Aputure Amaran M9 – Pocket Friendly

NewsLighting

by Tim FokJuly 19^th, 2016

Aputure has announced what is probably the smallest filmmaking light you’ll own.

The Aputure Amaran M9 is a sub $50, credit card sized LED light with high color accuracy, 5v USB charge power and magnetic front for colored gels.

We thought the matchbox light was small, we now get the credit card light. The Amaran M9 is Aputure’s teeniest, tiniest light fixture.

Just 11m thick, weighing 5oz and fitting in the palm of your hand, you’ll be able to mount the Amaran M9 pretty much anywhere you please.

A cold shoe bracket and 1/4″ thread ensures the light is compatible with industry standard accessories.

Here are the specs:

– TLCI 99
– > 350 lux at 0.5M
– 5500k Color temperature
– 5V USB rechargeable (even while in use)
– built in lithium ion battery (90 min at 100%)
– 120° beam angle
– includes 2 magnetic diffusion filters

TLCI is much more handy for considering LED fixtures than CRI, so it’s nice to see a company disclosing a useful rating for color accuracy. Aputure are known for offering high color accuracy on daylight fixtures at an affordable price, so this is exciting for sure.

Its tiny size will not only open up many possibilities and doors but also make it quite a niche tool. Such a small fixture can yield a harsher cast than a larger one, but in low light situations this may be great bounced off a bit of card, or great for illuminating foreground detail when shooting through objects.

Its built-in 90min battery life at full whack keeps it ultra nimble. But there’s added versatility in that it can receive charging power from universal 5v USB power even whilst in use.

The Amaran M9 will ship for just $49, and we have one in for testing so will share our thoughts on it properly soon.