Amaran 200X – https://amzn.to/3qId2Zh
SmallRig RC220B – https://amzn.to/3QOD6g3
Zhiyun Molus G200 – https://amzn.to/3YGsamx
I am testing out 3 popular 200 Watt COB Video LED Lights from Aputure, SmallRig and Zhiyun. Each light has their own strengths, but I wanted to test out some major differences, but do my own test in the color accuracy and my own brightness test instead of reading the numbers values that the companies has placed online.
First the size, the visible winner is the Zhiyun Molus being the smallest of the bunch. Eventhough the Amaran and Smallrig looks quite similar in design, the Smallrig is the biggest. If you need to be portable and have something that doesn’t require a lot of space during transport the Zhiyun is the better option.
Also the cases they come in are quite different. The Amaran is the only one that does not come with a travel case and would need to require you to purchase one yourself or take the original box with you as the travel case. The smallest of the 3 is the Zhiyun, while the Smallrig has the biggest case.
On the user interface size of the Amaran 200x, it has 2 dials which you will be using the most, the left one is to change the CCT ( color temperature ) while the right one is to changes the light intensity. Though this is a very simple interface, the big issue here is that the dials feels sluggish and you need to rotate them quite a lot to get to the setting you want. Also there is a button to reset the bluetooth connection if some random 3rd party connected to it and mess around your lights. For the light FX you can only access them via the phone app and not via the rear of the light.
SmallRig RC220B interface does include lighting FX you can directly choose. The left dial is for changing the light intensity and the CCT, as you can press on the dial to switch between the two. The right dial is to change to FX frequency and toggle through the different FX. This setup is quite nice as it doesn’t for you to use your phone to access these features.
The Zhiyun Molus G200 control is not on the rear of the light, but located on the power box which make changing setting quite a lot easier when the light is already placed high up. This way you can still alter the settings without having to use the app. The dials the control box allow you to dim the light with the left dial and change the CCT with the right. Also here the dials feels a bit sluggish compared to the Smallrig. Holding down the right dial you can access a music FX which make the light flash depending on the ambient sound, however it does miss a lot of the other useful FX, nor are the available in their app. And holding down both the dials you go into MAX mode which boost the G200 to a 300 Watt light for a limited time.
Brightness Test
For the brightness test I went to test every light using a LUX meter app on my phone and placing the COB LED Chip of each light 1 meter away from my phone. Also the test were done without the reflector which can focus the light one 1 meter giving a false result as most people would use these light in combination with other modifiers that don’t require the reflector.
This test was quite interesting to do as it allows me to also see that they are the brightest in Daylight color, while going to tungsten it drops off a lot. However it makes sense also, because the Daylight working against a bright sun, while at night you have much weaker lights. Surprisingly the smallest light here is also the brightest even without going all MAX mode on it.
Conclusion
If I had to choose between the 3 lights the Zhiyun Molus G200 is the most interesting being the smallest and the brightest. Personally I don’t often use FX on my lights and if needed often are with smaller lights, though it is nice to have the feature around, I do hope Zhiyun could still add them via a firmware or even via their app. But able to bring more lights and also being bright making it more capable to use in bright situations is more important.
