Although I prefer the versatility of high output lamps, most of us would like to have a smaller form factor Fresnel lamp with good output and battery options in our kit. The Aputure LS 60 series is suitable for smaller and more powerful categories. Yes, it has Fresnel-type aspheric optics, including barn doors. Let's dive in, shall we?

The kit includes a semi-soft case, which fits all the included accessories. The divider is a padded hook and loop fastener. This is great because if you have something else you want to include, you can rearrange it. remember. It does not have a lot of extra space.

The LS 60 series has a different appearance. It is more like a tube. The yoke has enough clearance, so the lamp can directly face upwards. In the next position, it also has an excellent range. The yoke is strong, without bending.

The lamp post mount on the bracket uses two screws to prevent twisting. Overall, it has an excellent structure.

The lamp has a locking knob. It is locked in place using rosette-style teeth. This is very useful for heavy front modifiers because it does not slide. A slight disadvantage is that the fixture must be set at the rosette stage, so if you want it to be in a specific inclined position, it may not be possible. This is not a deal breaker, just something I noticed. In fact, this may not be a problem. I like it locked so tightly.

The LS 60 lamp is not light because it weighs nearly 4 pounds. However, due to its aluminum body, this should be expected. The key components don't have a lot of plastic.

The fixture has an IP54 waterproof rating, so it can handle some moisture, but it is not waterproof.

5 = Prevent the amount of dust that may interfere with the normal operation of the product but is not completely dustproof. Completely prevent solid objects.

4 = Make sure to prevent splashing water from any angle.

The lamps are well ventilated and use a small and very quiet fan to keep it cool. The fan does turn on when power is applied, but this is not a problem. The all-metal shell helps to dissipate heat, and it seems that there are no electronic devices inside, which provides more airflow space for the lamp.

All the controls of the LS 60 are located on the back of the lamp. The dial on the back is used to change the brightness, access the menu, and change the beam from a spotlight to a floodlight.

To access the menu, simply press the menu to display the options. You can then use the same menu buttons to navigate the settings. After finding the setting you want to change, press the button again to access the submenu. The OK button is now used to make changes. This is very straightforward.

Like many new Aputure lamps, the LS 60 can be controlled via the Sidu link. LS 60 has eight built-in lighting effects: paparazzi, fireworks, lightning, bulb failure, TV, pulse, strobe and explosion. One thing missing is the inclusion of a large wireless controller like many Aputure lights.

The front of the LS 60 is a bit different because it has a more common barn door mount instead of Bowens Mount, but don't worry because it includes a Bowens Mount adapter that can be slid in. What would happen to the Aputure lamp without Bowens Mount!

In order to understand the aspheric optical dispersion, I set 60d 1 meter from the front of the lens to the background and adjusted it to 100.

The spread looks good. Its center is very bright, and the edges gradually become thinner. Small diameter fixtures with COB must be more difficult to design because of their impact. Since the LS 60 does not use a reflector, the aspheric optics take on the heavy work.

As for its cutting method, it also looks very good. The barn doors are a bit compact, so they won't close as needed to get a clean rectangle; however, when they are in a more square environment, they won't bleed.

One feature I wish to have is a gel holder similar to Arri 650. Maybe this is something that Aputure can provide later, because it would be nice to add some color to the background while controlling the Fresnel and barn doors.

The barn door needs to be in the first or front slot for proper use. They are excellent. The beautiful and thick doors feel that they are durable and not easy to bend. To help shape the light, two of the doors have retractable parts when closed, so you can become beautiful and tight. Over time, my only concern is that they may loosen, but the build looks very good, so this may not be the case.

As I mentioned, an aspheric optical element is a dome shape that changes the beam propagation. This prevents hot spots in the center. From 1 meter to the center of the beam, the brightness of LS 60d is 9350 LUX, and gradually darkens to the edge.

LS 60d CRI is very good. It is great to see that most of the lamps I have reviewed these days have excellent color reproduction. I got an extended CRI of 95.34. As for the white balance accuracy, my reading is 5594K. It is only 94K short.

