Battle: LitePanel = Aputure Amaran = Quasar Science
By Patryk Rebisz
In this article we'll compare brightness of 3 distinctive LED lights: LitePanel 1x1 Astra 6x, Aputure Amaran F22, 4ft x 4 bulbs Quasar Science (in Kino housing).
All three lights are popular with DPs and gaffer so here are quick comparisons how each light stacks up against each other.
Quick verdict: all 3 lights are comparable in brightness, differing only by form factor and weight.
Here we look at barebones LP 1x1 Astra 6x against Aputure Amaran F22x. Though LP is brighter, it's also more spotted.
LP's brightness matches that of F22 the moment we put diffusion in front. The brightness of LP is due to their built-in lenses and this effect is greatly reduced with use of softbox.
Use of diffusion in front of each light is dictated by the sort of shadows one expects. By definition those are all soft lights (meaning: they don't produce perceptibly sharp shadows) but how that softness is manifested differs greatly. Even without softbox, LP produces pleasant soft shadows, but not so F22. In this specific example, the shadow has distinctive lines that can be distracting in certain lighting scenarios. Though LP could be used without softbox (in its brighter configuration), F22 could really use some diffusion here.
Now, let's compare Aputure Amaran F22x with diffusion (on the right) to 4x4 Quasar Bulbs in Kino housing. Both lights produce equivalent illumination. Shadows from Quasar bulbs are more pronounced because the unit is presented in vertical mode. Placing the light horizontally would soften the shadows further.
And here, 4x4 Quasar unit (on the left) against LitePanel 1x1 Astra 6x (on the right). Once again, just as comparing LP against F22 above, the build-in lenses of the light produces a bright spot that intensified its apparent illumination.
In practice, all 3 lights are comparable in brightness and offer similar functions. Though not tested here, all 3 lights offer bi-color function giving the user great versatility in all kinds of lighting situations. The lights are similar in brightness but differ in form factor and thus this is what shall determine their articular use.
Hopefully you found this article useful. You can find all lights for rent at PAT Rentals (www.patrentals.com).