Gaffer & Gear 258 - Aputure CS15

[@Ranger7Studios]

That's exactly what I just got finished saying to someone today. If they don't think about the smaller "van guys" then they will loose the clientele. It's cool to see a light like this, but I would have no place to put it in my small studio. Great video as always.

[@PancakeLighting]

I tend to agree. Interesting to see how this goes since there audience has always been the indie and small truck guys. This is clearly designed to be sitting on a head cart as part of a bigger truck package. I'm waiting to see how it's accepted to the higher end and movie crews

[@Loqu4]

a 1200X that is brighter than the 1200D will be perfect! Thinking of getting the GOdox MG1200BI

[@GaffersSalon]

I agree with your assessment, these do not seemed designed for us smaller owner-op’s - these are def aimed for larger feature and episodic shows for sure… where they will no doubt really hero… I’m not only Dealing with a small 14ft box truck I’m also dealing, often, with tight NYC locations and limited space. These would likely become as occasional day player for me rather then a day-to-day workhorse living on my truck. But kudos to Aputure for going big and including all the whistles and bells… This def seems to mark a new entry/direction into the upper pro market for Aputure.

[@michaeltitter4548]

As a van gaffer with plenty of Aputure gear I would be going for the Nanlux option over this for the size reasons mentioned. Still interested to see the ES XT26.

[@dmcinematographer]

Hey Michael, which nanlite option are you talking about? The 900c? or the Nanlux 2400B?

[@gafferngrip5407]

I'm leaning towards Nanlux for the size and weight. I don't have the space in my g&e van for either Aputure new light.

[@marksasahara1115]

This past December, I was at Lux lighting in Brooklyn, NY, USA, where Aputure's Mitch Gross gave a demo of the Spotlight Max and the Electro Storm lights. Great demo! The lenses for the Spotlight Max are very high quality and have more glass compared to the Source Four EDLT lenses. There is an adapter for Source Four lenses to fit the Spotlight Max. Overall, I was impressed with the quality of the new gear. Very robust and well made. Aputure is making a serious bid to enter the high end pro and rental markets. These new lights are hot on the heels of HMI's, giving them a run for the money.

[@sigma-epsilon7434]

We started with LEDs that are smaller and lighter then other types of lights, but now I'm looking on this CS15 and this is huge! Great light at great price and great weight. I can't use it in my work but good that they are making so advanced equipment.

[@AndyGwynn-r3s]

Looking forward to the review on the xt26 too!

[@gafferngrip5407]

Looking forward to your comparison of Nanlux 2400B vs Aputure 26.

[@gaffergear]

That will be interesting

[@MichaelJVrana]

When is it coming? 🤤

[@gaffergear]

@@MichaelJVrana should hit Australian distributor in the next few weeks, I think other places may have them already

[@MichaelJVrana]

@@gaffergearI was talking about your review 😊

[@dylannolan7454]

What an absolute unit. My work makes fixtures like the 300x and 60x more appropriate, but I love watching your take on this beast, and would love to get hands on with this unit during my career. Thanks for another great video. I have no formal training and appreciate getting to learn from a professional like yourself.

[@retlwiz]

Looks like a really nice quality of coloured light ~ difficult to tell on YT, but it seems they are going for quality over pure firepower. It would be interesting to do some tests with a cinema camera or two and compare how the colours compare with say a tungsten light with gels.

[@gaffergear]

Yep, this is definitely targeted at buyers who want quality regardless of weight and output trade offs.

[@robinbrigham5757]

@@gaffergear reminds me of the orbiter ... hopefully it dose a bit better for them

[@vontd9]

I've had the opportunity to play around with XT26 as a van operator. It's heavy and big. You will need a wind up stand for daily use, along with an assist on every job. I'm on the fence.

[@JoATTech]

This review is so good, that I'm watching it second time :D

[@666size666]

Still lighter than an 18k magnetic ballast. Hate those damn things. I guess that's why Dog created the lift gate. Once again Andrew a fantastic pros and cons review. I love how you do these.

[@gaffergear]

I only ever used a magnetic as big as a 6K. I really had to make sure the DP was sure where he wanted it. Not just weight, but no hot re-strike

[@TheumbrellaMG]

Soon as I saw the trolly I knew this thing was outta my league 😂 great video!

