Aputure Expands amaran Series With Four New Fixtures

Lighting News

by Graham SheldonOctober 19^th, 2021

The affordable amaran series from lighting manufacturer Aputure is aimed squarely at fast moving content creators and there’s now four new additions to the family in the form of the P60x, P60c, the COB 60d, and 60x. The tiny “c” is particularly noteworthy because it means full RGBWW color control is coming to the amaran line with the compact P60c. Get more details on all four new lights below.

Not everyone needs the kind of output promised in the recently announced Aputure LS 1200d Pro and we may not all need the metal build or the increased weight that comes along with that either.

amaran lights (lower case “a” intended) don’t come with all the bells and whistles of their more expensive counterparts, but their relatively affordable cost and compatibility with the ever-improving Sidus Link App potentially make them a useful choice for a whole group of budget conscious filmmakers.

Aputure amaran series

Following on the heels of the amaran 100x (the “x” denotes Bi-Color) and 100d lights (d = daylight) these four new fixtures become interesting counterparts to the higher priced Aputure Nova and Light Storm product lines. Not ready to pull the trigger on a Nova because of the price tag? There’s a P60c for you. LS 60x too expensive? Consider looking at the amaran COB 60x.

Of course there’s meaningful differences between the Light Storm, Nova and amaran product lines and you still get what you pay for in many ways. The amaran series, with a reliance on plastic components, comes in at hundreds of dollars less versus the LS or Nova offerings and we will explore many of those points of difference in an upcoming review of all four of the new amaran lights announced today.

For now, let’s take a look at the new P60x, P60c and the COB 60d and 60x starting with pricing:

• COB 60d – $169
• COB 60x – $199
• P60c – $349
• P60x – $249
• P60c 3-light kit – $990
• P60x 3-light kit – $719

$349 for the P60c is particularly impressive considering you now have access to a full RGWW fixture with a manufacturer promised 95+ CRI for a few hundred dollars. There has been lower cost LED color fixtures on the market for a while now, though not from brands I’ve seen on too many film sets personally.

amaran P60x/c breakdown

The amaran P60x and c versions both come with a more fleshed out kit this time around when compared to the 100x/d that lacked a travel case or other included accessories. Both new 60W fixtures include a soft case, a small soft box (pictured below) as well as a stand mount, and rear mounted Sony NP-F battery plates.

It is worth noting that the dimensions of the P60x versus the c variant are different (the “c” is larger) and thus the soft box, grid, and soft case are not cross compatible.

You may notice the lack of a daylight only (normally the highest output) P60 fixture and I asked Aputure about this:

We decided not to create a pure daylight amaran P60 panel because we noticed that especially with this form factor and this type of user, increased flexibility in color temperature was much preferred, as long as we could still deliver high output. With more users becoming aware of the benefits of RGB and full color lighting, we wanted to cater to the variety of needs of the modern creator and filmmaker. We also made the bi-color version as a more affordable option for users who did not need the more advanced RGB control, but still wanted flexibility in matching different environments. The simplicity of the design also allows it to be more lightweight and compact.

Brandon Le – Product Marketing Manager, Aputure

For ease of reading, I’ve combined the manufacturer provided lists for both fixtures below with some light editing for clarity.

Combined feature list for amaran P60x/c:

• 60W Output Bi-Color (60x) and RGBWW (60c) Lensed LED Panels
• 78W Max Power Draw for Both Fixtures
• 5,070+ lux @ 1 meter (5600K) for the 60x and 5900 lux @ 1 meter (5600K) for the 60c
• CCT: 3,200K to 6,500K for the Bi-Color 60x
• Stepless Dimming from 0 to 100%
• Sidus Link App Compatible
• Unique LED Configuration Creates More Organic Shadows
• Quiet Active Cooling System
• Click Control Knobs to Cycle CCT & Brightness Presets
• Built-in Lighting FX Effects
• Integrated Sony NP-F Battery Plates
• Charges Sony NP-F Style Batteries
• Locking DC Input
• D-Tap Battery Operable using “D-Tap Power Cable (2-Pin) (Sold Separately)
• OLED display
• Tool-less Soft Box with Light Control Grid (45°)
• Soft Box Collapses Down to 20cm (7.87in)
• Three 1/4-20” Mounting Points
• Tilting Mounting Support with Umbrella Holder
• Soft Carrying Case Included
• Operating Temperature Range: -20°C~45°C

amaran COB 60x/d breakdown

This brings us to the 65W amaran COB 60x Bi-Color and COB 60d daylight fixtures — both with a narrow 15 degree beam angle and Bowens mount. These can be most directly compared with the LS 60x/d, although the new amaran versions notably don’t have an internally adjustable beam angle like the LS versions.

I was curious about the decision to design the COB fixtures with a 15-degree beam angle and I asked Aputure about that too. Here is their response:

Achieving soft, diffused light is very easy to accomplish. As the amaran COB 60d or COB 60x does not have an optimized Fresnel or aspherical focusing lens like the Aputure Light Storm product line, we design the Hyper Reflector (Mini) with a tight, focused beam angle, to increase the output and farther throw. The amaran COB 60d and COB 60x can also be used with the standard Hyper Reflector included with the amaran 100d or Light Storm 300d II for a wider beam angle. By designing a focused Hyper Reflector specifically for the amaran COB 60 series, we are able to give our users more options and flexibility with their lighting arsenal.

Brandon Le – Product Marketing Manager, Aputure

Combined feature list for amaran COB 60x/d:

• 65W Bi-Color Bowens Mount and Daylight Point-Source LED Fixtures
• Manufacturer Numbers: 37,775 lux @ 1 meter (standard cover – 6500K) and 45,000 lux @ 1 meter for 60d
• Full Size Bowens Mount, the most universal accessory mount in a compact design
• Bowens Mount Hyper Reflector (Mini): Specially Designed with a 15° Beam Angle
• 2700K – 6500K CCT for the 60x
• Stepless Dimming from 0 to 100%
• Sidus Link App Compatible
• Included Dual Sony NP-F Battery Plate
• D-Tap Battery Compatible [D-Tap Power Cable (DC 5.5mm) Sold Separately*
• Locking 19V DC 5.5mm Input
• 9 Lighting FX: Paparazzi, Fireworks, Lightning, Faulty Bulb,
• TV, Pulse, Strobe, Explosion, & Fire
• Ultra-quiet Active Cooling System
• Click Control Knob to Toggle Through Intensity Presets
• LCD display
• 1/4-20” Mounting Point
• Tilting Stand Mount with Umbrella Holder
• Operating Temperature Range: -10°C~40°C

I am always in favor of more features for less cost and the amaran series appears to be helping to create a lower barrier of entry for filmmakers everywhere. I can’t help but wonder if Aputure might nibble into the sales of some of their own cheaper LS fixtures like the LS 120d MK II with these new amaran COB fixtures, but only time will tell there.

The P60x and P60c are both available to order now and there is no estimate available yet on when the COB fixtures will ship.

As always, we’ll reserve final judgment on these lights until we have a chance to complete a full review.

What do you think? Will you be adding these new amaran lights to your kit in the future or are you most interested in the Light Storm or Nova line? Let us know in the comments below!