Aputure LS 1200d Pro - How does it compare to the Nanlux Evoke 1200?

[@CineD]

Music by Epidemic Sound - Royalty-free music and sound effects. Get your plan here: cined.co/epidemicsound

[@teacherofteachers1239]

In the US (since electrical systems are different around the world), can I bring the 1200d with me to a random location shoot and plug it into the wall and have confidence I won't be tripping a breaker?

[@jonahlevine]

Amazing comparison man! Thanks

[@ronjmeneses]

The comparison I would like to see is how the LS1200d Pro handles CTO/CTS correction compared to the Evoke. I had my hands on an Evoke recently and did a test to see what happens when you gel it with CTO. I have had horrible results trying to gel daylight LED fixtures in the past, including my LS300dMkII. The CTO introduced tons of green that was not easy to correct. LED fixtures tend to react very unpredictably with gels. The results of my test with the Evoke was that I got vey clean correction (no green or magenta introduced) but the 1/4, 1/2, and full correction was off. They each corrected more than expected. If I remember right, the full CTO correction resulted in 2900 kelvin. I would really like to see how the LS1200d Pro handles CTO correction. I have bought into the Aputure ecosystem owning many of their instruments and would like buy a 1200, but will not do it until I know how it handles CTO/CTS.

[@HilleCine]

Did you get an answer for this? Am in same boat.

[@ErisedMediaCo]

Can these hyper-reflectors be used on the 600d/x lights?

[@CameraGraham]

Great question Eric! I doubt it. The 1200d has a recessed COB and this seems optimized for the new cob placement.

[@ErisedMediaCo]

I noticed that. I wish there was a narrow beam reflector for the 600 to intensify its output a bit better

[@CameraGraham]

@@ErisedMediaCo 100% - that’s a great idea. For now, the F10 fresnel with the beam narrowed is your best bet on the 600 series.

[@CameraGraham]

Update here: they can be used on the new LS 600C.

[@MichaelJVrana]

Thanks for the review. Are you sure you measured the output with the 15 degree reflector correctly? It seems kinda off that it‘s less than the medium reflector.

[@CameraGraham]

Yep. Agreed. I mention this in the article too. I was surprised as well. Still insane output though - maybe I have an early reflector version.

[@cagf2013]

Measuring these sort of lights at 3ft doesn’t help either. 10ft or 3metres is more useful. Sometimes the focal points of the reflectors are designed to work over larger distances than 1 meter.

[@CameraGraham]

@@cagf2013 I debate the correct distance often, but landed at a place where it is better to have a consistent measurement distance from fixture to fixture to allow for comparison between reviews where I test this data. I try to always test the most likely configuration for a user, but this is different for everyone of course.

[@cfl4286]

It’s because he measured it so close to the light. The standard has almost always been to measure at 3 meters. Metering three feet away from the fixture can really give inaccurate results.

[@CameraGraham]

@@cfl4286 tons of examples online of lux measurements at 3ft. I also test multiple times in the same spot (usually center of beam) to make sure results are consistent. Absolutely some lights are optimized for different distances, but I find it makes fixture to fixture comparisons easier if the results are all at 3ft. Do we really want to be testing all lights exactly where the manufacturer has made optimal performance?

[@davida5296]

Hi. -Does anyone know how long the LED actually lasts on these lights? Obviously, LED technology does out perform traditional lamp technology whether its tungsten or mercury by a LOT...but LED's do eventually wear out either all at once, or dim. AND, are there replacement LED modules for these lights/how much? AND how does the color temperature change over the life of the LED? I would take an LED light and sacrifice a little brightness over an HMI if it was possible to replace the LED once expended. Otherwise, over the long run, it might be cheaper to buy a 700 dollar lamp every so often and know that you have a time tested rugged fixture.

[@natrix]

Thanks for this! Would love to see a comparison between output of the Nanlux Evoke instead of any of the other features. Would you say it's the same or similar amount of light with their comparable reflector?

[@CameraGraham]

Hi there! I do this exact test in the article version of this review: they are nearly identical when using similar reflectors in terms of output: www.cined.com/aputure-ls-1200d-pro-review/

[@natrix]

@@CameraGraham Thanks so much for the test and your reply. Did you try any of the other different degreed reflectors side by side?

[@CameraGraham]

@@natrix I didn't because I was concerned the beam angle wasn't close enough. Tough when they aren't 1:1 matches and perhaps not a fair test either!

[@austinscherzberg4569]

you can definitely fit the reflectors into the case

[@CameraGraham]

Medium, narrow and wide? I’d love a picture or link to a picture that shows a better configuration! I’d love to make that happen.

[@AnimeZone247]

@@CameraGraham why is the narrow and wide reflector the same lux, shouldn't the narrow reflector be brighter?

[@CameraGraham]

@@AnimeZone247 100%! It was a weird result. I’m wondering if I had a prototype reflector

[@martinc12]

Thanks for this, great insight! one thing though, I believe the wide reflector is 45 degrees, not 55? According to Aputure website it's 15, 30 and 45 degree for narrow, medium and wide. I think the reflector will mark the degree of the dish with BM1215, BM1230 and BM1245 for Narrow, Medium and Wide written along the side of their respective dishes, but I can't see the wide one in this.. would you be able to clarify? thanks

[@CameraGraham]

Hi Martin! Great question - Evoke has a 45 degree reflector and Aputure 55 degree. In the article version of this review I test them head to head with those reflectors.

