Watched several videos on these units... But this was the one I was waiting for Excellent review as always Andrew
3 года назад+6
That’s why we love and watch your reviews: testing, unique insights. Keep up the deep and serious work as your spare time allows you, I believe your community viewers are smart enough to understand.
Came here for the ls60x review, pleased to have also learnt about why pink/green adjustment is commonly included alongside colour temperature controls! Cheers!
Great information!!! I don't know why you don't have more subscribers. I've watched just about every review on the 60D/60X I can find, and yours is by far the most informative comprehensive and useful!!! Thanks! Total Pro!!
I always appreciate your reviews over the other channels I subscribe to. You're very thorough and since you are actually someone that works in the industry, I trust your word more, so I'm willing to wait for your reviews. I actually literally didn't watch any other videos about this light until I saw you posted up this review. Thanks
Great review. I bought the 60x to replace my Dedo DLED4 bi and I'm returning it. The 60x is just a little too big and unwieldy in comparison, and I hate having the battery stuck on the head, there's too much weight at the top, which for weddings is dangerous. Also as another person mentioned, changing the angle of the light will be a PITA compared to the yank-cable technique of the Dedo friction arm. The 60x is maybe 2.5 x brighter in spot and 5 x brighter in flood than the Dedo but that would be overkill for all but the biggest rooms, it has a colour temp readout, a mobile app, barn doors, various power options, can use those smaller Sony batteries, and it's cheap! So it's an awesome product on paper. Just not as practical as my Dedo for what I do. If my Dedo ever dies I would reconsider - or find something a tad smaller probably.
Really really appreciate your reviews and your channel here, Andrew. One of the things I love is that you do mention the cons in the best way I've seen anyone do it. It actually is a balanced review, not just showering praises where it might really not be warranted.
Another solid review. Love your reviews as it comes from a working professional's perspective with all the tiny details that the RUclipsr reviewers skip. I keep coming back anytime I'm about to work with different grear for the technical details. Hopefully you reviewthe upcoming Nanlite FS-300
Thanks Andrew, have mine on order and the spotlight.I think i'll get a D-tap extension if they don't bring a header cable out. Going to use as a Dedo replacement, love the app control.
Learned about the planckian curve today in January's edition of AC mag and read about how it fits within the CIE 1931. I feel just a little less lost in the tech specs with you using that graph today. Much appreciated! Wondering if you were influenced to use it because of that article.
I share the same thoughts on the only negative: The fact that there is no extention lead between the v mount battery and power cable of the light, it limits the capabilities of being able to set it up on a magic arm to go long range.
@@gaffergear and thats exactly why I wanted to see your opinion on them! Would be an honest review from someone with experience. Most reviews just focus on "how bright" the light is and don't talk about any other cons. The reviewers don't seem to have any idea of what they're talking about. For example, the Amarans don't have DMX if compared with the 120D II, or V Mount option. But that does not seem such a deal breaker for them, because they only focus on the brightness of the light. You would be able to value the real drawback of missing features like the ones I mentioned
It looks very impressive and for the money, it's a fantastic buy. I think it was very important that you matched the beam angle with the DLED 7 to compare brightness. I was considering buying a 60x as other reviews had stated it was over twice as bright as the Dedolight but after matching beam angles the difference in brightness wouldn't be a night and day difference for me at 40%. In relation to white point accuracy, I think aputure were really smart with the 60x. It looks like they made LED's ever so slightly green at the extreme ends of 2700k & 6500k so that when you blend them they end up more neutral than other bi-colour lights. As for the Dedolight being very pink, that is definitely an issue. I find that when mixing the Dedolight with my Aputure Nova or Litepanels Gemini 2x1 I need to use a 1/4 + green correction gel, to blend the white light seamlessly. The one saving grace with the Dedolight is that (according to the Dedolight product information) the light is generally out by -0.0048 across most of the kelvin range. That is certainly the case with mine. I can match tungsten and daylight pretty close to perfectly just by leaving the 1/4 +green permanently attached. Thanks again for an awesome review!
Outstanding review as always. I hope you'll be able to review the Godox S60 at some point, it supports wired DMX. I would be very surprised if Godox doesn't come up with a Bi-Colour version of the S60 RSN.
Wicked review Andrew! I bought a couple Nanlite 60Bs based on your review. And while these look tempting, I'm thinking to buy 4 more 60Bs, some more Pavo tubes and a 600D to round out my 2021 indie-film kit. The 60B are smaller and I think easier to transport and rig/hide. I'm eagerly waiting for your NanLite and Aperture Spotlight review, from what I've seen online it looks like the mount has some convex issues. I have the larger Aperture spotlight mount and it's great. But its 2021, and all of these gear is becoming more affordable and more compact and I want one more for my tiny lights :-D Best wishes!
Hey Andrew! Have been eagerly awaiting your review to see if you had anything to say about the projection mounts. I know you can't say much, but how does the output compare to the Godox s30 when using their projection mount? And how does the 15-30° lens measure up when compared to the 85mm lens of the Godox projection mount? I haven't been able to find any lens length info for the Aputure mini spotlight (they state degrees & not millimeters), so it's hard to say how efficient they are when compared to the Godox projection mount. Thanks again!
Well, you have just given me extra content to put in that video. I'll have to compare it to mm. It's not quite as sharp as the godox lenses (which are slide projector lenses) but it's dam sharp for a zoom spot. It's like comparing a great camera prime lens to a great camera zoom lens. The prime is sharper, but the zoom gives more capabilities.
@@gaffergear Good comparison. If you have a chance to check please let me know. I guess you'll make a standalone video about the Aputure Mini Spotlight when you get your hands on the retail version anyway though :)
I used 3 of these and a minizoom on a feature last december and loved them, i used them pretty much every day. I only used them because the rental didnt have any dedo turbos left, but from now on i will be asking for them, the mini zoom alone is worth it.
