review: aputure 300d II – worth it in 2023?

You’ve looked at all the glowing reviews of the Aputure 300d II already, but all those videos are from over 3 years ago at this point. You’re looking at the lineup of lights that have been released since then and you’re thinking to yourself, is the Aputure 300d II still worth it in 2023?

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I’m Tyler Trepod, a gaffer based in Denver, Colorado. I’m an owner/operator of a 1/2+ ton grip and electric package who specializes in corporate and commercial lighting. Let’s find out if the Aputure 300d II is the right light for you 3 years after its release.

features

The Aputure 300d II has a bombproof build construction. Aputure’s attention to detail is obvious in every little thing, even though this unit came out before their pro line started. My only hiccup with the build of this unit is that the 5-pin connector between the head and ballast isn’t as strong as what they use on their pro models.

Otherwise, their design inclusions like a separate head and ballast make this unit super easy to use on set. I love being able to place this light somewhere I can’t reach it, like on a boom or a menace arm, and still be able to control it. With little feet on the back of the ballast, I can even set this on the ground or a nearby table if necessary.

Even the orientation of the plugs that connect the head & ballast shows thoughtfulness in design. Instead of having the cables poke out the sides, they’ve run the head cable out of the top of the ballast and the power cable out from the bottom. This lowers the possibility of someone knocking the unit over on set because you’ve got wires dangling out.

Another benefit is how quiet the operation of the whole unit is. A fan-less ballast means I can place it wherever is convenient for me to control the light, and the head unit is inaudible unless I’m at 100% power directly next to the sound guy’s mic.

The lightning clamp, Aputure’s genius solution for connecting the ballast to a stand, is an amazing piece of hardware. I judge how every other light manufacturer connects their ballast to a stand to this piece of gear.

Finally, a must have accessory if you’re working with this light on set, the fresnel 2x in spot mode has a similar output to the Aputure 600d Pro using the reflector.

Other, lesser talked about features that Aputure implemented on this light are things like:

– Heat-resistant tubing for the head cable gives me one less thing to worry about when this unit gets left in the hot Colorado sun all day.

– Using a neutrik connector for the power cord means I don’t have to worry about power coming accidentally unplugged from the unit.

– The baby receiver doubles as junior pin if you remove the screw, so there’s more ways to mount this light if you’re in a pinch.

– The 360 degree yolk swivel saves you from having to un-plug and re-plug the light as you make adjustments.

This isn’t something I use very often, but having USB power on side of ballast allows you to charge your phone, or other smaller lights from the unit. Also, if you’re running a CRMX dongle, you’ll be able to power it directly from the unit as well.

The last feature, and another thing I rarely use being a primarily commercial & corporate gaffer in the Denver, Colorado market, the built-in-effects are handy to have on the odd chance they get called for by the DP.

benefits

All right, we’ve covered most of the bullet points you can find on the Aputure store page. But since this unit has been out for awhile now, what are the benefits that aren’t typed out on their website?

First and foremost, you’re buying proven longevity in the marketplace. This isn’t a light that I’ve seen fail on a film set, ever. It just works and works even after taking a bit of a beating. Having confidence in my gear is one of the most important intangibles as a working lighting technician.

Second to that, you’re buying into an ecosystem where everything works together well. The accessories are all designed to work cohesively, the app controls every light, and between amaran and aputure you are now able to cover pretty much any type of light you could want.

I have found the Sidus Link app to be handy in a few ways on set. Being able to adjust all the lights in your kit while looking at a directors monitor with the DP has a level of professionalism that you can’t put a price on.

If you’re not sure where you’re going to find power from on your next shoot, this light can run off battery power! V-mount batteries for this can be bought for $140 nowadays. You do need two of them to run the light at full power, but it’s a really inexpensive way to have a powerful light on the go compared to 5 years ago. A cool feature is the light gives you an estimation of how long it can run at the current power level off battery power.

The box it comes in is a great piece of kit. And if you do some re-arranging it can hold all of the accessories that I’d normally put in with this light for a rental. This includes the 2x Fresnel as well as the barndoors, grid, and gel holder pieces. Little efficiencies like this means the less boxes I need to bring with me on set, the less trips I have to take, and the faster I’m able to set everything up. While I’m sure it wasn’t their original intention, I’m glad I can carry all this inside this carrying case.

Another pro is that unless you’re trying to balance against the sun or use really dense diffusion, this unit has plenty of punch for 99% of the scenarios that you’re going to find yourself in when you’re starting out as a filmmaker.

Aputure has also released a bunch of accessories that give this light so much versatility. Being able to turn the light into a spotlight, or 10x the output with the 2x fresnel makes the light usable in so many scenarios. It’ll start as your key light and as you acquire equipment it can easily become an accessory light to give your image a little something extra.

areas for improvement

Alright, so I’ve gone over all of the things I consider to be pros of this unit, but are there any drawbacks to this unit?

The reflector hot spot is a con that has been covered by most channels, but I only ever use this with the Fresnel 2x if I’m using it as a hard source. If you find yourself using the reflector often though, this may be a drawback for you.

The USB power doesn’t charge phone with any speed at all. I don’t think this is a huge deal as it still allows smaller lights to be powered off the unit, but this isn’t gonna take your phone from 10-100% with any speed.

