My first Aputure product I bought was the Amaran HR672 light panels because I needed a portable light for a few outside shoots and these put out a lot of light in a small package. Check out my review HERE
At IBC 2016 this weekend Aputure introduced an all new version of the Amaran. The new Tri-8.
It has an all new sealed metal housing similar to the Light Storm LS1s with cooling fins and they added a bulletproof PVC front cover to protect the LED’s Nice job Aputure! Oh and yes even more output by adding more LEDs! How about 888 total! Thats 216 more and 25% brighter. The new Tri-8 will come in three different models. Spot, flood and bicolor. Aputure is also trying to workout the output issue with bicolor fixtures. It sure would be great to have the same output with bicolor lights than you have with dedicated kelvin versions.
Here is video live from IBC with Ted from Aputure showing all the goodies from the showroom floor.
https://www.facebook.com/Aputure/videos/1186508081410349/
The Tri-8 still use the popular and inexpensive Sony batteries but added a D-Tap power tap on the side so you can power the light with longer lasting Gold Mount or V-Mount’s. This is a great idea and I think a huge upgrade. The larger battery can be mounted where the AC power supply is located when it’s not in use. I use the HR672 with batteries 90% of the time now I can run even longer. On the back you have a battery indicator that lets you know how much actual time is left as opposed to a fuel gauge style. A nice upgrade is how the batteries lock into the Tri-8. Aputure added 2 secure quick release buttons. The batteries lock into place now instead of just sliding in and pressure locking.
The Tri-8 also uses the same type of remote control like many of the other Light Storm and Amaran fixtures for easy wireless control.
The handles on the back serve a couple purposes. For handholding when going Hollywood and also acts like a stand for say putting on table top. This makes it very versatile for a quick setup when you need a little pop! The Tri-8 still has the 1/4 20″ tap on the bottom for a light stand adapter.
The new Tri-8 uses the same accessories as the Amaran HR672 so if you have an EZ Box it will also work on the Tri-8. I did a full hands on review of the Ez box. Check out the video below.
Are you seeing what I’m seeing? Those crazy kids at Aputure are having some fun with LED placement. Staggering the LED’s also helps reduce the multiple shadow effect of LED’s and thats one packed array!
The Tri-8 should be available by December 2016. Pricing isn’t set yet but I would think they will be a little more expensive due to the higher quality build. Probably around 25% more or $350 to $400 for the kit that still comes with two Sony NPF batteries. All in all a very impressive upgrade and addition to the incredibly affordable lighting products by Aputure.
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The video link disappeared before I could check it out.
Any news on when Aputure will release their small spot/fresnel light model LS-C20?