GEAR BUYERS’ GUIDE
APUTURE INFINIBAR PB6 2FT £440/$479 aputure.com
APUTURE MC PRO £187/$199 aputure.com
ASTERA FP6 HYDRAPANEL £1824/$1810 astera-led.com The FP6 Hydrapanel kit from Astera is a production unit with four separate LEDs fitted into a set of cut-outs in a custom- made hard case that includes charging contacts. Pop in the lights, plug in the charger and all four are powered up at the same time. Also supplied is a cable so they can be daisy-chained together and powered by an external AC source or battery. These cables not only supply power but also data, so can be controlled this way via various remote systems. It comes with three connector plates, so up to four of the lights can be joined together to form a larger, softer panel. Infrared connectivity means they all sync together, so you can make changes on one light and the rest follow suit. For remote control, there is infrared, wired DMX or wireless CRMX, plus app control via Bluetooth. Each panel can also be controlled by its integrated display with a set of control buttons and a touch slider. The charging kit comes with gel holders, 60° and 40° honeycomb grids, small softboxes, 80° intensifiers, four baby-pin mounts and diffusion sheets – and you get four of each, so essentially 28 accessories thrown in. These fix to the front of the LED using small magnets, and you can combine them. Hydrapanels deliver consistent, flicker- free performance at every setting. Astera Trucolor technology calibrates the light for consistency and exact reproduction of colour temperature and filter gels. Dial in CCT with a green-magenta tint, HSI numbers or gels, and the app lets you control all of the six LED arrays per lamp.
Aputure Infinibars are flat-panel-style lights with 48 pixels used in lots of colour modes. They come in one, two or four foot with a case and mains power block. The Infinibar has a unique mounting system which means several can be joined together to create complicated shapes. Each bar has its own lithium battery that can operate at 100% brightness for 100 minutes, but can be mains powered. Using the special joining plates with electrical power-through connectors, just plug one light into the mains and all connected lights will run from the single mains lead. There’s ten different connectors so you can assemble the lights into all sorts of shapes. The other option is a rear clamp with baby pin-style shaft. The rear of the light has two powerful magnets at either end so it can be fastened to metal objects. The 2ft Infinibar weighs 1kg/2.2lb and has a durable aluminium housing, so is fairly light. There are also two 1/4in-20 female threads on each light. An RGBWW chipset produces a colour temperature of 2000 to 10,000K with full green-magenta adjustment, and advanced hue, saturation and intensity controls give a wide gamut of precise colours. To control and synchronise the lights, use the Sidus Link app, Lumenradio CRMX or wired DMX with an optional USB-C to DMX adapter.
Aputure helped popularise the affordable, pocket-sized LED panel with its MC – and the latest MC Pro takes it to a whole new level as it’s four times brighter. The latest £187/$199 MC Pro has even more connectivity options, an IP65 rating to fend off weather and RGBWW capability. It has an upgraded optical design and new LED chipset, colour temperature range of 2000 to 10,000K with green-magenta adjustability and a tighter beam angle of 45°. You can add splashes of colour and it works as a mini practical light, portable fill or accent light. It’s easily controlled via the on-board colour display, by wirelessly using the Sidus Link app on a smartphone or via advanced wired and wireless methods such as DMX/RDM and Lumenradio CRMX. A 4200mAh battery lasts up to two hours at full power and can be recharged by USB-C in about 90 minutes. Measuring just 10.8x7x2.5cm/4.3x2.8x1in and weighing 247g/0.5lb, it’s portable, and punchy at 5W. Attach it to metal objects using built-in magnets on the rear, or four self-adhesive strips are here for non-magnetic surfaces. A standard 1/4in-20 thread allows mounting for stands, and it comes with a coldshoe ball head to mount directly on rigs. A magnetic plate attachment fits to this ball head. The light outputs 396 lux at 1m/3.3ft, and the CRI/TLCI score is 96.
Pros: Not tubular Cons: Pricey if you buy a lot
Pros: Small and compact Cons: Not the only option any more
“The Infinibar’s unique mounting system means several can be joined together to create shapes”
Pros: A truly professional kit Cons: Not a budget option
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PRO MOVIEMAKER
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