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| The New Aputure Storm 400X |
I was excited to get a new Aputure Storm 400Xs. I was planning on buying several more of these. With the fresnel lens, it's a very impressive light, but I was soon disappointed. After a few hours of use, it stopped working. There seems to be serious technical problems with this light.
I brought the 400X specifically for a week-long shoot. I had updated the firmware on the 400X before the shoot. It worked great for a few hours. It was turned off for a new lighting setup. When I turned it back on, the head was unresponsive. It tried every trick I know of but could not get it to work. Checking the firmware, the head showed "ver 0.00". Obviously, there is a problem.
After the shoot, I had time to reach out to Aputure support. They suggested a forced firmware update. To my pleasant surprise, the light started working again but it was only temporary. I tested the light a few hours later. It was no longer working. Again, I did the forced firmware update. The light started working. After leaving the light off (and unplugged) for awhile, I checked it. The light was not working. It tried the force firmware update again but this time it did not work. I tried a few more time, but the head would no longer respond.
Checking online, I found many complaints from people with Storm 400Xs with the same issue; the head not working. I am so surprised. There is much hype about Aputure's new generation of Storm lights with the BLAIR engine. Deservedly so, these are great lights. They are a gaffer's dream come true. Well designed, these lights are bright with superb color quality. The Storm 1200X seem to be essentially the same light. I've had no issues with these. The same with my XT52; no problems at all. I'm guessing Aputure rushed the 400Xs out before they were ready.
My 400X is at the repair shop. They said they have a backlog of a few weeks. Not surprising if they are being deluged with defective 400Xs arriving for repair. I guess I'll eventually find out what this defect is; I'm guessing the board in the head or maybe the software. At least it is under warranty.