A bigger drawback as I continue to upgrade and expand my kit, this unit does not have CRMX, which makes it less likely to be used in my kit in the future. No 300W light has this though that I am aware of, so it’s more of a fault for every light in this area. But with Aputure having so many positives for it, this one needed to be said.

Another con is that the Sidus Link app reliability isn’t 100% on a working set. I find that I don’t often have to re-bluetooth pair my phone and my lights but when I do it’s time that I don’t want to be taking. There’s also some quirks with the app that I still have yet to figure out some workarounds for but it’s still better than physically moving to each light to adjust them.

Lastly, a drawback of 300W lights in general, bouncing them into a thicker piece of diffusion doesn’t always give the output I’m looking for. What this means is that instead of reaching for this light, I’m more often pulling out my 600d Pro to get the extra soft look that the DP’s I’m working with are going for.

the competition

Since the aputure 300d II has been out, a few competitors have released lights hoping to take their share of this market. Let’s take a quick look at some of the more popular options and how they stack up.

The amaran 200d is the first unit I want to bring up. Coming in at $300, this thing is essentially as bright as the 300d at the price. The 2x fresnel also works on this thing, and it has an umbrella mount to achieve large diffuse lighting inexpensively. The only real drawbacks to me about this unit are the plastic build quality, the fan noise, and the lack of separate ballast.

The second competitor, the FS-300 slides in at $380. Honestly, this unit has some fan noise and no separate ballast means a lot of shimmying. There isn’t any app control and it’s got the same brightness as the amaran 200d. I really can’t recommend this light anymore even though it’s served me well, especially considering the amaran is out.

Forza-300 – $750 – great but I don’t see it on a lot of sets for some reason. I’ve heard wonderful things about the nanlite app from other gaffers who use nanlite products though.

Forza-500 – $1100 – another forza that’s close enough to the price point of the aputure 300d to be in serious consideration. I’d check out the videos made by gaffer & gear on the forza’s if you’re serious about purchasing these.

Aputure 600d – $1400 – and on sale for even less right now. With the same accessories as the 300d II, if you’re concerned the 300 might not give you the output you want then this is a great alternative.

Aputure 600d Pro – $1900 – I bring this out on every set, guaranteed.

Prolycht Orion 300 FS – $2150 – a newcomer as of last year, and full color instead of just 5600K balanced, but if you’re looking for the cream of the crop, this is it. A hefty price tag to boot though and still no CRMX.

who is the Aputure 300d II for?

We’ve covered the pros, the cons, and what else is on the market. So with all this being said, who do I think the Aputure 300d II is for?

Frankly, even 3 years later this light is easily a step above in quality compared to what is available by other manufacturers at the 300W output range, except for you prolycht. If a 300W light is what you’re looking for and you want pro-quality without dropping thousands of dollars, then you really need to look no further.

Some other people this light I would recommend to: Run and gun professionals who travel frequently or who like to go battery powered. This is an incredibly packable light, and operating off commonly found V-mount batteries means you can affordably power this using batteries. I mean less than $300 for over 3 hours at 50%.

One-man band DP / cam ops who are getting consistent work. As long as you’re not trying to balance against the sun, this light is more than powerful enough to get a flattering look in most scenarios.

Creators who are looking to upgrade their studio. I wouldn’t recommend a light at this price level to someone just starting out, but if you have some following and you know that it’s time for an upgrade then this is a light that’s going to be worth it.

Finally, people who feel its valuable to enter the ecosystem of Aputure. You may be eyeing a career in gaffing like me, or you just appreciate being in an ecosystem where everything works together well. Either way, you’re investing in quality gear that has proven itself on demanding sets time and time again.

who should save their money?

This brings us to the last part, who do I think can pass on this light for the time being?

Working gaffers like myself might consider saving for the 600d Pro instead. If I purchase a CRMX dongle for this unit, I may as well have just bought the 600d pro anyway for the same cost. Also, Ala of the accessories that work for the 300 also work for the 600d, like the spotlight, and I can bill more for the 600d as a rental, so after the initial investment is paid off I’m continuing to have a higher ROI.

Those of you who are just getting started on your film journey, I recommend you save your money! I know how hard it is to look at all the features and drool over the nicest things, but for beginning creators, you may want to consider the amaran 200d for 1/3 the price. It’s a robust little unit with the same bowens mounting system as the 300d. What this means is you can save your money on the light and buy some nice modifiers, and then as you grow as a creator you can eventually upgrade your light and have the best of both worlds. As an idea of what you can get started with, I personally played with an FS-300, FS-150, and two 80W GVMs as my first kit.

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disclaimers

– Some of the links in Tyler’s blog posts are affiliate links, which means that qualifying purchases will help financially support Tyler at no extra cost to you. If you wanted to purchase something else but still support Tyler, please use the following link: https://amzn.to/3WdnsdM

– This blog post contains only Tyler’s opinions about G&E, gaffing, and LED lighting, and was not reviewed or paid for by outside persons or manufacturers

– Tyler Trepod is a freelance owner/operator gaffer of a Grip & Electric truck based in Denver, Colorado and serves the Boulder, Denver, Colorado Springs, & Fort Collins markets