Thank you for this amazing review. Based on the strength of this review and shootout, I bought an LS 60x. It has not disappointed, except for one seemingly overlooked area: the barn doors. They are well-built, but they don’t cover the entire width of a flooded beam, which is where I do most of my barn door cuts. The wider blades could be built to flare out more like Arri barn doors and this would no longer be a problem. Do you know of any 3rd party barn doors that could potentially fix this issue? Thanks again for being the best lighting and grip channel by miles!
I've used the 60Ds now for several shooting days on set - 6 days on a movie set and 7 days in a fast-paced interview/footage coverage style. My conclusions: I absolutely hate the tooth screw mount. If you loose the screw the lamp just folds because there is no resistance. Almost hurt my hand at one time. Because of its incremental steps you never get the perfect angle. Compared to the Dedo friction mount changing the angle is so slow. When mounted on a stand I would just put the Dedo onto a steep angle and then pull a bit on the cable until the light points exactly where I want it to be. With the 60D it's pretty much a hit and miss situation. I also hate the orange lock thing on the power cable (cold appliance plug) which is quite uncomfortable and flimsy to unlock. And the cable is always too short. And why doesn't the light start when I press the power button? I have always to unplug the connector cable and plug it in again and then the light starts. There might be something I am missing here (and I remember Andrew said something about this, but can't find it in his videos). The Sidius Link app takes a long time to connect/verify and is very inconsistent in showing the status (Brightness and ON/OFF status on different pages does vary all the time). After I renamed the lights in the app for better distinction it sometimes did not find the lights anymore. When focusing at around 30° my units do no have a hot spot, but a "cold" spot in the middle. The fans are really silent compared to my Dedo DLED7-Ds and the Dedos started to blink infrequently when pointed straight downwards from above at full power because of the heat. Had to dim them a bit. No problem with heat on the 60Ds in overhead mode. The barn doors of the Aputure 60Ds did produce a lot of stray reflections (posing a problem for the audio woman), which was much less of a problem with the Dedo barn doors. Sometimes the 45° flood of the 60D is just too narrow - I really wish it would spread wider like the Dedo. While the built quality of the 60D is good, I found that it always feels too angular on the edges, almost hurts a bit - especially during rigging overhead. The Dedo feels more "organic". The bag is nice, but I wish it would had a planned space for a V-mount battery. Managed to cramp one in. And I wish there would be a possibility ootb to attach a portable light stand for interview work.
i was soooo close to selling my forza 60 b for the aputre 60 x and thanks to you soooo sooooo much that i didn't do it yet and i will not do it i would lost sooo much money and regretted it soooo badly like like like for the video
no clue what lumen radiate dmx is, but excellent review! Great that you showed the lights in your dark garage, to get an idea for the strength of these lamps. As a beginner, this is hard to imagine just going by the pure data (X amount of lumens at Y meters distance for example).
What I do when I'm looking at light stats is I find out the brightness of a light I own (lux at X metres), and then compare to that. Then it's a simple case of brighter or darker than the light I know
What do you think about classical Dedolight DLH4 in comparison with these led lights? Is it still worth its price? As I understand it has narrower light spot than any of these devices.
Gaffer & Gear I still don’t quite understand kelvin temperature changing in halogen lights and how to control temperature during dimming. Thank you for information!
@@ruslankbr5243 DLH4 get really bright when you start to spot them up. The best way to dim them is to flood them out to reduce intensity while retaining colour temp. If you do that and it’s still too bright, put on a wire scrim
I've heard you mention a few times about having equipment sent to you to review and a lot of it not being good enough quality to justify putting out a video about it. I'm curious are any of these products from well known companies that you've reviewed products from in the past? I'd be worried if i had bought a light and little did i know that was one of the pieces that was too crap to get reviewed haha
In almost all cases it is new players to the professional market, who just think that making it brighter or stronger makes it more professional. Or stage lighting companies that don't understand how important colour render is for us. In a few cases it is existing pro manufacturers, and in the 3 or 4 times this has happened all the issues have been fixed before I release the video.
@@gaffergear Appreciate the reply! So in all the cases of this happening with bigger more established companies, they've resolved the issues? That's good to know :)
@@DJ-hu4ih the established companies really take in the feedback. Sometimes it's annoying because I have to reshoot episodes because what I complain about has been fixed. But usually 3 days to two weeks is the turn around on fixing firmware related issues.
@@gaffergear bit of a double edged sword then if them fixing issues makes more work for you 😂it's good to know that they use the feedback though! Thanks again
Great review. Thank you. I am trying to decide between the x and d versions of the 60 and the 300. While I will do some interview work, I will mostly use these two lights and the 600 (eventually) in a narrative, controlled environment. Would you go for power or flexibility?
Hi Andrew, I asked for a recommendation earlier this year which light should I choose and you said I should wait a little for these aputure lights. You were absolutely correct, they are stunning. Thanks for this detailed review. One thing I missed was you talking about the modifiers. You said you would never use the bowens adapter. Is it absolutely useless to even think of putting some large softbox on these lights? Thank you so much again. All the best! Martin
I used the Dled 7 and tungsten ded's a lot for stop motion. If they'd make these aputure units dmx capable they'd sell like hotcakes as the price for DLED7's versus replacing all your tungsten dedo's would be astronomical
@@gaffergear I'm still thinking of replacing forza's with 60x as it;s uquiter and at least I can use sidus link. Any word on whether aputure will make a longer battery cable? Otherwise I'll solder a bunch up. If you have any need for them in future let me know in that case
@Gaffer & Gear Hi Andrew, could you please include the spectrum graph and perhaps your other usual readings (if you wouldn't mind and have the time) for a 3/4 CTO on the 60d in your eventual review video for the production version of the Spotlight Mini Zoom? I'd like to see how that compares to the 60x at 3200K (or the actual same color temperature as the 60d + 3/4 CTO). Thank you so much for your generous reviews, and I extend my deepest sympathies to you following the passing of your best friend
Maybe doing a video "essential/minimal light kit for gaffer starting out"? With some budgets - under 1000/2000/4000$ Example: Nanlite Forza 60b+Fresnel, Forza 200+softbox(or separate diffusion), 2x Pavotube II 6C = 1500$ + stands and smth else = 2000$ (plus these nanlite products are new so they all have bluetooth and would work with new app this year) Nanlite said me that products launched after Pavotube II 6C all have bluetooth built-in What do u think about this idea for video? You have a lot of experience and test new fixtures so u can make up-to-date kits
They look like fantastic options for starting cinematographers and gaffers. I was thinking about getting a single 120D II and light dome but I could get a couple of these for roughly the same price. Could you use these as your primary key light and fill?
