Aputure Amaran Tri-8 LED – Bright and Indestructible

by Olaf von VossSeptember 14^th, 2016

Aputure seems to have had quite a busy time recently, as they didn’t just release the DEC VariND lens adapter, but also some very bright and indestructible lights. Meet the Amaran Tri-8 lineup of compact LED lights.

The Amaran Tri-8 LED light

There are times when you just need that extra punch of light, no matter what. If you happen to be in some rough terrain or on a fast paced run-and-gun type of shoot, this new Aputure Tri-8 LED might just be the right tool for you. It’s super bright, yet quite compact at the same time, around the size of an iPad. It outputs the equivalent of a conventional 500 – 550 W tungsten light and has a massive 888 LED array. That’s why it is called Tri-8, obviously.

The Amaran Tri-8 LED can take a beating!

Another feature is its upgraded build quality, as its actually now built like a tank. Unlike the old 672 version made out of plastic, this new Tri-8 is made out of aluminum and features a pure PVC front. As Ted Sim from Aputure puts it: “Beat it up, kick it, play hockey, you can do whatever you want with it!” That’s a rare statement, but one I could get used to hearing from other manufacturers. Very nice!

There are three versions of the Amaran LED available:

• 25° degree beam angle version
• 40° degree beam angle version
• bi-color version

All of these LED fixtures, like older models, are controllable via a dedicated remote to switch the light on and off as well as dim the output from a minimum of 10% all the way up to 100%. As earlier versions of the Aputure’s LED range, the Amaran Tri-8 is mains powered, but also accepts NP-F style batteries.

As an optional accessory, you can buy a diffusor called the EZ Box, which will double the size of the light. As it is foldable, it won’t take much space when packed away. Also, there is a 35° degree grid available.

It will be priced at around $350 to $400 and will be available in about two months from now.