Aputure STORM XT52 – First Look at the Brightest LED Fixture Yet

In the dark corners of the Vu Studios in Las Vegas, we met with Ted Sim, co-founder and president of Aputure, to take a closer look at the Aputure STORM XT52. During NAB 2025, the company decided to expand the show with their own event, APEX: The Aputure Experience, showcasing the lights in action and exploring virtual production techniques with ASC cinematographers and industry leaders. It turned out to be the best space to witness what the mighty new fixture is capable of.

STORM XT52 is a pocket light from Aputure, similar in size to their tiny MC Pro. No, just kidding. In fact, STORM XT52 is one of the biggest lights the company offers and, at the same time, the brightest LED point source fixture made for filmmaking to date. The full demonstration is in the video, and technical details follow below.

Aputure STORM XT52 and its biggest USP

Yes, as Ted confirms, Aputure STORM XT52 features 5,200W of LED power. In terms of brightness, its output is comparable to a traditional 9,000W HMI, like an ARRI M90. At the same time, Aputure’s new baby claims to be 30% lighter and smaller (61 lbs or 28 kg versus approx. 86 lbs or 39 kg for a 9K HMI). It still isn’t feather-light, but it means one person can hold and operate it if needed.

With STORM XT52, Aputure clearly targets the rental market. So, it’s probably not something that independent filmmakers are going to buy and keep in their own storage but rather rent from the rental houses.

BLAIR light engine

Just like its smaller brother, STORM 1200x, presented at the NAB show last year, the new fixture has the company’s flagship BLAIR light engine. Simply put, instead of using just the white light LEDs, this chipset combines and mixes five LED colors (blue, lime, amber, indigo, and red – hence the abbreviation) to deliver a better-quality white light and scientifically recreate the curve of the spectrum of different CCTs (2500-10,000K CCT range).

People still often choose hot lights for their productions because they see these 5% of the color difference between LED and tungsten. LEDs have gotten better in terms of color quality over time. With BLAIR, it’s done. We solved it.

Ted Sim explains in the interview

Not only white

At the same time, the BLAIR light engine in STORM XT52 is able to output colors across more than 70% of the Rec.2020 color gamut. Of course, they won’t be extremely saturated, as Ted explains, but the performance of the color is comparable to the company’s STORM 1000c or 80c and covers most application cases. Following users’ demands, Aputure’s developers also added the HSIC+ mode to this fixture.

Other features of Aputure STORM XT52

The STORM XT52 can be used at full brightness while powered by a standard 6,500W generator. The fixture comes with a 7,5m head cable in the box, but the company also made an extendable head cable, which runs 45 meters in length. This means that regardless of the set-up, you can leave the control box on the ground to save on weight.

As for accessories, the standard kit for Aputure STORM XT52 includes the 35° reflector. At NAB 2025, Ted also mentioned two additional modifiers: The CF16 Fresnel (that will be available both as a manual or motorized zoom) and the Parallel Beam adapter. The latter is a hyper-narrow 5° reflector system, which allows you to project light and create spotlight effects (say, in case you want to imitate the classic Batman signal).

Pricing and availability

The Aputure STORM XT52 is currently priced at $13,100.00, with some local dealers offering early bird pricing options. (Contact them if you want to get your new fixture at a reduced price.) The STORM XT52 should start to ship at the end of April 2025, and the mentioned modifiers should be within the next two months.

For more information, please visit the product page on Aputure’s website here.

What do you think about Aputure STORM XT52? A mighty beast, huh? And what about the BLAIR light engine? Have you already had the chance to use it to its fullest? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments below!