IBC 2019 : Aputure 300X Bi-Color Light

I really have to commend Aputure for going from a knock off company to an innovator in such a short time and trying to keep things economical.
Really positive vibe. If I was an executive at Vitec, I would be watching them closely. Let's hope they stay independent.
 
yoclay said:
I really have to commend Aputure for going from a knock off company to an innovator in such a short time and trying to keep things economical.
Really positive vibe. If I was an executive at Vitec, I would be watching them closely. Let's hope they stay independent.
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Every time I’ve said that, guess what...
 
Run&Gun said:
Astera makes some kick-ass products. I bought a LightDrop kit about a month ago and the first time I broke it out on a shoot, the two other shooters I was with said they were going to have to each buy a set and the producer said they were ‘a game changer’. My new “standard interview” kit is now just my two 1x1 Gemini’s and the “briefcase” of Astera LightDrops.
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Those 1X1 Geminis are amazing! I think I like them even more than my 2X1s!
 
It's really funny how this Aperture speakperson always talks about their products as if they were TRULY Powerful, while LEDs are just a tiny bit more efficient that HMIs. I guess he might be adressing clueless amateurs?
He even mentions "1ton-3ton guys to be able to finally afford those *Hollywood lights*, so powerful that can fill a room",... this for an instrument that will be behind a simple joker 800 , FTW?????

Does this guy know that 1-3 ton owner-operators (gaffers) are on S-60Cs, Jokers, M18s and M40s, which are up to 10-20 TIMES more powerful than the new 300-600 Aputures?. And even an M40 is almost *useless* outdoors.


At least Aputures are cheaper then HMIs (although I bet they wont last 15+ years like HMIs, so the ROIs aren't that different).

Mind you, nothing wrong with the brand or the products, but this cheap marketing spiel is ridiculous!
 
RE above, Forgetting 1-3 ton owner ops, aputure LEDs appeal to me for smaller size, lower weight, lower upfront cost, lower power draw, lower heat, and ability to accessorize. I can fit all I need with all other gear in a compact SUV.
 
jindrich said:
It's really funny how this Aperture speakperson always talks about their products as if they were TRULY Powerful, while LEDs are just a tiny bit more efficient that HMIs. I guess he might be adressing clueless amateurs?
He even mentions "1ton-3ton guys to be able to finally afford those *Hollywood lights*, so powerful that can fill a room",... this for an instrument that will be behind a simple joker 800 , FTW?????

Does this guy know that 1-3 ton owner-operators (gaffers) are on S-60Cs, Jokers, M18s and M40s, which are up to 10-20 TIMES more powerful than the new 300-600 Aputures?. And even an M40 is almost *useless* outdoors.


At least Aputures are cheaper then HMIs (although I bet they wont last 15+ years like HMIs, so the ROIs aren't that different).

Mind you, nothing wrong with the brand or the products, but this cheap marketing spiel is ridiculous!
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I think you are fooling yourself, I haven't heard anyone talking about how these lights are suitable for exterior dayshoots in the sun.

HMI run hot, very very hot, they won't be powered on 1-2 v-mounts batteries, it is very nice to turn off a light and be able to pack up more or less right away, not having to wait 10 min for lamp to cool, the ballasts are heavy and cumbersome compared to LED ballasts... Sure the 300 and 600d still don't compete with the 1200w HMI, but IMHO 575w equivalent is enough for me when having lenses at F 1,4-4 and cameras that have ISO 800-4000.

I mean the ARRI HMI lights are "sunlights" when they start getting over 2500w, and here we have lights being compared to 900ish watts, so I don't think they are fooling anyone.
 
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Please DO read my post again. I'm NOT again against APUTURE Products, rather to the ALWAYS exaggerating marketing blah-blah they use.

The Aputure Speakperson says ON EVERY INTERVIEW this IBC 2019, literally:
"with the Aputure 600, 1-3-5 (!!) ton owner-operators (that's gaffers) will be able to afford *those Hollywood powerful lights* from big productions, lights that can fill a room....etc, etc"


Either this guy is desilusional or doesn't have a clue! ALL Gaffers with 1-3 ton trucks, sport Skypanels, Jokers and M18-M40s (at the very least) PLUS a ton (literally) of stands, HEAVY carts, frames, stingers, distros and a liftgate to unload all of it.
Moreover, *Hollywood powerful lights* are 12-18k HMIs, and you need several of them on cranes on every window, just to fill a room from the outside and make it look like it's sunny any hour of the day or night the team is shooting. M18s or M40s are not even enough, because lights must be bounced and diffused, otherwise it looks fake.


Had he said instead "A7III/EVA/C300/Blackmagic owner-operators will be able to afford a light that's close in power to the less powerful HMIs, like 400-800 Jokers" that would be perfectly fine. But no, he goes on to making himself a completely clueless speakperson, using used-car-salesman rubbish.

What about being accurate and honest? Or even informed at all?
 
I've heard it too many times from other LED manufacturers over the years, so I'll have to see it to believe it that the 600D is actually, truly equivalent to an 800 HMI. Most of the times when an LED is equated to an HMI, it's really a 'size down'(i.e: "it's equal to an 800 HMI", but really it's more like a 575 or 400).
 
jindrich said:
Please DO read my post again. I'm NOT again against APUTURE Products, rather to the ALWAYS exaggerating marketing blah-blah they use.