Hey Andrew, great thorough review, thank you! I was a little underwhelmed and disappointed with these aputure 60’s given their output/price. Don’t get me wrong they are nice lights and your detailed analysis proves their accuracy and build quality, I just feel that there are other options on the market these days that give you better output for the money. In December I picked up some Godox vl200’s on sale for 350 US dollar and put it in direct comparison with the 120dii and the 300d and was amazed by the results. I couldn’t believe it was on par with the 300d. Would love to see you review the vl series (150,200,300) from Godox and get your thoughts. Will you be reviewing those? Also, regarding the kupo/impact stands I ended up getting one of each with the turtle mount. I honestly could not tell the difference between them. Even the imprints on the individual pieces were nearly identical except the impact parts had an additional letter of (c) printed. Ctm instead of tm for example. It’s possible the Kupo’s contain a zinc alloy that the impacts don’t but I really couldn’t tell a difference. The impacts go a foot taller as well. I think they are made in the same factory in China. I reached out to kupo and they said that they have some kind of oem deal with B&H and can’t discuss. It would be pretty surprising if the impact is the same item relabeled and a foot taller for 150 US dollars. Thought you might find that interesting. Take care Andrew and thanks again for your great reviews!
I suspect Kupo and Impact come out of the same factory. The godox VL and the Aputure60 are very different lights made for different applications. So not really comparable.
Any major brands "steel" combo stands. Avenger, Matthews, for example. Kupo would be the best cheap alternative. Don't get aluminium, steel is the best
If you hang the Aputure 60, the V mount adapter on the arm is upside down. Is the safety catch on the adapter solid enough or would one need to find an alternative way to hang the power supply near the lamp head?
About he Planckian Curve mentioned in the end, if the light had RGB leds, would the manufacturer still have the same problem of having to choose where the "line" would be? or would the RGB leds be able to suppress the green or magenta shifts?
Good question, if the manufacturer (can be bothered) they can add the RGB LEDs into the mix to adjust out the hue, so yes you are quite correct. Skypanel, kino, luxli, Litemat spectrums, apature nova, MC & B7C, Astera Titan Helios and NYX all do this. RGBWW lights that don't do this include the mixpanel series, Pavo tube, LEDgo, Aladdin all in 1, and almost any RGBWW light under $500USD
You had said that the DLED7 were some of your new favourite lights, would you now say this is the better buy? Or is there still a legitimate reason to go for the DLED7?? Thanks!
@@gaffergear damn. I just ordered the DLED7-D. Would you say that is based on the difference in price to performance that makes you say that? Or if they were the same price would there then be a preference for the DLED7 for you? I was surprised how beautiful the light on the DLED4 was when I borrowed it recently, and it’s not something that can be easily compared with specs. Is there no difference in that quality of the light?
@@gaffergear And I'm not sure if it's just weird RUclips compression, but when I see the spot comparison between the two, the Dedolight seems to fall off a lot smoother whereas the Aputure seems to show the transition with distinct ring like characteristics.
@@MatthewChenDirector compression, it's definitely not as good as a Dedo, but I would say 85% to 90% The big deference is in white point and colour render. The dedo shows its age.
Don't know, but it looks like a key feature of their future lights, just bare in mind that neither the 60s power supply or v-mount batteries are weather proof
@@mochouinard Oh, so do I. but I meant specifically the proprietary np-f connector that they give, does not use Vmount. Being that it is a smart connection to detect 1, vs 2 vmount batteries, if you were really strapped and only had 1 np-f battery, you wouldn't be able to use only 1 with a normal np-f to vmount/dtap adapter.
@@directoradamg Well at that point, they should spend less on light and buy more battery ;) But yes. I'm guessing they will sell longer cable. There is a question of water proof as well which never seen a water proof dtap connector. I'm holding off for the moment on them.
You say that with DMX you would replace the DEDOS. Why dont you try out the Godox S60? Cheaper, wider focusing range, even more than the S30, DMX, App and Remote controlled, full metal construction, can run with V-Mount batteries, dims down to 1%, BI and Mono color versions and still full compatibility with S30 and DEDO accesories... I like the S30 but LOVE my S60.
@@gaffergear look into it. How i see it. The S60 is what the S30 should have been from the beginning. I dont understand why it does not get the attention it deserves.
DMX is a professional lighting communication protocol. It's more reliable than any phone app (it has never let me down on set), but definitely not as easy to use, and it's expensive.
Great review. I’m thinking of going with 60D and CTO the light as needed. Mainly based on 60D has more power. I mainly shoot indoors so I’m on the fence about 60D especially with 60x bring bi-color but in my opinion 60D is cheaper with more power and gels are cheap. Your thoughts? Thx
Are these any good with small/medium modifiers like a lightdome II or a lantern, or is the spread of light too narrow due to the lens? I’m trying to find a couple of 60W compact all-rounders to compliment my Aputure LS 300x, mainly for events and location interviews where there’s not much set-up time. I’m a one-man crew = me. Thank you.
