Maxima 7 vs Aputure 600D Pro vs Nanlite Forza 500 specs comparison
Apr 17, 2021
John Aldred
John Aldred is a photographer with over 25 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter – and occasional beta tester – of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
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Having been initially announced in February of last year, the Maxima 7 LED light was finally released yesterday. In the time since the Maxima 7 was first announced and now, though, the top lights in that sort of category have been the Aputure 600D Pro and the Nanlite Forza 500. So we thought we’d take a look at the specs and see how each of the three lights stack up against each other on paper.
Now, the real proof will come when the Maxima 7 starts getting into the hands of users who can actually do these side-by-side comparisons for real, but this might give you some clues as to which you might want to go for, depending on your needs.
Looking at the specs side-by-side, despite having slightly different wattage ratings, there isn’t that much difference between them, depending on your needs. Of course, the Maxima 7 is significantly more expensive than the other two, but it does come with a pretty beefy Fresnel lens modifier.
| Maxima 7 | Aputure 600D Pro | Nanlite Forza 500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light source | 700W proprietary daylight COB LED | 5600K COB LED | 5600K COB LED |
| Luminous output | 106,440 (60°) to 1,666,868 (15°) Lux @ 1m | 89,200 (45°) to 224,200 (15°) Lux @ 1m | 48,810 (45°) to 1,949,567 (10°) Lux @ 1m |
| CRI | 96+ | >96 | 98 |
| TLCI | 97 | >96 | 95 |
| Cooling | Full copper heatsink, CPU controlled forced air | Active Cooling | Active Silent Fan |
| Included modifiers | Focusable 250mm (10″) borosilicate glass Fresnel lens, Bowens S-Type modifier mount | 55° Reflector | 55° Reflector |
| Modifier mount | Bowens | Bowens | Bowens |
| Processor | ARM Cortex-M7 | Unknown | Unknown |
| Brightness levels | 10-100% flicker-free, high frequency CPU controlled output | 0-100% | 0-100% |
| Noise level | 21dBa at 1 metre | Unknown | Unknown |
| AC Power supply | 900W Integrated PSU | Built into battery plate | Built into battery plate |
| AC Voltage | 90-250v, 50-60Hz | 100V-240V, 50Hz/60Hz | 100V-240V, 50Hz/60Hz |
| DC Power | N/A | 22V-33.6V (26V/18A, 28.8V/16A) | DC48V/12.5A |
| Power consumption | 750W Max (4A) | ≤720W | 500W |
| Remote control | Bluetooth 4.2 via mobile app, Priprietary 2.4Ghz radio, USB 3.0 wired | On-board, 2.4GHz, Sidus Link (Sidus MeshTM), Art-net, LumenRadio | 2.4Ghz Wireless Remote, WiFi via adapter, DMX Control |
| Dimensions (bare light only) | 481x184x196mm | 308×156.1×150.1mm | 309.9×205.7×142.2mm |
| Weight (bare light only) | 8.7kg | 4.64kg | 2.49kg |
| Purchase price | Starting at €3,990 | $1,890 | $1,849 |
For the other two lights, that Fresnel modifier is an extra separate purchase. For Nanlite, it’s the focusable FL-206 Fresnel modifier for $209, offering 10-45° of coverage. On the Aputure side of things, it’s the F10 Fresnel for $219, offering 15-45° of coverage. This extra cost still doesn’t bring either light close to the cost of the Maxima 7. In fact, you could get either the 600D with all three of Aputure’s Spotlight Mount Sets and only just get in the neighbourhood of the Maxima 7’s price (and that’s the “cheap” version of the Maxima 7, the expensive one is an extra €1,000).
And you can’t even get the Maxima 7 away from plug sockets and onto battery power. It only runs on AC. So, you’re going to need to either shoot indoors, or you’re going to be taking pure sinewave generators out with you to shoot on location – and at that point, the 26dBa quiet mode probably isn’t really all that important.
I’m really quite looking forward to seeing the comparisons once these start to get into the hands of users and the inevitable YouTube videos start popping up. I’m curious to see exactly what twice the price actually gets you (besides a 10″ Fresnel) when they’re really not all that dissimilar on paper.
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John Aldred
John Aldred is a photographer with over 25 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter – and occasional beta tester – of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
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