Aputure Amaran AL-528W LED Flood Light Review and Test

Aputure Amaran AL-528W LED Daylight LED Video Flood Light
Link to Aputure Amaran AL-528W Flood LED Light: amzn.to/1MToZ3C
Link to Aputure Amaran AL-528S Spot LED Light: amzn.to/1qtOw9O
Link to Aputure Amaran AL-528C Bi-Color LED Light: amzn.to/22dRAlQ
Link to Aputure EZ-Box Softbox: amzn.to/1TD02uC
Today we’re reviewing the Aputure Amaran AL-528W LED Flood Light. So let’s take a closer look. Now the version we’re testing today is the Aputure Amaran AL-528W, which is the flood version. This has a wider beam of light than the Aputure Amaran AL-528S, which has a narrower yet more focused beam of light. Its also available in the Aputure Amaran Al-528C variant, in which you can adjust the color temperature of the light. I’ll leave links to all three, in the description below, so you can check em out.The first thing you’ll notice about the Aputure Amaran AL-528W is how compact it is. It measures just 9 inches wide by 7 inches tall by 1.5” thick. And this is very compact, especially for an LED lighting panel with over 500 LEDs. The body of the AL-528 is made from a hard black plastic. The front of the panel has its array of LEDs covered by its slide in diffuser panel. Now, this is the regular diffuser panel for daylight color. However, if you want a slightly warmer temperature, they do provide a diffuser panel to make the light output warmer. More about the diffusion performance in a minute.The Aputure amaran al-528w has cooling vents on all four edges, with ¼-20 female threads on the right, left and bottom edges. The bottom ¼-20 thread is for mounting to a lightstand or tripod. Aputure provides a light stand adapter which is really useful, as it lets you tilt and rotate the light panel. The other two threads are for attaching accessories. And I’ll talk about a very important accessory that bolts to these holes, in just a moment.
Another versatile thing about the Aputure Amaran AL-528w , is that it can be powered by two different power sources. Either the provided AC adapter which plugs into this power port or using one or two lithium ion batteries, that are not provided in the base kit. Having the option of using batteries, makes it extremely portable and easy to lug around if you’re shooting outdoors or in places where you just can’t plug in. I’ll leave links to some batteries that will work with this light, in the description below. The AC power adapter is a 110-220v supply, so it will work anywhere on the planet. And when the unit has batteries mounted and its plugged into a wall outlet, the batteries will actually charge. I am not very thrilled about the connector on the ac adapter. Its a little flimsy and very easy to break. I would have preferred they used a standard laptop-style DC connector. Nevertheless, if you’re gentle with it, you can get some good service out of it.
When you power the light on, the LCD on the back lights up and displays the the percentage of lighting intensity. Turning the knob on the back, adjusts the light between 10% and 99%. There’s also a battery charge indicator on the back. And when you’re plugged into AC power, the battery indicator displays a full charge.
Now to test the Amaran AL-528w, I am going set the subject up on the table and light it with 2, 528w lights at about a 45 degree angle, around 2 feet from the subject. And what I am going to do is put the camera into manual exposure(16,50,800) and set it up first to find the best exposure with both lights at 100%. Then I am going to turn both lights off and let you see how the subject looks with just ambient lighting. I’ll then power the lights on and slowly turn up both lights till they’re both at 100%, so you can see the effect of the lights. Now pay attention to the shadows around the object. Now that’s one of the minor issues I find with this light. The diffusion panel that they provide doesn’t really provide enough diffusion. I really recommend investing in the EZ Box Softbox from Aputure. This is a bolt-on softbox that really does quite a bit to soften the shadows, as you can see in this shot. Now you will lose a bit of light intensity due to the softbox, but that can be corrected in-camera by adjusting exposure settings by about 1 stop. It’s really a worthwhile accessory and that will really add to your lighting quality. I also find the color of these lights to be ideal for most semi-professional and professional users.
Now aputure also provides a handy carrying case which fits the Aputure Amaran AL-528W, its batteries, power cables and even the softbox.
So my overall thoughts about the Aputure Amaran AL-528W.