Amaran 200X & 200D | Better Than The Aputure 300D?

[@seancphygital]

This is probably my favorite review I've watched so far out of 5. Thanks man! I'm gonna scoop a 200x 🤘

[@rickymcc9072]

Thanks for reviewing. I'm a newbie trying to teach myself videography and was trying to decide which light to start with - Godox, SmallRig, PixaPro, Nan, Apurture etc. Initially I felt that Amarans were a bit 'plastic' but they do seem to be well reviewed. Anyway finally decided to go with an Amaran 200Xs. Main reason is that Apurture do seem to be the growing force and their Sidus app seems better rated than most of competitor offerings, thus I concluded Apurture was possibly the best eco system to invest with, although others may catch up later? Anyway, just ordered a 200Xs as my first light and will see how that fares and then decide if I should buy a second, third 200Xs etc or try to mix with others. I had originally considered saving for an Apurture 300ii or 600 etc but these get quite expensive - more so if one eventually buys 2-3. Then there is storage, bulk, weight, portability, battery options etc etc. So much choice. Anyway I'm hardly planning to 'kick it around' or shooting with it every other day so, perhaps as an amateur, I can afford to save on build quality, robustness (at least to start with) and get more light bang for my buck (well £ as I'm also in UK). I plan to decide if I need a 'battery power station' later. Does anyone know if the Apurture 2x V-mount battery station will power two Amaran 200Sx heads or just the one? From the current draw it seems that two heads should be achievable albeit one might need an adaptor if there is only one 48v output socket? Anyone tried doing this? Re fan noise, have yet to experiment, but would have thought that a lower level constant fan noise was easier to disguise, hide or just lose in post when editing with something like DaVinci (Studio) which I understand has excellent background noise removal capabilities. Any thoughts on this from other more experienced editors?

[@TreyDaze]

This was an excellent video! I know they’re in two different leagues price wise, but I’m stuck between the 300DII and the 200x.

[@st.jacques-pierremaximin6109]

same, have you ended up buying one/?

[@MontenegroRealEstate]

If I had the budget I’d be buying 2 x 200 x s 😊

[@samlovesfilm]

great review, helping me to decide which one to pick. I definitely agree getting multiple 200 is better than a single 300d. Thank you.

[@wxes50322]

When using SPOTLIGHT SE, 200X will have a slight grille problem, but as a single LED light source, 200D will not have this problem. If there is a need to use this SOPTLIGHT SE, it will be a point that needs to be considered.

[@chris_jorge]

Yes!! I learned this yesterday. It is a very noticeable issue. I wish I would have gone with the D

[@BenjaminCutting]

Great vid. Lights is still an area that confuses me most in video making. Really helpful!

[@JonathanPalfrey]

Thanks. My best advise is to just keep it simple. Big soft light is always going to look good.

[@flipnap2112]

its because youre not at the root of your confusion. you dont need to research light"s".. you need to research LIGHT. dont think about what lights can offer you, think about why you need them and what for. honestly the best thing you can do is watch some basic lighting tutorials that aren't based on brand or complicated techniques. hit the basics. let it be fun and take your time. learn about 3 point lighting but make sure you understand WHY 3point is needed. theres an old saying "dont learn the tricks of the trade, earn the trade".. light is a language you need to learn. once your fluent enough for the basics your eyes will open up. just make sure youre having fun

[@StanleyKC]

@@JonathanPalfrey Great advice

[@ChasingAmy]

For anyone wondering about the 200d S, I just got this light but will be returning it. We record a podcast for a client and the mics are about 10 feet away from the Amaran but when no one is speaking it can clearly be picked up by the mics which is so disappointing because I actually love the light. The 100 never picks up at all on mics.

[@soupricemf1260]

How is that possible?

[@organicheathyliving9207]

@@soupricemf1260 I tested it. I could hear a light hum through the recording. After I recorded ten seconds with the light on then ten with the light off.

[@JonathanPalfrey]

That's interesting. Sounds like a frequency issue with the fan or power. Not something I've seen mentioned elsewhere. I wonder if it was a faulty unit.

[@TruthReviews]

I will be swapping them over to see if the replacement has issues too.

[@ChasingAmy]

@@JonathanPalfrey okay, I got hold of another one and the fan was just as loud. Checked for firmware updates and there were none available. But I did notice that if you go into the app and change the fan mode from normal to smart drastically reduces the fan noise and brings it to the same level as the 100 series. But out of the box it is pretty noticeable even if your shotgun mic is a good 10 feet away. It will pick up on the audio track during silences. Now I just need to do a test and see how long it can stay on smart mode before it kicks up into full speed.

[@qash44]

I think at second 9:43 you meant Amaran 200D and afterwards it should be 200X right? since 200D should be the brighter one.

[@camjonny]

Thought the same 🙂 Still not a big difference in brightness

[@JonathanPalfrey]

I think the difference may have been ambient light changes. I could have don’t it in a completely controlled room however I personally was interested to see how they look with some ambient as well. As Jonny mentioned though both were very close to the point the X probably just make sense to go for as it gives you the flexibility.

[@GoodRebelEdits]

Super duper helpful comparison. Thank you!

[@beatbone96]

i think it was brighter outside on the 300d shot look at the highlights on the window wall and the curtain

[@The25Fame]

Very nice review! Thank you! Now I'm considering in buying this light.

[@MontenegroRealEstate]

❤ a video comparing the 200d or x with the 600!

[@robertquinonez_]

Assume video! Question, for my first key light…Amaran 100 DS, or 100 XS? I will most likely only use in my office for steaming, maybe a few item reviews and possibly once in a while use at different locations indoor, non commercial use. Thank you!

