Aputure NOVA II 2×1 Launched – Kicking Off a New Generation of Panels

Aputure launched the NOVA II 2×1 at IBC 2025, marking the beginning of a brand new technology of their panel lineup. The sunshine debuts with the brand new Blair-CG engine, an eight-color chipset that delivers greater accuracy and a broader spectrum. It additionally reaches an SSI round 90, giving nearer matches to sunlight and tungsten, and comes with a brand new front-mount accent system for sooner gentle shaping. We spoke with Mitch Gross to get all the main points.The Nova line started with the Nova P300c, adopted by the bigger P600c, each of which grew to become widespread as versatile full-color panels. With the launch of the NOVA II, Aputure isn’t simply updating these lights; it’s opening a brand new chapter within the collection, one constructed round a redesigned chipset and expanded management that set it other than the first-generation fashions.Management panel. Picture credit score: CineDAputure NOVA II 2×1 – extra management over colorAccording to Mitch, management is the place the largest change lies. Early RGB panels gave broad ranges of shade, however they weren’t all the time exact, and matching sources usually required gels or further models. With the Blair-CG engine, the NOVA II permits fine-tuned shifts in hue and green-magenta steadiness, letting cinematographers create or match seems to be straight on the fixture. Mitch pointed to paint distinction – the power to make use of refined hue variations between key and fill – as a inventive software that’s now a lot simpler to realize.Eight-color diode design. Picture credit score: AputureThe Blair-CG EngineAt the core of the NOVA II 2×1 is Aputure’s Blair-CG chipset, developed after the corporate acquired Prolycht. It makes use of an eight-color diode design: blue, lime, amber, indigo, purple, cyan, inexperienced, and deep purple, to broaden the spectral protection. With its broader mixture of diodes, the engine delivers extra correct whites and richer colours throughout a large 1800 to twenty,000K vary, and it stays constant when used alongside different lights on set.Picture credit score: CineDOutput and reliabilityThe NOVA II isn’t nearly shade. Aputure positions it as delivering roughly twice the output of comparable fixtures whereas sustaining excessive constancy. It reaches an SSI round 90, which means nearer matches to sunlight and tungsten, and it’s constructed with an IP65-rated physique for climate resistance in each studio and placement work.Picture credit score: AputureControl and light-weight shaping Alongside onboard changes and app management, the NOVA II helps skilled protocols like DMX, RDM, CRMX, and Artwork-Internet/sACN, so it might probably slot into the whole lot from a small one-person setup to a console-driven studio community with out further gear in between.Aputure additionally launched a direct front-mount accent system. It permits sooner swaps of diffusers, domes, grids, and barn doorways with out slide-in frames, rushing up rigging and light-weight shaping. The broader ecosystem consists of yokes, arrays, and devoted softboxes from DoP Selection.Worth and availabilityThe NOVA II 2×1 is now obtainable for pre-order and is priced at $3,690, or $3,890 with a rolling case. For extra data, go to the Aputure web site.