Four years ago I wrote a post comparing the Sunwayfoto Fill Light FL96 and the Aputure Amaran AL-M9 mini LED light. They are both still available new. Sunwayfoto has released a few variations on the original model, the FL96 C with batteries with increased capacity and faster chargin through USB-C, and in the case of the FL120, slightly higher light output and power-bank function. A few days ago I bought an Elgato Key Light Mini, and decided to run a new and more thorough comparison between these the three commercial LED light sources that I own. In part because I…
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Aputure’s Amaran AL-M9 and Sunway Foto’s FL-96 are very small and handy LED light sources. The Amaran AL-M9 has been relegated to a second place in Aputure’s catalogue by the Amaran AL-MX, but I haven’t bought this newer and three times as expensive version. Both light sources compared here are roughly within the same price range.
Here I have tested a single individual lamp, of a single brand and type. From the ubiquity of identical or very similar lamps sold under different brand names by numerous sellers in eBay and Aliexpress, this seems to be a “typical” or popular type. The intention is for it to serve as an example of one specific technology for adjustment of the light output of LED lamps. This is not a comparative review.
If you are interested in photography, and take photographs under illumination from LEDs, you need to be aware of how the dimming of LED lamps works. LEDs are becoming very popular, and dimmers are quite frequently used to adjust the light level. This applies to households, offices, commercial spaces, and the now ubiquitous special LED lamps sold for studio and on location video and photography.
The light output of many types of lamps varies at twice the frequency of mains AC line frequency. Alternating power follows a sinusoidal shape, alternating between positive and negative half cycles. This causes the doubling of the frequency, for each half cycle in the power supply there is pulse in the light output.