The Amaran 150c, the sort of light, where you would or could spend hundreds on cheaper alternatives just because you don’t want to invest in something a little more expensive. Until that one day, where you’re like ok, I’ll get it and when you do, it’s perfect.
Why does some content still look better?
Have you ever wondered why some videos look so much better than others, even though they might be using the same camera, lens and settings?
The answer is lighting. One of the most important aspects of video production, along with the audio and video quality, but sometimes, lighting is often overlooked. Lighting can make or break your video, as it affects the mood, the tone, the colour, and the quality of your image.
It can also help you tell a story, create an atmosphere and express your style, and that’s where the Amaran 150c comes in, a light that is perfect for content creators and one that could potentially improve your production by conveying all those different moods.
The Amaran 150c
This is a full colour RGB 150W LED light, it’s Bowen’s mount compatible and offers 360 degree HSI colour control, a wide CCT range from a warm 2500K all the way up to a cool 7500K and with the Sidus link app installed on your phone and tablet, you can control both of those modes, get advanced features and get access to nine built-in light effects.
The 150c comes in a protective padded case with a carrying handle for that extra convenience and safety. I’ve had lights that don’t come with cases and ones which do, I like the case, but as this light will most likely always stay inside, this will probably be the last time it goes in this case.
But for those of you reading this, who may take this out and about with you on shoots, this lightweight and durable case, is easy to carry and store the light with the accessories that come with it.
If you are carrying this around with you, you’ll quickly realise that compared to those harder cases, this isn’t going to be as sturdy or as water resistant as those other cases.
In the box (or case), you obviously get the 150c, which we’ll deep dive further into in a moment. You also get, a Bowens Mount Hyper Reflector, an AC power Supply and a warranty card with instructions about installing the Sidus link App.
The presentation of the 150c and the items that come with it, fit perfectly in the box, but if you do have other accessories or modifiers to fit on to the light then there’s not any space for those items and you’ll probably have to carry them separately.
If you’re like me and have only used smaller light, then something like this is going to be a big upgrade for you and it’s definitely now, the biggest and most powerful light I have, weighing in at 2.66kg and having a maximum power output of 150W, hence it’s name the 150c.
If you find yourself wanting more power than 150W, then Amaran also do the 300c, which is exactly the same as the 150c, except the maximum power output is 300W.
The 150c has a sleek, compact and uncomplicated design. It comes in three colours, this one in charcoal, and also white and grey. It has some aesthetically pleasing cooling vents on the top and bottom, for the active cooling system which, for my usage and for my product shots at the lower power outputs, very rarely comes on, and in the brief occasions that it does the fan is very quiet, they comes on, cools the light down, and then it turns off.
One of the features I like most on the 150c, are two handles at the back, which are designed to allow you to easily adjust and position the 150c, particularly when it has got heavy modifiers or accessories attached and because there’s two handles those adjustments aren’t biased to whether you are left or right handed or which side of the light you are coming from to move it.
It has a Bowens mount on it, so you can easily attach a whole load of Bowens mount compatible modifiers, like the lightdome mini SE soft box (in the photo below) to help shape and control the light.
If you’ve used smaller LED fill lights, then you’ll be familiar with the UI display on the LCD screen on the 150c, as it’s almost exactly the same, which is a good thing, as you’ll be able to quickly adapt to using the 150c, and with the big control and press-able dials, you’ll be able to adjust the settings quickly and accurately, as well as using those buttons to switch between the colour modes.
Light modes
In the CCT mode, you can adjust the colour temperature from 2500K to 7500K. My existing light (Zhiyun Molus G60) only has a temperature range of 2700K to 6200K, so the greater range means that I’m able to get to even warmer and cooler temperatures.
What takes this light into that more professional realm is having the ability to also fine-tune the green and magenta tint, not many lights allow you to control this tint, but the benefit of being able to control it on a studio light like, means that you can further fine-tune the colour balance of your shots, especially when using different types of light sources or filters.
If you use certain LED lights that may have a slight green or magenta cast that can affect the skin tones or the overall mood of the image, by adjusting that tint, you can correct that colour shift and achieve a more natural or desired look, which is why this is also aimed at professionals too.
In the HSI mode, you can adjust the hue, saturation, and intensity of any colour you want, with 360° of hue and 100% of saturation.
