This light uses the same BLAIR light engine technology found in our earlier STORM 1200x. The STORM lights are Aputure’s latest generation of point source lights, incorporating and expanding upon the earlier Light Storm and Electro Storm lines. All STORM lights use either the BLAIR tunable white or BLAIR-CG tunable color light engines. The alphanumeric convention XT52 connects to our next most powerful light, the Electro Storm XT26. The X is how Aputure refers to bi-color lights, such as the LS 600x Pro, with the letter signifying crossing from one CCT to another. The T refers to tint control, meaning +/- green adjustment. The 52 is in reference to the 5200W power consumption of the light when used with 220v power at full brightness with the standard 7.5M head cable.

There are two reasons for this. The first is based on the voltage of the electrical system used, commonly 110v or 220v which the STORM XT52 covers under two voltage ranges, 100-179v and 180-240v. On 110v power, the STORM XT52 is limited to a maximum power draw of 3200W, at which power it is about 10% brighter than the Electro Storm XT26. On 220v power, the STORM XT52 at maximum brightness and using the standard 7.5M head cable will draw 5200W of power.

The second reason is due to a feature of the head cables between the control box and lamp head. The head cables can be daisy chained from 7.5M up to 45M, but this requires more power to push through all that wiring. In 220v and 45M of head cables the STORM XT52 can draw up to 6000W. If the available power is not this high (such as when using a 6500W portable generator, for which the maximum continuous power is usually 5500W), there is a menu function to limit the maximum power draw of the system to a user-selected level. Using 110v power this menu item cannot go above 3200W.

Yes, the STORM XT52 can run at 3200W on 110v power. This makes it about 10% brighter than the Electro Storm XT26.

Yes, the Honda 6500W and 7000W generators are popular in many parts of the world. They are often modified to output 220v power. The STORM XT52 with the standard 7.5M head cable running full brightness on 220v draws less power than the maximum continuous output of these portable generators. The head cables can be daisy chained to extend to 45M, which can raise the power draw to 6000W. There is a menu function to limit the maximum power draw of the system to a user-selected level so that the STORM XT52 can still power from the generator at slightly less brightness.

As the head cable length increases, more resistance in the wires builds up. This resistance is expelled as heat. To make the cables more efficient would have meant greatly increasing the size and weight of the control box as well as the cables and their connectors. Aputure consulted professional rigging gaffers to determine the effective maximum length of 45M.

The BLAIR (Blue/Lime/Amber/Indigo/Red) light engine uses its five-color emitter system to achieve excellent tunable white light, with a CCT range from 2500K - 10,000K, full +/- green tint control, and excellent scores of TM-30 (RG): 101, SSI (Tungsten): 87, SSI (D56): 86. The five-color emitter system can also be used in Limited HSIC+ or x,y modes to dial to saturated colors covering 70% of the Rec.2020 color space.

The BLAIR light engine is optimized to deliver excellent tunable white light with high output and a rich white light spectrum. While the five color emitters can be used to reach a large color range, they were designed with these white light goals prioritized. The BLAIR colors cover 70% of the Rec.2020 color space, while a traditional RGB-based light has a slightly larger color range. The saturation range one might expect from an Aputure light is slightly smaller than on our RGBWW and BLAIR-CG tunable color lights, which is why the conservative Limited HSIC+ term is used.

The indigo emitter in the BLAIR and BLAIR-CG light engines outputs a calibrated near-UV light. This is mostly invisible to the human eye but certain chemicals and surfaces are activated by this light. The indigo causes these surfaces to fluoresce, changing their reflective color and glowing more brightly. This effect emulates the natural reaction of these materials and surfaces to the near-UV light in natural daylight and tungsten light. Because of this, the STORM lights are the only LEDs in the industry to accurately emulate natural light like true daylight or tungsten. The level of near-UV light output by the STORM lights is very low, just enough to activate the fluorescing reaction and less than a household tungsten light bulb.

The BLAIR light engine in the STORM XT52 is optimized to deliver the best tunable white light at the highest brightness per watt. A large part of the visible spectrum is in the green range, but it is weighted more towards lime than true technical green. By using a lime emitter, the BLAIR light engine outputs higher light levels. This increased efficiency is part of the reason why the STORM XT52 is so bright while also producing excellent tunable white light.

The ProLock Mount was developed to address issues with the Bowens standard for lighting modifiers. The ProLock is fast to use, holds the modifier securely to the light, and eliminates wobble and alignment issues. The STORM XT52’s COB light emitting surface is too large for the Bowens Mount to be used. The Aputure Mount on the STORM XT52 was first designed for the Electro Storm lights, and it avoided the issues of the Bowens Mount so a ProLock-type design is not needed. The Aputure Mount also incorporates electrical contacts for communication and power between the modifier and the light.

There are two White Light Standards, Blackbody and CIE Daylight. Blackbody is the color that items burn at different temperatures and is a mathematically-derived standard. CIE Daylight takes into account the natural shift to slightly green that the Earth’s atmosphere introduces to daylight. The CIE Daylight standard is slightly shifted green compared to the Blackbody standard above 4000K, which is the color temperature range associated with daylight. The STORM XT52 can switch its White Light Standard to Blackbody or CIE Daylight. Whether you need to match other LED lights which are calibrated to the Blackbody standard or you are matching real daylight, the STORM XT52 allows you to switch between the standards.

When used with a narrow reflector, the STORM XT52 is significantly brighter than a similarly focused ARRI M90. When used with medium and wide reflectors, the XT52 outperforms 6K HMIs and is much brighter than an ARRI M40. And of course the STORM XT52 is a tunable white light, maintaining its brightness across its CCT range of 2500K - 10,000K. The STORM XT52 can also be used to project saturated colors that cover 70% of the Rec.2020 color space, can be dimmed and is flicker free at any camera frame rate down to 20% output. The precisely calibrated BLAIR light engine is consistent from fixture to fixture, the light does not require a strike time to achieve proper color, it can be remotely controlled using DMX and CRMX and it is IP65 weather protected.