Well, this is a bit of a change of pace for Aputure. While they’ve released many lights under the main Aputure name as well as the Amaran brand over the years, the new Amaran SM5c seems to be more comfortable in the smart home sector than the filmmaker or creative sector. It’s essentially a 5-metre addressable (or “Smart Pixel” as Aputure calls it) RGB LED strip. Aputure says it’s designed for creators to cater to “a new subset of consumers”. It’s exactly what it sounds like, an RGB LED strip with a 60 LED per metre density providing 300 LEDs (for a total of 100 pixels) across the whole 5 metres. It’s primarily aimed towards creators who want to dress up their set a bit with effects. They say it’s not designed to be a key light, fill light, as a white light source or to light skin tones. It’s purely an effects light and even has a built-in microphone to respond to its surroundings.
The Amaran SM5c is a single strip of 5 metres, but it can be extended up to 10 metres by adding the SM5c Extension. 10 metres is a respectable length for an RGB LED strip. Even though individual LEDs only draw milliamps of current, when you’ve got 300 of them, that adds up very quickly. If you need more than that, you’ll want multiple strips. Fortunately, multiple strips isn’t an issue because they can be controlled by Aputure’s familiar Sidus Link app and features Pixel Control, first shown off in the Aputure Nova P600c and MT Pro tube light. This is the first Amaran product to feature this capability and the first to be compatible with Pixel Control in the Sidus Link app with the new firmware update.
And, yes, I know, I hear you all thinking it… “But what about the WS2812B LED strips?” and yes, it’s true, they’re completely addressable LED strips, too, but they typically operate on 5v, usually limiting the maximum length to lower than 10 metres due to the current draw. And you also have to either get some kind of commercial controller for it or roll your own with an ESP32 or Arduino or something to get any kind of custom functionality – and you’re going to need to know how to code, too.
And if you want similar levels of wireless control with those lights that you’d get with the Amaran SM5c with Sidus Link, you’re pretty much writing your own smartphone app, too. Yes, there are a few apps out there, but they’re typically limited to specific commercially available controllers. Without having seen them in person, the fact that there are 300 LEDs and 100 “pixels” suggests to me that these are powered from 12v and the strip is essentially 100 groups of three RGB LEDs. I don’t mean that each “pixel” is comprised of 1 red, 1 blue and 1 green LED but that each group contains three LEDs all capable of producing red, green and blue simultaneously. Having a higher 12v supply over the WS2812B’s typical 5v requirement massively reduces the current required, the heat generated, and allows for that full 10-metre length. And yes, I hear you saying it again, there are 12v WS2811 LED strips, too!
One interesting feature of the Amaran SM5c that would potentially be tricky to incorporate into a DIY alternative is the fact that it’s reactive to sound. It has a built-in microphone that you can set to listen to the sounds going on around and react accordingly, lighting LEDs up as the volume and intensity changes. The microphone built into the controller does need to be fairly close to whatever your sound source is, though, so bear that in mind. The other feature that would be difficult to replicate yourself are the 21 built-in Pixel FX effects. Nto to mention all of the usual effects like Fireworks, Fire, Paparazzi, Faulty Bulb, TV, Pulsing, Cop Car, Lightning and Party Lights – all with adjustable colour – through SidusPro FX. The LED strip is also covered by a frosted diffusion layer to help create a soft glow and reduce glare. This is much more pleasing to the eye and the camera than a bare LED strip.
I’d actually be quite curious to see a set of the Amaran SM5c lights in person, side-by-side with 5v WS2812B and 12v WSB2811 LED strips to see how they differ in brightness output, colour and power requirements. Because while you might be able to cobble together a DIY alternative to this, the time you might have to put into it isn’t necessarily going to be better value than just buying the Aputure one. Even if you can match the features and light quality – and go to the expense of all the extra bits you’ll need to buy like a microcontroller, power supply, diffusion, etc.
Overall, it looks like a well-thought-out product with a very good price point for what it offers. And as mentioned above, while you might be able to buy the bits to build your own for a little less, is it really worth the hassle if it’s just going to be set dressing for your vlogs or live streams? The Aputure Amaran SM5c LED 5 metre LED strip light is available to pre-order now for $89. The Amaran SM5c LED Strip Extension is also available to pre-order now for $39. Both items are expected to start shipping very soon.
