AWARDS
GEAR OF THE YEAR
LIGHTING R otolight’s AEOS 2 Pro is the worthy winner of the light panel award, as it offers powerful, continuous light in all colours as well as high-speed sync flash in RGBWW colours you simply dial in. Having flash in any one of 16.7 million colours or with 2500 digital filters, with virtually zero recycle time, is ideal for shooting stills as well as video on set. It has a full-colour, two-inch touchscreen display, or navigate by the dials on the rear panel. You can even use the app which mirrors the touchscreen. The AEOS 2 Pro is 1.4kg/3.09lb in weight and measures 295x25mm/11.5x0.98in. It houses 108 LEDs that put out up to 14,250 lux at one metre, a CRI of 95 and TLCI of 99 with a 50° beam angle. That’s a lot of power, and the cooling fan kicks in after a few minutes at the highest power settings. In the hard light category dominated by the latest crop of COB units, the Aputure LS 600c Pro wins out because it is powerful and offers a full spectrum of colours. That makes it one of the brightest full-colour point light sources on the market. Use the menus and screen to set all the RGB colours desired, with industry- standard X and Y adjustments, more than 300 gel presets, or advanced HSI mode where you can change white point. The control box has a large colour LCD panel and simple control buttons to access the menus, but there are lots of remote options and the unit can be controlled by the Sidus Link app. This turns every Aputure fixture into a wireless node which re-transmits the signal up to 400m/1300ft away to link multiple lights, allowing adjustment of all functions. Quasar Science’s Double Rainbow was voted the victor in the lighting innovation class, as it can produce every colour on the spectrum and project immersive, moving displays with lots of hues. These are high-spec light sources that are relatively small, so can be hidden away or mounted easily without fuss or massive rigging needed. Quasars have their pixels organised into groups, which allows the light colour to be changed along the length of the tube rather than everything being a fixed hue. Find lots of built-in lighting effects like police car and fire, which look more realistic than ever. There is an onboard control interface with OLED, plus wireless capabilities with CRMX, W-DMX, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, and wired RJ45 passthrough ports that give direct data connection for protocols like DMX, sACN and ArtNet.
EDITOR’S CHOICE: ASTERA HYDRAPANEL Astera’s powerful Hydrapanels – winner of the light panels Editor’s Choice award – can be purchased separately, but the full kit has four units in a case with a set of cutouts that include charge contacts. Plug in the charger and all four juice up at the same time. A range of accessories as well as three connector plates all feature, so up to four lights can be joined to form a larger panel. Infrared connectivity means they all sync; make changes on one and the rest follow. The Hydrapanels deliver flicker-free performance at all settings – and TruColor technology calibrates for consistency.
Light panel Rotolight AEOS 2 Pro
Lighting innovation Quasar Science Double Rainbow
THE WINNERS
Hard light Aputure LS 600c Pro
EDITOR’S CHOICE: ZHIYUN MOLUS RANGE Zhiyun’s professional-level Molus range, winner of our hard light Editor’s Choice, share plenty of technology, but could hardly be more different in appearance. The smaller Molus G60 is roughly the same size as a Rubik’s Cube. And the Molus X100 looks like it was modelled on a seventies Walkman. Yet it has a COB LED on the front and a fan and small screen at the back. It also comes with a lithium battery that clips to the side and works as a grip. With a 100W output, the X100 weighs 385g, but add the battery grip and it’s still only 439g. It has a CCT range from 2700-6500K, with 2376 lux brightness, CRI of ≥ 95 and TLCI of ≥ 97. While
the cubist G60 has a colour CCT range of 2700- 6500K, with CRI of ≥ 96 and TLCI of ≥ 97. Both Zhiyuns are fun and funky. Although they aren’t hugely powerful, they offer enough for low-light work or accent lights. Chances are you’ll want them for their unique looks.
56
PRO MOVIEMAKER
Powered by FlippingBook