My Love Letter to Andrew Locke: 1) You always fully disclaim your bias which comes from your positive relationships with manufacturers and sponsorships in the form of free products YET you also offer the most blistering criticisms compared to any other creators who make review videos. 2) You pose next to the products AND their cases which always confirms that no, this will not fit in my Prius, why am I even considering this product. 3) You front-load episodes with new and important info and slowly progress to demonstrations by the end. For people like me who use TH-cam as a sleeping pill this is the IDEAL video structure. I love you Andrew Locke.
@@VDVit_2013After today I'm slightly less concerned, we used it because we needed a lot of light. But we ended up running it at 18%, and it looked as clean as 100%
I had a play with it today at the Rental, honestly, to my eyes, this is one of the closest to actual tungsten ive seen an led look on the warm end. Its hard to describe really, it just feels.. juicy. Cant wait to use this for sunbeams.
Thanks for the review as always Andrew. I have 2 x 1200B evoke. I will say where nanlux shines is their repair time as you said, but also.. their octo soft box is shallow and takes up significantly less room than aputures soft boxes. I reckon I can use aputure 1200X outside windows, and use 1200 evokes inside in softboxes if need be. Thank you for also adding that note regarding their repairs.
As always, the absolute gold standard of reviews - big thanks Andrew. Good to know about the 1 sec delay on DMX at 40% dimming limit on high speed mode. Certainly seems like a fantastic M18 alternative though
Yes ,just got mine, good so far. I had issue with my 1200D Photogear Auckland NZ had it repaired in 4 weeks. I just like Sidus link for fast set up control . Also i've noticed overseas jobs Japan,Korea, mostly have Aputure lights on their preferred gear lists ..... so happy that i'm supplying what they want. Also trying to stay with one brand rather than several even if they are just as good .
Aputure sent me one of these 3 months ago to test on set. I used it for a month on a Netflix film and I can honestly say it was incredible. The colour is subtle and the sets and skin tones really sing from it. The only issue was it showed up the other lighting and I kept wanting to have a few more of them!
@@RobertHollingworth that's why I purchased another two. All 3 are in my small van which does primary interview or close talent work, or product shots. You don't notice the difference that much until you try and add a fill light. That's when you realise that indigo is definitely doing something that the other lights aren't. But I can't quantify it without sounding like I'm being a wanker. It just feels different. Today we had the 1200x as a key and my trusty old Aladdin 350 as an overhead. The DP described the 1200x as looking cleaner than the Aladdin but couldn't explain why.
@@gaffergear I agree with that. It looks crisper and there is a greater depth and range to the reflected colours. It's akin to the ETC Lustr8 which have a similar spectral range from their 8 emitters. We did both day and moonlight scenes and the latter really looked very different from the 1200X when it was keying. Have you tried the fresnel? We used the 1200X with the Spotlight max quite a lot and it worked well too with shutter cuts and gobos
I’ve been tracking with Aputure for five years… I’m currently kitted up with two ls60x, two ls300x and one ls600x for a three camera two person shoot - sitting - 🪑 but now I’m gearing up to two ls600x and one 1200x for two characters… standing! The fact that I’ll be able to control everything with SIDUS just makes this ecosystem the complete deal to shoot Theatre scenes with the minimal re-setting needed. And it’s all affordable!
I have to admit I'm a fan of the tighter pattern the Aputure has over the Nanlux. I like to use no modifiers as much as possible to get that razer sharp shadow edge through windows and the tighter beam of the 1200x does this very well. A company I freelance for locally has the Nanlux and I have used many times, it is an excellent unit. You cant go wrong with either one, but the G/M shift adjustment and the narrower default beam was the tie breaker for me.
@@lll9416 I think this is the best 1200 on the marked, just because it has G/M. That extra 50% fire power for the tiger COB is a total plus through a window if you want those chrisp shadows. The evoke 1200 is one of only 3 lights I have that doesn't have G/M. I think G/M is as important as CRMX now
@@gaffergear No doubt, we still got alot of "paid for" 4ks and up HMIs around here and they are not G/M friendly. Plug-in HMIs are dead to me, lol. P.S. Any insider info on the Aputure CF12 Fresnel Lens? 800 bucks here, ouch!
Great review Andrew, thanks for always being honest with your thoughts on products like this. Just as a point of interest. I still run some HMI lights myself and the modern UV cutting bulbs combined with the UV block front glass of the fixtures means they do a hard UV cut at 420nm and there is no light energy at all below the 400nm wave length (I have the same sekonic light meter). The 1200x has it’s UV spike at about 380nm (EDIT- it is actually around 400nm as pointed out by Tim Kang). helps with the fluorescence effect and boosting SSI scores. I’m sure it’s still safe, as Aputure has made a strong point about it being not something to worry about.
