Nanlite FS-300B vs Amaran Halo 300x: First Light Pick

The Nanlite FS-300B is a reasonable first key light for solo, budget-limited filmmaking, and the reason has less to do with raw output than with what’s already in the box: a 45-degree reflector that most rivals at this power level sell separately. That detail is the real “buy once, not twice” question, because a bare COB bulb with no modifier throws light everywhere at once and isn’t usable as a directional key on its own.

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The bare-bulb trap in budget key light comparisons

Lux numbers on a spec sheet are only comparable when the hardware behind them is comparable. Nanlite’s own spec sheet lists the FS-300B at 11,130 lux bare and 38,720 lux at 1 meter with the bundled reflector attached, at 5600K. Newsshooter’s independent meter test came in close to that — 12,000 lux bare and 37,200–37,400 lux with the reflector across both 3200K and 5600K — which also confirms the light doesn’t lose meaningful output shifting between color temperatures, a common weak point in cheaper bi-color fixtures.

Aputure’s amaran Halo 300x publishes only one figure on its own product page: 16,200 lux at 1 meter. That’s a bare-bulb number too, and it’s the only one Aputure gives, because the Halo 300x ships as a light body and an AC cable — no reflector, no softbox, nothing to shape the beam. An independent test at StudioLights fitted the same fixture with a reflector accessory and measured 47,200–52,600 lux at 1 meter, well ahead of the FS-300B’s equipped number. So the honest comparison has two different answers: bare-bulb, the Halo 300x is brighter for less weight; equipped as sold, the FS-300B is the one that reaches a usable key-light output the moment it comes out of the box.

FS-300B vs. amaran Halo 300x vs. amaran Halo 200x vs. Forza 60B II

“Output as shipped” means with whatever comes in the box and nothing purchased afterward — the number that actually matters to someone trying not to spend twice.

Where the Halo 300x actually wins

The Halo 300x is lighter than the FS-300B (2.30 kg versus roughly 3.03–3.23 kg with the reflector attached) and, once fitted with a reflector, out-throws it. That makes it the better pick under one condition: you already own Bowens-mount modifiers — a reflector, a softbox, a Fresnel attachment — from another light, so the missing accessory in the box isn’t a purchase you still have to make. Buying it as a genuinely first light, with no existing modifiers on hand, reintroduces the exact second purchase this decision is trying to avoid.

Why the amaran Halo 200x doesn’t solve the buying-twice worry

The Halo 200x is the cheaper sibling in the same line, and it shares the same no-modifier-in-the-box design as the 300x. That would be a fair trade if the lower output came with a lower price and nothing else changed, but its 10,530 lux bare rating trails even the FS-300B’s own bare-bulb number (11,130–12,000 lux). You’d still need to add a reflector to get usable directional light, and even then you’re working from a dimmer base than the FS-300B already delivers unmodified. Paying less up front and still needing a second accessory to reach a worse result is the scenario worth watching for.

If your workspace is genuinely too small for 300W

The Forza 60B II is the light Nanlite makes for that case: 72W, 14,350 lux at 1 meter with the same style of reflector already bundled, and — unlike the other three — it can run on 2x NP-F970 batteries or a single V-mount battery through an optional grip, in addition to AC power. That matters if the shooting isn’t confined to one room with a wall outlet nearby. The tradeoff is headroom: at roughly a third of the FS-300B’s equipped output, it’s enough for a single subject sitting close to camera, but push it through a softbox for softer light, add a second person to the frame, or shoot against a bright window, and the gap between 14,350 lux and 38,720 lux at the source starts to show. Outgrowing a light within the first year and needing to replace it is the more expensive outcome, even without discussing what either light costs.

The fan noise tradeoff nobody puts on the spec sheet

CineD’s coverage of the FS-300B notes that the cooling fan can be switched off to keep it silent for on-camera audio recording, but output drops to roughly 25% of maximum when it’s off. Newsshooter’s hands-on review reached a related practical conclusion from the other direction: with the fan running, keep the light around 3 meters from wherever the microphone is picking up sound. Aputure publishes a fan-noise figure for the Halo series instead of leaving that to be worked out in the field — 28 dBA at the fixture — but neither Nanlite’s FS-300B fan-on noise level nor the Halo 200x’s shipping weight appear on their respective manufacturer spec sheets, so those two specific numbers aren’t independently verifiable yet.

Color accuracy isn’t the deciding factor here

All four lights sit in the same CRI 96+/TLCI 97+ range, and Newsshooter’s independent meter actually measured the FS-300B a little higher than its own spec sheet claims — 97.6 CRI average and TLCI 99 at 5600K. Between these four, color rendering won’t be what separates a usable first key light from a wasted purchase. The reflector question will.

For covering single-subject interviews, product demos, or a narrow scene without placing a second order for accessories, the FS-300B is the one of these four that reaches its rated output the moment it’s unboxed. Add a reflector to the Halo 300x later and it will out-throw the FS-300B — but that reflector is exactly the extra purchase this decision exists to avoid.