ARRI SkyPanel X RGBACL Modular LED Light Announced

Lighting News

by Jeff LochSeptember 14^th, 2023

ARRI has just announced a new version of their industry-standard LED panels: the SkyPanel X. This new 2×1 fixture now uses RGBACL technology, the panel is now divided into eight-pixel zones that can be programmed/animated, it is IP66 weatherproof, and, since the SkyPanel X is a modular light, you can change the front attachment between a soft, hard, or S-60 adapter that works with all existing original SkyPanel accessories. So, let’s take a closer look at it!

The original ARRI SkyPanels were introduced in April 2015, which sounds like an eternity in the lighting world. However, these fixtures are part of most rental houses worldwide and for years have been a go-to for many filmmakers thanks to their excellent light quality, reliability, and features. Time flies, and many more affordable/powerful/feature-rich 2×1 LED panels hit the market originating from various companies such as CreamSource or ZOLAR, for example.

ARRI’s latest lighting product release was the Orbiter spotlight LED fixture in 2019. Now, four years later, ahead of IBC 2023, ARRI has just introduced a revamped version of its original SkyPanels: the SkyPanel X.

ARRI SkyPanel X – features

The ARRI SkyPanel X is a 2×1 RGBACL LED panel that measures 73.8 x 33.9 x 15.4cm/29.1 x 13.3 x 6.1″ without the yoke. Like most ARRI fixtures, the SkyPanel X is far from being compact or lightweight, with a weight of 33.1 lbs/15kg for the fixture only, and 39.7 lbs/18kg if you add the yoke.

At the back of the SkyPanel X, you’ll find two AC input/through power inputs, one 48V power input for battery operation, two 5-pin XLR DMX In/Out ports, two RJ45 ethernet ports which are EtherCON compatible, one USB-C port, and one LEMO port for the new ALL-WEATHER control panel.

According to the company, the SkyPanel X is IP66 weatherproof. It means that it can survive the most challenging shooting scenarios, and ARRI even mentions that you can clean it with a pressure washer if you want to.

Modular attachments

As I previously mentioned, the SkyPanel X is an RGBACL fixture. In CCT mode, it can go from 1,500 to 20,000K, with impressive CRI ratings of 99 and a TLCI reading of 93. According to ARRI, “the RGBACL full-spectrum light engine features the best ARRI lighting color science to date, enhancing skin tones and achieving deep color reproduction.”

The front panel of the SkyPanel X is divided into eight-pixel zones that can be animated/programmed independently, which can come in handy in VFX and virtual production shooting environments.

The SkyPanel X is a modular fixture, which means you can attach various lighting modifiers to the front of it. At launch, ARRI is releasing three lighting modifiers:

• Dome: to create a soft light source. It gives you a light output of around 1500lx at 3m/10ft.
• HyPer Optic: to create a very hard and directional light source. The light output using the HyPer Optic is impressive at around 50.000lx at 3m/10ft.
• S60 Adapter: adapt all the existing lighting modifiers created for the original SkyPanel S60.

On top of that, you can stack up to three SkyPanel X panels together using the optional rigging accessories to create a giant 6×2 LED light.

Lighting controls

The SkyPanel X can be controlled in many ways: wired and wirelessly. Out of the box, it supports Bluetooth 5.0, Wireless CRMX, Wireless DMX, and Art-Net. Also, the SkyPanel X can be controlled via the ARRI LiCo Android/iOS App.

Pricing and availability

At the time of writing this article, the ARRI SkyPanel X can be pre-ordered through ARRI’s website and authorized resellers, but we don’t have any pricing information yet.

For more information and to request a quote, please visit ARRI’s website here.

What do you think about this evolution of the original SkyPanel? Have you already shot with ARRI lighting fixtures? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments below!