@@gaffergear that makes sense regarding comparing to the older units. Excuse the long answer… Almost impossible to tell the difference with the UV block technology. To give you an idea, the 1200w and 400w UV block bulbs I have with modern ballasts are measuring 97+ CRi, 87+ SSi, 100 TLCi, 97+ TM30 (to the 5600k standard). With the same units running non-UV block bulbs I have seen SSi scores above 92 with all CRi values above 97. But I do get concerned about safety so only use them for product. For comparison, these modern Hmi bulbs still look a bit better than my iFootage 320dn (when rendering deep reds, brownish tones and skin). The main reason I still love them: The shadow sharpness of a Dedo 1200d Hmi in flood is similar to a bare 60watt LED with a brightness & beam angle almost identical to the bare bulb 1200x. Still many compromises.. very much a speciality for pops of realistic sunlight.
I have tested many well maintained modern HMIs. they all still emit below 400nm. the comparison was made with a a properly maintained m18 - they don't work without the built in UV shield being closed. the 1200X emits at 405nm. it tails off by 394nm. there is a very small trace amount below that by maybe another 5nm, but it is very minute compared even to an incandescent unit.
@@timkang1980 I’d be happy to send you the spectrum reading from my Dedolight HMi fixtures, 400w and 1200w versions. There is nothing showing below 400nm on my Sekonic c800. The Dedos have a double UV coated front lens with an aggressive cut, and the Koto bulbs also aggressively cut UV at around the same point. This is just data I have collected from testing my own light collection. I believe the Dedo focusing lights have the lowest UV values of any HMI fixture.
2:25 - Thank you for asking about the safety from the Ultra Violet light! Nobody has asked that question yet! And with new gaffers who have never used an HMI, we would not be even think to ask it! Now onto the topic, so it has 30% less ultra violet than an M18. Now that doesn't sound safe at all, do they have a UV blocking glass or encasement which goes over the light emitters?
his point is that if you have used an M18 with no issue, you have 30% less issue with this. there is no need to have UV blockers on a light that doesn't emit UV that needs to be blocked.
@@raredreamfootage Some people will always have that concern, especially if you have lost someone to skin cancer, so it may be worth Aputure investigating this as an optional extra product. It may be unnecessary, but peace of mind is always a nice thing to have. For example I put tennis balls on the feet of c-stands. Those C-stands are never going to scratch the floor, but it's worth the effort because of the peace of mind people have after I do it.
@@gaffergearI think it’s all in the phrasing. “This old light was safe. This new light is even safer.” That’s what we’re really talking about here. The levels of UV coming from the 1200x are a non-issue, just enough to trigger the fluorescing effect. It’s not something even the most sensitive of us need protection from. It just isn’t.
Relative to brightness it’s significantly less UV than a tungsten light or just about any other light you’re used to not including LEDs. Even less than fluorescent tubes. So if your wife’s Lupus isn’t triggered by other bright light it certainly shouldn’t be from the STORM 1200x.
One note - the higher CCTs are as accurate as lower CCTs. the scale of measurement shifts significantly up there. I'll have to send you equal color shift in ∆CCT based upon the CCT.
I've been waiting for this review!! I haven't even thought about the fact that bare COB and their flanges can create different beam angles. Thank you for the critical and thought out review. I am slightly wary of Aputure products now, between the current state of their support system and I have been seeing my fellow gaffers and DP owner operators have an alarming failure rate of Aputure products over the years. Just from normal wear and tear. My 600D even has magenta shifted to an extreme degree. That said, what a light. I think this might be the best product Aputure has ever put out. Tim Kang's video about the ultraviolet spectrum and seeing the shirt comparison on white light was definitely eye opening. To be honest, there is a visible difference in my opinion on quality and color of light from hot lights to LED. Though for many and myself LEDs far outweighs the little pros hot lights may have over LEDs.
Great review. Happy to see someone pointing out the beam angle differences against the evoke. In any of your testing, did you put the 1200x up against the 1200d in a way where their beam spread was equal? Sure, on paper the 1200x is brighter, but if it’s more spotted at the same distance compared to the 1200d, of course it would be brighter.
As far as repair goes all of those are better then having an HMI ballast repaired. Ive only attempted to send in 2 of the many I have stacked up currently. One took over a year and when I got it back it lasted a half hour. The other one has been gone for 2 years. I live in the most remote city on the planet so sending them in is always a pain and I think repair places take advantage of that fact.
@@gaffergear beach, near beach, jungle, mud, etc. Where I live the air can be so heavily laden with salt it looks like fog. After a month long jungle movie I opened all the 4k Leonetti ballasts and they had an inch of mud in the bottom but continued to work. I still have a 20+ year old unit that i used yesterday. The Power Gems, Power to Light, and Sunray havent been as durable. Arri powder coating doesnt fare well over here either. We get a lot of "wrap rain." Can be clear all day and as soon as we wrap instant downpour. The sprinter gets an occasional dehumidifying set on max all night long. Hard to keep rags nice. Ultrabounces get "barfy" in a week. When muz gets damp it just falls apart.
@@js7082 Manufacturers need to focus on not just selling us the product, but helping us maximise the profit by keeping the product working, and getting it back on set fast
Hi Andrew, thanks for the review. Two questions: 1) Are you gonna test this light with the Spotlight Max? I'm curious to see how it performs, even it hasn't been designed to be use with this accessory. 2) Are you gonna test this with the new CF12 Fresnel? Maybe in a follow up episode or when you get your hands on the new 1000C and 80C Storm lights. Thanks again.
