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ARRI SkyPanel X First look

At IBC 2023 in Amsterdam, I caught up with Benjamin Diaz from ARRI to talk about the new SkyPanel X.

The SkyPanel X is a modular, all-weather, state-of-the-art LED light that is claimed to redefine industry standards in terms of dimming, color rendition, output, and beam quality.

SkyPanel X is a modular system and configurable into different sizes (X21, X22, X23), and it is capable of offering native soft and hard light technology, setting a new bar not only in terms of dimming and color science, but also in lux output and beam quality for medium to long throws. 

I asked Benjamin if ARRI had any plans to make a smaller version of the SkyPanel X and he told me that they haven’t ruled it out.

I also asked him if there were plans for making different HyPer Optic attachments with either adjustable beam angles or varying beam angles and that is something they are also looking into.

I asked ARRI if they had any plans to add profiles for the light to match other camera company’s sensors and they said they were very open to doing that.

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SkyPanel X was designed to be very flexible and it has been tailored to the requirements and working dynamics of DPs, gaffers, console operators, lighting designers, and broadcast technicians.

The fixture can provide superior low-end dimming with flicker-free operation from 100 to zero percent for direct, close-distance key lighting. It features a CCT range from 1,500 to 20,000K. Instead of RGBW like the original SkyPanels, the SkyPanel X utilizes an RGBACL full-spectrum light engine that is claimed to feature the best ARRI lighting color science to date.

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There are eight-pixel zones per LED panel to meet the requirements of advanced console programming, visual effects, and virtual production environments.

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SkyPanel X is fully protected from rain, storms, or high-pressure jet cleaning, certified with IP66 rating for all weather conditions. This dramatically reduces the maintenance procedures and extends the lamphead’s lifecycle. SkyPanel X offers wireless control, advanced networking possibilities, and an integrated power supply.

Price & availability

While I couldn’t find out an exact price, ARRI told me that the base SkyPanel X21 would be more affordable than the original SkyPanel which did surprise me.

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