Aputure STORM 80c & STORM 1000c Announced

Aputure has expanded its STORM family of point source lights with the STORM 80c and STORM 1000c. These tunable color lights feature the new BLAIR-CG light engine (Blue/Lime/Amber/Indigo/Red/Cyan/Green), offering a claimed color spectrum greater than any other professional LED fixture currently available.

The STORM 1000c looks to build on the already impressive STORM 1200x that I previously reviewed on the site. The 80c also looks like a very versatile and feature-rich fixture.

In addition to the new lights, Aputure is also announcing a host of matching accessories, including all-new compact fresnel lenses which is claimed to provide excellent optical performance along with reduced size and weight.

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The STORM 80c and STORM 1000c are powerful point-source COB lights. They boast an extended white light adjustment of 1800-20,000K CCT with 100% +/- green control, which is the full ASC MITC range of adjustment.

According to Aputure, the new BLAIR-CG light engine is the best tunable color light ever produced in an LED, delivering the greatest range and highest color accuracy. It can reach 90% of Rec2020 colorspace, achieving saturated colors in shades otherwise unobtainable, such as accurate yellow.

The calibrated indigo emitter enhances fluorescing materials, resulting in white light that better matches natural daylight and tungsten.

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Both STORM lights feature IP65 weather protection and Sidus Mesh, CRMX and DMX. The STORM 1000c also has sACN and Art-Net

Just like the STORM 1200x, the STORM 1000c features the ProLock Locking Bowens Mount, which is a secure clamping design to hold Bowens accessories rigidly in place and precisely aligned with the light engine.

At just 6″ x 4″ x 4″ and weighing just 1kg 2.2 lbs, the small but powerful STORM 80c features a mini version of the ProLock, a removable yoke, 3/8″ threaded mounting sockets, and it can be powered off the included AC power supply, an 11-19v battery, or a 100W USB-C power bank.

BLAIR-CG

Like its sister the BLAIR light engine found in the STORM tunable white lights, BLAIR-CG includes a calibrated indigo emitter, which emulates the near-UV light of real daylight and tungsten. This activates the natural fluorescence of various fabrics, plant life, and other materials, thereby replicating the effect of natural light. White fabrics can appear whiter, colors more vibrant and all surfaces in general will appear the same as they do under natural light.

The BLAIR Light Engine in the STORM 1200x utilizes blue, lime, amber, indigo, and red, LED emitters. With the new STORM 80c and STORM 1000c, Aputure has added additional cyan and green emitters. This is quite different from RGBWW or RGBACL. Lights that utilize RGBACL don’t use any white LEDs, instead, they mix all of those different color LEDs to produce white light, and that’s essentially what BLAIR is doing too.

Aputure decided to call it BLAIR because they wanted to avoid the alphabet soup confusion of other RGB variants. Regardless of whether you like the name or not, it is easier to remember.

The light engine was designed to deliver a better quality white light to fill out the color spectrum while offering greater adjustability. The calibrated Indigo is said to enhance fluorescing materials, resulting in a higher quality white light that better matches natural daylight and black body sources such as tungsten quartz.

Adding Indigo is very interesting because the light it emits is right at the edge of our visible spectrum and that is why engineers probably haven’t thought about doing it before, that was until now. But, why Indigo? Well, not all objects or surfaces reflect light, some of them absorb it. What Aputure engineers found is that by adding an Indigo emitter certain materials and objects retained their natural brightness and color. In practice, this actually makes quite a noticeable difference. In some of the examples I have seen, you can certainly see its benefits. The benefits will be more noticeable when using the light at daylight CCT setting as opposed to tungsten.

The human eye is only really capable of detecting wavelengths from 380 to 700 nanometers, and most LED lights don’t contain any information below around 420 nanometers. The BLAIR light engine adds information right out to 380 nanometers.

Utilizing color control functions such as HSIC+, xy coordinates, and a gel equivalency mode, BLAIR-CG is claimed to be capable of matching gelled incandescent lights, target hues, and heavily saturated objects and dyes.

STORM 1000c

The Aputure STORM 1000c is a 1000W color-tunable point source fixture featuring the new BLAIR-CG LED chipset and ProLock mount.

The STORM 100c lamp head and yoke weigh 9.66kg / 21.30 lbs, and the controller/power supply is 6.12kg / 13.49 lbs.

Aputure claims that the light has an output of 14,200 lux @3m / 9.9′ (5600K) with the included 45º hyper reflector.

The STORM 1000c is equipped with smooth 0.1-100% stepless dimming, delivering licker-free performance even at minimal output levels of 24 lux @3m / 9.9′ (5600K).

The light has Four fan modes (Smart, High, Medium, and Silent).

STORM 80c

Aputure STORM 80c, Aputure’s second light in our new STORM family and first to feature our new BLAIR-CG LED chipset. As an 80W color-tunable point source fixture with a color engine based on our breakthrough BLAIR chipset, a Mini ProLock locking Bowens mount, and compact profile, the STORM 80c is a feature packed versatile fixture suitable for a tremendous range of professional imaging applications from high-end film productions to small-crew video or photo shoots.

With the new BLAIR-CG chipset, the STORM 80c delivers exceptional brightness and color accuracy. The added Cyan and Green diodes allows the STORM 80c to cover 90%+ of the Rec.2020 color gamut, giving users access to a far greater range of saturated colors compared to the BLAIR chipset.

The STORM 80c offers 19,850 lux @1m / 3.3′ at 5,600K with its included hyper reflector while maintaining an SSI [P3200] of 88 and SSI [CIE D5600] of 84 at 3,200K and 5,600K respectively. The inclusion of an indigo diode in this chipset enhances the colors of fluorescing materials, resulting in an image that is lit more accurately to match natural daylight and tungsten sources.

It features a wide CCT range of 1,800K-20,000K and advanced white-point control with green-magenta color correction (±G 100% ASC MITC range).

It is equipped with advanced dimming technology, the STORM 80c ensures flicker-free, color-accurate operation during shooting even at its lowest output level of <19.8lux @1m / 3.3′ (5,600K). In addition, this dimming technology provides users with an unprecedented 0.1-100% stepless brightness control.

Armed with a newly designed Mini ProLock locking accessory mount, the STORM 80c can support compact modifiers designed specifically for the 80c or be adapted to a full-size Bowens mount while maintaining an easy coupling procedure that reduces the need to make rotational adjustments with accessories to achieve a secure, optically aligned lock.

Featuring comprehensive lighting control protocol options, including 16-bit DMX512, LumenRadio CRMX, and Sidus Link/Sidus Link Pro® App control, the STORM 80c ensures seamless integration into professional lighting workflows at the lamp head and behind the console.

The STORM 80c ships with the new OSII operating system installed, which gives users a more seamless, quick, and intuitive user experience when operating the fixture.

With a rugged IP65 dust and weather-resistant rating, the STORM 80c is capable of withstanding even the most demanding filming environments in inclement weather without any impact to performance or reliability.

NEW ACCESSORIES

Enhancing the STORM 80c and STORM 1000c is a comprehensive set of accessories designed specifically for these lights. 

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For the STORM 1000c, the CF12 Fresnel is a 12″ lens with a dual-expanding and multi-optic design which allows it to store compactly on the light while maintaining an even beam with no color fringing across its 15°-45° projection range. The CF12 is also designed for the STORM 1200x and works with the LS 1200d Pro, LS 600c Pro, and LS 600c Pro II. 

The CF12 Fresnel efficiently intensifies the light output of the STORM 1000c and 1200x by up to 9 times the brightness of the native output of each light. It provides a smooth falloff from center to edge, all with a compact and lightweight form factor achieved by a dual-expanding focusing system. This unique system allows the CF12 to increase the distance between its rear and front elements by extending both ends of its barrel, not just the front like traditional fresnel accessories.

The CF12 Barn Doors are an 8-leaf design to control spill and shape the light, and can hold a 13” scrim. The CF12 Barn Doors mount to the CF12 Fresnel or use the STORM 1000c/1200x Barn Doors Adapter to attach directly to the light. 

For additional convenience, the CF12 Fresnel and its separately available CF12 Barndoors will fit into the STORM 1000c and 1200x rolling cases with the fixture already in its case.

The STORM 1000c/1200x Skid is a metal frame that attaches to the base of the light, raising it so that the CF12 Fresnel, CF12 Barn Doors, and the light’s head cable can be stored and mounted to the light and ready to go. 

The already-available STORM 1200x Reflector Kit is now the STORM 1000c/1200x Reflector Kit, containing a 15° Narrow reflector, a 30° Medium reflector, and a padded soft case with room to hold the 45° Wide reflector included with the lights. The STORM 1000c is also compatible with a host of Bowens mount modifiers from Aputure such as the Light Dome 150 and the Lantern 90.

For the ease of the many people who will always look to use these lights as fresnel fixtures, Aputure created the STORM 1000c and 1200x Cine Kits, each of which includes the light, CF12 Fresnel, CF12 Barn Doors, and the STORM 1000c/1200x Skid. 

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The STORM 80c includes a reflector and a small ball diffuser. The CF4 Fresnel is a 4” lens with a dual-expanding design which allows it to store compactly on the light while maintaining an even beam with no color fringing across its 15°-40° projection range. The CF4 Barn Doors are an 8-leaf design to control spill and shape the light and can hold a 5” scrim.

The Light Dome 40 is a small circular diffuser with a Mini ProLock mount.

The Lantern 30 is a spherical diffuser with an adjustable skirt to control spill and a Mini ProLock mount. Standard Bowens mount modifiers can also be used with the STORM 80c Bowens Mount Adapter. The STORM 80c Handheld Bracket includes a v-mount battery plate and D-Tap power cable, plus a baby pin mount at its base so users can remove the light’s yoke entirely. 

Price & Availability

The Aputure STORM 80c, STORM 1000c and their accessories are available to order today on Aputure.com within North America and select retail partners and rental houses. Check for their availability in your region.

STORM 1000c

• STORM 1000c w/WIDE REFLECTOR: $3,990 USD
• CF12 Fresnel: $799 USD
• CF12 Barn Doors: $159 USD
• STORM 1000c/1200x Skid: $89 USD
• STORM 1000c/1200x Reflector Kit: $210 USD
• STORM 1000c Cine Kit: $4,537 USD
• STORM 1200x Cine Kit: $4,037 USD

Below you can see how the price of the STORM 1000c compares to some of the competition.

	Price
Aputure STORM 1000c	$3,990 USD
Aputure STORM 1200x	$2,999 USD
Godox KNOWLED MG1200R RGB LED Monolight	$5,290 USD
Nanlux Evoke 1200B LED Bi-Color Spot Light	$3,895 USD
Aputure LS 1200d Pro	$3,389.95 USD
Nanlux Evoke 900C RGB LED Spot Light	$4,660 USD

The price of the Aputure STORM 1000c is around $700 USD less than its closest competitor, the Nanlux Evoke 900C.

STORM 80c

• STORM 80c: $599 USD
• CF4 Fresnel: $109 USD
• CF4 Barn Doors: $45 USD
• Light Dome 40: $99 USD
• Lantern 30: $59 USD
• STORM 80c Bowens Mount Adapter: $20 USD
• STORM 80c Handheld Bracket: $79 USD