@@jimmyalles273 I sold my spotlight max unfortunately (I didn't know this was coming when I sold it) otherwise I would have kept it for review. I am very excited about the new Fresnel because of the skids, finally a fresnel I can just pull off the shelf, and use as a Bowen mount light if I need to. Not the other way around. I just hope it's good. It looks like it will be a good weight for a one man lift which is important to be
Nice! Been waiting for this one. Just bought one too. You mentioned the downside of pulsing in faster shutter speeds when taking stills. How does it affect the shots? Just the exposures in the shots or does it affect color-metrics aswell?
@@KenOja you get banding through the image where one row of pixels as received a puls of light and the next row didn't. , You can see it in the section where I talk about dimming. Under dimming in the index.
Do the power supplies differ in size? I dont use the soft cases for 1200ds. I have a crate/shelf system that packs 2 in the space of one case but its dependent on power supply size.
@@gaffergear ok. thank you. Im not a fan of the dishes. Mine live with the fresnels attached. Not a big fan of the fresnel that doesnt work like a fresnel but its better then the solar hotdog cookers. Thank you again.
@jfratis9081 My plan, assuming the fresnel is good, is to have these sitting in the van with the fresnel attached ready to go. I reckon that will be 80% of my use of these.
Nice review! Now I’m curious to know how recomendable would be to use a DJI power to fire up this light, could you do a video talking about the power stations (like ecoflows) and if they’re a good options to fire up led lights
@@stivenbano5073 I have a few eccoflow reviews. The power factor in this light is ideal for those solutions because it won't stress the inverter at all. It just comes down to if the system can output the nearly 1500w to drive it.
@ Sorry I didn’t notice you did reviews of the ecoflows I’ll check it out then now, but it would be good to see your opinion about the DJI power specially consider it’s 600$~ price and 2200W output advertised, that it’s a lot compared to ecoflows in the same price point
Excellent review as always. Was waiting to hear your opinion on this. I'm currently weighing up my options to fill out my kit, and the arrival of both the 1200x and the 1000c has made me hesitate. Now that they've unveiled two iterations of their new BLAIR light engine (both X and C) I'm curious as to how long it will be before they update the 300w and 600w lights with the BLAIR engine as well. And in that case two 600c's might be more useful. Are you likely to be doing a review of the 1000c soon? Also, thank you for pointing out the issue with repair times, which while improving is still an issue. I know a couple of people here in Ireland who had similar experiences to you with the 1200d, in that the repair took months (but they were lucky in that they could borrow mine in the interim). It really has made me hesitate to spend €4000 or more on one of their larger fixtures (1000c , CS15, or XT26) , if there's no support here and no one locally is like to have a spare.
@@gearoidosullivan356 They are definitely getting better with repairs, so I feel bad saying it in the review, but it is a genuine reason why I'm only buying 3 of these and not 7 of them. I think this is the best 1200 on the market, it just needs the best back up and support to get the success that its engineering team deserves.
@@gaffergear Cheers Andrew. I've heard whispers of a more local repair set up here in Europe, which would be nice. I'm really hoping the new BLAIR engine lights are a big success for them as they do seem to be a good jump forward in the quality of light. Considering how much use I've gotten out of my 300x's and 600x's, I'd be delighted to be able to update my figures with BLAIR versions (and get that bit of an output boost as well). I know you briefly touched on the fan noise, but would you consider it a potential problem if you were using it relatively close to the talent through a lightdome 150 for example (we use a 600x + dome so often, but on occasion, with a magic cloth diffusion and a grid you can sometimes be left wanting more output). The 1200x would solve that output issue.
Boy - I’d really love to hear you comment on those R9 cri numbers that seemed strangely low until you hit 10000kelvin. Does that concern you, @andrewlocke ? I saw some desaturated skin on aputure’s own comparison video, and that would track with these low R9 numbers at least in my viewing.
It’s actually one of the metric colors that lighting manufacturers focus on, and typically we see r9 scores in the high 90’s on modern LED. R12 scores are often low, but r9 levels this low are unusual and concerning. I have to dig deeper and look at the other scores but to me this confirms one of the gotcha’s I was seeing in the launch video.
R9 has little to do with skin tones. it's a saturated red patch. during fluorescent light days, r9 became synonymous with skin tone quality because of the unique spectrum of fluorescent lights. Skin tones need full spectral match with daylight or tungsten in order to look great for most cameras. this is why SSI and tm-30 color vector graphic have become more important, especially in the day and age of led, to guess based off of metrics how a light may do with skin tone rendering in camera.
@timkang1980 of course I appreciate your knowledge in this area. But can you explain why I should not be concerned by the rather large swing in saturation of the skin tones and pink hair (11:26 on the pink hair model from the launch video) compared to daylight (and even the comparison bi-color) in this shot comparison from the launch video? Additionally, if tm-30 is where your gonna hang your hat, should we not be concerned about the skew away from red on most of the lower kelvin TMA30 tests Andrew posted here (those below 5600k)?
