Amaran 200x Bi-Colour Led Light

I put out a lot of video content for the real estate related fields and have bought a lot of equipment to use for my business. This light is one of the best pieces I’ve bought out of everything. I love the functionality and the durability. I also love that it connects to your Bluetooth and I can adjust it from my phone when I’m shooting solo. If you’re looking for a light, that’s gonna make you look like a rockstar spend a little extra and get this one! the adjustments are very robust but easy to use. I would recommend getting a good industrial stand versus a cheap one. Also, if you’re gonna buy this late. Well worth every penny!

Boom! Unexpected surprise!

Howdy!Yeah, I read all 'em fancy reviews. Even looked at the Amaran 200x to compliment my other Apurture lights... (specifically to work with my spotlight mount https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1476274-REG/aputure_spotlight_26_set_spotlight_mount_set_with.html and the what not.)Despite all the readin' & self learnin' I come to realize I had no idea how little I really knew about this portable little monochromatic tool... till I pulled her out of the box and plugged her in and then, BOOM!To say I was blown away would be right un-gentleman like. You might say it shined a light on my self-admitted ignorance (see what I did there?) So much power and control with such robust yet durable simplicity, made me blush. Oh wait we were at 2700k (I simply looked ... MoreHowdy!Yeah, I read all 'em fancy reviews. Even looked at the Amaran 200x to compliment my other Apurture lights... (specifically to work with my spotlight mount https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1476274-REG/aputure_spotlight_26_set_spotlight_mount_set_with.html and the what not.)Despite all the readin' & self learnin' I come to realize I had no idea how little I really knew about this portable little monochromatic tool... till I pulled her out of the box and plugged her in and then, BOOM!To say I was blown away would be right un-gentleman like. You might say it shined a light on my self-admitted ignorance (see what I did there?) So much power and control with such robust yet durable simplicity, made me blush. Oh wait we were at 2700k (I simply looked blush). Quick adjust to 5500 and I was glowing from ear to ear!Look at you! How smart you look under all that light! Wait... what... confused? Go on now and get you some!

Fantastically Functional

I'm an amateur photographer, to put it mildly, so take this review with a grain of salt. Or a pinch.Purchasing through B&H was very easy, even when using wire transfer as a payment method; their customer support was ultimately competent and exceedingly pleasant.Shipping was swift and the packages arrived without damage.The product was packed well in the shipping box, with dense foam surrounding it. The box for the product itself was very high quality, with dense foam protecting all parts, and a nice graphic on the outside if you had forgotten what you had purchased. There is a carrying handle on top, so you can make use of the box as a storage container for your light, if that's your style.Assembly of the light was simple and straightforward, though there ... MoreI'm an amateur photographer, to put it mildly, so take this review with a grain of salt. Or a pinch.Purchasing through B&H was very easy, even when using wire transfer as a payment method; their customer support was ultimately competent and exceedingly pleasant.Shipping was swift and the packages arrived without damage.The product was packed well in the shipping box, with dense foam surrounding it. The box for the product itself was very high quality, with dense foam protecting all parts, and a nice graphic on the outside if you had forgotten what you had purchased. There is a carrying handle on top, so you can make use of the box as a storage container for your light, if that's your style.Assembly of the light was simple and straightforward, though there are instructions included.Construction of the light seems solid and durable enough for a studio. The power cables seem a little thin, but the attachment point on the light is large and solid, and securely clicks in. The cables are long enough to have the light several meters off the ground and not dangle the heavy power brick, though the brick does have a steel cable loop for secure attachment, if necessary. It's pretty lightweight, so moving it around is easy.The light it emits is bright, but can be dim, is warm, but can be cold, it's compatible with Bowens mount modifiers, has Bluetooth wireless connectivity, which is a breeze to set up and has way more functions than I'll ever need, but I'm glad it's there. It's a good light for a small studio for content creation or to up your photography game.It was great purchase for the price.

First honest-to-goodness real light

Ok I've been using tiny, little LED panels or a photography light kit with umbrellas and led bulbs to light interviews for the past two years and I thought it was about time I invested in a half-decent video production light. Well this one is whole-decent. It's incredibly bright, I love the app controls, I love the look of it. It's just exciting all around. If you're used to giant production lights or have ever shouted STRIKING in a non-sarcastic way when turning on a light then maybe you'll find some issue with this light. But I can't. Excited to try out some of the light presets as well for other projects, but I have another 200 interviews to get through before then.Also I have to honestly start alerting people to when I'm turning this thing on because it will ... MoreOk I've been using tiny, little LED panels or a photography light kit with umbrellas and led bulbs to light interviews for the past two years and I thought it was about time I invested in a half-decent video production light. Well this one is whole-decent. It's incredibly bright, I love the app controls, I love the look of it. It's just exciting all around. If you're used to giant production lights or have ever shouted STRIKING in a non-sarcastic way when turning on a light then maybe you'll find some issue with this light. But I can't. Excited to try out some of the light presets as well for other projects, but I have another 200 interviews to get through before then.Also I have to honestly start alerting people to when I'm turning this thing on because it will blind you. I did buy an aperture light dome but I haven't used it yet, as I'm a huge fan of bouncing it off a white wall to get some really nice soft light in small spaces.

