Great, easy to use, lights make production run smoother. Last year, at NAB 2015 Arri introduced us to their latest LED light, the Skypanel. This year at NAB2016 they’ve added a ton of great features. And a note on the video; camera geeks shoot 2.35:1 at NAB for fun.

One of the biggest updates is there is now no need to bring the pack of gels with you on a shoot if you’re shooting with these lights. Roscoe and Lee gels have all be added to the firmware and are a dialed in color temperature away.  My buddy, and sometimes PVC contributor, Nathan Thompson talks to Arri about the Skypanel light.

This light is extremely bright and has to be one of the easiest lights to use out there. With the Skypanel you get a ton of light across the entire CCT range. The larger panel is nearly equal to a 4K soft light. Yet, with the power you also get a light performance similar to traditional bulbs when dimmed down to lower light levels. With the simple turn of a knob you and turn your color balance from 2800K to 10,000K. While this light may not be a purchase for many shooters, I think it is definitely a renter. For maybe a little bit extra in rental $ you can likely save yourself a ton of time on set.