Amaran Ray 120c vs Halo 100x: Which Light for Wedding and Documentary Work?

Buy the Amaran Ray 120c if any part of your wedding or documentary work happens outdoors, on battery power, or under ugly mixed venue light. Buy the Amaran Halo 100x if your light lives indoors beside an outlet and you want the same class of white light for $130 less. In plain white light the two look closer on camera than the spec sheets suggest. The real differences are weather sealing, colour, and power. This guide picks by job, not by numbers.

The 30-second answer

• Choose the Amaran Ray 120c ($368.99 CAD) for outdoor ceremonies (IP54 weather sealing), battery power away from outlets, full colour, and the best skin tones under messy venue light.
• Choose the Amaran Halo 100x ($238.99 CAD) for plugged-in indoor work where clean white light is all you need and the $130 difference buys your softbox and stand.

Which one for your shoot?

In white light, you will not see much difference

On paper the Ray 120c is the step-up light, one output class above the Halo 100x. Point both at a face in plain white light, though, and the gap is smaller than the model numbers imply. Midlifers shot the two families side by side and called the white light near identical in normal use. Beam angle is part of it: the Halo spreads its output across a wide 85° beam while the Ray focuses a narrower 70°. We leave the published lux figures out for the same reason; measured at different beam angles, they do not compare cleanly. Both run quiet, and Curtis Judd found both flicker-free at 10 percent with fast shutter speeds, so slow motion is safe.

Side by side: the things that actually differ

The colour story is bigger than RGB

The obvious difference: the Ray does colour and the Halo does not. The measured difference is in the white light itself. Curtis Judd's Sekonic C-800 readings put the Ray 60c and 120c at a daylight SSI of about 82, while his and Gerald Undone's readings put the Halo series around 74. SSI is the Academy's spectral similarity index; closer to 100 means closer to real daylight. The gap comes from the Ray's OmniColor engine with its extra indigo emitter. On camera that means better skin tones on a dance floor or under mixed venue light. It holds when dimmed: Judd measured SSI 82 at 1 percent output, where reception lights spend the night.

For the key itself you rarely need colour modes. Want occasional colour on a Halo budget? Buy the Halo 100x and put the savings toward a pocket colour light like the Aputure MC ($138.99 CAD). A white key plus a separate colour accent often beats one fixture doing both. For the family-wide version, read our Amaran Halo vs Ray comparison.

Off-grid power: the honest numbers

The Ray 120c runs from its mains adapter, a 140W USB-C PD source, or amaran's magnetic Peak battery. It needs the full 140 watts to hit 100 percent. In Caleb Pike's hands-on testing, a large 140W USB-C PD power bank ran full daylight output for about 1.5 hours and a Peak battery managed about 27 minutes. Twenty-seven minutes is a ceremony backlight, not a reception. For a full off-grid day, carry the big brick.

The Halo 100x runs from its mains adapter or USB-C PD, with no battery mount at all. On location that is a limitation. Everywhere else it is a simplification: one cable, nothing to charge the night before. Indoors, wall power is the boring, correct answer for both anyway.

Where the Halo 100x wins

The cheaper light's real case:

• It is $130 cheaper. That is a softbox or most of a good stand.
• Its 85° beam fills a softbox edge to edge. The Ray's narrower 70° prefers amaran's own Ray modifiers, and Judd cautions against heavy modifiers on the small Ray's yoke.
• It is simpler. Two dials, one cable, no battery ecosystem to buy into. If your work never leaves a plugged-in corner, the Ray's sealing, battery, and colour are premiums you never touch.
• It is in stock in Vancouver as we write this. Come see it on a stand in our showroom.