Can you use different projection mounts on these lights? I know you say the godox projection mount can be used on the dled, can it also be used on the aputure or the nanlight?
@@simonrabeder1599 personally I don't think I need every light to be top end, if I'm lighting something deep in the background on a city street, a cheap light will do the job.
@@gaffergear in this case, it seems not to be of bad quality light wise. Just less sturdy and mire limited in features. It would be great for smaller softboxes and could be boomed easier because if the lighter build.
Does the 60d have the same issue with barn door cuts as the 60x or is it only on the 60x ? This might seem like a non issue until you try using it with optical reflectors.
Quick question. I'm doing a lot of corporate and I want to create a YT channel of tech review in French. So mainly interviews BUT on the side I want to use the 60d or the 60x outside for video clips etc...and I need a lot of output to use outside ! Which one would you use ?
This light has terrible light leak issues. When spotted light leaks out the sides. The barn doors are very reflective which creates more light sources that leaks left right and centre. For some reason that doesn't show here. I may have a bad unit but just awful, have sent it back.
I've had a play this end and I get the same barn door bounce I get off every other light I own. With the exception of the felt lined Aputure Barn Doors that is. I have no direct leak coming out if the lamp heads in spot.
@@gaffergear Interesting. All I've used before are Dedo dlh4 and never had this issue. On Luke's video he has the dled and the 60d side by side lighting a lamp and you can see the reflections on the Aputure barn doors are way way way worse. It's a shame. Keep up the great work.
Mono pros.... 1) cheaper (especially if you always shoot daylight anyway). 2) higher output (usually around 40%) 3) if using projection mounts you get cleaner optics, especially on defocused projections. Pros of Bi-colour. 1) fast CCT adjustments with out gels. 2) CCT adjustments not limited to 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, or full gel increments.
I would go the 60d because I can run it at full power off a battery. But if batteries not an issue then the s30 has better optics. They also have an s60 now that may be well worth a look
Is the 10 mono or Bi-colour? I wanted to review the dled10 but after 3 attempts and getting one into Australia without being destroyed in transit we gave up.
@@gaffergear they have both, I have the daylight only. The beam is clean but not as clean as their 400w hmi when in full spot. If you email them, Dedo himself will respond, he has written me several emails.
damn, all these max quality reviews for free, and people are complaining they come in late? I'd pay to watch these reviews, good job as always Andrew!
By far the best lighting reviewer on RUclips.
It’s refreshing to hear an actual gaffers opinion rather than a vlogger hypebeast.
The tail-end explanation for the green 2700K is gold. Thank you! Fascinating.
Watched several videos on these units... But this was the one I was waiting for
Excellent review as always Andrew
That’s why we love and watch your reviews: testing, unique insights. Keep up the deep and serious work as your spare time allows you, I believe your community viewers are smart enough to understand.
Came here for the ls60x review, pleased to have also learnt about why pink/green adjustment is commonly included alongside colour temperature controls! Cheers!
Great review Andrew; and that las bit of info about the plankien curve was something i didn't know; thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Great information!!! I don't know why you don't have more subscribers. I've watched just about every review on the 60D/60X I can find, and yours is by far the most informative comprehensive and useful!!! Thanks! Total Pro!!
Cant believe people are hassling you over the speed of the reviews...
Great work, thanks for your reviews!
It's more they hassle Aputure because they think Aputure send them to me after everyone else
I always appreciate your reviews over the other channels I subscribe to. You're very thorough and since you are actually someone that works in the industry, I trust your word more, so I'm willing to wait for your reviews. I actually literally didn't watch any other videos about this light until I saw you posted up this review. Thanks
Great review. I bought the 60x to replace my Dedo DLED4 bi and I'm returning it. The 60x is just a little too big and unwieldy in comparison, and I hate having the battery stuck on the head, there's too much weight at the top, which for weddings is dangerous. Also as another person mentioned, changing the angle of the light will be a PITA compared to the yank-cable technique of the Dedo friction arm. The 60x is maybe 2.5 x brighter in spot and 5 x brighter in flood than the Dedo but that would be overkill for all but the biggest rooms, it has a colour temp readout, a mobile app, barn doors, various power options, can use those smaller Sony batteries, and it's cheap! So it's an awesome product on paper. Just not as practical as my Dedo for what I do. If my Dedo ever dies I would reconsider - or find something a tad smaller probably.
Really really appreciate your reviews and your channel here, Andrew. One of the things I love is that you do mention the cons in the best way I've seen anyone do it. It actually is a balanced review, not just showering praises where it might really not be warranted.
100% agree. Far too many ‘reviews’ on lights that never mention any of the cons. This channel is great for an honest and detailed review!
Thank you, sir! Your expertise is impressive, and your explanations are clear and very useful.
Niiice! Thank you for that info with the green tint in the end. That was absolutely fantastic!
great thorough and detailed review.
really also liked the practical use comparison vs the dedo.
Great video as usual Andrew. Really appreciate the work that goes into these!
Another solid review. Love your reviews as it comes from a working professional's perspective with all the tiny details that the RUclipsr reviewers skip. I keep coming back anytime I'm about to work with different grear for the technical details.
Hopefully you reviewthe upcoming Nanlite FS-300
I am
very nice to "Spot" the problem AND the solution with the barn door cut! :)
thanks for the great review Andrew.
Thank you again for the great reviews!
Thanks Andrew, have mine on order and the spotlight.I think i'll get a D-tap extension if they don't bring a header cable out. Going to use as a Dedo replacement, love the app control.
Great Dedo replacement or alternative
Learned about the planckian curve today in January's edition of AC mag and read about how it fits within the CIE 1931. I feel just a little less lost in the tech specs with you using that graph today. Much appreciated! Wondering if you were influenced to use it because of that article.
I did it because a lot of reviews were critical of how green it was at 2700k and thought it was a negative.
