At NAB 2019, Aputure’s 300d II is upon us — as are some other new releases — and we’re ready to have our socks knocked off.
Aputure has become the go-to lighting company across all aspects of production. Even their smallest lights pack a punch at a reasonable price. Well, it seems like they’ve done it again with their new 300d Mark II. (This hasn’t been officially announced yet, so as we hear from Ted and the team at Aputure, we’ll update this post with details.)
They’ve also finally finished the LEKO attachment that we heard about at NAB 2018. The mount is supposedly called the “Spotlight Mount.” Also they’re finally releasing their answer to the ARRI Skypanel with an RGBW Light that comes in around 1/3 of the Skypanel’s price. There’s also now an Aputure App that allows you to control your lights from your phone.
There’s a lot to look at, so let’s get right to it.
Powerful New 300d Mk II
The new light is 20% brighter than the 300d. The power ballast comes with a C-stand attachment, so you don’t have to hang it by wires, and there will be 8 lighting presets, such as strobe, explosion, and flash. You can also power the new light with two V-mount batteries.
Aputure clearly keeps outdoing themselves. Whether it’s the control box or the power of the light, the company never stops listening to their customers and making the gear that we all want. Aputure will save us all. (I say this all the time, but I actually mean it this time . . . like, totally).
SPECS:
- Up to 90,000lux @ 1 meter with Fresnel 2X
- 20% brighter than the original 300d
- New all-in-one fanless control box
- 0% – 100% dimming control
- Improved handbrake locking yoke with 360-degree rotation
- DMX512 compatibility
- Modular Bowens mount for lighting modifiers
Price: $1,299
Release: August
Spotlight Mount
Remember last fall when Aputure announced they were woking on a LEKO attachment? Well, here’s what they’ve done: the new Spotlight Mount. It’s glorious, and we’re not worthy. Here’s hoping we see it released sooner rather than later.
Here are the specs for the mount:
- Aluminum alloy die castings. Durable and lightweight design
- Precision optical system gives a high output, high resolution, and even beams
- Interchangeable spotlight lens design with your choice of 19″, 26″, and 36″ lenses
- Three-layer-shutter allows for more control over light shaping
- Bowens mount design compatible with Aputure 120 and 300 series LEDs
- Dual-slot slit design allows for simultaneous Iris and Gobos use
- Accessories: Gobo X3 (Tree, Window, Breakup) Gobo Holder and Gel Holder
Release Date: “Coming soon”
RGBW Light
Aputure’s answer to the ARRI Skypanel is here. The new light supposedly offers full color spectrum and saturation customization. Earlier, we covered the LiteMat Spectrum, and here we have another solution that gets rid of gels completely and focuses on lighting-based effects.
The main features:
- Superior brightness
- Ultra-bright soft light
- Powerful lighting effects
- Robust construction
- Durable build quality, ready for any film set
- Ballast-free design with separate control box for easier rigging
The controller for the light has preset gel settings. And you can control all this with the new Aputure app. They’re really pulling out all the stops here. The app can work with the 120, 300, and RGBW lighting models, allowing you to control the lights and save presets.
Price: $1,699
Release: Late Summer 2019
New Lantern Attachment
The new lantern attachment wants to get rid of flimsy, unreliable china balls and reduce the time you spend setting up lights. With supposed breakdown and setup times of 30 seconds each, Aputure’s new lantern looks like the fast shooter’s best friend.
Specs:
- Stop diffusion soft box ball (26″)
- Create 360-degree, omni-directional, soft light source
- 4-leaf flexible barn doors
- Compatible with Bowens mount light fixture
- Compatible with strobe and LED light
- Easy to set up and release
Price: Unknown
Release: Unknown
Stay tuned this week for more Aputure announcements.