SKY vs Radion G5: Real World Comparison

Jon's Reef

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Wanted to share a comparison of the SKY and Radion G5 XR30 Blue on a real world system.

Tank is 36x30x24. Both lights were mounted 8" off of the water line. Glass was cleaned before each test. Due to the 30" width, the lights were mounted front to back. All pics taken with iphone 13 and polyplab lens.
1654211891823.png

The lighting is a bit of overkill, but 1 would be insufficient to cover the 30" width.

Par measured with an Apogee 510. Pumps were off for PAR measurements. I tried to get the meter level for each measurement, but take them as approximations rather than absolutes.

Par values are in the respective area of the tank (sand bed, top of coral, etc) not at the the same height.
Here are a few pics of the tank to give an idea of the PAR measuring positions (SKY with a360x):
1654208829643.png
1654208877751.png
1654208923301.png


Par maps:
1654209450000.png

1654210609781.png

1654210931382.png


Pics at 100% all channels:
1654209365238.png


Pics of night time viewing setting with Kessil a360x or shimmer:
1654210047312.png


My overall impressions:
PAR: Radion without diffuser is slightly brighter, Radion with diffuser is slightly dimmer.
Coverage/ Uniformity: Slightly better with the SKY. In particular see the right area which is highly shadowed by the rock.
Shadow Reduction: SKY has slightly softer shadowing
Shimmer: Without the diffuser the Radion without diffuser shows disco. SKY has the flattest look. Radion with Diffuser shows almost no shimmer.
Glare (light shining in my eye while standing in front): More glare from Radion without diffuser. Radion with diffuser slightly less glare vs SKY.
Color of fish: Very similar
Color of Corals: Very similar
Noise: Both are quiet. The SKY is absolutely silent, Radion has slight noise when the fan kicks on.
Control: Both are easy to use. SKY is easier if you already have APEX. Radion is better if you want to tweak individual color channels. For example, With the SKY it would be nice to adjust the Blue to Royal ratio.

In the end, both lights look and perform similar when set to what I like.
 

The Farmer

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Nice write up a lot of extensive work went into this. To those that use these lights will be much appreciated
 

mkereefer

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Wanted to share a comparison of the SKY and Radion G5 XR30 Blue on a real world system.

Tank is 36x30x24. Both lights were mounted 8" off of the water line. Glass was cleaned before each test. Due to the 30" width, the lights were mounted front to back. All pics taken with iphone 13 and polyplab lens.
1654211891823.png

The lighting is a bit of overkill, but 1 would be insufficient to cover the 30" width.

Par measured with an Apogee 510. Pumps were off for PAR measurements. I tried to get the meter level for each measurement, but take them as approximations rather than absolutes.

Par values are in the respective area of the tank (sand bed, top of coral, etc) not at the the same height.
Here are a few pics of the tank to give an idea of the PAR measuring positions (SKY with a360x):
1654208829643.png
1654208877751.png
1654208923301.png


Par maps:
1654209450000.png

1654210609781.png

1654210931382.png


Pics at 100% all channels:
1654209365238.png


Pics of night time viewing setting with Kessil a360x or shimmer:
1654210047312.png


My overall impressions:
PAR: Radion without diffuser is slightly brighter, Radion with diffuser is slightly dimmer.
Coverage/ Uniformity: Slightly better with the SKY. In particular see the right area which is highly shadowed by the rock.
Shadow Reduction: SKY has slightly softer shadowing
Shimmer: Without the diffuser the Radion without diffuser shows disco. SKY has the flattest look. Radion with Diffuser shows almost no shimmer.
Glare (light shining in my eye while standing in front): More glare from Radion without diffuser. Radion with diffuser slightly less glare vs SKY.
Color of fish: Very similar
Color of Corals: Very similar
Noise: Both are quiet. The SKY is absolutely silent, Radion has slight noise when the fan kicks on.
Control: Both are easy to use. SKY is easier if you already have APEX. Radion is better if you want to tweak individual color channels. For example, With the SKY it would be nice to adjust the Blue to Royal ratio.

In the end, both lights look and perform similar when set to what I like.
Wow great work mucb appreciated
 

gbru316

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Overall, they seem like equally capable lights. It seems like it all boils down to shimmer or no shimmer with secondary consideration going to control/interface.

I’m not a huge fan of shimmer and I’ve bought into the apex ecosystem so my recent purchase of a Sky was a no brainer for me. I don’t regret my decision in the least.
 

Pipo5

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It was a hard choice to make when upgrading lights i like the spread and hardly any shadows. Also now having a apex is nice that it won't take up a plug which is a plus and less wires to deal with im Shor i won't be disappointed when im done setting up new tank
 
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Jon's Reef

Jon's Reef

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For shimmer, both lights are quite flat. The Radions exhibit a very subtle movement. Without the diffuser on the Radion, the disco overwhelms any of that. Neither light exhibits what I would call natural shimmer. This comes from the point light being set to white with the background being more blue. This is only obtainable with a secondary source.
 

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