Aputure has announced three new NOVA II fixtures at IBC 2025. The NOVA II 2×1 panel, NOVA II 1×1 and the NOVA II 9° fixture, alongside an ecosystem of modifiers and mounting accessories. It offers tunable white from 1,800-20,000K CCT, tunable color over more than 90% of Rec.2020, and what is claimed to be class-leading brightness.
The NOVA II 2×1 is 1000W, and the 1×1 is 500W. They share the same features; however, the 1×1 is half the output and size. The NOVA II 9° features a distinct lens design and a slightly modified LED configuration, resulting in a very punchy and bright light output, rather than a wide HSL range. It uses very large lenses to achieve the narrow beam.
The Aputure NOVA II 9° is a 2×1 professional LED panel light designed to concentrate its beam, offering the narrowest beam angle of its panel family to reach greater distances than other panel lights on the market. It features the BLAIR-CG light engine for accurate, high-fidelity white and saturated color light, an IP65 weatherproof, lightweight, and quiet design, and delivers high output without visible color fringing due to its unique three-part optical formula. The large lenses do an excellent job of creating the tight, punchy beam.
The NOVA II is a follow-up to the Nova P600c, which was announced way back in 2021. The original Nova P300c was announced way, way back in 2018.
Aputure states that the NOVA II is a no-compromise light, excelling in all aspects.
After the launch of the STORM lights last year, people immediately started asking Aputure when they would make a BLAIR-CG panel light. The challenge was to make the best tunable white light panel that was also the best tunable color panel, and have it bright when used directly as a narrow 35° beam without being reduced to nothing with a diffuser. That was a hard task for the engineering team; however, they expanded on the BLAIR-CG performance by adding in Deep Red to balance the fluorescing Indigo for improved skin tones and color range.
Key features
- 1000W output LED panel light fixture
- BLAIR-CG chipset: Blue, Lime, Amber, Indigo, Red, Cyan, Green diodes
- Advanced white point control with green/magenta color correction (±G 100%
- Full ASC MITC Range)
- CCT range of 1,800K-20,000K
- Bare bulb output: 24,700lux @3m 5600K
- Included flat diffusion panel: 5,480lux @3m 5600K
- Ultra-high color accuracy: CRI≥95, TLCI≥95, CQS [CIE D5600]≥96, SSI
- [P3200]: 89, SSI [CIE D5600]: 86, TM-30 Rf (avg) 95, TM-30 Rg (avg) 100
- New direct front-mounting accessory ecosystem
- Features a removable yoke for rigging flexibility
- High output to weight ratio: lamp head weight with yoke: 18.6kg / 41lbs
- IP65 weather resistance
- Pro control protocols: Sidus Link, Sidus Link Pro, DMX, CRMX, Art-Net/sACN
- 16-bit 5-Pin DMX512 in & out ports
- 2x Locking Ethernet Ports
- Smooth 0.1-100% stepless dimming
- Dual output modes: Max and Constant
- Lead-follow and studio mode
- 4 fan modes: Smart, High, Medium, Silent (DMX controllable)
- 4 dimming curves: Linear, Exponential, Logarithmic, S-shaped
- 15 built-in light effects
- 10 savable presets
- Supports batch firmware upgrades of lamps through Sidus Link Pro/Sidus Link, USB drive, and DMX
- High-resolution rear color display panel clearly communicates fixture status
BLAIR-CG Light Engine
The NOVA II 2×1 is the first fixture in a new NOVA II family, and the first panel light to feature the BLAIR-CG light engine (Blue/Lime/Amber/Indigo/Red/Cyan/Green), which delivers excellent quality tunable white light across an expansive 1,800K-20,000K CCT range, with full ASC MITC range +/- Green adjustment. The expanded BLAIR-CG light engine also offers the greatest range of tunable color light ever in an LED panel, covering more than 90% of the Rec.2020 color space, controllable in x,y and HSIC+ modes.
The light has a claimed SSI of 90 for tungsten and 86 for D65.
35° beam
Thanks to a unique ‘focus-then-blend’ optical design, NOVA II 2×1 delivers a direct 35° beam, which is claimed to remain bright when diffused, providing increased versatility with no visible color fringing on subjects.
Output
At 4300K, when used without any modifier, it is claimed to output 200,500 lx @1m / 3.3′. When used with the Flat Diffuser, it has a claimed output of 41,300 lx @1m / 3.3′.
The NOVA II certainly has a lot of punch, and it will be capable of producing a lot of output.
Design
The advanced structural design of the NOVA II 2×1 allows it to achieve three goals normally at odds: low noise, low weight, and IP65 weather protection. Even when set to high speed, the fan outputs just 40dB, and the fixture weighs 18kg / 39.68 lb, including the yoke.
