Aputure Electro Storm XT26 vs. Nanlux Evoke 2400B vs Godox MG2400Bi

There are several huge LED lights out on the market. They’re not cheap, either. Knowing which system to buy into can be an expensive mistake if you don’t pick the best to suit your needs. So, we’re going to take a look at some here.

Below, we compare the Aputure Electro Storm XT26 (buy here), Nanlux Evoke 2400B (buy here), and Godox Knowled MG2400Bi (buy here). We can see where each shines (pun intended) and if you even need a 2400W LED at all.

What does it mean to be a 2,400 Watt+ fixture?

Most of us hope that at some point in our careers, we land a job that demands we buy more and bigger gear. One of the most important areas for that to happen is lighting. There are a lot of options on the market today, and many of them will stand up to the needs of many filmmakers and storytellers.

Sometimes, though, you just got to go big. When filming large or outdoor scenes, a couple of 300-watt LEDs really just won’t do the job. You need more power. But with great power comes great responsibility – and that won’t be the only Spider-man line we’ll see today. It also comes with a great big price tag, too.

Which one should you buy? Should you even buy a 2,400 Watt+ LED light at all? Well, that’s what you need to figure out after learning how to understand the different systems.

How 2,400-watt video lights compare to HMIs, Tungsten

Powerful lights like these exist because sometimes we need to light up a big set. Bigger than most people would use in their homes for a small YouTube studio. These lights output a rough equivalent of 25,000 watts of tungsten lighting power. Or around 6,000 Watts of HDMI.

They’re like having the power of the sun in the palm of your hand. As such, they have pretty high power demands. Power demands that might exceed some domestic electrical systems in some countries.

Long story short, these lights are more powerful than a 110-120v socket can handle. They just can’t put out enough current. You can run a light in countries with a higher 240v supply, but running more than one or two may be challenging.

We’ve posted a breakdown of the problems of 2400W+ LED lights before. It’s well worth a read if you haven’t seen it yet. Sometimes, we get so obsessed with the power that we ignore the practicalities of using it in the real world.

Aputure Electro Storm XT26 main features

Announced in June, the Aputure Electro Storm XT26 has taken a while to come to market, but it was the first to open up for pre-orders. In fact, it happened shortly after I started writing this article. But let’s start with the basics.

The Aputure Electro Storm XT26 is a 2600 Watts monster of an LED light. It’s a bi-colour LED light, offering a colour temperature range from 2700-6500K. It’s a rugged light for use on location with an IP65 rating. This means it should stand up to all but the very harshest of weather conditions.

On the front, it has a dual mount system, letting you use both your Bowens mount modifiers and Aputure’s electronic A mount. If you have a bunch of Bowens mount modifiers, this lets you transition over to the new mount in time instead of having to buy them all at once.

Nanlux Evoke 2400B main features

The Nanlux Evoke 2400B was first teased even further back than the Aputure Electro Storm XT26. It was first teased way back on May 18th. This, too, has only just been released – again, since beginning to write this article.

As one would expect of lights in this class, it has a high CRI of 96 and TLCI of 97. It offers a 2700-6500K temperature adjustment, just like the Aputure, with +/- 80 green/magenta shift compensation. Output modes include either constant brightness, which compensates as you shift white balance, or max brightness. 12 built-in effects offer customised settings to tweak them to your liking.

It’s a good light for quiet sets, with four fan mode offerings. You’ve got Smart, which attempts to intelligently adjust the speed based on how hot the light is (or potentially the power level it’s at). But you’re also able to set fixed values of Full Speed, Low Speed and even Off. So, if you need absolute silence, you can get it. But I probably wouldn’t risk having the fan off for too long, especially at higher power levels.

Godox Knowled MG2400Bi main features

The single biggest advantage that the two models above have over the Godox Knowled MG2400Bi is that they’re actually available for sale. In fact, there isn’t even a product page for it on the Godox website yet.

It offers a slightly narrower 2800-6500K white balance range than the other two, with a 2600W max output and a TLCI of 97. It’s IP54-rated for use on location. This isn’t quite as high as the Aputure’s IP65 rating, but it should still handle most outdoor weather conditions.

It uses the Godox G mounting system, which provides communication between the light and the modifier. These are the same modifiers used on the smaller Godox Knowled MG1200Bi (buy here).

For existing owners of Godox’s lower-powered lights, the Knowled MG2400Bi is also compatible with the Godox app. So, when it’s time to step up to larger lights, you’re able to mix and match with the rest of your Godox kit.

Modifiers for the XT26, Evoke 2400B and MG2400Bi

Most of us who have invested in lighting will own several lights. I know I sure do. I have about a dozen LED video lights. All of them use the Bowens modifier mount. 2400W LEDs, on the other hand, generally don’t.

