A better comparison with the Aputure would be the godox VL300 which has a similar design (control box separated from the head). I'm a bit mixed on the all in one design, I think it's better for smaller lights but for larger lights I do think it's useful to separate out the weight (especially if it's going high, it's nice to have easier access to the control box, as the godox remote is awful)
Hey hey again Godsakes! I agree that the VL300 is closest apples to apples comparison. For this video I wanted to see how a budget 300 would compare and where the cost cutting areas were. That being said I do recall that the VL300 had a very green tint to it compared to the Aputure in those initial comparison reviews, I'm not sure if the newer VL300 now us the same chip as the SL300.
While I agree with that the VL300 is a more point for point equivalent, the VL300 is also almost half the price of the SL300II again, but from a sheer budget vs quality volume of light perspective it doesn't offer more. Remember the SL300II has a remote so one isn't stuck with no way to control it once it is high up. As for the weight, in my opinion modifiers are often a bigger deal with lights of this size unless one is seriously booming the light, but for the difference in price one could easily get a stand & boom that could easily handle double, triple or even more weight and still have saved money over all. For example, based of the information I can find, the SL300II is ~1.72 times the weight of the 300D II and ~1.35 times the weight of the VL300 which means one could get 11' 88lb Matthews Digital Combo Stand, a monster of a stand, with the SL300 II and still be under the price of either of the other two lights without stands, and I guarantee that stand won't have any issue handling the SL300II and a modifier.
@@billyoung9538 Depends how high... I have a neewer steel combo stand (similar class but probably not quite as good as the Matthews) if you're just using it as is fine it's more than enough, but add the column of a c-stand as an extension (I was lighting up a stage in a hall so it was really high) and it starts to feel wobbly (granted it's an extreme use case for me but you can find yourself in those situations)
I purchased and returned one SL300II because of the bad yoke. It allows the light to tilt and sag about 2cm even when the knob is tightened 100%. Very hard to work with this and place it precisely. I think even the "budget" pricing does not excuse such a wobbly yoke. The issue seems to be the design of the yoke, as there is a rubber washer between the teeth. Thank you for your excellent review! I found the light produced by the 300II to be excellent.
Hey hey Ken! Thank you so much for checking out this video and commenting! Aw man, sorry about the wonky yoke. Mine is pretty solid, but it would definitely be awesome if all of them use the rosette lock types for added strength. Thanks again for stopping by! Stay safe, healthy, and I’ll see you in the next one!
@@TLDR_filmmaker Thanks. Quick follow-up. Tightening the hex-bolt opposite the tension knob works to reduce sag quite a bit; however, the yoke itself is flexy. I decided to go with an M300D (on sale!) to get a better yoke, 1.5 lbs. lighter head up on the stand, access to the phone app, battery ready, and a great case. Cheers!
@@think2mucheh I went with Litemons 200's plus a Knowled 300. I'd avoid this particular light unless you don't need to precisely place you light. They really are heavy, clunky.
Hey hey Brandon! Thank you so much for checking out this video and commenting! So glad you enjoyed this video! I will continue to do my best with my content and reviews! Thanks again for stopping by! Stay safe, healthy, and I’ll see you in the next one!
Hey hey XonX! Thank you so much for checking out this video and commenting! That would be interesting to compare this against the FS300, not sure if I can get ahold of one, but as I continue to accumulate these lights I will always compare them against my database! Thanks again for stopping by! Stay safe, healthy, and I’ll see you in the next one!
So considering that the colors seem to match on the chart, is it right to assume that one could use these two lights together to light a single scene? Let's say I was gonna get one for outdoor battery use (Aputure) and then have a second one with the same output for indoor lighting (Godox).
Hey hey Robert! Thank you so much for checking out this video and asking a question! Correct, from what I can tell the colors are so similar that you can go ahead and mix them in the same scene. Honestly all daylight balance LED's for video these days are so similar that it would be very hard to see a difference. Back in the day this was not the case. Thanks again for stopping by! Stay safe, healthy, and I’ll see you in the next one!
