Can creators finally get light that's both powerful and soft? The Profoto ProPanel 3x2 is a powerful LED panel dimmable down to 0.1 percent – and it already won an award

Profto has released its latest high-end LED panel – and it's designed to deliver both powerful and soft light. The Profoto ProPanel 3x2 is an RGBWW soft panel with an ultra-wide correlated color temperature (CCT) range, which the company touts as the most powerful soft LED panel for high-end film, TV, and commercial productions.

Filmmakers have traditionally faced a tradeoff between soft light and powerful light. While soft light is covered for the dreamy, flattering look it creates, it typically comes at the expense of light intensity.

To get the best of both softness and intensity, production crews have typically needed large diffusion rigs or multiple fixtures.

The Profoto ProPanel 3x2 comes as an ambitious solution to this tradeoff, packing 2000W of output, a CCT-range of 2,000k-15,000k, and the Profoto Core LED engine, which Profoto claims provides “unmatched color rendering” with TLCI 97 into a large LED panel surface.

The ProPanel, however, is a soft panel, a category that uses built-in diffusion, unlike hard panels. Creators can also soften the light further with a range of modifiers. The light is dimmable down to 0.1 percent.

With six different light modes: CCT, HSI , RGBW, XY, Gels, and Effects, and proclaimed “flicker free” shooting at any frame, Profoto says this is the lighting solution for all workflows, no matter the creative ambition.

While touted as a single-light solution, the Profoto ProPanel 3x2 is also designed to be operated by a single person. Featuring a 360° aluminum railing system and Profoto’s Speed Clamp, the ProPanel 3x2 can be mounted quickly and in any orientation without overheating, the company says.

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Profoto has paid attention to weight too, as the ProPanel 3x2 comes in at 62lbs (28kg), which the company says is 50% lighter than competing LED panels. With IP-65 weather sealing, the Profoto Propane 3x2 is protected against liquids and dust too.

While Profoto's latest LED rig comes in as an all-in-one lighting solution, the claims of being the “world’s brightest panel” will depend on measurement conditions, beam angle, and just how creative producers want to get.

The ProPanel 3x2 was announced last summer, later earning a Cine Gear Technical Award, but has now started shipping to creators.

The ProPanel 3X2 is now available through authorized dealers for $14,995 (£11,067 / AU$20,901).

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