[@Shalin-t1g]

Hello Jonathan, I have probably seen this video quite a few times now. I am new to Filmmaking and My forte will be Verite Documentary style filmmaking. I am looking for a light(s) that are sufficient for outdoor and indoor shoots. As you know, interviews are big part of doc and I would like to be able to expose subject against windows or go outside, light up subject, and if not overpower the sun than atleast have some sort of ambient for added context. Can you please recommend first lights to me? I would greatly appreciate your insight as it would be fundamental to my success and would mean a lot coming from you. My budget is somewhere around $600. Thank you.

[@Imrankadir]

thank you so much for the video.. now i can decided where the best for my project and budget

[@physicaltodigital]

great review, subed!

[@JabDFilms]

I would love to see a comparison between 200x and the 300c brightness

[@JonathanPalfrey]

Need to get my hands on a 300c. Probably the better light to go for although it is a bit larger.

[@koff_mm]

Thanks for the comparison

[@BenjaminBryant]

Brilliant video thanks

[@conordia6906]

Excellent review thank you 🙏🏻

[@abdulrazakal-ahmadi7886]

Hey there Jonathan thanks for the great video! I'm looking at investing in three lights and have considered getting an Amaran 200x, Amaran 200D and an Amaran 60X to get me started. Do you think this is a solid three light setup for interior short films on a budget? Also not sure if I should go bicolor for all three or mix and match (200x + 200D) or actually go all daylight for the power and just use gels.... Wondering what you'd suggest?

[@JonathanPalfrey]

Thanks, We did pretty much the same with a couple of 200Ds and a 200x. Personally the output difference is so small I think it probably better going for all bicolour to give you more flexibility. Gelling is always a pain. Two 200x and a 60x would be a great kit for 90% of shoots. You can fit all three into a carry on size camera bag too so ultra portable. Just a note on the 60x, if you haven’t seen my review yet. If you get v-locks for it make sure you get ones that don’t have the d-tap in the top right corner as you won’t be able to plug them in.

[@oarthurbg]

could you compare the 200x/200d in a controlled environment? Is the quality still the same after all this time or has it gotten greenish?

[@JonathanPalfrey]

It’s something I’ll test. From eye I’ve not noticed any shift in the colour of any of the lights. I think they are probably still pretty new in the LEDs lifespan though.

[@bigpey]

Thanks for this video.

[@valaus2065]

I wanted to put an Amaran Spotlight on the LED spotlight. Do you think 100d is enough or would I need these 200d?

[@JonathanPalfrey]

It can work with the 100d pretty well, obviously not the same amount of power but it depends on the ambient light of the room. We've often use the 200x with spotlight on only 1% power for certain shots.

[@chris_jorge]

I just used the amarán spotlight with my amarán 200 bilight and I can see the banding on my backdrop from the led strips. Good thing I was doing a bw shoot because this would have been awful to color correct

[@lucaloschi8958]

Are you sure about the results of the D vs X? In other test I've noticed a discreet difference between the two. However I agree that the 200X is really a sweet spot of light output and price.Pity only that doesn't work well with the the 2x Fresnel (because of the double led's color pattern)..

[@JonathanPalfrey]

There could have been a difference in the ambient light of the room between the shots as the sun was slightly coming in and out of the clouds outside, also just the exact angle I was bouncing the light was probably slightly different too. As I mentioned in the video though I didn’t want to do a completely controlled environment comparison as I wanted to see how useable in a real world use case. Yeah shame about the double patten, must admit I don’t use the fresnel very often.

[@lucaloschi8958]

@@JonathanPalfrey A more controlled environment could be an idea maybe for a next test :) When (if) I'll get the 200d I'll try to test it again other lights I have to see how it performs too. 🙏🏻 All in all anyway I would say that if you don't need a very rugged construction or a very bright single point light source able to hold even heavy modifiers, then having 2 or 3 Araman 200d is a good, more versatile and cheaper solution than for example a 600d. 👌🏻

[@angies7906]

What does this mean?

[@googlyzer547]

Great subscribed, question i was concerned of the brightness of the 200x against the 200d but it looks like there isnt much difference. I want to use these lightrs for corporate work. Im thinking 3 200X amaran for my key light, hair light and fill,, Whats your thoughts or should i get a lower wat light for my hair light for seperation?

[@JonathanPalfrey]

Thanks for subscribing! Yeah the reason I got the 200Ds was because I was concerned about the brightness however if I were to buy them again I’d just get 3 200x lights. I think 3 200x lights is a great option to go for, gives you plenty of power and options. For example you could use two together through a large diffusion for a softer and brighter key light if needed. The only reason I’d consider picking up the 100x instead is for the smaller power units, they are about half the size. A 60x is also a great option to have in your kit as well as its ideal for a hair light but then with a small soft box is also a great portable battery option when you are in a rush or shooting in a location you can’t do a full set up, say in a corporate lobby or public space for example. It’s still more than bright enough in most office spaces.

[@googlyzer547]

@@JonathanPalfrey thanks for your amazing response.. Much appreciated mate really.!

[@sondp]

Is the 200x and 100x really a stop difference?

[@JonathanPalfrey]

I haven’t measured it but I’d say it’s probably about that. 200x is twice the power. If you could only have one light I’d go for the 200x as it’s no bigger despite the extra power

[@donwarren3253]

Hows the fan noise of the 200X?

[@timeltdme4355]

8:30

[@Richbroth]

No 60x comarison?

[@JonathanPalfrey]

Will do a comparison across the Amaran range at some point soon. It is quite a bit weaker than the 200x as it’s quarter of the power. Still good for a lot of situations thought