Review on 💡 Aputure Amaran AL-M9: Pocket-Sized LED Lighting with CRI/TLCI 95+, 9 SMD Bulbs, 9-Step Dimming, 5500K, 900lux, Internal Battery, Micro-USB Charging - Sony Canon Nikon by Cody Stroop

Hmmm. I'm not sure if I'll leave this light. I like the concept very much. It's a nice bright light and the color looks pretty good. I give 3 stars for color, brightness and portability. But unfortunately, the design of this flashlight leads to some unflattering qualities when illuminating objects. The flashlight uses 9 LEDs spaced apart in sets of 3. So there are 3 columns of 3 LEDs spaced just over an inch apart. In order for this light not to be visible, the magnetic diffusion plate attached to the front of the light is positioned so close to the LEDs that you can clearly see the 3 columns of LEDs glowing (see photos). The diffusion plate, due to its proximity to the source, cannot balance the light it emits. It basically sits right above the LEDs. The result of this is that you end up with really ugly shadows on anything you light with it. The light creates 3 separate shadows stacked on top of each other thanks to the 3 LED columns (see photo). So imagine 3 nose shadows on someone. For this reason I gave one star. I also gave a second star for the cheap filters they include. The light features magnet points for attaching a single diffuser frame that contains them. But they also include some really crappy cheap paper gels/diffusions that get glued between those frames. They're junkies. They already built magnets into the lantern's frame, so I don't understand why they didn't use those and make helium magnetic plates similar to the milk diffusion plate that comes with it. Paper gels are not cropped and stick out in the light (see photo). I will probably return it. I can't decide yet.