Uploaded January 2018 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Good lighting is a key element to all good looking video. I've upgraded my key light to the COB120D. See all my lights & gear at kit.co/rayortega
The Aputure Light Storm COB 120D has been my choice for a primary light/softbox combo for a long time and I finally bought one. I've been keeping an eye on the 120D ever since it was released and have watched video review after video review in helping me make my decision. In most cases I like to try out a piece of gear before I buy, when possible, but based on everything I've seen over the year plus that this light as been available, I was sold. And so far the light has not disappointed.
The 120D is really bright, very well built (except for a loose Bowens mount), and compact which fits my small studio space well.
I'm impressed with the flood light quality of this light. It has an even spread which means there are no hot spots and the fall off is gradual. And as I mentioned, it's really bright. For a wattage equivalent it gets tricky but in general I've seen it rate around a 1500 W bulb. I can run this light at 65-70% of full power for most of my applications which is lighting my talking-head video for YouTube. This would be the same setup for an interview. And that includes shooting the light through a softbox. In my cases, I added the Light Dome Mini which again fits better in a small space and it does a nice job of diffusing the light.
Having a single LED bulb is far superior to my previous light that had 6 giant CFL bulbs that were delicate and much tougher to break down if you wanted to travel with the light. With the included case, the Aputure can easily be put into its bag and taken anywhere. The entire build of the light is also really solid and should stand the test of time and travel. I really like well made gear which is part of the reason I'm willing to pay more in some cases. This light is not cheap but as I say in the video it's an investment. For me that means I can take some of the money I make here on YouTube and put it back into gear that helps me make more videos and eventually the light will pay for itself...eventually;)
I was worried that the fan that is in this light might be a problem when recording audio but so far it has been fine. It's not as quite as people or even Aputure made it sound in their reviews and promos but I'm not having an issue with the noise getting into my audio, it's still very quiet.
The mount that connects attachments to the light (reflectors, softboxes, etc) is loose but it locks and therefore other than feeling cheap, I'm not worried about something falling off. This is the one thing however I would improve unless Bowens mounts are loose by default, I don't know, this is my first one.
The Light Dome Mini is made of parachute material which again speaks to the quality of Aputure products. This was the breaking point for my previous light and I could no longer use it so the upgrade, paired with Cyber Monday, was inevitable.
The light is available in a kit and comes wit a power cable for plugging into an outlet, a case, a reflector, remote, and the U mount for attaching to a standard light stand and choice of V-mount or Anton Bower mount battery. The Light Dome Mini also came with a grid which was a really nice surprise since that is usually a premium add on.
I already had a V-mount battery and despite it not matching the power requirements for this light, I've found that I can power the light at 70% for about an hour which was a nice addition considering the price of V-mount batteries..ouch.
Final review: 👍 🙃
► SUBSCRIBE youtube.com/thepodcasterssstudio
► INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/podcasthelper
► TWITTER: twitter.com/podcasthelper
🎥 🖥 GEAR USED TO MAKE THIS VIDEO 🎤 🤘 (affiliate links)
► Aputure Light Storm COB 120D amzn.to/2mD7JFC
► Aputure Light Dome Mini amzn.to/2DEIj2v
► Sony a6500: podhelp.me/Sonya6500bodyZon
► LENS: Sony FE 28mm F2: podhelp.me/sonyfe28f2BH
► IkanVK7i 7" monitor (discontinued) podhelp.me/ikanvk7i7BH
replaced by: podhelp.me/ikandh77BH
► Transcend 65GB SDXC card for 4K podhelp.me/Trans64U3zon
► Rode RodeLink Wireless podhelp.me/rodelinkwirelesslavBH
► Impact light stand podhelp.me/impact8footlightstandBH
► Juicebox V-Mount Battery and Charger amzn.to/2mFKJG2 (this is the battery that I used, not the one I would necessarily recommend because it's technically not rated for this light). Do some research on V-mount of Anton Bower batteries for this light if interested in picking up a proper battery)
*all links should be considered affiliate links. Using these links helps support this content. I always encourage you to shop around for the best prices at the time you are viewing this. You can read my ethics statement via thepodcastersstudio.com/ethics. Thanks for the support!