He's been referencing the P-Curve for a long time :)
I share the same thoughts on the only negative: The fact that there is no extention lead between the v mount battery and power cable of the light, it limits the capabilities of being able to set it up on a magic arm to go long range.
Been waiting for this one - thanks for the great content!
Me too !
Also would be really nice to see your comments regarding the Amaran lights
I haven't got them! I think Aputure are worried I would forget they are entry level lights when I review them.
@@gaffergear and thats exactly why I wanted to see your opinion on them! Would be an honest review from someone with experience. Most reviews just focus on "how bright" the light is and don't talk about any other cons. The reviewers don't seem to have any idea of what they're talking about. For example, the Amarans don't have DMX if compared with the 120D II, or V Mount option. But that does not seem such a deal breaker for them, because they only focus on the brightness of the light. You would be able to value the real drawback of missing features like the ones I mentioned
Just the video I wanted to see Andrew, thanks for sharing! I knew I wanted to get one of these for wedding work, but this just confirms it!
It looks very impressive and for the money, it's a fantastic buy. I think it was very important that you matched the beam angle with the DLED 7 to compare brightness. I was considering buying a 60x as other reviews had stated it was over twice as bright as the Dedolight but after matching beam angles the difference in brightness wouldn't be a night and day difference for me at 40%.
In relation to white point accuracy, I think aputure were really smart with the 60x. It looks like they made LED's ever so slightly green at the extreme ends of 2700k & 6500k so that when you blend them they end up more neutral than other bi-colour lights. As for the Dedolight being very pink, that is definitely an issue. I find that when mixing the Dedolight with my Aputure Nova or Litepanels Gemini 2x1 I need to use a 1/4 + green correction gel, to blend the white light seamlessly. The one saving grace with the Dedolight is that (according to the Dedolight product information) the light is generally out by -0.0048 across most of the kelvin range. That is certainly the case with mine. I can match tungsten and daylight pretty close to perfectly just by leaving the 1/4 +green permanently attached.
Thanks again for an awesome review!
What do you mean by when you "blend " the 60x aputure?
Outstanding review as always. I hope you'll be able to review the Godox S60 at some point, it supports wired DMX. I would be very surprised if Godox doesn't come up with a Bi-Colour version of the S60 RSN.
Awesome review and great explanation at the end. Just superb as always!!! Thank you!
Wicked review Andrew! I bought a couple Nanlite 60Bs based on your review. And while these look tempting, I'm thinking to buy 4 more 60Bs, some more Pavo tubes and a 600D to round out my 2021 indie-film kit. The 60B are smaller and I think easier to transport and rig/hide.
I'm eagerly waiting for your NanLite and Aperture Spotlight review, from what I've seen online it looks like the mount has some convex issues. I have the larger Aperture spotlight mount and it's great. But its 2021, and all of these gear is becoming more affordable and more compact and I want one more for my tiny lights :-D
Best wishes!
Hey Andrew! Have been eagerly awaiting your review to see if you had anything to say about the projection mounts. I know you can't say much, but how does the output compare to the Godox s30 when using their projection mount? And how does the 15-30° lens measure up when compared to the 85mm lens of the Godox projection mount? I haven't been able to find any lens length info for the Aputure mini spotlight (they state degrees & not millimeters), so it's hard to say how efficient they are when compared to the Godox projection mount. Thanks again!
Well, you have just given me extra content to put in that video. I'll have to compare it to mm. It's not quite as sharp as the godox lenses (which are slide projector lenses) but it's dam sharp for a zoom spot. It's like comparing a great camera prime lens to a great camera zoom lens. The prime is sharper, but the zoom gives more capabilities.
@@gaffergear Good comparison. If you have a chance to check please let me know. I guess you'll make a standalone video about the Aputure Mini Spotlight when you get your hands on the retail version anyway though :)
25:58 best explanation ever
I'm going to trade in my Dedo DLH 4's, these lights look amazing
I used 3 of these and a minizoom on a feature last december and loved them, i used them pretty much every day.
I only used them because the rental didnt have any dedo turbos left, but from now on i will be asking for them, the mini zoom alone is worth it.
Thank you for this amazing review. Based on the strength of this review and shootout, I bought an LS 60x. It has not disappointed, except for one seemingly overlooked area: the barn doors.
They are well-built, but they don’t cover the entire width of a flooded beam, which is where I do most of my barn door cuts. The wider blades could be built to flare out more like Arri barn doors and this would no longer be a problem. Do you know of any 3rd party barn doors that could potentially fix this issue?
Thanks again for being the best lighting and grip channel by miles!
Excellent review as usual.
Love it.. planking curve goodness!
great review! was debating on getting this light
I've used the 60Ds now for several shooting days on set - 6 days on a movie set and 7 days in a fast-paced interview/footage coverage style.
My conclusions: I absolutely hate the tooth screw mount. If you loose the screw the lamp just folds because there is no resistance. Almost hurt my hand at one time. Because of its incremental steps you never get the perfect angle. Compared to the Dedo friction mount changing the angle is so slow. When mounted on a stand I would just put the Dedo onto a steep angle and then pull a bit on the cable until the light points exactly where I want it to be. With the 60D it's pretty much a hit and miss situation.
I also hate the orange lock thing on the power cable (cold appliance plug) which is quite uncomfortable and flimsy to unlock. And the cable is always too short.
And why doesn't the light start when I press the power button? I have always to unplug the connector cable and plug it in again and then the light starts. There might be something I am missing here (and I remember Andrew said something about this, but can't find it in his videos).
The Sidius Link app takes a long time to connect/verify and is very inconsistent in showing the status (Brightness and ON/OFF status on different pages does vary all the time). After I renamed the lights in the app for better distinction it sometimes did not find the lights anymore.
When focusing at around 30° my units do no have a hot spot, but a "cold" spot in the middle.