The Aputure Speakperson says ON EVERY INTERVIEW this IBC 2019, literally:
"with the Aputure 600, 1-3-5 (!!) ton owner-operators (that's gaffers) will be able to afford *those Hollywood powerful lights* from big productions, lights that can fill a room....etc, etc"


Either this guy is desilusional or doesn't have a clue! ALL Gaffers with 1-3 ton trucks, sport Skypanels, Jokers and M18-M40s (at the very least) PLUS a ton (literally) of stands, HEAVY carts, frames, stingers, distros and a liftgate to unload all of it.
Moreover, *Hollywood powerful lights* are 12-18k HMIs, and you need several of them on cranes on every window, just to fill a room from the outside and make it look like it's sunny any hour of the day or night the team is shooting. M18s or M40s are not even enough, because lights must be bounced and diffused, otherwise it looks fake.


Had he said instead "A7III/EVA/C300/Blackmagic owner-operators will be able to afford a light that's close in power to the less powerful HMIs, like 400-800 Jokers" that would be perfectly fine. But no, he goes on to making himself a completely clueless speakperson, using used-car-salesman rubbish.

What about being accurate and honest? Or even informed at all?
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I get that you are not ripping on their products, I just think that "Ted"? (is that his name?) is always super positive and hype about "anything". That doesn't mean he is lying or even exaggerating. As I take it, he says that 1-3 ton gaffers can now "switch out" their lower HMIs, like 575 and 1200, not that this light beats their beefy M18, etc... just that now HMI's are really being challenged in the entry-level HMI (and he says they are coming for the 1200 and 1800 HMIs too in the future).

In regards to the sun he doesn't say to use it outdoors, but quickly gets into it working for indoor sun-replacement (fill up a room), which is partially true. I've used 120d-300d equivalent lights indoor to get same light as the sun in the room, but it depends on camera angles, etc... like 120d or 300d won't be strong enough if you are shooting against the windows, then you need bigger and more, much more as you say. But 120-300 is enough to "fill up a room".

I have seen enough tests to know they actually are pretty spot on, within 10% of their claims, and that sometimes they are even selling themselves short. I mean it is one thing to say it is "like" or "close" to a 575 HMI as long as you give data that supports it being close, which I feel they do, it is another thing to say it is like a 2500k HMI when it is very far from it and there are other more "relevant models to compare to".
 
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filmguy123 said:
RE above, Forgetting 1-3 ton owner ops, aputure LEDs appeal to me for smaller size, lower weight, lower upfront cost, lower power draw, lower heat, and ability to accessorize. I can fit all I need with all other gear in a compact SUV.
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I couldn't find the weight of the 300d ii. Compared with a joker 800, dimensions are very similar and I think weight would be really close too.

Re ability to accessorize the joker, you have a PAR, PARNEL (zoom attachment), joleko, softboxes, kurve, softube, china/jem ball, big eye.

Heat is hardly an issue with smaller HMIs but vs. tungsten there's no denying the benefits, particularly when working with people not used to being around film equipment.

The real appeal of the aputure 300d ii and I'm assuming 600d is the low cost. Since the 300d ii, I think they finally deserve to be taken seriously and any of their products should at least be considered. I would take 6x aputure 300d iis over a single joker2 800 kit, but I wouldn't (and didn't) buy the original 300d nor would I want to use it. It's not only the cost of the light but the low cost of some dirt cheap soft boxes that don't need to be fire retardant. The joker kurve looks awesome but even Gaffers with lighting packages are reluctant to buy these because of price. Have you seen a BRIESE light? Look up the price!

Onto the 600d, one of the comments on newshooter mentions the higher power draw approaching HMI power draws, which would negate that aspect of LEDs being beneficial. I wonder if there is a point where it must not be more efficient at all and would be a 1:1 power draw and may even get less efficient after that? The mole 20K LED isn't exactly small and there's some serious heat dissipation at work too.

The 600d looks awesome though, I'm glad it's not a giant Fresnel attempt that looks like crap. It looks like the trend is giving us a powerful source that we can do whatever is needed rather than being locked into a certain style. Even if it's just used to fill a 5 foot softbox every single time it may be worth it. 600d, 300d ii, 120d ii would be an amazing interview lighting kit.
 
rob norton said:
Onto the 600d, one of the comments on newshooter mentions the higher power draw approaching HMI power draws, which would negate that aspect of LEDs being beneficial.
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I think it is accepted that the power draw vs light output isn't much better for an LED vs HMI. They also put out about the same amount of heat I assume, it is just that an LED has either a fan or larger cooling area so that it doesn't fry the diode. So they choice of HMI vs LED is mostly about the benefits of the technology. from my experience, LED's have variable color (sometimes), better dimming, and multiple point sources which make them better for panels and mixed lighting. HMI is closer to a point source which makes it better for fresnels, spots, and anything where you want a bright, hard source. The fixtures all appear to be about the same size, although HMI's have the option of being used as a bug light.
 
Looking good. They should do some massive bundle with 2x nova 300c, 2x 300d ii, 2x 120d ii.

It's a good time to be in the battery business.
 
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