@@barrygoyette I don't hang my hat on any single metric. TM30 is more detailed, better modeled, and ultimately more useful. Judging off of CRI is simply outdated, especially when folks still attribute R9 to skin tone. It's an extremely complicated subject. Skin tone is full spectrum in variation across different people and in its own composition. it's not a red color patch.
1) Hi Andrew thanks for checking in with Aputure officially on the UV light emitted. To clarify the comparison to an M18 is with both fixtures bare bulb? Also any chance you could copy what Aputure’s answer was in a pinned comment or reply here? Think it’s good to empower crew and talent to know what the levels are so everyone is comfortable and aware of the risks even if they aren’t deemed hazardous per Aputure’s claims/measurements. 2) About the flicker issue, at what max shutter speed would flicker begin to show in stills/video? Also would a global shutter camera completely negate this issue? Thank you!
the values were compared to an M18 with its UV shield on. one can't turn it on without it closed, unless it's directly cracked and removed from the door itself.
@@108u9 it gets all very complicated and super nerdy. But here was the final summary from Tim Kang who did the testing.... "on average.... 1/3 less uv-a than an m18, 3% less violet an an m18" This was with an M18 lamp head as comparison. Not bare bulb. But to note, another gaffer here is saying he has lamp stock that has a UV blocker in the glass, and he gets no UV at all out of those in combination with the M18 safety glass. I'm not sure what shutter speeds we hit problems at. (With Apertures previous lights with the same PWM) some guys as low as 200th. But I suspect a slow rolling shutter. We had a stills guy today who had no issues with the 1200x at 18% brightness shooting tallent sitting in front of camera. It definitely flickers like crazy on a Phantom at 1000 FPS. I do a lot of sports team promotion, players kicking a ball for example. That sort of stuff I get caught on with the flicker with the stills guys.
@@108u9 Tim Kang who has replied here is the colour scientist from Aputure who did the tests. He is very involved in the colour science committee's with ASC and the Academy. So I trust him because his reputation extends beyond Aputure.
@@gaffergear I found the upper limit of flicker is about 1/240s, so I would say 120fps at 180° is the max I would go for frame rate at standard dimming mode. I still haven't gotten anything to artifact with High Speed mode. I have told people to pretty much treat this like an M18. similar output, size, and workflow with a ballast and needing to switch it to high speed mode for similar ranges.
@@zebius4157 could be evenness of the beam, and not edge to edge. 1200D might have more drop off because it doesn't have any mixing lens on it. It definitely looks wider to my eye
Aputure's release schedule is getting out of control. 1200d last year, 1200x this year. I feel like my 1200d is redundant with its out of whack white chip.
@@willchurchill7931 they did wait a long time before coming out with a 1200x. It's well over a year and a half, but if I purchased a 600C MK2 RGBWW light three months ago before they announced the 1000c I would be very very very upset.
My Love Letter to Andrew Locke:
1) You always fully disclaim your bias which comes from your positive relationships with manufacturers and sponsorships in the form of free products YET you also offer the most blistering criticisms compared to any other creators who make review videos.
2) You pose next to the products AND their cases which always confirms that no, this will not fit in my Prius, why am I even considering this product.
3) You front-load episodes with new and important info and slowly progress to demonstrations by the end. For people like me who use TH-cam as a sleeping pill this is the IDEAL video structure.
I love you Andrew Locke.
The Bob Ross of Lights
when I first saw that bowens locking system I stopped dead in my tracks and a single tear of joy rolled down my face
@@00WhiteBlade I'm using on set now, is so good especially if you have lost the rotation Lock on your domes
Getting the damn Dome 150 on the 1200 is one of my least favorite Things in any given day, im so Happy!
@@gaffergear
@xx1simon1xx yep, trying to spot it spinning is no longer an issue.
Well, NOW 1200x is officially out. Andrew made a review. Time to actually consider buying it x)). Thank you so much.
@@VDVit_2013After today I'm slightly less concerned, we used it because we needed a lot of light. But we ended up running it at 18%, and it looked as clean as 100%
I had a play with it today at the Rental, honestly, to my eyes, this is one of the closest to actual tungsten ive seen an led look on the warm end.
Its hard to describe really, it just feels.. juicy.
Cant wait to use this for sunbeams.
Love your reviews, thank you Andrew! Really looking forward to your 80c review!
Thanks for the review as always Andrew. I have 2 x 1200B evoke. I will say where nanlux shines is their repair time as you said, but also.. their octo soft box is shallow and takes up significantly less room than aputures soft boxes. I reckon I can use aputure 1200X outside windows, and use 1200 evokes inside in softboxes if need be. Thank you for also adding that note regarding their repairs.
As always, the absolute gold standard of reviews - big thanks Andrew. Good to know about the 1 sec delay on DMX at 40% dimming limit on high speed mode. Certainly seems like a fantastic M18 alternative though
@@peterfordDOP Aputure are back! I was worried for a while.
