Aputure Amaran 60x S.

The Gavler Review.

Aputure Amaran 60x S Review: The Bowens-Mount Starter Light Worth Actually Buying

The Aputure amaran 60x S ranks number 10 on Gavler's Best Photography Lighting list with a 8.0. It's the light for the content creator or small-studio owner who has outgrown a ring light and wants their first real, shapeable fixture — and the single biggest reason to buy it is a full-size Bowens mount that unlocks professional softboxes and domes for under $200. As Newsshooter found, that mount makes it "compatible with a large selection of modifiers on the market," which matters more to the final image than almost any spec on the box.

What it is

The amaran 60x S is a 65W bicolor COB (point-source) light that tunes from 2700K to 6500K and pushes roughly 33,000 lux at one meter with the included reflector — enough to key a talking-head setup or light a small product table. CRI and TLCI both sit at 97, which is reference-grade color accuracy for a light at this price. Power comes from an AC brick, dual NP-F batteries, D-Tap, or V-mount, with control available onboard or over Bluetooth through Aputure's Sidus Link app. It weighs 695 grams and dims from 0 to 100% steplessly.

The reason to reach for this over a similarly priced flat LED panel is entirely about that Bowens mount. Modifiers — softboxes, domes, grids, lanterns — are what turn raw LED wattage into shaped, professional-looking light, and most panels in this price range lock you into their own proprietary (or nonexistent) modifier ecosystem. The amaran 60x S doesn't.

In use

For a single-subject setup — a YouTuber at a desk, a headshot session, a small product table — the 60x S does exactly what it's supposed to do. Dial in a color temperature, drop in a Light Dome Mini II or a softbox, and the CRI 97 rating means skin tones and product colors read true without post-production color correction. Bluetooth control through Sidus Link is a genuine convenience once you're set up on a stand across the room rather than reaching for a physical dial mid-shoot.

The active cooling fan is the trade-off for keeping a 65W COB this compact. Newsshooter's assessment — "not loud" and "usable in quiet environments" — matches what most owners report: it's a background hum, not a dealbreaker, but it is there, running whenever the light is powered on. For silent-room dialogue or ASMR-style recording, it's worth testing in your specific space before committing.

Strengths

• Bowens mount under $200. This is the headline feature and the reason to choose this light over a same-priced flat panel — Newsshooter specifically calls out compatibility with the Light Dome SE, Light Dome Mini II, and Aputure Lantern.
• CRI/TLCI 97. Reference-grade color accuracy that most budget lights don't match, holding skin tones and product color true.
• Flexible power options. AC, dual NP-F, D-Tap, or V-mount covers studio and on-location use without buying separate accessories.
• Bicolor range. 2700K to 6500K covers warm tungsten sets and cool daylight exteriors without gels.

The trade-offs — who should skip it

The honest cost of the bicolor design is output. Digital Camera World's review is direct about it: "While you do get bi-color capabilities with the 60x S, you do lose out on some power" compared to the daylight-only 60d S sibling in Aputure's own lineup. If you shoot almost exclusively at one color temperature — say, a permanent daylight-balanced studio setup — the 60d S delivers more raw brightness for the same money, and the bicolor flexibility here would be wasted.

The stand mount is the other compromise reviewers flag: a basic pin-style mount rather than a more secure yoke, which matters if you're running the light on a boom arm or in a space where a bump could knock it loose. And as Newsshooter and other reviewers note across the amaran COB 60 line, "good lights at a great price" is the right framing — this is a genuinely capable first light, not a light that competes with $900+ Bowens-mount monolights on raw output or build robustness.

How it compares

On the same Best Photography Lighting list, the Godox V1 sits at rank 7 and takes a completely different approach — a round-head speedlight with a dedicated lithium battery rather than a continuous COB light. At $259, the V1 makes sense if you need portable, battery-only flash for events or off-camera speedlight work; the amaran 60x S makes more sense as a stationary or semi-stationary key light for video and studio stills where continuous output and modifier compatibility matter more than pure portability.

The Nanlite PavoTube II 30XR at rank 9 is a different tool entirely — a 4-foot RGBWW pixel tube built for creative accents, practical effects, and color-mixing rather than a shaped key light. If your kit already has a key light and you're looking for a second, more playful fixture for backgrounds and effects, the PavoTube fills that gap; the amaran 60x S doesn't attempt to.

The Gavler verdict

The amaran 60x S earns its spot as the entry point on Gavler's lighting list by solving the one problem that actually limits beginner lighting kits: no access to real modifiers. A Bowens mount under $200, CRI/TLCI 97, and flexible power make it the light to hand anyone stepping up from on-camera panels or ring lights. The bicolor design trades some brightness against the daylight-only 60d S, and the fan and pin-mount are the visible signs of a budget build — but for shapeable, accurate, modifier-ready lighting on a first-light budget, it remains the rational buy.

Common Questions

Is the Aputure amaran 60x S worth it in 2026?

Yes, if you want a real modifier-ready light for your first upgrade from a ring light. Newsshooter notes the amaran 60x/60d's full-size Bowens Mount makes it 'compatible with a large selection of modifiers on the market, including the Aputure Light Dome SE, Light Dome Mini II, and Aputure Lantern' — a feature most sub-$200 panels simply don't offer.

Should I buy the bicolor 60x S or the daylight-only 60d S?

It depends on whether you need color flexibility more than raw output. Gavler's scoring notes flag that going bicolor 'costs real output versus the daylight-only 60d S' — Digital Camera World puts it plainly: 'While you do get bi-color capabilities with the 60x S, you do lose out on some power.' If you shoot mostly at one color temperature, the 60d S is brighter for the money.

Is the amaran 60x S's cooling fan noisy?

Newsshooter's verdict was reassuring: 'It's not loud, and I found it usable in quiet environments.' It runs whenever the light is on, so factor it in for silent-room dialogue recording, but it isn't a dealbreaker for most video or photo work.