Astera FP6 HydraPanel

Description

The HydraPanel is undoubtedly the most flexible Astera product ever. With no less than 6 special filters and an integrated coupling system, you can let your creativity run wild. The HydraPanel from Astera is hard to categorize. It’s difficult to describe what type of fixture it is. The name, HydraPanel, suggests it’s a soft panel. However, this fixture is a bit too small for that. It’s also not really an LED spot, like the AX3, AX5 or AX9.

The HydraPanel doesn’t have lenses after the light source, so the radiation isn’t directed. However, the HydraPanel comes with six diffuser filters and honeycombs, which means this fixture should still be classified under soft panels.

Of course, the fact is that the size of this product also lends itself excellently to decorative applications in sets, as mood lighting in smaller studios, or for other creative uses. You’ll have to find out for yourself how you’re going to use these soft panels for your productions. The possibilities of the lamp itself are certainly not limiting. Furthermore, this Astera panel also has the standard features you’ll find in all of the brand’s contemporary lamps. We’re talking about the seamless runtime of no less than 20 hours.

In addition to functioning on the built-in battery, you can also control this fixture via the well-known Astera application in combination with the AsteraBox. The HydraPanel has an IP rating of 65 and is therefore, just like all other lamps, perfectly usable outdoors. And of course, this lamp is also not equipped with a fan to prevent disturbing background noise. In that respect, the standard recipe for an Astera fixture has remained unchanged.

What light source does the Astera HydraPanel have?

It can’t be any other way, of course. This HydraPanel also has an internal light source that Astera itself calls the ‘Titan Engine’. After the introduction of the well-known TitanTube, all later released fixtures have been equipped with the same light source. We’re talking about the RGBMA (Red, Green, Blue, Mint, Amber) LED. The HydraPanel has 24 small light sources which can be controlled in 6 segments.

The LED light source has a power of 17 watts and produces 1300 lumens while operating on the battery. You don’t often see this combination of individual LED colours. However, with this combination, you can create colours that are not possible with standard RGB(A)W light sources. Additionally, each fixture is fully calibrated before leaving the factory. This allows Astera to guarantee a colour accuracy of 96 (TLCI > 96 and CRI > 96) or higher.

Which filters are included when renting an Astera HydraPanel?

Each Astera HydraPanel comes with 6 so-called ‘light modifiers’. With these, you can completely customize the light beam from the HydraPanel to your liking. These filters can be very easily mounted on the soft panel using the built-in magnets. In principle, the accessory almost clicks into place on the fixture by itself. But which accessories are included as standard.

• DiffusorSheet 100: This filter makes the light from the HydraPanel more diffuse and provides a softer light beam of 100º. This filter is flat and is attached directly to the light source. The diffuser has magnets on both sides, allowing you to mount another accessory if needed.
• SoftFrame 100: This filter provides an even softer light beam of 100º than the DiffusorSheet mentioned above. This is because the soft frame ensures that the filter is not placed directly on the light source, but at a distance of 2 cm. This makes the HydraPanel slightly taller, but the light more diffuse.
• Intensifier 80: This DiffusorSheet creates a more compact light beam of 80º. Ideal when the light needs to reach further or when specific spots require more light. The Intensifier 80 is thicker like the SoftFrame 100, but equipped with magnets on both sides. This specific diffuser is often used in combination with the EggCrates.
• EggCrate 40: The well-known HoneyComb or EggCrate. Ensures that stray light around the light beam and glare are removed. Ideal if cameras are frequently used in your productions. This EggCrate is always used in combination with the Intensifier 80 and then provides a beam of 40º.
• EggCrate 60: A coarser version of the EggCrate above. Also reduces stray light and glare, but provides a light beam of 60º.
• GelHolder: This transparent diffuser is designed to hold a LEE or Rosco filter in place. Ideal if you want to create an exact color using traditional filters instead of the LED engine.

Which mounting accessories are included with the rental of an Astera Hydrapanel?

In addition to various accessories for adjusting the light beam, we also provide an abundance of accessories for mounting the lamp. No location or event is the same, and since the HydraPanel has so many applications, the mounting options had to keep up with that flexibility. The HydraPanel therefore comes with four accessories.

• FlexBase: The FlexBase is an adjustable foot that allows you to position the HydraPanel at different angles. The FlexBase keeps the fixture upright. You can easily attach this foot to the Cold Shoe Mount on the side of the fixture. The use of this foot only works when you place the HydraPanel on a horizontal surface. However, you can also use this FlexBase to mount the HydraPanel on a vertical surface or even as a hanging fixture. Space has been left in the FlexBase to allow it to be attached with a screw. This way, you can very easily attach it to a wall or ceiling using a screwdriver.
• ConnectorPlate: As mentioned earlier, it is possible to combine multiple HydraPanels into a larger fixture. To connect these separate panels, you use the ConnectorPlate. Via the Cold Shoe Mount, you connect the fixtures to each other, and they can immediately exchange data via infrared.
• BabyPin: This spigot is an extra accessory that you can mount on both the FlexBase and the ConnectorPlate. With the help of this pin, you can mount the panel to a Manfrotto SuperClamp or other stands and rigging accessories.
• Backside Magnet: Just like on the AX3 LightDrop, the HydraPanel is also equipped with a magnet on the back. This makes it incredibly easy to mount this fixture on metal objects.

What are the other features of the Astera Hydrapanel?

If you’re familiar with Astera fixtures, it needs no explanation. All Astera fixtures function completely wirelessly on the built-in battery. They do this for up to 20 hours. This saves valuable time during setup and breakdown, but also results in a fantastically neat production. On the fixture itself or via the Astera application, you can set how long the fixture should function on its built-in battery. This way, you prevent the battery from running out during the show or recording. If the battery is empty, it takes only 3 hours to fully charge the HydraPanel.

To make controlling the Astera lamps easier, they have developed their own protocol. Through their application (which you can obtain from the App Store or Play Store), you can program all kinds of chases, programs, and cues. Which you can then wirelessly transmit to your lamps. Setting up profiles, channels, and universes as with DMX is no longer necessary. Via Bluetooth, you connect your tablet or phone to the AsteraBox and you can adjust the entire set or studio in no time.

The HydraPanel is developed for the film industry. This of course doesn’t mean you can’t use this fixture in the event industry, but it does mean that the LED engine is developed with the idea that it should look perfect on camera as well. LED lighting used to have a tendency to appear as a strobe on camera. LED lighting is actually not continuously on, but flickers very quickly. This is not perceptible to the human eye, but it is to a camera. Using an AsteraBox, you can change the refresh rate of the HydraPanel in the application. This prevents you from having flickering lights on camera, even at high frame rates.