During IBC 2022 we had a chance to talk to Brandon Le, Product Marketing Manager at Aputure, who showed us the (more or less) final version of the Aputure MC Pro mini LED and many of its unique features.

Aputure MC Pro

The upcoming Aputure MC Pro was first shown in NAB in an early prototype stage in April 2022. On IBC this year we were shown a much more refined version which according to Le is pretty much identical to the final release version that should be available to customers in a few months.

The Aputure MC Pro is not much larger compared to the very popular Aputure MC mini LED but it packs a big punch and has some unique features that are more tailored toward professionals working on set compared to the MC version.

The upcoming Aputure MC PRO with its magnetic ballhead, grid, and dome diffuser

The upcoming MC Pro is a 7W RGBWW light that is claimed to have up to 3x brighter output compared to the original MC or about 1,346 lux at a distance of 50cm – not too bad for a fixture that is only 10x70mm and weighs 225g. The MC PRO has a 45° beam angle and a color temperature range of 2000K to 10,000K CCT.

The technology inside the light is also new and said to be similar to that found in some of Aputure latest high-end lights like the RGBWW technology that is found in the Nova series, and LS 600c Pro.

One of the features that we really liked about the MC Pro kit is the magnetic ballhead which comes in the kit with the light. While you still have magnets at the back of the MC PRO as you did on the existing MC, you now have much better control of how to point the light with the ballhead and the magnet is much stronger and takes less footprint, plus you can always use it as a regular ballhead with a 1/4″ thread if you want to.

There are a few other very useful features that the MC PRO will come with. The first is a magnetic diffuser kit. You will get a flat, a dome, and a grid in the kit with the light (you can also stack them), additionally, it will support working with Lumenradio CRMX Control so you can integrate it into your wireless DMX system on set.

Le also mentioned that at a later stage Aputure is planning to release an 8-light charging kit that will be completely cable-free using the charging pins on the Aputure MC PRO.

The Aputure MC PRO kit bag with the existing MC charging station (the future MC PRO station will have no cables)

Finally, Le emphasized that as a PRO light it will have full weather-resistant construction (IP54) so you can work with it outdoors just like you can with the other PRO fixtures Aputure currently sells.

Pricing and availability

Le was not able to give us an exact date or price but he is expecting the product to be available either late in 2022 or early in 2023 with a price tag that is not far off the existing Aputure MT Pro tube light which currently sells for around $200.

For more of our coverage on LensVid from IBC 2022 – please visit the following link.

Iddo Genuth

Iddo Genuth is the founder and chief editor of LensVid.com. He has been a technology reporter working for international publications since the late 1990's and covering photography since 2009. Iddo is also a co-founder of a production company specializing in commercial food and product visual content.