Lighting manufacturer Astera has today announced their new series of Fresnel lights. They’re kicking off with the 300W PlutoFresnel and the larger 1,000W LeoFresnel. Astera says that the two lights are designed to “plug a significant gap in the market”. Essentially, they see a big gap in the LED lighting market and a distinct lack of LED Fresnels.
There are a number of Fresnel attachments on the market for standard COB LEDs, but very few dedicated Fresnel LED lights. The PlutoFresnel puts out the equivalent of a 300W light while drawing only 80W. The higher output LeoFresnel draws only 250W while putting out the equivalent of a 1,000W. Both lights also offer a wide range of full-spectrum colours thanks to their RGBMA LED makeup.
Astera PlutoFresnel – Portable powerful lighting
The PlutoFresnel, Astera says, is designed for film, studio and event lighting. With an output comparable to that of a 300W traditional tungsten light, it draws only 80W of power. This low power consumption means it’s easily powered by batteries. It even features a built-in battery that provides up to 20 hours of runtime, or three hours at maximum power. It can also be powered externally through a 24v DC input and either 14.4v or 26v V-Mount or Gold Mount batteries.
It has a very wide colour temperature range from 1,750K up to 20,000K. Between 3,200K and 6,500K, it provides TLCI and CRI ratings of 96+. Being an RGBMA (Red, Green Blue, Mint, Amber), it offers RGB, HSI, X,Y and Filter Gel colour modes.
Mount it anywhere
The yoke is adjustable. You’re able to move it backward and forward on the light itself, allowing you to alter its centre of gravity. This means you can adjust its position for easy balancing with fixtures added like batteries or modifiers. It’s also completely removable. This allows you to mount the light directly onto the top of light stands as usual or fold out a pair of legs on the yoke to set it down on a surface.
Astera PlutoFresnel Specs
Model | Astera PlutoFresnel (AF80) |
Colours | RGB + Mint + Amber |
Total LED Power | 105W |
LED Power Draw | 80W |
Equivalent to | 300W Tungsten |
Beam Angle | 15-60° |
Runtime on Max | 3H |
Max Runtime | 20H |
External Battery Power | 24VDC |
Wired DMX | Yes (via FP3-DTL / PWB-2-86) |
CRMX Receiver | Built-in |
Bluetooth Bridge (BTB) | Built-in |
Wireless Protocols | CRMX, UHF, Bluetooth, WiFi, RDM |
Wireless Range | CRMX/UHF Up to 300 m / 330 yds Bluetooth Up to 3 m / 3.3 yds |
IP Rating Unwired | IP55 (only with PB15-PLG) |
IP Rating Wired | IP55 (only with PWB-CAB-0.2/-1.5/-5/-10/-15) |
Astera LeoFresnel – 4x the sum of its parts
The Astera LeoFresnel is the more powerful of the two lights. It puts out the equivalent amount of light to a 1,000W Tungsten LED but draws only 250W of power. Its zoomable Fresnel lens offers a beam angle of 15-60° with wired and wireless DMX control over its output levels. Like the PlutoFresnel, it’s an RGBMA light offering a wide range of colour modes and a white balance range of 1,750K up to 20,000K, with a 96+ CRI an TLCI rating between 3,200K and 6,500K.
It also features a built-in battery that provides up to 2 hours of use at maximum power, or up to 20 hours at lower power. For external power, it accepts a DC input from 12-48VDC up to a maximum current of 15 Amps through a 3-pin XLR connector. Alternatively, it can be powered by V-Mount or Gold Mount batteries, using either a single 26v battery or a pair of 14.4v batteries. It also supports AC power on 100-240v at either 50Hz or 60Hz frequencies.
Astera LeoFresnel Specs
Model | Astera PlutoFresnel (AF250) |
Colours | RGB + Mint + Amber |
Total LED Power | 350W |
LED Power Draw | 250W |
Equivalent to | 1,000W Tungsten |
Beam Angle | 15-60° |
Runtime on Max | 2H |
Max Runtime | 20H |
External Battery Power | 12-48VDC (Max 15A) |
Wired DMX | Yes |
CRMX Receiver | Built-in |
Bluetooth Bridge (BTB) | Built-in |
Wireless Protocols | CRMX, UHF, Bluetooth, WiFi, RDM |
Wireless Range | CRMX/UHF up to 300 m / 330 yds Bluetooth up to 3 m / 3.3 yds |
IP Rating Unwired | IP55 |
IP Rating Wired | IP55 |
Price and Availability
No prices have been published for either the Astera PlutoFresnel or the LeoFresnel as of yet. If you’re interested in either of the lights, you’ll have to head to the Astera website and request a quote.
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