The fans are really silent compared to my Dedo DLED7-Ds and the Dedos started to blink infrequently when pointed straight downwards from above at full power because of the heat. Had to dim them a bit. No problem with heat on the 60Ds in overhead mode.
The barn doors of the Aputure 60Ds did produce a lot of stray reflections (posing a problem for the audio woman), which was much less of a problem with the Dedo barn doors.
Sometimes the 45° flood of the 60D is just too narrow - I really wish it would spread wider like the Dedo.
While the built quality of the 60D is good, I found that it always feels too angular on the edges, almost hurts a bit - especially during rigging overhead. The Dedo feels more "organic".
The bag is nice, but I wish it would had a planned space for a V-mount battery. Managed to cramp one in. And I wish there would be a possibility ootb to attach a portable light stand for interview work.
That was bloody great, Andrew. 👍🏻👍🏻 I’ve been holding off on upgrading my trusty DLH4s… will probs give the 60Xs a go. 🇦🇺 🎥
Hi,
Could I possibly message you for some advice on lights?
Thanks in anticipation
andrewlocklighting@gmail.com
you can use a dtap extension cord if you need to relocate the battery !
i was soooo close to selling my forza 60 b for the aputre 60 x
and thanks to you soooo sooooo much that i didn't do it yet and i will not do it
i would lost sooo much money and regretted it soooo badly
like like like for the video
This guy’s the best
no clue what lumen radiate dmx is, but excellent review! Great that you showed the lights in your dark garage, to get an idea for the strength of these lamps. As a beginner, this is hard to imagine just going by the pure data (X amount of lumens at Y meters distance for example).
What I do when I'm looking at light stats is I find out the brightness of a light I own (lux at X metres), and then compare to that. Then it's a simple case of brighter or darker than the light I know
What do you think about classical Dedolight DLH4 in comparison with these led lights? Is it still worth its price? As I understand it has narrower light spot than any of these devices.
Still a good light, I wouldn't buy one new, lots out there second had for a good price
Gaffer & Gear I still don’t quite understand kelvin temperature changing in halogen lights and how to control temperature during dimming. Thank you for information!
@@ruslankbr5243 DLH4 get really bright when you start to spot them up. The best way to dim them is to flood them out to reduce intensity while retaining colour temp. If you do that and it’s still too bright, put on a wire scrim
Which one to get if doing home studio, travel documentaries and music videos , LS60d or LS60x?
It's really helpful. Btw thanks for the great content.
I've heard you mention a few times about having equipment sent to you to review and a lot of it not being good enough quality to justify putting out a video about it. I'm curious are any of these products from well known companies that you've reviewed products from in the past? I'd be worried if i had bought a light and little did i know that was one of the pieces that was too crap to get reviewed haha
In almost all cases it is new players to the professional market, who just think that making it brighter or stronger makes it more professional. Or stage lighting companies that don't understand how important colour render is for us.
In a few cases it is existing pro manufacturers, and in the 3 or 4 times this has happened all the issues have been fixed before I release the video.
@@gaffergear Appreciate the reply! So in all the cases of this happening with bigger more established companies, they've resolved the issues? That's good to know :)
@@DJ-hu4ih the established companies really take in the feedback. Sometimes it's annoying because I have to reshoot episodes because what I complain about has been fixed. But usually 3 days to two weeks is the turn around on fixing firmware related issues.
@@gaffergear bit of a double edged sword then if them fixing issues makes more work for you 😂it's good to know that they use the feedback though! Thanks again
@@nolongerzachlynde I to would like to see a quick video of "Gear to stay away from".
Great review. Thank you. I am trying to decide between the x and d versions of the 60 and the 300. While I will do some interview work, I will mostly use these two lights and the 600 (eventually) in a narrative, controlled environment. Would you go for power or flexibility?
Oooof the harsh falloff aperture when spotted. Understandable for the price i guess.
Hi Andrew, I asked for a recommendation earlier this year which light should I choose and you said I should wait a little for these aputure lights. You were absolutely correct, they are stunning. Thanks for this detailed review. One thing I missed was you talking about the modifiers. You said you would never use the bowens adapter. Is it absolutely useless to even think of putting some large softbox on these lights? Thank you so much again. All the best! Martin
I used the Dled 7 and tungsten ded's a lot for stop motion. If they'd make these aputure units dmx capable they'd sell like hotcakes as the price for DLED7's versus replacing all your tungsten dedo's would be astronomical
100%
@@gaffergear I'm still thinking of replacing forza's with 60x as it;s uquiter and at least I can use sidus link. Any word on whether aputure will make a longer battery cable? Otherwise I'll solder a bunch up. If you have any need for them in future let me know in that case
1:25 So I take it from your intro that you do not post overall negative reviews of equipment?
Thanks for a great review!
@Gaffer & Gear Hi Andrew, could you please include the spectrum graph and perhaps your other usual readings (if you wouldn't mind and have the time) for a 3/4 CTO on the 60d in your eventual review video for the production version of the Spotlight Mini Zoom? I'd like to see how that compares to the 60x at 3200K (or the actual same color temperature as the 60d + 3/4 CTO).
Thank you so much for your generous reviews, and I extend my deepest sympathies to you following the passing of your best friend
Impressive review.
Maybe doing a video "essential/minimal light kit for gaffer starting out"?
With some budgets - under 1000/2000/4000$
Example: Nanlite Forza 60b+Fresnel, Forza 200+softbox(or separate diffusion), 2x Pavotube II 6C = 1500$ + stands and smth else = 2000$
(plus these nanlite products are new so they all have bluetooth and would work with new app this year)
Nanlite said me that products launched after Pavotube II 6C all have bluetooth built-in
What do u think about this idea for video?
You have a lot of experience and test new fixtures so u can make up-to-date kits
They look like fantastic options for starting cinematographers and gaffers.
I was thinking about getting a single 120D II and light dome but I could get a couple of these for roughly the same price.
