Gaffer & Gear 196 - Amaran F21C & F22c

Gaffer & Gear 196 - Amaran F21C & F22c
In this episode I take a look at the Amaran flexible RGBWW mat lights. These are 100w and 200w and have DMX capability
Index
00:00 Intro
00:47 Why it wasn’t reviewed earlier
03:44 Cost of accessories
05:31 Cost and what you get (Light kits)
12:43 1st Job
13:08 Cons / Negatives
20:14 Pros / Positives
24:54 Lanterns
28:08 DMX Testing
32:55 AC Power Draw
33:13 Brightness
33:34 CCT Accuracies
34:13 TM-30 Color Render
34:35 White Point (Duv)
35:21 2500K
34:47 3200K
36:17 4400K
36:43 5600K
37:21 7500K
37:48 Color Vectors
38:12 Conclusion

[@johnorozco9332]

I really don’t consider a light it’s “out” officially until you review it ⚡️

[@ElayneOkaya]

Me too. I don’t buy anything until I have seen it here. 😅

[@brinkmannfilms]

Just imagining marketing personnel from lighting companies reading this comment. What a hint!

[@lamodification]

The amount of Dickriding gets u pregnant

[@kennardmedina1]

Wow. That hack with the Ifootage clamp is game changing! thank you Andrew!! your channel has helped out so much

[@cariboucameras]

This channel is too good. I'll watch it for lights I don't even care about. I just want to pretend like I can keep up with Andrew's knowledge. Glad a video for this light is out!

[@romedschatzer3180]

Your perfect reviews always are exactly the information we need. Thank you!

[@liamtain]

I’m glad you finally got sent one. A review by you was the first thing I looked for (and have been waiting for) since the release of these.

[@attic6]

Love all your little upgrades, sings to my soul.

[@davidbunge2882]

been waiting for months for my order... thank you for the review as always spot on!!!!

[@meetthegaffer]

Great review, as always. I did find that the two-way receiver knuckle thing stripped out pretty quickly, so I use the beefier version that Chimera makes for its lanterns. The Amaran pancakes look great tho… I didn’t know they have those available🙂

[@rufaiajala]

Wondering when they are thing of dropping the pancake lanterns. It seems they are distributed world wide 😥

[@trizzleseven]

I was waiting for this in depth review for a time. Thank you so much! Order placed!

[@paulgero]

Andrew, thank you once again for your amazingly thorough review. Without a doubt, you are my GO TO when it comes to lighting for video.....

[@hippy3000]

Wanna add a fault. The coloured top connector on the controller has a ring. That ring is made of brittle plastic and easily breaks. The ring is the only thing that keeps the connector in place. We didn't notice it immediately during a shoot and pushed the entire connector into the controller unit. Now I must commend Aputure, they replaced it within 2 days and the replacement ring I got was metal instead of plastic. We just got another F22c in and it already has the metal ring as standard, so apparently with new shipments they've fixed this. But if you have you have a older one, this is something to keep in mind.

[@patrick4912]

The clamping hacks are genius! Well done

[@TheGuruDev]

Excellent review Andrew, loads of info and some great hacks to use

[@samuelguce]

So appreciate your channel mate - really looking to get one of these

[@retlwiz]

Ok, so I was sniffy about these Amaran lights, but now you show how good their light quality is, I’m definitely going for one of these.

[@jamesalexanderbarnettdp9479]

Literally just took delivery of one of these today, it couldn’t be better timing.

[@paper_camera]

Your mods to this light are so amazing!

[@Praxiszooms]

Wow really cool that you took the errford to actually come up with a solution for that problem of the mount :D

[@hossfilm7971]

This looks like a killer light. Can't wait to get it in my kit. Thank you so much for your review!

[@gaffergear]

Still waiting on the DMX cables and lanterns to be released FYI

[@hossfilm7971]

@@gaffergear That's what has me waiting. The moment the lantern is out, the order will be in.

