GEAR
BUYERS’ GUIDE
AMARAN T4C £327/$329 aputure.com
Amaran is the more affordable range from Aputure, but many of the LEDs are equally packed with features. Its biggest new light is the 4ft-long 40W T4c, with a £204/$199 T2c at 2ft and 20W. Both are RGBWW and controllable wirelessly via the free Sidus Link app. This well-designed accessory is used for all of Aputure’s lighting. Colour temperature is tunable from 2500-7500K, plus there’s green/magenta adjustment and full colour control for a range of looks and lighting effects. CRI of 95+ and TLCI of 98+ each mean colour is accurate – impressive for a cheaper brand. Each tube has mounting options, including NATO rail, 1/4in-20 and 3/8in- 16 threads with Arri-type locating pins. The 77Wh swappable battery grip allows
more. It is silent, as there is no cooling fan, and comes in a carrying case. Leaving the tube bare with its 180° aperture gives you wider coverage, or attach a collapsible 45° grid to finesse lighting design.
the unit to be powered anywhere without AC. The bigger T4c runs for 100 minutes at full power from one charge. The light has 46 colour gel presets and 15 built-in lighting effects featuring disco lights, lightning, TV, candle, fire and lots
Pros: Part of the Aputure range
Cons: Not the cheapest ‘budget’ option
ASTERA TITAN TUBE £684/$850 astera-led.com
GODOX TL60 RGB £214/$239 godox.com
The Godox TL60 RGB is a full-spec LED tube light with accurate CRI/TLCI rating of 96/98 – and a very cost-effective buy. With the source 60cm/23.6in long, it’s not the longest and can’t be hung like a practical fluorescent tube. But Godox also offers versions at either twice or half the length. An internal lithium battery gives two hours of runtime at full power. Included is an AC adapter, so you can plug into the mains. There’s also a DMX cable, two wire safety fixings and a retaining clip. This clamps to the tube and fits to a stand, tripod or other mount with a 1/4in-20 screw. The whole kit comes in a padded bag, but the remote control costs extra. Godox has a double adapter to power two lights from a single mains source. The TL60 has a CCT range of 2700-6500K and library of 40 Rosco and Lee filter colours. In RGB mode, there’s hue, saturation and intensity control via five small buttons, as well as + and - switches. Choose most of the important settings on the light itself, using the small LCD panel to navigate. There’s wireless control with DMX, or a free smartphone app backed by 32 channels and six groups. A bank of special effects include flash, lightning, candle, police car and TV.
It’s no wonder the Astera Titan Tube was given an innovation nomination in the Pro Moviemaker Gear of the Year Awards. It’s a high-tech LED tube that emits powerful, tunable white light with ultra-high colour rendering, plus coloured beams that can apply to individual pixels or the whole tube. As they only weigh 1.35kg/3lb for 1035mm/40.7in tubes, and are 43mm/1.7in in diameter, these are easy to mount or join together with lightweight grip accessories. The tubes can be used indoors or out, as they have an IP65 rating, are powered by mains or battery, and controlled with the AsteraApp – or either wired or wireless DMX. Optimised for ultra-high CRI/TLCI values at >96 and peak brightness, as well as excellent colour rendering from 3200- 6500K. In CCT mode, the range is a huge 1750-20,000K, while the light can be a full-spectrum RGB with mint and amber. Its maximum output of 785 lux at 1m proves this is very bright indeed. Batteries recharge fully in three hours. Users may build programs of colours and effects, and make them match a music beat. They can be set to wake up when production starts, or send a notification to the app if moved.
Pros: Loads of uses, indoors or out Cons: A full set is costly
Pros: Affordable for the range of features Cons: Remote control costs extra
72
PRO MOVIEMAKER
Powered by FlippingBook