Amaran Ace 25c review – Portable and Powerful Compact RGB LED Light for Content Creators Tested

When it comes to capturing content, having good lighting is as important as having a good camera as lighting conditions can often be unpredictable in the field and, as any content creator knows, you normally only get one chance to get a shot right when on location. 

While most content creators will likely find most portable lighting options dauntingly expensive, lighting technologies have improved considerably in the last few years in both performance and affordability which is where Amaran’s Ace 25c compact LED light comes into the picture.

We managed to get a sample for review – after taking it with us for the last several weeks for work, here’s our Amaran 25c review where we share if it’s worth your money.

Amaran Ace 25c review – Design and Performance

In essence, the Amaran Ace 25c is a compact full-colour LED light that is capable of offering up to 32W output. The LED panel offers the ability to offer a Correlated Colour Temperature (CCT) range on paper ranging from 2,300K (Kelvin) which works out to a warm yellowish candle light all the way to 10,000K which is a cold white hue. 

The Amaran Ace 25C also features an RGBWW full-colour chipset that allows for accurate white balance adjustments and precise colour output with adjustable red, green and blue output as well as hue, saturation and intensity (HSI) colour mixing so you can get the precise colour you want. 

Via the paired Sidus Link app, you’re also able to get the Ace 25c to produce a variety of lighting effects such as paparazzi camera flashes, fireworks, a faulty bulb, lightning, a glow from a TV and a pulsing glow. For a lower cost, you can opt for the bi-colour variant that only emits warm or white light.

While lighting is one thing, the Amaran Ace 25c impresses from a design standpoint. You get your choice of multiple colourways with black, white, silver, pink and in the case of our sample, a shade of mint green.

Overall build quality is sturdy and the design feels well built. Even after weeks of use tossed around in backpacks and suitcases, there’s little obvious wear and tear on the chassis.

The backplate comes with a tiny LED readout as well as a clickable dial to navigate the menu. You also get a grille for the built-in cooling fan and a rubberised magnetic surface that lets you stick the Amaran Ace 25c onto almost any metallic surface. It would have been nice to have a wider magnetised surface for a more secure attachment but the design is sufficient to cater for most usage scenarios.

The right side of the light features a power switch, a USB-C port for power and a button that doubles as a back key. Up top, you get a single screw hole for connecting to most camera tripods and the like which can be a chore to remove if you’re in a hurry. 

The Amaran Ace Lock is a proprietary design that lets you add in a cold shoe mount compatible with other camera accessories.

The base of our Amaran Ace 25c review sample hides a fantastic feature that they’ve dubbed as the Amaran Ace Lock. While it looks like nothing more than a set of oddly shaped metallic grilles at first glance, the genius of its design reveals itself when attaching the Amaran Ace Lock.

In essence, it’s a quick release cold shoe mount that clamps onto the Ace 25c by means of a set of magnets and teeth which makes it extremely easy to alter your setup on the move. The only downside is that the Amaran Ace Lock is a proprietary design that isn’t in widespread use.

Keeping the light powered is a built-in 4,500mAh battery that’s rated for about 4 hours and 40 minutes of use in low-output or Silent mode or about 50 minutes if you max out the intensity.

Fortunately, charging it in the field is a relatively fast affair and you’re able to get to about 90% with 45 minutes worth of charging. Even better though, you can keep it powered indefinitely by hooking it up to a 45W USB-C charger or greater which comes in handy for extended shoot sessions.

Out of the box, our Amaran Ace 25c review unit comes with the basics which include the light itself, the aforementioned Ace Lock cold shoe adapter, a USB-C charging cable and a Dome Diffuser that snaps onto the Ace 25c with magnets.

In terms of usage, the Dome Diffuser reduces brightness slightly but offers a wider area of effect with less of a hotspot, spreading the light more evenly across the subject.

For RM100 more, you can opt for the Amaran Ace 25c kit set which adds in additional accessories that consists of a 30-degree light control grid, a mini tripod and a carrying bag to tote all of this kit around in.

Amaran Ace 25c review – Performance

Most of my work involves capturing products like phones, tablets and the like in a variety of different lighting scenarios which occasionally include dimly lit indoors locations and the odd outdoors venue or two after sundown. Seeing its size and capabilities, the Amaran Ace 25c  works best within a meter or two of the subject which is typical for product shoots and small-scale setups.

Getting our Amaran Ace 25c review unit up and running was a straightforward task. It  needed a full charge via the USB C port fresh out of the box and from there, getting it paired up with the Sidus Link app was a relatively simple task.  While the menus to control the CCT of the light were straightforward, it took a bit of practice and I found it much easier to control the settings via the app.

During the course of my review, I found the Amaran Ace 25c worked best as a fill light or an accent light, helping to add a touch of colour to product photo shoots by adding a splash of colour in the background.

I also found it useful as a fill light as well, especially in evening events or in dimly lit venues to better illuminate a product. What made it particularly impressive is just how bright it was, especially for its size and when dialled to maximum brightness. 

Amaran Ace 25c review – The rear portion has a magnetised surface with rubber padding to attach to metallic surfaces.

In terms of endurance, it’s quite a trouper for its size, lasting a good four hours or so on Silent mode which is a lower power mode with quieter fan settings which is more than bright enough for what I need it to do though at maximum brightness settings it’s only able to last about 50 minutes or so. For those with static setups, the Amaran Ace 25c can be directly powered via a USB-C cable for extended lengths of time.

As an actively cooled light, I found the fan wasn’t as noisy as I thought it would be though setting it to maximum Boost mode does make the noise quite audible especially when you’re trying to do ASMR videos where you can subtly hear the whirring in the background.

All in, I found the Amaran Ace 25c a versatile, compact and reasonably priced addition to my portable setup for lighting subjects especially in challenging lighting environments.

This comes highly recommended for novice content creators as their first compact light to and for seasoned professionals looking to augment their portable setup.

If you have the cash, spring out for the full kit option which has an extra tripod and more gear to round out your setup. For those looking for a more casual option, the Amaran Go is a very affordable and pocket-sized option though it’s understably less powerful.

Specifications

Price RM269 (Bicolour single), RM359 (Bicolour kit), RM399 (RGB single), RM499 (RGB Kit)
CCT 2,300K – 10,000K
Lumens 3,332 lm
Beam angle 50°
Noise Level (Max 32W Boost )  28dB (25°C / 77°F) – 32dBA (40°C / 104°F)
Battery life 4,500mAh / 70 mins (26W standard mode, 50 mins (32W boost mode), 4 hours 40 mins (Silent mode) / 90 mins for full charge
Size/Weight 118 × 77 × 33.0 mm / 325.5g

Amaran Ace 25c review sample courtesy of 3Dots Distribution. For more details and to purchase please visit https://www.3dots.com.my/products/amaran-ace25