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| Aputure Storm 80C 3-Light Kit |
A follow-up to my post about the Aputure Storm 80C kit:
https://electricgrip.blogspot.com/2025/12/electric-tech-aputure-storm-80c-kit.html
I got to use the 3-light 80C kit for the first time last week. It was a product studio shoot. The 80Cs were great. They live up to all the hype.
I used all three heads on the shoot; one with the softbox, one with the fresnel, and one with the Spotlight Mini lens. They were awesome; easy to use with great color quality.
Once I had to match an appliances' LED color. Using the XY mode on the light, I had the color matched perfectly!
(Of course, a "perfect" color match is not possible from different sources. Different LEDs will have different color gamuts. It gets even harder from different types of sources like trying to match an LED light to a fluorescent light. There are different physical properties to the fluorescent. Lights like the 80C with it's deep color gamut will have the best results. When I'm trying to match a light, I'll use X-Y coordinates with a full color light like the 80C or an Astera Titan tube. Most of the time, I cannot see a difference.)
I am really impressed with the Spotlight Mini. It is not part of the 80C kit but it seems like an essential accessory. The spotlight is well designed with excellent optics. I already think I need to get another one.
I'm so impressed with the 80C kit, I already think I need to get another one of these, too.
PS: Before the Aputure Storm 80C kit, the go-to location kit was the tungsten Arri kit:
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| An Arri kit with a 1K open face and 3-650 fresnels |
It seems like yesterday these kits were ubiquitous on every location shoot but no longer. LEDs have replaced them. I haven't rented my Arri kit in over 3 years. I don't plan to sell it though. I still occasionally use lights out of the kit.
My rental business, https://www.electric-plus-grip.com/, still has a package of tungsten lights. I don't use them much anymore, but like the Arri kit, I have no plans to sell any of them. I use them occasionally. I love the look of tungsten lights and use them when I can.
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| photo by Jake Heim |
One of my favorite tungsten lights, the Mole Richardson 5K par (on the set of The Big Ugly).