[@Carboxylated]

I absolutely want one of these for my van. I have a medium sized 2 ton. I carry mostly aputure but also have a couple of creamsource vortex/spaceX but I think I can make room for this baddie along with the ballast. It will be a tight fit but I think everything should fit just fine. I think I will also get the evoke 2400, having both of these paired together will make for some awesome exterior wood night time lighting, also blasting through large side windows of a house in tandem would be ideal. I love HMI's but they have become a clunky mess over the years and worrying about power deliver to a 4k/18kw light always becomes an issue on medium budget features (no tow plant genny). A single honda7000 with bates/gang box will seamlessly power a cs15 and an evoke 2400 spread out no problem! Great review andrew. Would love a follow up video on the power cable used for the ballast and different options you go for when running off of house power with these powerful COB LEDs

[@cobralyoner]

Looks like Aputure really did their homework with the Electro Storm series

[@ciamounf5881]

I noticed that Aputure has released the LS 600C PRO II, claiming an 85% increase in brightness compared to its predecessor. Looking forward to seeing your review of it!

[@mitchgross592]

Great review as always!

[@JeicsCastroFerrari]

Hi, thanks for all your help as always, wondering if you are going to make a 26XT video, loved the Nanlux you make, and wanted to hear your opinion on the 26XT.

[@gaffergear]

It's stuck in customs because someone filled out the paperwork incorrectly again

[@JeicsCastroFerrari]

@@gaffergear What a mess, I hope everything is resolved soon, thank you very much always for the great support you give us.

[@alacazaba]

I see this configuration as more of a studio light, not so much as a location unit. Price, size, weight, colour range, cable length all shout as much BUT given that, I can't quite figure out why the weather friendly IP rating? So, it's quite possible that a location profiled system will be in the works.

[@vladimirmartinez8431]

The best review as always, thanks!

[@cagf2013]

Awesome stuff, thanks Andrew. For me personally I’d rather an Aputure 600d + F10 Fresnel + a small case of pre-cut gels ready to go for any situation. The size, weight and overall cumbersome-ness of this package is something that would never work for me.

[@Loqu4]

1200D hits the sweet spot, too bad they dont make 1200 biclor

[@wadfasfsdfdsfsf]

@@Loqu4 Nanlux 1200bi is brighter. I own 2 and and a 900C. Though, never used Aputure's 1200 variants, used their 600D and I love the build quality of my Nanlux.

[@cagf2013]

@@Loqu4no proper Fresnel for the Aputure 1200D though

[@pavlovcikjan]

F14 is made with 1200d in mind apparently. Would love to see how they perform together

[@cagf2013]

@@pavlovcikjan I don’t believe that is true actually. The F14 is not bowens mount, as it uses the power pins for the motor (new aputure mount only). Someone correct me if I’m wrong? The Spotlight max will work with it though. Just not as bright as you might hope.

[@emmettfrancis]

thank you for your work!

[@brightlightfilm.]

Hi Andrew, great video as always! From your feeling, with the Spotlight Max attached would you say this is comparable to an 800W Jo-Leko just in terms of output? Looking forward to your Spotlight Max review, as I'm curious how it performs on the 1200D and the 600D and how that compares to traditional ellipsoidals, be it Source4s or Jo-Lekos.

[@gaffergear]

I've never used one, but people who have said it's not as bright.

[@brightlightfilm.]

@@gaffergear Thanks!

[@YoungBlaze]

i would love to live in that garage

[@RobertHollingworth]

Thanks Andrew. Really interesting. Having watched your 1200D review again am I right thinking, if using mainly 5600k that the 1200D is marginally brighter?

[@6ParkProductions]

Awesome review and a terrific looking light. Would love to get my hands on one someday.

[@matthewlivingston3168]

Yeah I can see how the motorized addition can be good, but anything rigged or high up, its standard protocol to have ladders or even a sissorlift or a motorized truss that gets lowered by grips.

[@mitchgross592]

[Aputure] It’s a question of time. If you can adjust the light remotely it’s always going to be quicker. And if this is a semi-permanent install in a studio than one lamp can be quickly reset for multiple lighting plots without getting out the ladder or lift.