Big lights like these need big output holes and big modifiers. So, each system has its own mounting mechanism, and none of them are compatible with each other. Well, there is one sort of exception: the Aputure Electro Storm XT26.

The Nanlux Evoke 2400B features a larger and more substantial mount system. It’s built to take the loads and forces that larger modifiers can exert. The Aputure Electro Storm XT26 features a dual mount system. On the inside is a regular Bowens mount, but on the outside is the more substantial mount for the larger modifiers often used with such powerful lights.

Mounts like that on the Godox Knowled MG2400Bi aren’t just larger. They’re smarter, too. The Godox G mount system is like a scaled-up, beefed-up Bowens mount with electronics. At the bottom of the mount are pins which allow communication between the light and modifier to optimise the settings.

All three manufacturers took a slightly different approach here. If you already have a bunch of Bowens mount modifiers that you want to keep using, then the Aputure looks quite attractive. If you don’t care about the mount system, then Nanlux’s in the running.

And if you want lights and modifiers that automatically optimise themselves just by attaching them to each other, then Godox may be leading the way – although the Aputure does this, too. Electronic communication might sound like a silly idea to some, but lights have done this before.

Nikon’s SB-900 speedlight, for example, was released in 2008. It uses teeny tiny tags on the gels supplied with it. When you put a gel on the flash, the flash detects it and tells the camera what white balance to set.

I don’t think it ever got more widespread than that at the time, but Godox appeals to a much wider audience. So this may be the beginning of something we’ll see in more manufacturers going forward. It would also mean more proprietary mounts, though.

Fresnel Lenses & Leko Light Projectors

One of the great things you can do with LED lights, which is difficult with tungsten, is use them as projectors. While LEDs do still get hot, they don’t get anywhere near as hot as their tungsten counterparts. This means you can place gels and patterns in front of them with less risk of them melting or bursting into flame.

There are a number of Bowens mount options out there, but none of those are really practical on powerful lights like these. Yes, you could use it with the Aputure Electro Storm XT26. But it’s not going to be as effective as one designed specifically for the larger, proprietary mount.

Godox and Nanlux, similarly, have their own Fresnel lenses and projectors. They offer you the ability to create the look of Leko lights. Some let you only direct and shape the light coming out, while others let you place slides, gobos and other things in them to project onto a scene. But they won’t be interchangeable.

I own around a dozen LED lights from 5 different manufacturers, and I can use the same modifiers with all of them. This is because they all use a Bowens mount. That convenience no longer exists once you step up to lights of this size – with perhaps a limited exception for the Aputure Electro Storm XT26.

Buying into a more powerful lighting system isn’t a decision to be taken lightly. Because if you end up choosing one you don’t like, you’re not just switching out your lights. You’ll need to swap out all your modifiers, too.

2,400 Watt+ LED video lights availability

Electro Storm XT26

It’s taken a while to come to market, but the Aputure Electro Storm XT26 is available for pre-order now for $7,990 and ships in Q1 of 2024. Included in the box is the Aputure Elecro Storm XT26 itself, a removable yoke, a control box, a “control box handcart”, 24.6′ head cable, 19.7′ AC power cable, 35° reflector and barndoors.

Nanlux Evoke 2400B

The Nanlux Evoke 2400B also took a little while to hit retailers. But that, too, is also available to pre-order now for $6,650 with shipping expected in March 2024. This is a significant difference compared to the Aputure above. The Nanlux Evoke 2400B comes supplied with a yoke, power supply, 45° reflector, USB drive, quick-release clamp, remote control, 24.6′ head cable and 9.8′ AC power cable.

Godox Knowled MG2400Bi

At the moment, the Godox Knowled MG2400Bi is currently not available to purchase. There isn’t even a product page up on the Godox website. Godox did say they’d planned to release it by the end of the year. If that’s still true, they’d better get a move on because there are only a couple of weeks of it left. Even if it is announced, I probably wouldn’t expect a shipping date any time soon.

Spec comparison

Conclusion

Each light has its advantages over the other. The Godox Knowled MG2400Bi offers intelligent communication with its modifiers and compatibility with its entire lighting lineup. The Aputure Electro Storm XT26 brings rugged durability on location and is also compatible with Bowens mount modifiers. The Nanlux Evoke 2400B provides smooth, silent running for quiet studios.

Of course, the latter two are also available to pre-order now, which offers a definite advantage over Godox. But that doesn’t mean you need to rush to buy. If you think Godox is the way for you to go, then hold off if you can. But if you think it’s Aputure or Nanlux, then don’t hesitate.