Thank you for your incredibly thorough reviews. They are very helpful when navigating gear purchases.
Mitch from Aputure is a legend. Best investment Aputure did ever!
Yes ,just got mine, good so far. I had issue with my 1200D Photogear Auckland NZ had it repaired in 4 weeks.
I just like Sidus link for fast set up control . Also i've noticed overseas jobs Japan,Korea, mostly have Aputure lights on their preferred gear lists ..... so happy that i'm supplying what they want. Also trying to stay with one brand rather than several even if they are just as good .
Aputure sent me one of these 3 months ago to test on set. I used it for a month on a Netflix film and I can honestly say it was incredible. The colour is subtle and the sets and skin tones really sing from it. The only issue was it showed up the other lighting and I kept wanting to have a few more of them!
@@RobertHollingworth that's why I purchased another two. All 3 are in my small van which does primary interview or close talent work, or product shots.
You don't notice the difference that much until you try and add a fill light. That's when you realise that indigo is definitely doing something that the other lights aren't. But I can't quantify it without sounding like I'm being a wanker. It just feels different.
Today we had the 1200x as a key and my trusty old Aladdin 350 as an overhead. The DP described the 1200x as looking cleaner than the Aladdin but couldn't explain why.
@@gaffergear I agree with that. It looks crisper and there is a greater depth and range to the reflected colours. It's akin to the ETC Lustr8 which have a similar spectral range from their 8 emitters. We did both day and moonlight scenes and the latter really looked very different from the 1200X when it was keying. Have you tried the fresnel? We used the 1200X with the Spotlight max quite a lot and it worked well too with shutter cuts and gobos
@RobertHollingworth I hope the fresnel works great, because I can't fit the reflectors in my van
These reflectors reminds me of the ancient Chinese story General Tian Ji in a Horse Race. Thanks for pointing that out!
Now I want to know about that Chinese story haha!
I appreciate you doing these reviews.
I’ve been tracking with Aputure for five years… I’m currently kitted up with two ls60x, two ls300x and one ls600x for a three camera two person shoot - sitting - 🪑 but now I’m gearing up to two ls600x and one 1200x for two characters… standing!
The fact that I’ll be able to control everything with SIDUS just makes this ecosystem the complete deal to shoot Theatre scenes with the minimal re-setting needed.
And it’s all affordable!
Thank you for mentioning the flickering for photo vs video use. As always, your videos are amazing and thank you for your work.
I have to admit I'm a fan of the tighter pattern the Aputure has over the Nanlux.
I like to use no modifiers as much as possible to get that razer sharp shadow edge through windows and the tighter beam of the 1200x does this very well.
A company I freelance for locally has the Nanlux and I have used many times, it is an excellent unit. You cant go wrong with either one, but the G/M shift adjustment and the narrower default beam was the tie breaker for me.
@@lll9416 I think this is the best 1200 on the marked, just because it has G/M. That extra 50% fire power for the tiger COB is a total plus through a window if you want those chrisp shadows. The evoke 1200 is one of only 3 lights I have that doesn't have G/M. I think G/M is as important as CRMX now
@@gaffergear No doubt, we still got alot of "paid for" 4ks and up HMIs around here and they are not G/M friendly.
Plug-in HMIs are dead to me, lol.
P.S. Any insider info on the Aputure CF12 Fresnel Lens?
800 bucks here, ouch!
@lll9416 I haven't seen it, but I really miss having a fresnel built and ready to go that I can just pull of the shelf. This could be it.
@@gaffergear Absolutely!
BTW, did you test it in Constant Output mode or Max Output mode?
@lll9416 always max
Great review Andrew, thanks for always being honest with your thoughts on products like this.
Just as a point of interest. I still run some HMI lights myself and the modern UV cutting bulbs combined with the UV block front glass of the fixtures means they do a hard UV cut at 420nm and there is no light energy at all below the 400nm wave length (I have the same sekonic light meter).
The 1200x has it’s UV spike at about 380nm (EDIT- it is actually around 400nm as pointed out by Tim Kang). helps with the fluorescence effect and boosting SSI scores.
I’m sure it’s still safe, as Aputure has made a strong point about it being not something to worry about.
@@cagf2013 I haven't used a HMI in years, there were no blockers back then, so I'm guessing that's what Aputure was comparing too
@@cagf2013 has that effected dramatically the look of the light? Or did no one really notice?
@@gaffergear that makes sense regarding comparing to the older units.
Excuse the long answer…
Almost impossible to tell the difference with the UV block technology. To give you an idea, the 1200w and 400w UV block bulbs I have with modern ballasts are measuring 97+ CRi, 87+ SSi, 100 TLCi, 97+ TM30 (to the 5600k standard).
With the same units running non-UV block bulbs I have seen SSi scores above 92 with all CRi values above 97. But I do get concerned about safety so only use them for product.
For comparison, these modern Hmi bulbs still look a bit better than my iFootage 320dn (when rendering deep reds, brownish tones and skin).