This can produce over 16 million colours, giving you endless creative possibilities and helping you get the exact colour that you want.
The 150c has a maximum brightness of 11,196 lumens at 5600K, with a 1% increment dimming from 0 to 100% on the 150c itself, and a 0.1% increment dimming via the Sidus Link app.
It gives a nice smooth and even light output, whether you’ve got the hyper reflector, or a softbox attached. It has a beam angle of 86° without a reflector, and 63° with a reflector.
Sidus Link App
I mentioned before that there are 3 modes on this 150c, two of which can be controlled on the light itself and the third one, the light effects, along with the first two modes can all be finely controlled via the Sidus Link app, which gives you that wireless control of the 150C from a phone or tablet and access to more advanced and fine tuning settings of the 150c.
In the light FX mode, you can choose from nine effects, such as fire, cop car, party, TV, faulty bulb, lightning, fireworks, paparazzi, and pulsing. These effects can add realism and drama to your scenes, and they can all be further customised to your taste. and you can also adjust the speed and intensity of each effect.
Using this professional tool with the 150c, opens this light up to even more possibilities of what you could do with it and that’s only going to enhance your creativity. Need to mount the light or multiple lights up high, out of reach of the controls on the back, no worry, connect the app and control all of the lights from anywhere. Sitting at your A roll position and you don’t want to get up and change that intensity or you want your background a little more bluer, just use the app.
Looking for a particular colour to light up your space, use the colour picker, choose the item that you want to match the colour to, press pickup and the 150c will display that colour. You can also use the app to create custom effects, save presets, sync the light to music, which I ended up having a mini disco in here when I was testing out that feature.
Lighting Scenarios
Having a versatile light like the 150c can help you in a multitude of different purposes and scenarios.
You can use it as a key light, which is the main light source that illuminates your subject. You can adjust the settings to match the mood and the tone of your video. For example, you can use a warm and soft light for a cozy and intimate interview, or a cool and bright light for a crisp and professional tutorial.
You can also use it as a fill light, which is a secondary light source that fills in the shadows and balances the contrast of your subject. You can adjust the intensity and the colour to create a flattering and natural look for your subject. So in this case, you can use a low and warm light for a dramatic and cinematic effect, or a high and cool light for a clean and realistic effect.
You can use it as a rim light, which is a backlight that creates a halo or a silhouette around your subject. So you can adjust the angle and the colour to create a separation and a depth for your subject. In this example, you can use a narrow and white light for a sharp and edgy look, or a wide and coloured light for a soft and dreamy look.
You can it as a background light, which is a light that illuminates the background of your scene, which I’ve been doing in my last few videos, with my blue background on this wall behind me. You can adjust the colour and the effect of the 150c to create a mood and an atmosphere for your scene.
Who is this light for?
The Amaran 150c, a great studio light that most creators whether you’re a solo creator just beginning your journey or if you’re a seasoned filmmaker working on a crowded set, whether you fit in either of these two stages or somewhere in between, you’ll definitely benefit from using this light in your space and for your projects, and it’s available at a very good price at only $359 for a full-colour 150W LED light.
This is going to have a wider CCT range, a higher brightness, a higher colour accuracy, and more effects than many other lights at this price range.
Remember at the beginning of this article, I said, this is the light, that you want to get but you decide not to, until that point where you do and then you realise you should have just started with this.
My other light, is almost three times less powerful than this at 60W and only has a CCT mode, so doesn’t even have an RGB mode. I feel like this, although more expensive, is still better value for money than the other light.
For me and my workflow, that’s how I see this Amaran 150c, a light, filled with tech that you would usually find in high end film production equipment that is perfect for content creators and filmmakers, that is available for you to use at a more affordable price. It’s powerful, probably more powerful than I’ll ever need, it’s versatile, and it can help you create those amazing videos, all because you’ve cracked one of the most important aspects of production, the lighting.
You could pay more for other lights on the market and not get some of the features that you get with the 150c and even though the intensity is only 150W, that’s more then enough for me, I don’t think I’ve even used the intensity higher than about 40% because of how bright and powerful this already is at those lower intensities.
With the added ability to add further accessories to this, like the Spotlight SE and the lightsome mini SE, you can be so much creative with the 150c.