[@EvaUnitStu]

Legend, cheers mate

[@108u9]

Does this have the Aputure-Prolycht tech they mentioned after the acquisition?

[@mitchgross592]

[Aputure] While the Electro Storms do not have the proprietary technology developed by Prolycht, there are some features that were “inspired” by Prolycht designs. For instance the Prolycht Orion 675 FS had a number of threaded sockets for attaching safety mounts and accessories. Aputure improved on this concept with hardened 3/8” sockets with locator holes. Now that Prolycht is a part of Aputure there are a number of advanced engineering solutions that are being incorporated into future products.

[@andyvan5692]

great review, and Yes, I get you, that power supply, it looks like you are carrying a mig welder!, two separate pieces; at least with the nanlux 600D we have a power brick, Yes, but it can be clamped onto a light stand, so the whole apparatus is one piece, esp. if the stand is on wheels!!, if they want a greater market for these, then they need to make a light stand, boom, trolley system themselves, a holistic solution to transport and using it. One example would be a "techno crane", or a fisher dolly, all systems are integrated, and usable as a single platform.

[@mitchgross592]

[Aputure] There are mounting points on the control box so you can add some cheeseboro clamps. Then you can mount the box to a stand or hang it off scaffolding/grid.

[@nshea3286]

Is the Aputure XT26 review coming soon?

[@gaffergear]

The finished product that I will use in review is stuck in customs due to errors on the paper work

[@JeicsCastroFerrari]

Hi, any update on the xt26, thanks @@gaffergear

[@gaffergear]

@@JeicsCastroFerrari next episode

[@josebelisariosiliuto9389]

Great review. Only one question, high speed mode don’t allows to use dmx or wireless dmx or both? Thanks.

[@gaffergear]

No CRMX either, it's very odd! A huge negative for me

[@josebelisariosiliuto9389]

@@gaffergear it’s possible to attach a godox RX to solve this for high speed mode? It’s a bit tricky but…

[@gaffergear]

@@josebelisariosiliuto9389 there is absolutely no DMX control, no matter how you try and send it in

[@josebelisariosiliuto9389]

@@gaffergear Absolutely a big negative. Thanks for responding my doubts.

[@Trey_Travis]

For your next video on the Aputure 26XT electro storm, will you test it outside in broad daylight so we can see how it compares to sunlight?

[@Cinegavo]

🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@Nauwl]

Is the 15m headlead extendable ( to 30m)?

[@666size666]

Oh my, good question. Perhaps an unmanned 90 ft condor controlled from the ballast on the ground? yummy.

[@gaffergear]

15 is the limit, I just checked with Aputure

[@mitchgross592]

[Aputure] Currently 15m is the limit but we’re looking into options. It’s a lot of juice to push through the cable, not just for the light but also to power the fresnel and the motorized yoke. Think about how much torque those motors would need! Question: Why do you need the ballast on the ground? All of the remote functions including control of the fresnel and yoke can be controlled over DMX, CRMX and even our own free app Sidus. If you don’t trust wireless you could always drop a DMX line off the side of the condor and use an inexpensive DMX controller at the bottom.

[@robinbrigham5757]

@@mitchgross592 power supply on the ground so less weight in the air - especially if its a remote head with your yoke and fresnel - we seldom put HMI ballasts in the air unless somebody forgot the extra header cables ... longer cables would be really useful on the bigger budget jobs you've designed this for

[@Nauwl]

Just Like Robin Said. Havin weight of of a crane f.e. Can have huge benefits. Its Not about Controlling. Maybe there should be an Option to have a second cable directly on a fresnel. 15m is Kinda limiting. Thanks for the review tho andrew

[@PancakeLighting]

Am i the only one whose thinking about how they can build that strain relief system into their current lights? 😂

[@gaffergear]

I was thinking the same for the skids for a 600 with an F10

[@PancakeLighting]

@@gaffergear Yeah that would be brilliant

[@dimakop]

Great light, just way too big. Add in accessories and if you're in a 1 ton, you're done

[@justinboydlong8542]

It seems like these demo videos must strain your relationship with your neighbors! Do you warn them that you are going to light up their house after dark, or let them think a nuke went off across the street?!

[@gaffergear]

I ask, but I also cross the road and shoot the light back towards my house.