The main reason I still love them: The shadow sharpness of a Dedo 1200d Hmi in flood is similar to a bare 60watt LED with a brightness & beam angle almost identical to the bare bulb 1200x.
Still many compromises.. very much a speciality for pops of realistic sunlight.
I have tested many well maintained modern HMIs. they all still emit below 400nm. the comparison was made with a a properly maintained m18 - they don't work without the built in UV shield being closed.
the 1200X emits at 405nm. it tails off by 394nm. there is a very small trace amount below that by maybe another 5nm, but it is very minute compared even to an incandescent unit.
@@timkang1980 I’d be happy to send you the spectrum reading from my Dedolight HMi fixtures, 400w and 1200w versions. There is nothing showing below 400nm on my Sekonic c800. The Dedos have a double UV coated front lens with an aggressive cut, and the Koto bulbs also aggressively cut UV at around the same point. This is just data I have collected from testing my own light collection. I believe the Dedo focusing lights have the lowest UV values of any HMI fixture.
Super review and comparison. As always, thank you for being frank about pros and cons.
2:25 - Thank you for asking about the safety from the Ultra Violet light! Nobody has asked that question yet! And with new gaffers who have never used an HMI, we would not be even think to ask it!
Now onto the topic, so it has 30% less ultra violet than an M18. Now that doesn't sound safe at all, do they have a UV blocking glass or encasement which goes over the light emitters?
his point is that if you have used an M18 with no issue, you have 30% less issue with this. there is no need to have UV blockers on a light that doesn't emit UV that needs to be blocked.
@@raredreamfootage Some people will always have that concern, especially if you have lost someone to skin cancer, so it may be worth Aputure investigating this as an optional extra product. It may be unnecessary, but peace of mind is always a nice thing to have.
For example I put tennis balls on the feet of c-stands. Those C-stands are never going to scratch the floor, but it's worth the effort because of the peace of mind people have after I do it.
@@gaffergearI think it’s all in the phrasing. “This old light was safe. This new light is even safer.” That’s what we’re really talking about here. The levels of UV coming from the 1200x are a non-issue, just enough to trigger the fluorescing effect. It’s not something even the most sensitive of us need protection from. It just isn’t.
@@mitchgross592that’s good to know. Do you happen to know if it’s also safe for people with Lupus? (My wife’s condition)
Relative to brightness it’s significantly less UV than a tungsten light or just about any other light you’re used to not including LEDs. Even less than fluorescent tubes. So if your wife’s Lupus isn’t triggered by other bright light it certainly shouldn’t be from the STORM 1200x.
One note - the higher CCTs are as accurate as lower CCTs. the scale of measurement shifts significantly up there. I'll have to send you equal color shift in ∆CCT based upon the CCT.
@@timkang1980 got ya
Interesting about the native beams and the reflectors, didn't know that
I have 2x 1200x's in my van - the 1200d feels like a toy now in comparison. My M18 didn't come out much already, but I'm sure I'll see it less now.
Literally waiting for this before purchasing
I've been waiting for this review!! I haven't even thought about the fact that bare COB and their flanges can create different beam angles. Thank you for the critical and thought out review. I am slightly wary of Aputure products now, between the current state of their support system and I have been seeing my fellow gaffers and DP owner operators have an alarming failure rate of Aputure products over the years. Just from normal wear and tear. My 600D even has magenta shifted to an extreme degree. That said, what a light. I think this might be the best product Aputure has ever put out. Tim Kang's video about the ultraviolet spectrum and seeing the shirt comparison on white light was definitely eye opening. To be honest, there is a visible difference in my opinion on quality and color of light from hot lights to LED. Though for many and myself LEDs far outweighs the little pros hot lights may have over LEDs.
@@SlideWreckDan it didn't want to say it in the review, but 1 year ago I thought Aputure was doomed. This product feels like the brand's redemption.
Thank you.
Thanku n love frm nepal..
THANX
Thank you 🙏👍
Great review. Happy to see someone pointing out the beam angle differences against the evoke. In any of your testing, did you put the 1200x up against the 1200d in a way where their beam spread was equal? Sure, on paper the 1200x is brighter, but if it’s more spotted at the same distance compared to the 1200d, of course it would be brighter.
@@DylanTee I just don't have the time.
Solid 24 Karat.
As far as repair goes all of those are better then having an HMI ballast repaired. Ive only attempted to send in 2 of the many I have stacked up currently. One took over a year and when I got it back it lasted a half hour. The other one has been gone for 2 years. I live in the most remote city on the planet so sending them in is always a pain and I think repair places take advantage of that fact.
@@jfratis9081 I can't imagine staying calm at all, where are you located
@@gaffergear Hawaii.
@jfratis9081 I'm guessing that most shoots that go there want to shoot on the beach as well! Which probably doesn't help the ballasts
@@gaffergear beach, near beach, jungle, mud, etc. Where I live the air can be so heavily laden with salt it looks like fog. After a month long jungle movie I opened all the 4k Leonetti ballasts and they had an inch of mud in the bottom but continued to work. I still have a 20+ year old unit that i used yesterday. The Power Gems, Power to Light, and Sunray havent been as durable. Arri powder coating doesnt fare well over here either. We get a lot of "wrap rain." Can be clear all day and as soon as we wrap instant downpour. The sprinter gets an occasional dehumidifying set on max all night long. Hard to keep rags nice. Ultrabounces get "barfy" in a week. When muz gets damp it just falls apart.