The mistake that ruins shoots: buying the light, not the kit

The number-one regret we hear at the counter is not "I bought the wrong light." It is "I showed up without the stuff that makes it usable." A bare COB is harsh on skin and tips over on a cheap stand. Budget for the whole package:

• Ray 120c kit: add the amaran Mini Fresnel ($84.99 CAD) to focus the beam across a room and the Mini Reflector 25° ($28.99 CAD) for a tighter punch. Both are in stock. The Octadome 30 in the box is a hair light, not a key modifier; Caleb Pike found it too small for much else, and we agree.
• Halo 100x kit: it ships bare, so buy diffusion with it on day one. Its wide beam is happy in standard Bowens softboxes.
• Both: a solid stand and a sandbag. A light that falls over during the vows is not a lighting problem. It is a memory.

Two Ray 120c annoyances, flagged in Caleb Pike's review and echoed by owners on r/videography: the snap-on power brick can collide with a big softbox when tilted steeply down, and there is only one 1/4-20 mounting point. Neither is a deal-breaker, but know them before the first job.

Job by job: wedding and documentary work

Ceremony backlight, outdoors

The Ray 120c, no contest. IP54 shrugs off drizzle and battery power means no cable across grass full of guests. A Peak battery covers most ceremonies at full power.

Reception key

Either light on wall power. If the DJ owns the room's colour, the Ray blends in where the Halo can only pick a white and hope. Our wedding videography lighting guide builds the complete one-light kit around the Ray 120c.

Cutaway interviews

The Halo 100x in a fixed corner is the value play: even softbox fill, bi-colour for window light or tungsten. If interviews move between unpredictable venues, the Ray earns its premium back.

Run-and-gun documentary

The Ray 120c. Battery plus sealing lets you say yes to wherever the story goes. Pack the big PD brick for long days, the Peak for short grabs.

How we compare

We did not lab-test these lights. Measured colour numbers come from Curtis Judd and Gerald Undone, using Sekonic C-800 meters, and runtimes from Caleb Pike's hands-on testing. The rest comes from amaran's published specifications, real-owner feedback, and what sells and comes back at our Vancouver counter. We compare specs and our listed CAD prices only.

Wedding and documentary lighting FAQ

Is the Amaran Ray 120c or Halo 100x brighter?

The Ray 120c is the higher output class of the pair, but the on-camera gap in plain white light is smaller than the spec sheets suggest, partly because the Halo spreads its light across a wider 85 degree beam. Neither feels weak in a normal room. Pick by weather sealing, colour, and power instead of brightness.

Can I use the Amaran Halo 100x outdoors?

Treat the Halo 100x as an indoor light. It has no weather sealing, so drizzle at a garden ceremony is a real risk. The Ray 120c carries an IP54 rating, which covers dust and light splashes. If any part of your calendar happens outside, that one line settles this comparison.

How do I run the Amaran Ray 120c at full power on a battery?

You need a genuine 140W USB-C PD source. In Caleb Pike's hands-on testing, a large 140W power bank ran the Ray 120c at full daylight output for about 1.5 hours, while the small magnetic Peak battery lasted about 27 minutes at 100 percent. For receptions, use wall power and keep batteries for mobile setups.

Is bi-colour enough for wedding videography?

Usually, yes. Most wedding key light is white light, and the Halo 100x covers 2,700 to 6,500K for $130 less than the Ray 120c. The measured case for the Ray is skin tone under messy venue light: Curtis Judd's Sekonic C-800 readings put its daylight SSI near 82 versus about 74 for the Halo series.

Not sure? Tell us your venue and we will build the kit

You do not have to be a lighting expert. That is our job. Tell us your camera, your venue, and how far the outlet is, and we will spec the light, modifier, and power plan. The Halo 100x is in stock in Vancouver, the Ray 120c is available to order, and both live in our amaran collection. Outgrowing 120 watts? Read our Ray 120c vs 360c upgrade guide first. Visit our Vancouver showroom or send us a message and we will reserve gear for your shoot date.

Updated July 2026. Prices are our listed prices in CAD at publication and can change. Check each product page for live pricing and stock. Filmgear Canada · Vancouver showroom · ships Canada-wide.