be able to share accessories with these larger lights, they're likely used with a completely different set of modifiers.

I could be overreacting but rental house and bowens mount don't seem to go hand in hand. Don't get me wrong I'm still excited for these types of lights but think we should still be critical of how they're used.
 
ozmorphasis said:
All Aputure fixtures have so far been more expensive than their Nanguang counterparts. My guess is that this fixture will be around $3600 - $3800.

The 600d is $1899 while the 300dmk was $1100 until recent price drop, so not quite but almost doubling price when wattage doubles.
Click to expand...

That seems to have changed with the Nova P600c being listed for about US$500 cheaper than the Nanlux Dyno 650c
 
This looks good. With the controls on the ballast rather than the head, the three different beam-angle reflectors, and the Bowens mount (which, whilst imperfect, will at least allow the unit to use modifiers i already have). I think this has a bit more appeal to me personally than the Nanlux 1200. Even though the six COB lights I already own are all Nanlite units.
 
Grug said:
This looks good. With the controls on the ballast rather than the head, the three different beam-angle reflectors, and the Bowens mount (which, whilst imperfect, will at least allow the unit to use modifiers i already have). I think this has a bit more appeal to me personally than the Nanlux 1200. Even though the six COB lights I already own are all Nanlite units.
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I don't know much about measuring sound but if Matt got 35.8 @1m and thinks the fan noise is too loud, are we concerned about Aputure's levels?

Aputure fan modes:
  • Smart: Fan speed is according to temperature up to 45° C {41dBA @1m}
  • Medium: Standard recommended fan speed. Suitable for Environments from 35°C {41dBA @1m}
  • High: Environments from 35°C – 45°C {41dBA @1m}
  • Silent: Deactivates all fans but limits output to 100W{41dBA @1m}
At this point in time it may be whether you can live with the light not being able to get close to a microphone and take advantage of all of its other uses.

I agree, losing controls on the light head is a nice design. It's also sort of like we're going back to PAR lenses but without worrying about shattering glass.
 
^ hey Rob, if you are quoting from the news shooter article it looks like they have made an error and put the same DBA for each fan mode. That doesn’t sound right?
 
You’re right because silent wouldn’t share the same levels! Either way, assuming 41 came from somewhere, that’s worse than 36?
 
chris_f said:
That seems to have changed with the Nova P600c being listed for about US$500 cheaper than the Nanlux Dyno 650c
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Thanks for clarifying that Chris. I hadn't taken a close look at the Dyno. Well, if the 1200d can come under the Evoke price, that would be amazing.
 
rob norton said:
You’re right because silent wouldn’t share the same levels! Either way, assuming 41 came from somewhere, that’s worse than 36?
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Here are the noise levels for the Aputure 1200d. It will be quieter if your ambient is under 35 degrees C.

E9690E78-E4B5-4D0D-8FA3-FA3F07BCB20E.jpeg
 
Thanks Chris. I wonder why ambient temperature even matters - the light’s internal temperature would be WAY hotter than those numbers. I’m sure every bit helps with cooling but isn’t the light itself the biggest culprit?
 
rob norton said:
Thanks Chris. I wonder why ambient temperature even matters - the light’s internal temperature would be WAY hotter than those numbers. I’m sure every bit helps with cooling but isn’t the light itself the biggest culprit?
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No worries. That’s a good point but I would assume that LED lights function just like computer components in regards to heat: a certain cooling solution will keep the components at “ambient + 50 degrees” for example. So as soon as a high ambient temp is reached, the cooling solution is no longer adequate.

With my Litepanels Gemini 2x1 it has only ever shut itself down once from heat and that was on a day around 35 degrees C with the light cranking at full power (no aircon either). So for sure it makes sense that ambient temp changes the equation..

These high power LED lights are probably going to function better in an air conditioned studio with the light placed at least a couple Metres away from mics…
 
Liam Hall said:
I wouldn't worry about fan noise. It's not like you'll be using this light as a key for interviews.
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Is that necessarily true? What about if you're balancing against bright windows and using heavy diffusion, then might you need that power? I have a 330w COB which is usually enough for an interview even getting knocked down heavily by modification. But when I'm working in a bright environment, I feel like I could definitely use a 600w unit instead. Maybe 1200w would always be overkill, but it's only a stop up from a 600
 
I guess for me, the question would be is the Aputure 1200 quieter than an ARRI M18? When I'm on jobs with M18s (and they're still pretty common in my world), they're usually at a bit of distance from the subject. So even for interviews with giant windows behind, the distance to the subject means I've been able to get totally good audio tracks.
So it will be interesting to hear ("hear" :2vrolijk_08:) how these two lights compare.

The light's kinda interesting to me, and I may come across jobs where they're used. But I'm not a candidate to buy one. One of my GAS limiting rules is "Never buy a light or modifier that requires more than a c-stand. Leave that stuff to gaffers and grips."
 
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ahalpert said:
Is that necessarily true? What about if you're balancing against bright windows and using heavy diffusion, then might you need that power? I have a 330w COB which is usually enough for an interview even getting knocked down heavily by modification. But when I'm working in a bright environment, I feel like I could definitely use a 600w unit instead. Maybe 1200w would always be overkill, but it's only a stop up from a 600
Click to expand...

You wouldn’t use an M18 in that scenario so I very much doubt you’d use a 1200d. Using several smaller lights bounced through a rag would be a better solution for me creating and even, soft but powerful key.
 
The current problem is sound coming from the light fixture itself. A generator powering a 12k HMI or M90 will make more noise than any LED light but the generator can be separated so it's a far enough distance away, where as a light can't be moved from the action.

Whether lights like these should be used as a key light close to a microphone is completely subjective.

M18s are getting used in close quarters around the world this very second, so relegating lights like the 1200D to background duties or requiring a distance policy will make it a non starter for some.

Whining HMI heads or ballasts can be really annoying too. I'm a rookie with post production tools - what's easier to remove a whining/buzzing sound or the whirring of a fan? Maybe the fan is way easier to remove or reduce, which turns the tables again.

Liam, I'm not saying you're wrong and I'm right. Everyone has a different way of working and we all have different levels of what we expect and can tolerate from the tools we use.

As a rental item then who cares, we can take it or leave it. For owner operators, the choice is more difficult.

Maybe it won't even be that loud and I'll feel like an idiot for making such a big deal out of it all!
 
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