Great review as always! Do you know if it could be mounted on the Nanlite PJ-BM like the 600C did? I know 600x couldn't
@@DrumHead23 I didn't even think to look. I will ask my contacts at Nanlite what the highest wattage it can take is because I try.
The middle finger at the end really quick tho! Slyyyyy
@@js7082 Manufacturers need to focus on not just selling us the product, but helping us maximise the profit by keeping the product working, and getting it back on set fast
Hi Andrew, thanks for the review. Two questions:
1) Are you gonna test this light with the Spotlight Max? I'm curious to see how it performs, even it hasn't been designed to be use with this accessory.
2) Are you gonna test this with the new CF12 Fresnel? Maybe in a follow up episode or when you get your hands on the new 1000C and 80C Storm lights.
Thanks again.
The 1200x and the Spotlight Max are designed to work together.
@@jimmyalles273 I sold my spotlight max unfortunately (I didn't know this was coming when I sold it) otherwise I would have kept it for review.
I am very excited about the new Fresnel because of the skids, finally a fresnel I can just pull off the shelf, and use as a Bowen mount light if I need to. Not the other way around. I just hope it's good. It looks like it will be a good weight for a one man lift which is important to be
Nice! Been waiting for this one. Just bought one too. You mentioned the downside of pulsing in faster shutter speeds when taking stills. How does it affect the shots? Just the exposures in the shots or does it affect color-metrics aswell?
@@KenOja you get banding through the image where one row of pixels as received a puls of light and the next row didn't. , You can see it in the section where I talk about dimming. Under dimming in the index.
Do the power supplies differ in size? I dont use the soft cases for 1200ds. I have a crate/shelf system that packs 2 in the space of one case but its dependent on power supply size.
@@jfratis9081 deflectors are bigger, power supply is the same size
@@gaffergear ok. thank you. Im not a fan of the dishes. Mine live with the fresnels attached. Not a big fan of the fresnel that doesnt work like a fresnel but its better then the solar hotdog cookers. Thank you again.
@jfratis9081 My plan, assuming the fresnel is good, is to have these sitting in the van with the fresnel attached ready to go. I reckon that will be 80% of my use of these.
Nice review! Now I’m curious to know how recomendable would be to use a DJI power to fire up this light, could you do a video talking about the power stations (like ecoflows) and if they’re a good options to fire up led lights
@@stivenbano5073 I have a few eccoflow reviews. The power factor in this light is ideal for those solutions because it won't stress the inverter at all. It just comes down to if the system can output the nearly 1500w to drive it.
@ Sorry I didn’t notice you did reviews of the ecoflows I’ll check it out then now, but it would be good to see your opinion about the DJI power specially consider it’s 600$~ price and 2200W output advertised, that it’s a lot compared to ecoflows in the same price point
@stivenbano5073 a lot of camera guys have, and love them, not enough capacity for me, but amazing value
Excellent review as always. Was waiting to hear your opinion on this. I'm currently weighing up my options to fill out my kit, and the arrival of both the 1200x and the 1000c has made me hesitate. Now that they've unveiled two iterations of their new BLAIR light engine (both X and C) I'm curious as to how long it will be before they update the 300w and 600w lights with the BLAIR engine as well. And in that case two 600c's might be more useful. Are you likely to be doing a review of the 1000c soon?
Also, thank you for pointing out the issue with repair times, which while improving is still an issue. I know a couple of people here in Ireland who had similar experiences to you with the 1200d, in that the repair took months (but they were lucky in that they could borrow mine in the interim). It really has made me hesitate to spend €4000 or more on one of their larger fixtures (1000c , CS15, or XT26) , if there's no support here and no one locally is like to have a spare.
@@gearoidosullivan356 They are definitely getting better with repairs, so I feel bad saying it in the review, but it is a genuine reason why I'm only buying 3 of these and not 7 of them. I think this is the best 1200 on the market, it just needs the best back up and support to get the success that its engineering team deserves.
@@gaffergear Cheers Andrew. I've heard whispers of a more local repair set up here in Europe, which would be nice. I'm really hoping the new BLAIR engine lights are a big success for them as they do seem to be a good jump forward in the quality of light. Considering how much use I've gotten out of my 300x's and 600x's, I'd be delighted to be able to update my figures with BLAIR versions (and get that bit of an output boost as well).
I know you briefly touched on the fan noise, but would you consider it a potential problem if you were using it relatively close to the talent through a lightdome 150 for example (we use a 600x + dome so often, but on occasion, with a magic cloth diffusion and a grid you can sometimes be left wanting more output). The 1200x would solve that output issue.
@gearoidosullivan356 I don't think it would be a problem. I set it up as a key light yesterday with the dome, and I didn't even consider it.