[@robertsakowski]

Thank you so much for all the videos you are putting out. I´ve already learned a lot on your channel!

[@jamesbridges1107]

Awesome!!! I’ve been waiting for these!!!

[@RichardTurton]

Thanks Andrew, another great thorough review. Very timely too, I happened to pick up the 22 version last week to use on an interstate job we’ve got coming up. I find these mats are great for travel. We used to use a Westcott Cine mat but these Amarans are much cheaper and brighter. They’re a no-brainer.

[@cizkoquevedo3613]

Do you have issues with sound because if the fan noise?

[@lawrencegress9831]

Great review as always

[@Jimmy87268]

I have been anticipating your review anyways!

[@cnihon5894]

Bloody hell. This is without a doubt the best and most comprehensive video on the F22c. The Amaran pancakes aren't out just yet, but I've been told they're on their way. Unfortunately, Aputure HQ is in Shenzhen and they're under lockdown so I've been told not to expect it for at least a month. I'm pretty taken with your hack for the mount. I half expect Aputure to release a new mount via their store. My only gripe with the F22c (except for the fan noise), is the frame does tend to slip out when you move the unit. Good to know we can bend them back into shape, though. The confirmations you get from Aputure help keep the rest of us informed.

[@lingrickkyyan]

FYI, they updated the skeleton to tubes for free if you reach out to customer service in some regions.

[@jannisnewiadomsky]

WOW ! Your tricks are awesome !

[@crwndblessed1130]

These are going into the kit for sure

[@tasothdevil01]

wow, super nice review. thank you so much.

[@igetitlitsoicansit2950]

great review. cant wait to see what their aputure version looks like. I hope its the size of a Floppy 48x48

[@Ranger7Studios]

Great solution for the grip head!

[@Praxiszooms]

thanks nice :). Very humble that they think that it is not good enough. Great Review!

[@247.mp4]

Its nice to see that Aputure is that self reflective that they keep it real with their products and capabilities. Not overselling or overhyping them.

[@MattQuattro]

Amazing work as always Andrew, your comprehensive reviews are second to none. The only thing is I can't seem to find anything about the pancake lantern... besides your video, it doesn't seem to exist anywhere!

[@gaffergear]

I was told they were coming out soon when I did the video, but that is a long time ago now. I desperately want another two. I hope they hurry up

[@MattQuattro]

@@gaffergear Here's hoping they didn't cancel it. I'd place an order right away

[@danieldorward]

I contacted Amaran and asked them about this. They said the pancake lantern would release at the end of this month (April). Glad they're going ahead with it because whether or not I bought this light was pretty much dependent on that lantern coming out.

[@cokebottles6919]

These lights look extremely impressive considering the price... Litemats are one of my favorite lights and I have one on 80% of my shoots, I'll have to throw in one of these for my next shoot.

[@chaplinesque111]

Terrific stuff, thanks mate!

[@tugwilson]

Excellent review as always. Rather than replacing the receiver to accept a baby pin you could just use a second umbrella swivel to connect the supplied straight pin to the baby pin on the flex arm.

[@gaffergear]

That was my work around in the first couple of shoots. I just found it inconvenient.

[@Praxiszooms]

Great hack with the clamps!!!

[@kthmtchll]

great video! for the boom arm issue you could also just use a 20" c stand arm instead of modified reciever / magic arm

[@SuperNova-Steve]

Great thanks. I ordered one. Cancelled my order. Nearly sent you a message to ask if you could review it. Now you have reviewed it, I will reorder it. Cheers

[@trashculture]

Great review!

[@gearoidosullivan356]

Saw another fantastic use for these on the Aputure User Group, where a guy mounted 4 of them into a lightweight aluminium box frame and essentially had a lightweight 4ft x 4ft RGBWW panel for under 4 grand. Amazing times.

[@Kevlexicon]

thass lit 😎

[@traviswears]

Alex Van Brande at Toybox Lighting in LA. His shop is mostly Aputure/Amaran. Check them out!

[@TimTylerCine]

Thanks, Andrew. I think I'd just use a short c stand arm and grip head to hang it off a boom. Also... please review the Nova 600c.

[@EugeneMaynard]

Excellent Andrew! Thanks for the extra modification tips too. 👍🏾🙏🏾

[@joeaddison]

I'm here watching the review months later, thinking about picking these things up but waiting on the updated exoskeleton mounts that Aputure has promised. With the noted issues being the mat slipping off the exoskeleton. If you're interested in these lights mid 2023 and later I would verify that your unit is coming with the yet to be available updated mounts, or that you get the updated mount from Aputure when they make them available.

[@MommasBoyCooking]

This dude is a legend 🫡

[@seanmosernyc]

Andrew, many thanks for all the great work. I truly appreciate you and your Channel! I just purchased the F22C and already used it on set 2x It truly is amazing. I rigged the raw mat flush to roof of a Privacy Pod to light our talent, absolutely brilliant. I am needing to Modify them of late so ifootage clamp seems a good thing to have, I assume 7" length best? Also what make is the Magnet Kit mod? Cheers and thanks from NYC

[@FramingReality]

Really informative video! Thank you for taking your time to make it :) Can you send us a link of the magic arm you are using as well as the 3/8 adaptor that you mounted on the back of the light?

[@attilafilmhouse6345]

Great review! Any chance you have a recommendation to secure the mat not to accidentally fall when on a boom arm?

[@philpritchard5173]

Nice, thx. I love these units. I have the 22x and will get another. The exo-skeleton has slipped out a couple of times, not a big deal, but i would be curious if you devise a lil remedy for that.

[@EncoreEntGrp]

I want to find a way to replace that thing, feels like it won’t last long

[@jontedanielsson1279]

Great review! I would like to se a review of godox vsa-36k spotlight. How it works with diffrent lights

[@PVAFfilms]

Amazing review! Didn't know about the lanterns and love the modifications! Any tip on where to buy the DMX to USB C adapters or a brand you like to use?

[@gaffergear]

These SHOULD be coming out soon. I now have 6 of these mats but I only have the two DMX cables which is annoying

[@joshuanapier5758]

Fantastic review as always. I learn so much watching your channel. Question: where did you purchase those floor stands? I have never seen those before. What a great design!

[@gaffergear]

Can you give me a time in the video to look at and I'll have a look. This was over 30 reviews back and I can't remember what I shot

[@shanefarnsworth]

I would also like to know! it's at minute 17 @@gaffergear

[@gaffergear]

@@shanefarnsworth ok. That could also be called a turtle stand or a H stand.

[@shanefarnsworth]

Hmm, still no luck finding it online. Any other ideas? @@gaffergear

[@gaffergear]

@@shanefarnsworth floor H stand. Google photos might help

[@LouisJonesFilm]

Great video again mate! Would you be able to advise where we could buy the pancake lantern from? I've searched for it everywhere and haven't been able to find anywhere that sells it.

[@christianmouzard2120]

You must have got a good one... the fan on mine was a little insane... I had to send it back. I run the amaran 200x without too much trouble from sound but I didn't dare bring the f22c on set.

[@jononeill2008]

Too noisy for me as well

[@huntreg]

Hi Andrew, absolutely love your videos. Do you think a Matthews Knuckle attached to either the straight or curved pin would work as well as your articulating arm trick?

[@gaffergear]

On the smaller 21 it would

[@MalcolmAlanBrown]

Very helpful review - especially the suggested modifications. Could you tell us the make/model of the magic arm you are using, please?

[@gaffergear]

It's a manfrotto/avenger friction arm. Note, it's a 5/8th receiver I put on, I kept saying 3/8th by mistake

[@MalcolmAlanBrown]

@@gaffergear Many thanks. I had figured that's what you meant on the dimensions.

[@lightbrushmedia6025]

Hey Andrew! Great video and review! Where do you get the dmx cables for these lights? I've been needing some for mine, but cant find where to get them?

[@gaffergear]

That seems to be a problem, I ordered some recently because I'm buying more of these mats, and I had to give the supplier a photo of the product. They couldn't find it on the system!

[@MediaBrighton]

Thanks for the info. A lot has been upgraded on the design since your review. What did you think about the fan noise?

[@gaffergear]

It hasn't been a problem for me, but sometimes I think it gets close depending on the room we are in. If it has a lot of echoes like a kitchen for example

[@GlennHanns]

Great review Andrew! What voltage v-lock runs these?

[@gaffergear]

14.4 / 14.8

[@jerryg9581]

Great review... again! I can't find the Lanterns anywhere. Did you get yours directly from Aputure? Thanks!

[@gaffergear]

Mine was a tester direct from Aputure, I also am waiting for these to become available so I can buy another 3

[@user-wu5ms2eb9h]

Great video. I’m curious what magnets are you using with your iFootage clamps here?

[@gaffergear]

Either Androokie, Kupo or purchased off E-bay

[@frontfoot1035]

I have a question. I have Aputure and non-Aputure products. What device are you using to control the Aputure products via DMX. Also, as others have stated, you are among my favorite places to go for gear reviews and information. I find it all to be invaluable.

[@gaffergear]

It's an Exalux Control One.

[@todorvassilev8592]

about the part mounting the light on boom with magic arm... you could use a short extension arm with 2 grip heads, this will do the job I guess

[@vincianebrule7303]

Thanks Andrew for your fantastic job, do you now if the F21C is only working with 24volt battery as the F22C.......?

[@jmasked5082]

F22C works with 14v

[@dakarimusic9087]

Awesome review! But where can I find the lantern for the F22c? It's nowhere online.

[@gaffergear]

It will be available soon. Stock has just started shipping to distributors

[@Justin_Allen]

Because of ceiling space issues (8' 6") I am looking at using the F21X ( or F21C ) to stick between the rafters to light a 16 foot green screen. Do you think they would be bright enough to manage that?

[@ryanmarshall489]

Excellent video! What is the grip arm you’re using at 16:19?

[@gaffergear]

It an avenger brand. I think it's the D650

[@andrewappleyard3150]

How were you able to mount the iFootage locking pins on the magnets? It’s a great setup

[@erikjonsson114]

I wonder the same. Anyone who knows?

[@douglasgander]

They seem pretty great but I just begging for a pro 2 x 3 and one by three version.

[@jmeditation]

Excellent video. Unfortunately I’m not seeing where I can purchase the lantern used in this video at around 25:50? Could someone please send a link to this product if possible? I’m not seeing it on the Apature site?

[@gaffergear]

It's still not available 😭. They should be available in February.

[@piotrmasiak6355]

I would ilke to see Mole Richardson LEDs Fresnel review. Why costs so much compared to Aputure or Arri

[@thetravelingbubby]

Have you made a video on the Falcon Eyes RX line? Thinking about buying the 848, would love to see yall make a video on this.

[@gaffergear]

Falcon eyes don't have a distributor in Australia so we don't get to see product

[@gangd4807]

There's no comparison. Falcon Eyes is poor quality because it has a too much tungsten color temperature and a strong magenta. but very cheep

[@misterbusiness3964]

Hi Andrew, making my way through your videos and enjoying the ride. Could the 2x2 be used effectively as a key light on sit-down interviews for documentary? This takes in mind dual ISO cameras and I'll likely be shooting close to wide open. Thanks!

[@gaffergear]

I know several people who do just that. I did a few interviews where I was pressed for time and space and we used them as far side keys on booms. There is a bit of fan noise, but I think it's ok if you are in a room with carpet

[@misterbusiness3964]

Awesome. Appreciate the detailed follow-up. @@gaffergear

[@Coeditor4089]

I believe an adapter like Startech's CDP2CAPDM would solve your CRMX receiver power issue.

[@jacoporodolfi4806]

Just invaluable to benefit from your expertise. Hope Aputure will watch this and change the non standard pin mount, very limitating like this. What boom polr are you using? thanks in advance

[@gaffergear]

I use avenger booms

[@jacoporodolfi4806]

@@gaffergear thanks!

[@annakissed3226]

Sorry for the delay but this has just popped up on my feed. It's interesting looking at what your doing in comparison to diffusion brands (a term from fashion). I have just made a huge leap up for me to standardising on to Aputure using its nonstandard sidus link architecture due to the cost & complexity of going to DMX. I simply don't know enough or do enough to warrant the extra costs. And the kit might not be up to the rough-housing that commercial kit is expected to put up with So where your using lighting stands, I am using microphone stands with dumbell plates as weights. And where your using ¿13mm? pins on articulating arms, I am using quarter 20's on cheaper articulating 'magic' arms. For batteries your using V-Locks, I am either using Sony batteries or more often USB-C batteries I am left wondering if my Rigid Amaran 60c panes are only capable of 8bit output or if they are capable of 10bit and its the controller that limits them. Either way I am also wondering if someone has some software (running on a battery powered Arduino or Raspberry Pi) that can take a 10bit DMX colour request and then tone map it to an 8bit output that my Aputure panels can understand As if there isn't, there is a potentially huge market for people want to step up their game, whilst pros take advantage of using diffusion brands to bring down their costs. In many ways sidus link ability to capture the colour from other lights may be all that you need for a 'good enough' result (well goodenough certainly works for lithium Ion batteries 😝)

[@ianzhao5693]

I don't seem to find any information on the lantern which I think is incredibly useful. Does it come with the light or hasn't been released by Aputure?

[@mitchellbrinkerdp]

The pancake soft box looks incredibly well designed. They don't seem to be available anywhere online. Was this something discontinued?

[@gaffergear]

The opposite, they still haven't got it stocked yet

[@mitchellbrinkerdp]

@@gaffergear That is exciting to hear. Will be keeping an eye out then. Cheers!

[@Artfulscience1]

5 months later still not stocked? I can’t find it and this modifier is a game changer

[@chrisshor3195]

Just bought an f21c recently. This review fails to mention that it has no fan it's just passive cooling unlike the f22c so it gets pretty hot, its also less than half the intensity of the f22c apparently. Besides that good review. Bought the kupo super knuckle to replace the mount which works well

[@gaffergear]

Also missing is running an F22 off a 26v v-mount.

[@cubul32]

Andrew would you get these over the equivalent Godox knowled or Intellytech RGBww?

[@arturwalczewski]

Great video as always. I have bought F22C and love the output, portability and Sidus Link app, but the build quality is a nightmare. First time it broke after a month (maybe 5 jobs) without any reason or crash - half of it started to show completely different colors than the other half. Now that they replaced it, after like 3 jobs I already have one strip of LEDs showing different colors. Did anyone else have these issues? Or am I so unlucky and I should try another repair before I get a refund? Thanks!

[@gaffergear]

I own 6 without issue, I hope they get this sorted. It sounds like a nightmare

[@tusk20]

Any tips on removing the amaran receiver on the exoskeleton back? I’m having a hell of a time removing it to add a 3/8th receiver like you’ve done.

[@gaffergear]

I think I used two spanners to get leverage, do you know they have a better mount available, your supplier can organise a change over

[@TheHumorousDaze]

where can I find that floor stand you used? What makes it better than a board mounted baby plate?

[@joramhartmann7101]

Can you share a link for the lumin radio Receiver you showed in the Video?

[@vladimirmartinez8431]

Great review, thanks. How’s the low end dimming capability? 0 to 1 % i am really interested in a really smooth transition from 0 to 1 not the usual eye blinding pop, but seems to me that the ORBITER is the only one with this option.

