Aputure has announced its latest point-source LED. The Aputure STORM CS32 runs the company’s BLAIR-CG light engine and claims output rivaling a 4kW HMI, in a package one person can carry.
BLAIR-CG with Extended Red
The CS32 uses the newest version of Aputure’s BLAIR-CG engine, combining blue, lime, amber, indigo, red, cyan and green emitters. The indigo emitters activate natural fluorescence in fabrics and surfaces the way real daylight and tungsten do, without resorting to UV. Extended Red widens the red set, which enriches skin tones while holding output up.
White light quality
SSI scores come in at 93 for SSI [P3200] and 91 for SSI [CIE D5600], which Aputure describes as unprecedented white light quality. CCT range runs 1,800K to 20,000K with the full ASC MITC range of plus and minus green adjustment.
Color control happens through HSIC+, RGB and x,y coordinate tuning, covering more than 90% of the Rec. 2020 color space. Aputure makes a point of the yellows, arguing that matching yellow accurately across any CCT is what makes deep sunsets and sodium-vapor street scenes believable.
Photometrics
Maximum power draw is 3,200W, which is where the name comes from. Maximum light output is 2,600W. With the included 30-degree reflector at 5600K, the CS32 puts out 106,000 lux at 9.8 feet (3 meters). Bare, at the same distance and color temperature, it drops to 15,000 lux. Aputure positions that top figure against a 4kW HMI or a 10K tungsten Fresnel.
Native beam angle is 78 degrees, and optional XT52 reflectors cover 20, 25, 35 and 50 degrees.
Power handling is the practical story. In 220V countries, the CS32 runs at full output from a common household circuit. On 120V power, it automatically limits itself to what the circuit can deliver, roughly 80% of full brightness. Swap to a higher-powered circuit and you get the remaining output back.
Compact design
Nothing else at this output is this manageable. The lamp head weighs 17kg (37.5 pounds) and the control box 10.8kg (23.8 pounds), which means one person carries the head in one hand and the box and cables in the other.
The cubic head shape also lets you rig multiple CS32s tight together for arrays where space is short. The 24.6-foot (7.5-meter) head cable daisy-chains out to roughly 148 feet (45 meters), so the control box doesn’t have to live next to the light. The fixture is IP65 rated for weather resistance and outputs flicker-free at any frame rate or shutter angle.
What we think
Since spinning off Amaran to serve the indie end, Aputure has aimed its own brand squarely at high-end TV and film. The CS32 is the clearest statement of that yet, because it’s built to displace a genuine industry-standard fixture.
The pitch is straightforward: 4kW HMI brightness, white light quality that holds up under scrutiny, and full color tunability an HMI can’t touch. The part that may matter more on set is that a single person can rig it. Anyone who has waited on two grips to place a 4K knows what that saves.
If the CS32 performs the way Aputure says it does, it has a real shot at becoming the new default.
Pricing and availability
The Aputure STORM CS32 starts shipping in the European Union in October. B&H lists expected availability in the U.S. as mid-November. Pricing is $6,990 for the light kit and $7,590 with a flight case.