[@martinc12]

@@CameraGraham Ah, okay. Did you use a 55 degree from another bowens mount light, like the 600d or was it sent along with the 1200d? I watched the launch video over on Aputure channel and the wide dish is labelled BM1245, according to their website spec sheet it's supposed to be 45 degrees, although B&H call it 55 degree also, but it's listed as 45 degree elsewhere as well.. so I don't know who to believe 😅 I'm just wondering if you got a different dish for testing or some kind of beta version wide 🤔

[@CameraGraham]

@@martinc12 interesting! I may have been confused by the B&H typo as well. I’ll check with Aputure and circle back.

[@cfl4286]

@@CameraGraham yeah, the 1200d does not have a 55 degree reflector. It has a 45, 30 and 15. You can reference the aputure release video.

[@CameraGraham]

@@cfl4286 I blame a typo on B&H for that one :) There was a typo in the listing and took the degrees based on that. I’ll be updating to 55 degree reflector in the article.

[@Carboxylated]

I have made over a dozen movies using aputure lights...as of 2024 I have since been transitioning into Nanlux lights...I can say this much as a Gaffer. Aputure is a great light for your money but nanlux comes in a bit cheaper yet built better and has IP65 ratings on most of their fixtures, where as Aputure does not. Nanlux also has a more robust body construction as well as a more intuitive and better GUI user interface. I can say an owner of MANY aputure lights (1200d, 600c/d, 300d and many of their bar/had lights) I can say Nanlux is a FAR superior and better built light. The brightness is a bit better on Nanlux as well as they off more options when it comes to modifiers. I also like that Nanlux has a Bi-color and Color 1200 watt light...they also offer a 2400B which I have used many times on set and let me tell you that 2400b is a really worthy light. Blows ARRI M18s out the water. At the end of the day Aputure makes a great light but I have had more issues with Aputure lights than I have with Nanlux. For example CRMX with aputure sometimes doesn;t sync versus Nanlu CRMX wireless sync is flawless. Like I said I have worked on over a few dozen movies (24 as of 2024) and I have used Aputure and Nanlux and Nanlux always out performs Aputure in every single way. Dont get m wrong I still love my Aputure lights and I still use them but Nanlux is so much better in terms of build quality, output, quality (HSI RGB and Bi Color is way better than Aputure). At the end of the day anything will serve your purpose from a gaffer but if you want the best...Nanlux is the way to go. I strictly use Nanlux, Aputure and CreamSource branded lights...I also have Astera Titan tubes and Arri HMI/ 1k Tungsten Moles.

[@CineD]

Thank you @Carboxylated for sharing your experience with us!

[@aebonstudio7193]

Let them know they need to prioritize getting a fresnel and spotlight attachment working on this unit

[@CameraGraham]

I’ll bring it up!

[@aebonstudio7193]

@@CameraGraham Bless you sir

[@directoradamg]

On the aputure facebook usergroup, there are pictures of people who have found a way to safely put the reflectors inside the case with the light.

[@CameraGraham]

I would LOVE to see a link for that if you have one! That would make it much more fun to pack.

[@nshea3286]

Why are you measuring lux at 3 feet? Subjects are not going to be at 3 feet unless you are using the light for torture experiments.

[@AnimeZone247]

you can easily use a inverse square law calculator to figure out the lux at different distances

[@nshea3286]

@@AnimeZone247 The inverse square law does not always hold true. Grids, lensed lights, parallel beams(mirror reflected light) ..etc do follow it. You have to actually measure the light - especially for reflectors - to see if it holds true at 3m. The fact that he got 157000 lux for 15 degree spotlight reflector, and 175,000 lux for the medium reflector should tell you that his results are way off.

[@AnimeZone247]

@@nshea3286 he didn’t use the inverse square law for that he did measure it, not sure how his measurements was that messed up. But even if you have let’s say a grid, you can still use the inverse square formula to calculate each distance. But the formula is not intended to use if you’re trying to figure out how much light loss is with a grid. I’m pretty sure there’s a different formula for that. Since there’s a formula to figure out illumination relative to beam angle

[@nshea3286]

@@AnimeZone247 Grids do not follow the inverse square law for a simple reason. The closer you are to the Grid, the less squares of light hit the subject. Just try it with a meter and your own eyes. Move in close to a grid and you will see that only a small portion of the light's overall surface is hitting your eye. The larger the grid and surface the more pronounced the effect.

[@AnimeZone247]

@@nshea3286 regardless if that’s true or not he was not using a grid in the video. So if you want to take his measurements and check another distance then use the inverse square formula

[@talsstudio2939]

Have 5 Aputure Light Storm LS C120d 2 are not working the same problem cant get in touch with Aputure company i will never buy this light again

[@jordanseitzinger3167]

Guys never seen a road case before…

[@CameraGraham]

Totally useful for a truck. I do think the space inside could be optimized and the weight lessened. Nanlux actually makes a more compact case that is available with the Evoke 1200 versus what I was reviewing. Different options for different scenarios.

[@GKhanKutar]

Aputure 1200 D is more powerfull than Arri HMI 18 and Nanlux 1200D. It is the flagship.

[@CameraGraham]

Hi there - I directly compare the Nanlux and the 1200d Pro in the article version of this review on CineD if that’s helpful.

[@StringerBell2002]

@@CameraGraham I can’t wait for your full review/ comparison of them and which you prefer. This maybe a dumb question: I’m your review on cineD you note the kelvin temp is more accurate on the Aputure. Is that the case in the hotspot and just outside of the hotspot??

[@dp_zee]

Its def not more powerful than an m18... m18 has more punch. I have both m18 and 1200d

[@directorparisholmes2024]

2 Aputure 1200d are punchy enough