Setting the LS 60x to 3200k, I got an extended CRI of 95.51 CRI. At 3200K, my white balance reading is 3101K. The white balance is reduced by 99K.

The output of LS 60x at 5500k is less than 60d. This is not surprising, because two-color lamps must mix two colors to get the Kelvin temperature. I set LS 60x to 5500k to see if it matches daylight 60d. The output of 5500k is 7050 LUX. This is 2300 LUX less than 60d. If you need as much output as possible, LS 60d may be a better choice. Personally, I would choose the more flexible LS 60x. Using CC gel consumes output, so you might as well use the fixture two-color option. This is a bit washable.

Like the lights these days, the colors are very beautiful. Setting LS 60x to 5500k, I got an extended CRI of 95.72. At 5500K, my reading was 5390K. The white balance is reduced by 110K.

An outstanding feature of the 60-watt LS 60 is the innovative power supply option.

The yoke side is a small V-shaped adapter that can accommodate AC power bricks or the included dual Sony-NP-F battery boards or V-shaped batteries with D-tap input. The kit includes the D-Tap cable. On the LCD screen on the back is an estimated value of the remaining power, which changes according to the light output. Using the new 155 watt 14.8v battery, you can use it for approximately two hours under full power.

On the back of the fixture is a cable with a twist-lock connector. This is used to connect all power supply options on the LS 60.

A good option is that you can use an NP-F battery, and the LS 60 will work at half the power.

Although I prefer to have a power block built into the lamp, not doing so will make the lamp more compact, but connecting things to the side will destroy the compactness of the LS 60. The AC cable is quite long and has a locking system to prevent the cable from being accidentally pulled out of the power block.

The kit includes a Bowens adapter and barn door. Both slide into the front accessory bracket and are held in place with spring clips, which you can pull up and twist to one side. This is the old-fashioned barn door frame on almost all heat lamps. The mount is very strong, and when you add the Bowens mount to the rear position, there is no light leakage. The fixture can easily fix the Light Dome Mini and the new Light Dome SE, but I think the Light Dome II is a bit big for such a small fixture.

LS 60 will soon launch some new modifications. You can already use various Bowens Mount softboxes, but Aputure has also released a special LS 60 model, which has a small square design and can be perfectly mounted to the LS 60 Barn Doors Mount. This sounds very interesting, I like the idea of ​​a small softbox, not the type of beauty disc similar to Light Dome Mini II.  

Another new accessory is the Spotlight Mini Zoom designed specifically for the LS 60. It is more compact. I can't wait, because the projected pattern adds a wonderful feeling to the background. Spotlight Mini pricing has not yet been determined

I like these new LS 60d/x lamps. Contrary to the lens you added to the front, the built-in aspheric optics are great for quick setup. Although it is not as good as the old Arri 650 type, it is very good. Tungsten filament lamps have the advantage of mirrors, which can help spread the light so that the light covers the lens. The included barn door is well made, and the Bowens adapter can be used with the softbox.

Its power is 60 watts. Although it is not very powerful, it is very suitable for hair and backlight or to add accent light to the scene. Small and powerful are good things in your toolkit. In the past, I would use several Arri 650s in the small Chimera softbox and Arri 150 for running and shooting. They finished their work. The performance of modern cameras is better than those ENG cameras that I use at low light sensitivity, so there is no need to use super bright lights as before, and these LS 60 lamps can also work. They work well in softboxes, and Aputure will provide a new smaller square softbox for LS 60 lights.

The build quality is very good, and the option to easily add batteries is the icing on the cake. LS 60d is US$369 and 60x is US$419. The delivery date for the US market starts today, and the delivery date for the EU market starts on January 28.

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Erik is an 18-time Emmy Award-winning photography director. He has over 20 years of photojournalism experience and works in newsrooms across the United States. Over the past ten years, Erik has turned to broadcast television and film production, where he discovered a passion for visual narrative and production. In addition, Erik is an outstanding educator who teaches filmmaking through Linkedin Learning and courses on Lynda.com.

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