Boy - I’d really love to hear you comment on those R9 cri numbers that seemed strangely low until you hit 10000kelvin. Does that concern you, @andrewlocke ? I saw some desaturated skin on aputure’s own comparison video, and that would track with these low R9 numbers at least in my viewing.
It's not uncommon for lights to have r9 below 90?
It’s actually one of the metric colors that lighting manufacturers focus on, and typically we see r9 scores in the high 90’s on modern LED. R12 scores are often low, but r9 levels this low are unusual and concerning. I have to dig deeper and look at the other scores but to me this confirms one of the gotcha’s I was seeing in the launch video.
R9 has little to do with skin tones. it's a saturated red patch. during fluorescent light days, r9 became synonymous with skin tone quality because of the unique spectrum of fluorescent lights.
Skin tones need full spectral match with daylight or tungsten in order to look great for most cameras. this is why SSI and tm-30 color vector graphic have become more important, especially in the day and age of led, to guess based off of metrics how a light may do with skin tone rendering in camera.
@timkang1980 of course I appreciate your knowledge in this area. But can you explain why I should not be concerned by the rather large swing in saturation of the skin tones and pink hair (11:26 on the pink hair model from the launch video) compared to daylight (and even the comparison bi-color) in this shot comparison from the launch video? Additionally, if tm-30 is where your gonna hang your hat, should we not be concerned about the skew away from red on most of the lower kelvin TMA30 tests Andrew posted here (those below 5600k)?
@@barrygoyette I don't hang my hat on any single metric. TM30 is more detailed, better modeled, and ultimately more useful. Judging off of CRI is simply outdated, especially when folks still attribute R9 to skin tone.
It's an extremely complicated subject. Skin tone is full spectrum in variation across different people and in its own composition. it's not a red color patch.
1) Hi Andrew thanks for checking in with Aputure officially on the UV light emitted. To clarify the comparison to an M18 is with both fixtures bare bulb?
Also any chance you could copy what Aputure’s answer was in a pinned comment or reply here? Think it’s good to empower crew and talent to know what the levels are so everyone is comfortable and aware of the risks even if they aren’t deemed hazardous per Aputure’s claims/measurements.
2) About the flicker issue, at what max shutter speed would flicker begin to show in stills/video? Also would a global shutter camera completely negate this issue?
Thank you!
the values were compared to an M18 with its UV shield on. one can't turn it on without it closed, unless it's directly cracked and removed from the door itself.
@@108u9 it gets all very complicated and super nerdy. But here was the final summary from Tim Kang who did the testing....
"on average.... 1/3 less uv-a than an m18, 3% less violet an an m18"
This was with an M18 lamp head as comparison. Not bare bulb.
But to note, another gaffer here is saying he has lamp stock that has a UV blocker in the glass, and he gets no UV at all out of those in combination with the M18 safety glass.
I'm not sure what shutter speeds we hit problems at. (With Apertures previous lights with the same PWM) some guys as low as 200th. But I suspect a slow rolling shutter. We had a stills guy today who had no issues with the 1200x at 18% brightness shooting tallent sitting in front of camera.
It definitely flickers like crazy on a Phantom at 1000 FPS.
I do a lot of sports team promotion, players kicking a ball for example. That sort of stuff I get caught on with the flicker with the stills guys.
@@108u9 Tim Kang who has replied here is the colour scientist from Aputure who did the tests. He is very involved in the colour science committee's with ASC and the Academy. So I trust him because his reputation extends beyond Aputure.
@@gaffergear I found the upper limit of flicker is about 1/240s, so I would say 120fps at 180° is the max I would go for frame rate at standard dimming mode. I still haven't gotten anything to artifact with High Speed mode.
I have told people to pretty much treat this like an M18. similar output, size, and workflow with a ballast and needing to switch it to high speed mode for similar ranges.
@@timkang1980 that's handy to know as it's way lower than I expected it to be.
🍿
So is this a tungsten replacement?
@@NPC_averagemale003 if not it's as close as LED has got
Wait, Aputure claims the 1200d beam angle is 66° and the 1200x/1000c is 67° so something is up with their numbers...
@@zebius4157 could be evenness of the beam, and not edge to edge. 1200D might have more drop off because it doesn't have any mixing lens on it. It definitely looks wider to my eye
I’m assuming it’s louder than a 600x?
@@DavidEllsDP I can't remember the 600x all that well as they were a while ago. If it is louder it wouldn't be by much.
dang, you are getting your gear repaired? They never even emailed me back when i contacted them for repair
@@austinscherzberg4569 Man, sorry to hear that
looks like they fixed the horribly kinky head feeder problem.
@@jfratis9081 yep, they definitely pack that better, I still have 1200Ds with kinked cables
Aputure's release schedule is getting out of control. 1200d last year, 1200x this year. I feel like my 1200d is redundant with its out of whack white chip.
@@willchurchill7931 they did wait a long time before coming out with a 1200x. It's well over a year and a half, but if I purchased a 600C MK2 RGBWW light three months ago before they announced the 1000c I would be very very very upset.