Could you use these as your primary key light and fill?
I want to get these bad boy's.
Hey Andrew, great thorough review, thank you! I was a little underwhelmed and disappointed with these aputure 60’s given their output/price. Don’t get me wrong they are nice lights and your detailed analysis proves their accuracy and build quality, I just feel that there are other options on the market these days that give you better output for the money. In December I picked up some Godox vl200’s on sale for 350 US dollar and put it in direct comparison with the 120dii and the 300d and was amazed by the results. I couldn’t believe it was on par with the 300d. Would love to see you review the vl series (150,200,300) from Godox and get your thoughts. Will you be reviewing those? Also, regarding the kupo/impact stands I ended up getting one of each with the turtle mount. I honestly could not tell the difference between them. Even the imprints on the individual pieces were nearly identical except the impact parts had an additional letter of (c) printed. Ctm instead of tm for example. It’s possible the Kupo’s contain a zinc alloy that the impacts don’t but I really couldn’t tell a difference. The impacts go a foot taller as well. I think they are made in the same factory in China. I reached out to kupo and they said that they have some kind of oem deal with B&H and can’t discuss. It would be pretty surprising if the impact is the same item relabeled and a foot taller for 150 US dollars. Thought you might find that interesting. Take care Andrew and thanks again for your great reviews!
I suspect Kupo and Impact come out of the same factory.
The godox VL and the Aputure60 are very different lights made for different applications. So not really comparable.
When can review AMARAN 100D & 200D
Have you tried light & motion Stella CLx10?
Great review. Could you recommend light stands that don't seem flimsy at the heights of up to 3 meters?
Any major brands "steel" combo stands. Avenger, Matthews, for example. Kupo would be the best cheap alternative. Don't get aluminium, steel is the best
If you hang the Aputure 60, the V mount adapter on the arm is upside down. Is the safety catch on the adapter solid enough or would one need to find an alternative way to hang the power supply near the lamp head?
That is a very very good point, given how sometimes I think I have the batteries locked but I don't, and how heavy my batteries are.
About he Planckian Curve mentioned in the end, if the light had RGB leds, would the manufacturer still have the same problem of having to choose where the "line" would be? or would the RGB leds be able to suppress the green or magenta shifts?
Good question, if the manufacturer (can be bothered) they can add the RGB LEDs into the mix to adjust out the hue, so yes you are quite correct.
Skypanel, kino, luxli, Litemat spectrums, apature nova, MC & B7C, Astera Titan Helios and NYX all do this.
RGBWW lights that don't do this include the mixpanel series, Pavo tube, LEDgo, Aladdin all in 1, and almost any RGBWW light under $500USD
Love these videos, brilliant
You had said that the DLED7 were some of your new favourite lights, would you now say this is the better buy? Or is there still a legitimate reason to go for the DLED7?? Thanks!
I couldn't justify spending the money on a DLED Turbo 7 now.
@@gaffergear damn. I just ordered the DLED7-D. Would you say that is based on the difference in price to performance that makes you say that? Or if they were the same price would there then be a preference for the DLED7 for you? I was surprised how beautiful the light on the DLED4 was when I borrowed it recently, and it’s not something that can be easily compared with specs. Is there no difference in that quality of the light?
@@gaffergear And I'm not sure if it's just weird RUclips compression, but when I see the spot comparison between the two, the Dedolight seems to fall off a lot smoother whereas the Aputure seems to show the transition with distinct ring like characteristics.
@@MatthewChenDirector compression, it's definitely not as good as a Dedo, but I would say 85% to 90%
The big deference is in white point and colour render. The dedo shows its age.
@@gaffergear I see, thank you so much for the information. Last clarifying question, the 15%-10% that the Dedo is better at, in what way?
Update you can run the light off one battery with full brightness.
Andrew
, do you maybe know wether Aputure plans to make 300d in the same weatherproof housing as 60d?
Don't know, but it looks like a key feature of their future lights, just bare in mind that neither the 60s power supply or v-mount batteries are weather proof
Couldn't you just get a D-Tap extension cable ? That what I normally do when using a jib/crane.
Excellent idea
that works great for v-lock batteries. np-f battery plate though still wouldn't have an extension ability!
@@directoradamg I have npf to vmount with d-tap
@@mochouinard Oh, so do I. but I meant specifically the proprietary np-f connector that they give, does not use Vmount. Being that it is a smart connection to detect 1, vs 2 vmount batteries, if you were really strapped and only had 1 np-f battery, you wouldn't be able to use only 1 with a normal np-f to vmount/dtap adapter.
@@directoradamg Well at that point, they should spend less on light and buy more battery ;) But yes. I'm guessing they will sell longer cable. There is a question of water proof as well which never seen a water proof dtap connector. I'm holding off for the moment on them.
Hello, Do you still recommend Aputure 60d and 60x as this would be my choice over the 60D? Or is there an updated version? Thank you.
Im now using Nanlite 60C with fresnels and projection mounts, but it's a question of what suits the individual
@@gaffergear Nanlite has no option to use batteries.
@@ParadigmImagesVideoPhotography via cable only
@@gaffergear prefer battery options. I have a light panel and can run it for 5 hours on IDX System Technology NP-F Dual Battery batteries
You say that with DMX you would replace the DEDOS. Why dont you try out the Godox S60? Cheaper, wider focusing range, even more than the S30, DMX, App and Remote controlled, full metal construction, can run with V-Mount batteries, dims down to 1%, BI and Mono color versions and still full compatibility with S30 and DEDO accesories... I like the S30 but LOVE my S60.
I haven't seen one, sounds good
@@gaffergear look into it. How i see it. The S60 is what the S30 should have been from the beginning. I dont understand why it does not get the attention it deserves.
What can you do with DMX? I have some Aputure lights but never used this
DMX is a professional lighting communication protocol.