Good lighting is a key element to all good looking video. I've upgraded my key light to the COB120D. See all my lights & gear at kit.co/rayortega
The Aputure Light Storm COB 120D has been my choice for a primary light/softbox combo for a long time and I finally bought one. I've been keeping an eye on the 120D ever since it was released and have watched video review after video review in helping me make my decision. In most cases I like to try out a piece of gear before I buy, when possible, but based on everything I've seen over the year plus that this light as been available, I was sold. And so far the light has not disappointed.
The 120D is really bright, very well built (except for a loose Bowens mount), and compact which fits my small studio space well.
I'm impressed with the flood light quality of this light. It has an even spread which means there are no hot spots and the fall off is gradual. And as I mentioned, it's really bright. For a wattage equivalent it gets tricky but in general I've seen it rate around a 1500 W bulb. I can run this light at 65-70% of full power for most of my applications which is lighting my talking-head video for YouTube. This would be the same setup for an interview. And that includes shooting the light through a softbox. In my cases, I added the Light Dome Mini which again fits better in a small space and it does a nice job of diffusing the light.
Having a single LED bulb is far superior to my previous light that had 6 giant CFL bulbs that were delicate and much tougher to break down if you wanted to travel with the light. With the included case, the Aputure can easily be put into its bag and taken anywhere. The entire build of the light is also really solid and should stand the test of time and travel. I really like well made gear which is part of the reason I'm willing to pay more in some cases. This light is not cheap but as I say in the video it's an investment. For me that means I can take some of the money I make here on YouTube and put it back into gear that helps me make more videos and eventually the light will pay for itself...eventually;)
I was worried that the fan that is in this light might be a problem when recording audio but so far it has been fine. It's not as quite as people or even Aputure made it sound in their reviews and promos but I'm not having an issue with the noise getting into my audio, it's still very quiet.
The mount that connects attachments to the light (reflectors, softboxes, etc) is loose but it locks and therefore other than feeling cheap, I'm not worried about something falling off. This is the one thing however I would improve unless Bowens mounts are loose by default, I don't know, this is my first one.
The Light Dome Mini is made of parachute material which again speaks to the quality of Aputure products. This was the breaking point for my previous light and I could no longer use it so the upgrade, paired with Cyber Monday, was inevitable.
The light is available in a kit and comes wit a power cable for plugging into an outlet, a case, a reflector, remote, and the U mount for attaching to a standard light stand and choice of V-mount or Anton Bower mount battery. The Light Dome Mini also came with a grid which was a really nice surprise since that is usually a premium add on.
I already had a V-mount battery and despite it not matching the power requirements for this light, I've found that I can power the light at 70% for about an hour which was a nice addition considering the price of V-mount batteries..ouch.
Final review: 👍 🙃
► SUBSCRIBE youtube.com/thepodcasterssstudio
► INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/podcasthelper
► TWITTER: twitter.com/podcasthelper
🎥 🖥 GEAR USED TO MAKE THIS VIDEO 🎤 🤘 (affiliate links)
► Aputure Light Storm COB 120D amzn.to/2mD7JFC
► Aputure Light Dome Mini amzn.to/2DEIj2v
► Sony a6500: podhelp.me/Sonya6500bodyZon
► LENS: Sony FE 28mm F2: podhelp.me/sonyfe28f2BH
► IkanVK7i 7" monitor (discontinued) podhelp.me/ikanvk7i7BH
replaced by: podhelp.me/ikandh77BH
► Transcend 65GB SDXC card for 4K podhelp.me/Trans64U3zon
► Rode RodeLink Wireless podhelp.me/rodelinkwirelesslavBH
► Impact light stand podhelp.me/impact8footlightstandBH
► Juicebox V-Mount Battery and Charger amzn.to/2mFKJG2 (this is the battery that I used, not the one I would necessarily recommend because it's technically not rated for this light). Do some research on V-mount of Anton Bower batteries for this light if interested in picking up a proper battery)
*all links should be considered affiliate links. Using these links helps support this content. I always encourage you to shop around for the best prices at the time you are viewing this. You can read my ethics statement via thepodcastersstudio.com/ethics. Thanks for the support!
