GEAR BUYERS’ GUIDE
ASTERA LUNABULB £TBC/$93 astera-led.com
ASTERA PIXELBRICK 8-LIGHT KIT £3727/$3600 astera-led.com The versatile Astera Pixelbricks are next- generation multipurpose lights that can be used as simple battery-powered uplights and spotlights with five different beam options, or multiple units connected to form clusters and shapes. Just 10cm long and weighing 1kg/2.2lb, each Pixelbrick features a powerful, high-quality light. A common use is to deploy them as uplights, which can bring bold colours or white tones to any wall or object. Its native 13° beam can be modified with filters. Arrange the Pixelbricks in geometric shapes or build a matrix with numerous corner pieces. Adding domes changes the output from a beam to a softer look. Charge the lights with the included Powerbox. For installations, the Powerbox can be removed from the case and used to supply power and data with the optional Power/Data Combination Cables. The Pixelbricks are so small that they can be hidden in lots of small nooks and crannies, providing pools of light to add three-dimensionality to any scene. Each is IP65 waterproof and dustproof. The battery is built-in and runs up to 20 hours on a three-hour charge. A charging cable is sold separately – you can use the optional Astera charger or any standard supply with a 2.1x5.5mm barrel plug. With its innovative Emergency Light feature, the Pixelbrick can double as a battery-powered emergency light. When activated, the fixture can detect power loss and instantly switches to bright white. An integrated theft alarm gives a visual and audible alarm if the light is moved – and the Astera App shows the alarm too.
DMG LUMIÈRE DASH £285/$265 dash.rosco.com
Astera is the latest light manufacturer to offer its own household bulb-style lights and, typical of the high-end brand, the LEDs do something others can’t. It’s the only LED-based bulb with built-in CRMX and is internally driven by Astera’s TitanLED engine to provide full-colour and wireless control across a range of creative and practical applications. The new Lunabulb is available with an E26, E27 and B22 fitting and, like a conventional bulb, screws directly into an AC-wired socket. A spring-loaded clip allows the light to be converted from a slimline shape to a conventional bulb, while maintaining the same weatherproof rating of an IP44 socket. So it’s perfect for conventional lamps or smaller fixtures. It has adjustable white levels from 1750 to 20,000K and extensive colour mixing with RGB, mint and amber, HIS, XY and filter gel colour selection options. Classic Lee and Rosco filters can easily be emulated using the free Astera App. And, because of its TitanLED engine, it can partner up with the wider Astera ecosystem using the companion app. Configuration is either the battery- powered Prepcase or Prepinlay, which hold up to eight bulbs. This allows quick configuration, blue mode activation and DMX address assignment. Options include kits or individual components for scalable set-ups, with a set of eight in the Prepcase kit costing $1079 while the Prepinlay kit is $999 for use inside your own case. Unlike some rival bulbs, the Lunabulb doesn’t have an internal battery so can only be run through mains power.
The DMG Lumière Dash pocket LED kit uses the same six-chip LED set found in all of the company’s larger Mix LED light banks. That means the Dash can be set to recreate more than 130 colours that match Rosco colour gels, as well as white in all colour temperatures and hues, plus colour matching to most popular light sources. It’s a solidly built bit of kit that only weighs 367g/0.8lb despite it being in a rugged, all-weather aluminium housing. The unit is just 128x80x28mm/5x3.1x1.1in yet pumps out up to 380 lux at 1m/39in. Its light output is rated 95+ CRI and 90+ TLCI. Each light comes with a flat diffuser panel, dome diffuser panel, plastic eggcrate grid and gel holder for diffusion. These have small magnets in each corner and stick firmly to the matching magnetic pads in the corner of the unit. You can also stack several together. The unit has standard 1/4in-20 threaded holes on the rear panel, bottom and left side to allow different mounting options, such as via the included light stand mount. Also included is a screw-in magnetic plate with soft rubber cover. This can be screwed to a mounting hole, then used to magnetically attach to a flat steel panel. The whole lot, along with a USB-C charging cable, comes in a custom fitted protective case. Within white mode, you can separately alter the intensity, colour temperature and green-magenta tint. Colour mode lets you change intensity, colour temperature, hue and saturation. Gel mode additionally lets you select from a menu of standard Rosco gel colours.
Pros: High end but not high price Cons: No internal battery
Pros: Small but really versatile Cons: Not cheap
Pros: Solid build quality Cons: DMX version costs more
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