It's more reliable than any phone app (it has never let me down on set), but definitely not as easy to use, and it's expensive.
Great review. I’m thinking of going with 60D and CTO the light as needed. Mainly based on 60D has more power. I mainly shoot indoors so I’m on the fence about 60D especially with 60x bring bi-color but in my opinion 60D is cheaper with more power and gels are cheap. Your thoughts? Thx
Makes sense, I would do the same
Are these any good with small/medium modifiers like a lightdome II or a lantern, or is the spread of light too narrow due to the lens? I’m trying to find a couple of 60W compact all-rounders to compliment my Aputure LS 300x, mainly for events and location interviews where there’s not much set-up time. I’m a one-man crew = me. Thank you.
I don't have any to test but it's questionable, I definitely feel they would not fill a lantern, dome ii I don't know but doubt it.
Thank you for getting back. I think you are probably right. Might go with a couple of the Ameran 100s.
Can you use different projection mounts on these lights? I know you say the godox projection mount can be used on the dled, can it also be used on the aputure or the nanlight?
These lights have a very unique dimension to the front
Brilliant review ✌️
I love your comprehensive reviews. May I ask - would you recommend a Aputure 60X or an Aputure Amaran 200X for a first time RUclipsr?
I haven't seen a 200x do I would be guessing
have you by chance given any thought on how to hang the Aputure Amaran 100x/d or 200x/d?
Hi! Did 60x and 60d compatible with Dedo or Godox s30 mount for lens attachment? Thanks
Great work, is it posible to attach the godox attachment to this light??
Which godox adaptor? The adaptor for the 30 is a no
Thank you so much 👏👏👏
Will you be doing a review for the new amaran 100d, 100x, 200d, 200x?
I don't think so. Aputure would rather I show the top end products only
@@gaffergear unfortunate, it would have been quite interesting.
@@simonrabeder1599 personally I don't think I need every light to be top end, if I'm lighting something deep in the background on a city street, a cheap light will do the job.
@@gaffergear in this case, it seems not to be of bad quality light wise. Just less sturdy and mire limited in features. It would be great for smaller softboxes and could be boomed easier because if the lighter build.
Hi..do you have a dmx lighting guide? From time to time I light clips and I have to program the dimming of the lights during the shooting ..
I don't feel that I'm expert enough on DMX yet. I'm a fairly basic user.
Am I understanding correctly that the 300x and the 60x have nearly the same output at 3m (726 lux vs. 745 lux respectively)?
If you were just starting out on youtube and you had the money to purchase 1 aputure light, which one would you get and why?
Does the 60d have the same issue with barn door cuts as the 60x or is it only on the 60x ? This might seem like a non issue until you try using it with optical reflectors.
60d or 60x? i will only uses for indoor, actually for still life painting.
illuminate the objects that i will paint
Quick question. I'm doing a lot of corporate and I want to create a YT channel of tech review in French. So mainly interviews BUT on the side I want to use the 60d or the 60x outside for video clips etc...and I need a lot of output to use outside ! Which one would you use ?
This light has terrible light leak issues. When spotted light leaks out the sides. The barn doors are very reflective which creates more light sources that leaks left right and centre. For some reason that doesn't show here. I may have a bad unit but just awful, have sent it back.
I've had a play this end and I get the same barn door bounce I get off every other light I own. With the exception of the felt lined Aputure Barn Doors that is.
I have no direct leak coming out if the lamp heads in spot.
@@gaffergear Interesting. All I've used before are Dedo dlh4 and never had this issue. On Luke's video he has the dled and the 60d side by side lighting a lamp and you can see the reflections on the Aputure barn doors are way way way worse. It's a shame. Keep up the great work.
@@YTMrBSo you can see it in Luke's video but not in mine?
I'm guessing I must have different paint on my doors! Very odd
What would be the pros/cons of using CTO gels instead of using bi-colour light?
Mono pros....
1) cheaper (especially if you always shoot daylight anyway).
2) higher output (usually around 40%)
3) if using projection mounts you get cleaner optics, especially on defocused projections.
Pros of Bi-colour.
1) fast CCT adjustments with out gels.
2) CCT adjustments not limited to 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, or full gel increments.
Which one do you recommend for home studio, travel documentaries and music videos ? LS60D or LS60X?
With light is better ls 60d or Godox s30? I didn’t mean difference between the power. Which one would you be available from and why?
I would go the 60d because I can run it at full power off a battery. But if batteries not an issue then the s30 has better optics. They also have an s60 now that may be well worth a look
@@gaffergear i didn’t know that. Thank U very much! I use s30 kit and i love it. I think s60 it’s better option than aputure
@@cojestnietakzkrakowem4593 if the s30 is anything to go by, than yes.
Any idea if existing scrim sizes will fit in the units behind the barn doors?
I don't have anything in that size
Hi Andrew, if you were to buy 1 unit....is it better to buy a 60d and use cto to change the temperature or buy the 60x?
I use my 60x more than the 60d if that helps
Hey Andrew did the Amarans not make the cut?
Aputure have not sent them to me.
Is a 60d comparable to an old 120d (non MkII)? Like brightness, quality of light, etc.
Have you tried it with Dome Mini II ? Or any other softbox?
I sold my dome ii mini years back, but several shooters I know are using the small soft box and seem happy
11:55 big luminance difference
I wonder why the Dedo is so dim, isn’t it 90w? I have the dled10, if you have one of those, can you compare it to the 300d?
Is the 10 mono or Bi-colour?
I wanted to review the dled10 but after 3 attempts and getting one into Australia without being destroyed in transit we gave up.
@@gaffergear they have both, I have the daylight only. The beam is clean but not as clean as their 400w hmi when in full spot. If you email them, Dedo himself will respond, he has written me several emails.
Dedolight California has a better estore
So do I want the 60x or do I want a 60d with a full CTO gel?