[@gaffergear]

That is actually why the Orbitor is so big and heavy. It's to accommodate the dimming system that is really second to none. I found this out from other lighting companies who explained to me that if I want a COB light that can dim right down low and smooth with no hue then it has to be as heavy as the Orbitor.

[@jononeill2008]

On my unit 1% is the lowest, 0.9% just turns the fixture off.

[@gaffergear]

@@jononeill2008 I will have to check the next time I have it out. I'm running my sets of the exalux control one, which is only 8 bit DMX, so I only have 256 dimming increments to work with, so the light may be smoothing out the dimming for me.

[@victorhuey2892]

you are the real deal gaffer, thanks so much, we don't see much aperture stuff on union shoots, because the perception is that its build quality is not up to spec, but we were making homemade versions of what this has achieved! So simple to buy it ready made!

[@stevenlt]

I haven't seen that floor stand (at 17:04) before. Is that something you made? Or is it an item for sale somewhere? Thanks!

[@gaffergear]

Try theatre lighting suppliers rather than Film/Tv suppliers, they tend to make or sell things like this fairly cheaply. They won't have a 5/8th receiver on them though, but those are cheap to get.

[@cyabdelnour2320]

They updated the mount. It’s a full Babypin now.

[@rufaiajala]

How did you build your magnet kit?

[@CizaEnjoyIt]

What kind of alternative standard receiver did you put in?

[@jaredjaynes]

Andrew where did u get the dmx usbc cable I can't find it to purchase anywhere? I have a few of these I have also modded with kino plates yo mount but the have not been able to use with dmx.

[@gaffergear]

I'm not sure what is going on with the DMX cables, my supplier can't find them either. Hopefully Aputure releases them with a part number soon.

[@stumccormick8801]

hi do you know when the larten will be coming out for sale

[@FergVision]

Where can I buy those Pancake Lanterns? I can’t find them anywhere and they aren’t mentioned on the aputure site as far as I can see but it looks like yours are offical ones. As you mentioned, that feature itself can literally justify the light price.

[@gaffergear]

Delay on release, they should be coming soon

[@randallblizzard]

I can’t seem to find the lanterns listed for sale anywhere. Do they still make that accessory?

[@gaffergear]

Coming Soon apparently.

[@zacclark8728]

Worked with this light last fall and was initially impressed by the output, but extremely frustrated by its build quality. Used the F21c on a feature film, and the header cable--attached to the unit itself--came out of the box (brand new unit) loose, resulting in only half the unit functioning properly. Because it was sealed by rubber, we didn't have the ability to repair the connection. Have you encountered this issue? It seems positively reviewed here, but I've become scared off after my first experience.

[@gaffergear]

Yes, on my first unit, they then placed the part that broke with a metal part. It seems the first batch was plastic

[@robben860921]

The lantern seems not for sale yet? When will it be on the market?

[@gaffergear]

It's shipping to distributors now. When stock is in it will be listed. Should be available next month

[@paper_camera]

I am new to continuous lighting, coming from photography. I need a light that can be hand-held for a shoot I have where we need to shoot with continuous lighting and no stands (client restrictions). I'm looking at the F21c, the Amaran P60c, or the Nanlite Pavoslim 120c. Which would you go with for still work? I an starting to do some interview work, so I will be able to use the light for that work as well.

[@gaffergear]

PavoSlim 120 or F22c would be my picks, both in my kits

[@TechMyLifeVideo]

8:00 they've complete redesigned the frame now

[@scottaverette4897]

Is it better or worse now?

[@hangahliong4746]

Where you can get the lantern for this Amaran F22c with the skirt?

[@malikismyname]

Something worth mentioning is that with this light you cannot adjust the Kelvin in HSI mode. Its a feature they have locked and this feature is only available on their more expensive products.... this is not the case if you use dmx (right Andrew?)

[@gaffergear]

It has a CCT/HSI cross over mode in DMX. Manual operation it just has a straight HSI mode with desaturation to D65