Good with some bad design

PROS: small size, adjusting color temp doesn't change brightness too muchCONS:(1)big jump in brightness 0%-1%, 1%-2%... Much smaller jump at higher percentages(2) hanging power block is an annoying part that consumes power (in the cable and connectors) and creates two extra connection points that could fail someday(3) the power block hanging wire is attached to the electric cord strain relief boot, which is a weak area. I suspect this strain relief would be the first thing to break(4) the Bowens mount turns clockwise to detach and counter-clockwise to attach, which is counter intuitiveThat's my initial impression after 10 minutes of use.

Great Light for the Money

I bought a couple of these to use for location work because they were small and lightweight. They do not disappoint. There's plenty of light for most applications. Love the Bowens mount since I already have speed rings and modifiers for my strobes with the same mount. Not quite the power and solidity of the Aputure LS600, but great for my lighter location kit. Super happy with these lights. Next gen just came out but I saved $100 on these so I'm good with it.

Great performance/output/weight to price ratio

I have been searching for a worthy addition to my relatively small airline check-able equipment package. I carry a Joker 400 and a couple of Dedo lights as well as a few odd Lowell Omnis.I had auditioned an Intellitech x100, which I so very much wanted that beautifully constructed instrument to be my go to little light, but no. It wasn't enough output to justify the weight and clunky dongle power supply/controller. It didn't have enough oomph to really be a key light for an interview set up, which is a lot of what I find myself doing these days. Also, It's focus feature really didn't concentrate the beam very much, and was more of a variable snoot.I next looked at this Amaran 200x. It is less weight, half the price, and twice the output of the Intellitech, and ... MoreI have been searching for a worthy addition to my relatively small airline check-able equipment package. I carry a Joker 400 and a couple of Dedo lights as well as a few odd Lowell Omnis.I had auditioned an Intellitech x100, which I so very much wanted that beautifully constructed instrument to be my go to little light, but no. It wasn't enough output to justify the weight and clunky dongle power supply/controller. It didn't have enough oomph to really be a key light for an interview set up, which is a lot of what I find myself doing these days. Also, It's focus feature really didn't concentrate the beam very much, and was more of a variable snoot.I next looked at this Amaran 200x. It is less weight, half the price, and twice the output of the Intellitech, and it is now my new little go to light.It has plenty of output to be the interview key light in a variety of circumstances. Paired with the Aputure Light Dome II 36, It is a terrific portrait/interview light.Very, very quiet. I just did four days in a studio, and there was never even a thought about sound.Keep in mind, that it does not come with a case, but I am packing it with other gear anyway. Also, it is made of plastic, so it will have to be packed with some mindfulness, and won't survive just tossed on the truck. For me that is a perfectly fine trade off.All in all more than happy with this light after two weeks of work.

Play to it's strengths.

Great light but not for everything. The following critiques do nothing to affect my 5 star rating but they are things to consider before you purchase: Be careful of it's plastic-ness. Be gentle with it and it will last a long while. The layout of the diodes on the COB are different than the LS 300 series and they produce Orange/Blue artifacts when you use a fresnel or honeycomb modifier. Instead, this is a great light for blasting through diffusion or bare with just a reflector. A lot of power for relatively little money. Going forward however, I will probably only purchase C lights versus X series for future-proofing flexibility. Still find it to be a value for the money!

Price-performance sweet spot

I had been putting off buying my own lights in this power range for a long time, but now I regret that. The 200x really fits into the sweet spot between price and performance. It's super easy to dial-in the color temperature that you want, so it's good to use and match with other light sources. Paired with a dome and some diffusion, I absolutely love having this on set. It probably won't simulate sunlight through a window, but I imagine you could get pretty close with some creative exposure.

Works well for Stage Events Work with Poor Lighting

I do stage event work. There are many times where I find myself photographing events whereby the light is poor. Hotel conference rooms are a notable example of this. In the past, I have used strobes but I wanted to try something different.These do the job well and are a great bargain. I bought two of these and one of the 100x. I am planning to buy more to balance the light better. The 200x will easily light up someone on stage from (about) 20 to 30 feet away without being on full power. My camera settings (I think) were around 1/400 at f3.5 ISO3200. I do have hotspots where two lights will overlap a bit but that is not fault of the lights. I just need to buy more to fill better. Anything is better than some of the ambient lighting I have had to work with.The app ... MoreI do stage event work. There are many times where I find myself photographing events whereby the light is poor. Hotel conference rooms are a notable example of this. In the past, I have used strobes but I wanted to try something different.These do the job well and are a great bargain. I bought two of these and one of the 100x. I am planning to buy more to balance the light better. The 200x will easily light up someone on stage from (about) 20 to 30 feet away without being on full power. My camera settings (I think) were around 1/400 at f3.5 ISO3200. I do have hotspots where two lights will overlap a bit but that is not fault of the lights. I just need to buy more to fill better. Anything is better than some of the ambient lighting I have had to work with.The app is another huge bonus. It helps so much with minor adjustments when the lights are sitting on C-stands 10+ feet high.The build quality has been described by others being poor because of its plastic surround. I have only used these three times but so far it has not been a problem. Since I baby my equipment, I do not believe this will be a problem.The only downside that I can think of is that they do not come with a carrying case. For now, I just have been carrying around the boxes that they came in and I am planning to purchase a case in the future.If you do stage events and run into situations that I face, I would highly recommend purchasing these. Consider purchasing just the 100x to save money if you can do the camera settings that I mentioned earlier and the subject is no more than 15 feet away.