How does this weight compare to some other high-end 2×1 full color lights?
| WEIGHT | |
| Aputure NOVA II | 18kg / 39.68 lb** |
| KNOWLED P1200R Hard PRO | 22kg / 48.5 lb** |
| Godox KNOWLED P600R Hard Pro | 13kg / 28.7 lb |
| ARRI SkyPanel X21 | 18kg / 39.7 lb** |
| Creamsource Vortex8 | 15.6 kg / 34.39 lb* |
| Creamsource Vortex24 | 53.5kg / 117.9lb** |
| ARRI S60-C SkyPanel | 17 kg / 37.47 lb* |
| Rotolight Titan X2 | 14.3 kg (31.52 lb)** |
| Litepanels Gemini 2×1 | 10.1 kg / 22.26 lb** |
| Litepanels Gemini 2×1 Hard | 11.5 kg / 25.3 lb** |
| Z CAM ZOLAR Vega 80C | 20 kg / 44.1 lb** |
| SUNNYXIAO CO2P | 12.5 kg / 27.55 lb** |
| Lupo UltrapanelPRO Full Color Hard 60 | 9 kg / 19.8 lb** |
| Luxli Taiko | 8.96 kg / 19.75 lb** |
| Velvet EVO 2 | 7.57 kg / 16.7 lb** |
| Nanlux Dyno 650C | 15.8 kg / 34.8 lb** |
*Weight includes power supply and yolk frame.
** With standard yoke
Power Draw
The Aputure NOVA II draws 1250W. Below you can see how that compares to other high-end 2×1 full color fixtures:
| POWER DRAW | |
| Aputure NOVA II | 1250W |
| Godox Knowled P1200R Hard PRO | 1300W |
| Godox KNOWLED P600R Hard Pro | 670W |
| ARRI SkyPanel X21 | 800W |
| Creamsource Vortex8 | 650W |
| Creamsource Vortex24 | 1950W |
| ARRI S60-C SkyPanel | 450W |
| Rotolight Titan X2 | 420W |
| Litepanels Gemini 2×1 | 325W |
| Litepanels Gemini 2×1 Hard | 500W |
| ZOLAR Vega 80C | 1000W |
| SUNNYXIAO CO2P | 450W |
| Lupo UltrapanelPRO Full Color Hard 60 | 440W |
| Luxli Taiko | 250W |
| Velvet EVO 2 | 200W |
| Nanlux Dyno 650C | 650W |
Accessories
The NOVA II 2×1 launches alongside an ecosystem of accessories for light shaping and rigging. Light modifiers quickly attach and stack with NOVA II 2×1’s new front-loading QuickClip system.
- The NOVA II 2×1 Softbox is a QuickClip diffusion modifier designed to set up in seconds.
- The NOVA II 2×1 Dome Diffuser is a QuickClip omnidirectional modifier whose design produces a more diffuse light than the flat diffuser included with the NOVA II 2×1.
- The NOVA II 2×1 Fabric Control Grid is a QuickClip light control modifier that slips onto the front of the NOVA II 2×1 to reduce off-axis spill from the fixture.
- The NOVA II 2×1 Barn Doors is a QuickClip light shaping modifier for the NOVA II 2×1.
- The Space Light 90 is a 90cm (3 foot) omnidirectional softbox modifier designed to convert NOVA II lights or any Bowens Mount fixture into a high output toplight or omnidirectional light source. Includes Bowens Mount adapter plate and adjustable light control skirt flaps.
- The NOVA II 2×1 Removable Yoke with Clamp is an alternate yoke for NOVA II 2×1 that includes a clamp for rigging to pipe or truss.
- The Dual Quick Release to Truss Clamp Adapter is a sturdy mounting accessory for the NOVA II 2×1. It replaces the removable yoke and allows users to quickly and safely rig NOVA II 2x1s to truss structures. The low profile design saves space and is ideal when rigging many lights in an array.
- The NOVA II 2×1 3-Light Bracket is a rigid mount that allows users to marry three NOVA II 2x1s in vertical orientation into a single light source.
- The NOVA II 2×1 Rolling Hard Case is a protective case designed to hold the NOVA II 2×1 along with the included accessories.
Price & Availability
The NOVA II 2×1 is now available for $3,690 USD. It is very reasonably priced for a high-end full-color 2×1 fixture.
Below you can see how the price compares against some other 2×1 style LED lights.
| Price | |
| Aputure NOVA II 2×1 | $3,690 USD |
| Godox KNOWLED P1200R Hard Pro | $5,290 USD |
| Godox KNOWLED P600R Hard Pro | $2,349 USD |
| ARRI SkyPanel X21 | $5,950 USD |
| Creamsource Vortex8 | $4,999 USD |
| Rotolight Titan X2 | $1,699.30 USD* |
| ARRI SkyPanel S60-C | $2,898 USD* |
| Litepanels Gemini 2×1 Soft | $1,789 USD* |
| Litepanels Gemini 2×1 Hard | $1,998.50 USD* |
| Lupo UltrapanelPRO Full Color Hard 60 | $2,798 USD |
| Lupo Superpanel PRO Full Color 60 LED Soft Light Panel | $2,698 USD |
| SUNNYXIAO CASTER CO2P | $3,399 USD |
| ZOLAR Vega 80C | $2,398 USD |
| Luxli Taiko 2×1 RGBAW | $1,449 USD* |
| Kino Flo FreeStyle 21 | $1,870 USD |
| Kino Flo Diva-lite 20 DMX | $1,895.75 USD* |
| Velvet EVO 2 | $3,839.04 USD |
| Nanlux Dyno 650C | $4,070 USD |
Specifications
The NOVA II family of panel lights is a substantial upgrade from the P600 with the new BLAIR-CG light engine and build quality. You have great options from Aputure in the COB and panel configurations.
