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The Aputure MT Professional, first introduced alongside a coming MC Professional replace at NAB 2022, is a singular 1-foot $199 RGBWW tube gentle with built-in Lumen Radio CRMX and a whopping 36 individually controllable pixels in that very same small footprint. With banner options like that, it’s plain geared toward “Professional” customers (it’s within the title in spite of everything), and but it ships with a tiny tripod that appears geared toward desk-based content material creators. These wi-fi DMX options combined with a tiny desk tripod is a little bit of quandary and it’s a quandary that I’m excited to discover on this overview of the Aputure MT Professional.The Aputure MT Professional is being marketed as a tube gentle and it’s certainly a tube gentle, however I’d say the design is extra of a half-tube. That is necessary to think about as a result of on this configuration you aren’t getting fairly as huge a beam angle as, say, with the amaran T4c RGBWW tube. By some means Aputure has crammed a bunch of options into the petite 1-foot MT Professional:36 Pixels (consider these a bit like the sunshine engine “zones” within the Nova 600C, however they’re every 0.3 inches huge)Lumen Radio CRMX Management Built-in Battery Bluetooth Management over Sidus Hyperlink Inexperienced and Magenta +/- Management CCT Mode with 2,000K to 10,000K vary (expandable in Sidus Hyperlink to 1,500K to twenty,000K)HSI, RGB Modes (no X/Y) 7 Constructed-in Pixel Results (these are results that make use of these 36 previously-mentioned pixels)Aputure MT Professional: First ImpressionsThe Aputure MT Professional lives in a world of its personal and it’s difficult to discover a comparable product within the 1-foot built-in battery tube class. BB&S Lighting makes a single shade 1 foot fixture known as a “pipeline“, however, past the scale, it’s totally different in each method. Picture Credit score: Graham Ehlers Sheldon/CineDTwo 1/4″-20 mounting factors are on the base of the MT Professional and on one facet, whereas two built-in magnets full the mounting choices on the outside of the matte black fixture.Aputure MT Professional rear view full with included tiny tripod. Picture Credit score: Graham Ehlers Sheldon/CineDA vivid LCD display for handbook controls dominates the again of the system alongside a “menu” and “again” button paired with a small wheel that makes navigating the menu simple. This may be my favorite LCD display on a smaller Aputure product to this point – it’s simpler and quicker to navigate than the unique Aputure MC, for instance. The tiny letters “CRMX” are seen above the LCD display and that’s only a trace of the wi-fi management potential for the MT Professional.The Aputure MT Professional package. Picture Credit score: Graham Ehlers Sheldon/CineDThe MT Professional base package ships with an Aputure branded tiny tripod, USB charging cable and grid that each one match right into a tiny molded case that isn’t a lot bigger than a faculty lunch field. The case itself does the trick, however there isn’t a lot wiggle room for including further equipment. You may match a hefty magnetic 1/4″-20 mount like this one in there in a pinch when you have been on the lookout for a heavier obligation magnet in contrast with the built-in choices.1/4″-20 facet mounting level. Picture Credit score: Graham Ehlers Sheldon/CineDOddly, the MT Professional has an inside battery (100 – 120 minutes of battery life at full output), whereas the amaran tube collection has person replaceable batteries. Each time doable, I would favor to have person replaceable batteries so I don’t must ship your complete gentle in for repairs. The included package grid is great and retains its form nicely when mounted on the sunshine. Grids/LCDs are surprisingly a tricky accent to get proper and I are inclined to want the DoPchoice variations versus any “package” grids. Here’s a uncommon exception – this grid doesn’t really feel like an afterthought in any respect.Picture Credit score: Graham Ehlers Sheldon/CineDAs I alluded to in my introduction, the addition of the tiny tripod within the package is a bit perplexing. I’m a Union DP working primarily in Los Angeles, but additionally touring globally and I’ve not often had the event to make use of a tiny tripod like this – with the uncommon exception of zoom calls through the ongoing pandemic. To me, the introduction of Lumen Radio CRMX (one thing only a few house content material creators are going to wish) is a bit in battle with the small included tripod that house content material creators may typically want.All of this spells out that Aputure may be a bit not sure of their target market for the MT Professional. I’m by no means going to complain concerning the introduction of a “free” accent in a package, however I may need instructed leaving this accent out and knocking a couple of bucks off the listing worth, whereas making the tripod an a la carte choice for consumers.Which leads me to… The Excellent Consumer?Who’s the Aputure MT Professional meant for and for what filming eventualities? Once more, as knowledgeable person within the TV, Movie and