Litepanels, a pioneer in LED lighting for the film, photographic, and broadcast industries, announced significant upgrades to its professional LED lighting range. Building on the quality and popularity of the innovative Astra 1x1 panel, the next-generation Litepanels Astra 3X and 6X LED panels now feature a significant increase in output and yet a decrease in power consumption. In addition, the daylight-balanced Sola 4+ and Sola 6+ Fresnel lights incorporate new highly rated LEDs that produce greater output than their predecessors.
   

Harnessing all of the benefits of LEDs, the latest Astra and Sola lights are ideal for both studio and on-location shoots. In addition to delivering higher-quality color rendering, they can be powered by professional camera batteries, making them ideal for studios looking to save power and reduce costs.

"Filmmakers, broadcast studios, and content producers alike have commented on how our Sola and Astra lines continuously outperform other LED lights on the market today," said Pat Grosswendt, co-founder of Litepanels and professional gaffer. "And now, with their improved output, these lights can be used in a variety of applications with the added benefit of being able to go fully mobile with battery power. Users can take these upgraded lighting solutions into remote locations without being tethered to a wall outlet, which ultimately saves them time and money on set."

The Astra 3X and 6X panels are now available in either daylight or tunable bi-color models. Offering up to 50 percent more intensity across all models while drawing less power allows for longer battery run time. The new Astra 6X is six times brighter than the original 1x1 model while the Astra 3X is three times brighter.

Like all Astra panels, both of these new lighting series feature high CRI and TLCI that yields exceptional color reproduction. The bi-color models allow for transitional color tuning from daylight to tungsten to accommodate any lighting situation. Also, with smooth dimming from 100 percent to 0 percent and no color shift throughout the entire range, color and intensity can be quickly adjusted either manually or remotely via the available optional Bluetooth and DMX communications modules.

Compared with their predecessors, the daylight-balanced Sola 4+ LED Fresnel offers a greater than 120 percent increase in output while the new Sola 6+ has an incredible 50 percent increase. Producing full-spectrum, directional illumination, the new Sola 4+ and Sola 6+ offer the controllability and light-shaping properties inherent in Fresnel lights, but at a small fraction of the power draw of conventional Fresnel lighting. The custom Fresnel lenses emit an even, collimated light source that can be focused and controlled for maximum flexibility. The Sola range of LEDs provides cool daylight illumination with the unique ability to control both focus and intensity via standard DMX 512 protocol and without the heat generation of a traditional Fresnel.

In addition, these Sola LED Fresnels save on production time by allowing for a quick setup with DC operation via professional camera batteries such as Anton/Bauer Gold Mount and V-Mount 14.4 V batteries. For a faster break down, the lights' cool-to-the-touch operation means that users won't have to wait for them to cool off, unlike traditional Fresnel lighting. Additionally, the color temperature of the Solas is designed to match existing daylight-balanced Fresnel fixtures, so they can be easily installed for side-by-side use either in the studio or on location.

As the smallest DMX-controllable LED Fresnel on the market, the Sola 4+ only draws up to 53W from the outlet, making its lightweight and low-power operation perfect for rigging and travel. Likewise, the incredibly energy-efficient Sola 6+ draws only 104W, which greatly reduces HVAC costs in studios.

The Astra 6X and 3X Bi-color will be available to ship in June 2017 while the Astra 6X and 3X Daylight will be available to ship in September. The Sola 4+ and 6+ lights will be available to ship by July.