If you are looking for new LED lights and are based in the USA, then mark the dates November the 9th and 10th in your calendar. Litepanels in North American are going to have a 48 hour flash sale on their Astra 1×1 E Daylight LED panels. For those two days only the lights will have a massive 30% discount for as long as stocks last.
The Astra 1×1 E Daylight LED is the entry level model in the Litepanel’s 1×1 lineup, it is daylight only but has excellent colour reproduction with a high CRI – in common with the higher end Astras. The light output is similar to the original 1x1s that have been the favourite of many news crews for years now, but the design is that of the newer Astra family. It has a 45 degree beam angle as standard, which can be modified using diffusers, softboxes or optional nanoptic filters. The light is flicker free dimmable from 100% to 0 and there is an optional communications module that allows control by iOS device via Bluetooth.
The Astra lights have a yoke that allows the light to angled downwards significantly without blocking the light output. This can be very useful in typical interview lighting conditions. The light will run on mains power as standard, with the option to add Anton Bauer or V-lock battery plates to the yoke. One thing to note is that these don’t come with the light and must be purchased separately.
Orders will be taken starting at 9 am Eastern Standard Time (EST) on November 9th and ending at 5 pm Pacific Standard Time (PST) on November 10th or while supplies last through authorised Litepanels dealers in North America.
For a quick run through of the features of the Astra range check out this video from NAB 2015. The Astra 1×1 E is essentially a single colour version of the bi-colour seen in this video:
Newsshooter at NAB 2015: LitePanels Astra Family from Dan Chung on Vimeo.
For more details on the Astra 1×1 E Daylight check out the Litepanels website.