Digital house, I’m going to need and wish totally different options and please let me know within the feedback when you assume I missed any use circumstances out of your perspective.The menu is simple to navigate with the “Menu” and “again” buttons alongside the wheel. Picture Credit score: Graham Sheldon/CineDThe MT Professional’s dimension (1-foot) and weight (0.86lbs) imply it’s the proper hallway or normal set sensible gentle or the proper steadicam or gimbal-top fixture so as to add a little bit of fill on a protracted shifting shot. Given how helpful I believe this specific fixture is for sensible lighting, I’m hoping that Aputure will launch a package of 6, 10 and even 12 of those in an built-in charging laborious case. I may see myself utilizing a bunch of those in a single shot and given the CRMX wi-fi integration I may use a CRMX transmitter (my favorite recently is the Litepanels Apollo Bridge), set addresses on these lights and actually give myself a ton of management over these fixtures at a distance. Gaffers and lighting designers all over the place love the Lumen Radio CRMX protocol (over a decade previous at this level) and it’s simple to see why.Given its many pixels, I can even see the MT Professional as being very helpful for course of automotive or results heavy productions that may wish to prolong a background from a given LED quantity.The MT Professional provides us a glimpse at what a extra pro-aimed future may be for the amaran T2c and T4c fixtures that just lately began delivery. Whilst I’m simply diving into what the MT Professional has to supply, I’m already considering how helpful this platform can be as a 2-foot, 4-foot and even 8-foot fixture. Think about the enjoyable you would have with 288 controllable pixels in a hypothetical 8-foot MT Professional! Be nonetheless my beating coronary heart.Constructed-in Lumen Radio CRMX! Picture Credit score: Graham Ehlers Sheldon/CineDFor these customers who could by no means enter the huge world of DMX there may be nonetheless the superb Sidus Hyperlink App, controllable over Bluetooth. And with a easy Bluetooth reset on most new Aputure fixtures, you’ll be capable of join rapidly and get to filming. The MT Professional, paired with the Sidus app, additionally particularly is smart when used with the Music FX setting the place you possibly can set totally different colours to match the beat of a given music. Loads of live performance or stay occasion purposes open up there. For those who’re a content material creator merely on the lookout for an at-home desk 3-light setup, then I’d argue you don’t want some great benefits of wi-fi CRMX integration within the MT Professional or the pure up-charge that comes together with that characteristic. Relying on how advanced your own home studio is, then you definitely may be simply positive with a number of amaran T2c fixtures.Output & Kelvin Dealing with in CCT ModeI went forward and examined the output utilizing lux and shade dealing with (utilizing Kelvin) of the Aputure MT Professional at a distance of three toes with my Sekonic C-700U Spectrometer. Listed here are my outcomes, every with a goal of 5600K with no equipment or modifiers hooked up.A results of 5438K is near the 5600K goal and general end result – notably this rating isn’t fairly nearly as good because the recently-released Aputure LS 600C Professional. All through all my testing I landed at a CRI common of 96. I additionally double checked Aputure’s marketed output for the MT Professional (they examined at 1.5 toes) and their outcomes have been very according to mine. Now for a goal of 3200K: A results of 3140K is even slightly nearer to the goal of 3200K when in comparison with the outcomes on the daylight finish of the Kelvin vary. Lastly, let’s attempt a goal someplace within the center at 4700K: One other good results of 4588K with the goal of 4700K and I even see a slight output spike at this kelvin in CCT mode of 414 lux and 38.4 foot candles when in comparison with the opposite two targets. No considerations right here in my testing and it’s good to see my numbers lining up carefully with the producer supplied knowledge (not at all times the case within the business at massive).Conclusion The Aputure MT Professional. Picture Credit score: Graham Ehlers Sheldon/CineDThe Aputure MT Professional looks like the beginning of one thing larger. Astounding pixel density combined with wi-fi CRMX and incredible output (when in comparison with the scale) all come collectively in a spot that makes me wanting extra. To be clear, I’d need each extra MT Execs in a travel-friendly multi-unit rolling laborious case and extra size out of the MT Professional line within the type of a 4-footer and past. My guess is that house content material creators shall be finest served with the amaran branded tube lights and that skilled full time filmmakers will need a number of MT Execs of their package at minimal. The Aputure MT Professional is delivery now and retails for $199.What do you assume? Will you be including the MT Professional to your lighting package? Tell us within the feedback under!
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