2x Amaran 672s or 1x LS-1s?

[akira ando]

Hi All.

I am wondering ... Need some advise please.

I have one Amaran 672s and quite happy with it. Now I am replacing fluo gears with LEDs.
Just looking at the spec, LS-1s outputs 30300 lux/0.5m and the 672s does 18800 lux/0.5m.
On paper, 2x 672s altogether should be brighter than LS-1s, right?

But also on the spec, LS-1s power consumption is 120w, and 672s is 45w. Two 672s make 90w.
Again, on paper, 1x LS-1s should be brighter...

I guess laws of physics kick in and do things and things don't go along with 'on-paper',
but I believe some of you are either expert in Physics or the owner of the two models, and helping me out without the paper!

My main use is corporate interviews. I am a One man band, also doing mograph and 3DCG, so shooting is not all the time so I don't put much emphasis on build quality.
My Cams are GH4, BMPC 4K, C100, so ISO 400-800 is the sweet spot.

Akira

 

[Michael Carter]

I have a 672 - it's about a half stop brighter than a dual biax (though mine is the wide model). I can only see using it for a key if there was absolutely no other way to light. For me, a quad biax with diffusion is as weak as I like for a main light and it won't cut it when you want to hold a bright environment. if you're upgrading and you're not in a spot where you 100% need batteries and a tiny fixture, I'd look for more lumens. Really nice when the CEO's corner office has a wall of windows behind him and you want to hold a sense of a view, 575 HMI and you have a chance.

I like my 672 and may get another, they're great for rim lights or hitting a spot on a BG and they're so tiny you can pack several - but more lumens opens up a lot more shot possibilities.

 

[akira ando]

Thanks Michael.

Yeah, I agree a 672 alone is too weak for a key. That's why I am thinking of getting two of them sticking together as one key light.
672s has 1/4" threads on both sides and I can bolt them together easily.
This 'Two into One' approach makes it 37600 lux/0.5m altogether (I guess it can't be that simple, but ballparkly, yes) and it should be brighter than a single LS-1s.

It might be a pain to set up than a single LS-1s but I can take that pain. Versatility and more lux, plus less cost seem attractive enough to me.
But I don't know, someone may prove how wrong I am!

 

[Michael Carter]

But I don't know, someone may prove how wrong I am!

A quad biax can be had for less than one Aputure - a 6-lamp for $320 or so? Or get a chinese quad with a real yoke for even less.

Sure, that's not a Kino… but neither is an Aputure!

My chinese biax (duals and quads) have been on literally hundreds of shoots - I've yet to replace one bulb. But… they're not the coolest new thing, but pretty well dialed-in tech.

I open the barn doors and clip diffusion to 'em. Usually I just leave the diff on when I close them up. Sometimes I just toss a sheet of ripstop over the whole thing.

Quad with the aputure as a hard rim light (no diffusion, just a scrap of something like straw or 1/4 CTO, not even sure what it was) - to me, this is where the LEDs kick some ass - very quick to setup and allow you to do some detailed stuff: