The monolight fixture, once a mainstay of the photography world, has now found its way into cinema. Thanks to the constant evolution of the LED, these lights can now be seen on narrative productions, corporate projects, and even red carpets.
But as the tech grows, so do our options, with brands that have never made lights now finally dipping their toe into the illuminated waters.
For this week's "Deals of the Week," we look at three different lighting brands and three different outputs to see which tool is the best fit for you.
Aputure — 600W
The company that started the affordable lighting craze, Aputure has been leading the charge in LED lighting, specifically with its range on monolights.
The Aputure Light Storm series offers robust build quality and high output, while its more affordable amaran line, packs the same output in a more affordable package.
All these tools are also unified by the Sidus Link app, which brings every Aputure tool under one ecosystem.
Aputure LS 600d
Utilizing the same light source as its professional predecessor, the LS 600d is one of the brightest point source LEDs available. Thanks to its immensely powerful 600W COB LED, this light outputs an incredible 98,500 lux at 3.3' with the included Hyper Reflector, 8,500+ lux at 9.8' with the included Hyper Reflector, or up to 29,300+ lux at 9.8' with an optional F10 Fresnel.
Nanlite — 300W
An Aputure competitor, Nanlite has been making strides in creating similar tools at a competitive price point.
While Nanlite may seems like an Aputure copy, it's an important part of the lighting market, as it drives competitions between the different makers. Nanlite itself offers solid products that are well built and provide the output filmmakers need, all at a budget level everyone can afford.
Nanlite FS-300B Bi-Color
The Nanlite FS-300B Bi-Color LED Monolight is an AC-powered, bi-color LED fixture engineered to provide maximum output while maintaining an even light spread. It employs a large LED array and a precision-engineered reflector to emit up to 38,720 lux of 5600K daylight-balanced light at 3.3', and its bi-color design allows it to provide a CCT range of 2700-6500K, all while maintaining a high CRI/TLCI of 96/97, ensuring accurate color rendition.
Sirui — 60W
Sirui isn't a company you'd think of when looking for lighting. But the company that once started with tripods, and now makes one of the most affordable true anamorphic lenses, has made its way into the lighting market with some interesting tools for filmmakers and creators.
The initial line only offers four different outputs, but expands that selection with options for daylight, RGB, and bi-color.
Sirui C60 Daylight LED Monolight
The Sirui C60 Daylight LED Monolight is compact, lightweight, and virtually silent. It is ideally suited for shooting video content and has an integrated Bowens S-mount, making it compatible with a broad assortment of reflectors, softboxes, and other light modifiers. The C60 monolight has a daylight color temperature output of 5600K for natural, neutral light coloration with a CRI of 96 and a TLCI of 98 for accurate color rendering.