Hi! How much in Kilograms does only weight the light Aputure 300d II without the control box, clamp or anything else. Just the light with the yoke itself. Thanks.
Hey hey John! Thank you so much for checking out this video and asking a question! I unfortunately do not know what the light fixture weights on its own. Might want to check Aputures website and look at the spec sheet. It may tell you what the weight is. Thanks again for stopping by! Stay safe, healthy, and I’ll see you in the next one!
The SL300w II seems to be a nice and good light, i have two UL60's. Do you know what about the SL300 mark III, what is the difference ? And is the SL300 III bi any good? Or now a year later from your post is there a beter light for 400-700 dollar/euro? thanks and greetings from Holland!
I think the only difference is probably different efficient LED chips used as well as updating the SL300 to finally utilize the newer "Godox Light" app instead of the older app and remote. I have not personally tested the Bi-Color version. I would go to their website and take a look at their photo metrics to see if the Daylight output is close to the Daylight only model. If so, then it is one of their better LED chips that they used in the ML60bi. Color wise it is most likely on par with the last gen of LED chips that look pretty good for all digital cameras, but maybe not for cinema cameras filming higher bit depths. If you're just looking for a studio 300w LED that doesn't really travel too much. The Godox SL300iii series is still a great budget brand that works well. The other would be the Amaran 200xs (if you want bi-color) Though if I remember correctly, Aputure/Amaran products are more expensive compared to Godox in Europe. Hope this helps! Greetings from the USA!
@@TLDR_filmmaker Thanks for the information it’s really so nice! I am thinking to buy the Godox SL300III, which there was a Godox UL300. I have one question left.. 🙂 What are good color gels, and do they have a kelvin indicator if you use daylight 5600 kelvin. greetings Mike
No problem! The classic gel companies that people trust are LEE or ROSCO. I believe they have a Kelvin gel pack for 3200k to 5600k in a few increments incase you need to go inbetween.
Hey hey RYDEentertainment! Thank you so much for checking out this video and asking a question! I have not had any problems thus far as it is just a straight cable into the LED. It would be nice if they implemented a lock type of cable like they do on some LED Power bricks, however those cables are a bit harder to find versus the standard power supply type that it currently uses. Thanks again for stopping by! Stay safe, healthy, and I’ll see you in the next one!
I love the format of this Video.
Love the TLDR style !!!
Keep making MORE !! PLEASE :D
Glad you love the format of the channel!
Great review. All my work is studio based. You cut to the chase! Thank you. Liked & subbed.
So glad this video was helpful and thanks for subbing!
A better comparison with the Aputure would be the godox VL300 which has a similar design (control box separated from the head). I'm a bit mixed on the all in one design, I think it's better for smaller lights but for larger lights I do think it's useful to separate out the weight (especially if it's going high, it's nice to have easier access to the control box, as the godox remote is awful)
I also think that the VL300 would be much better to compare with the 300dII
Hey hey again Godsakes!
I agree that the VL300 is closest apples to apples comparison. For this video I wanted to see how a budget 300 would compare and where the cost cutting areas were. That being said I do recall that the VL300 had a very green tint to it compared to the Aputure in those initial comparison reviews, I'm not sure if the newer VL300 now us the same chip as the SL300.
While I agree with that the VL300 is a more point for point equivalent, the VL300 is also almost half the price of the SL300II again, but from a sheer budget vs quality volume of light perspective it doesn't offer more. Remember the SL300II has a remote so one isn't stuck with no way to control it once it is high up. As for the weight, in my opinion modifiers are often a bigger deal with lights of this size unless one is seriously booming the light, but for the difference in price one could easily get a stand & boom that could easily handle double, triple or even more weight and still have saved money over all. For example, based of the information I can find, the SL300II is ~1.72 times the weight of the 300D II and ~1.35 times the weight of the VL300 which means one could get 11' 88lb Matthews Digital Combo Stand, a monster of a stand, with the SL300 II and still be under the price of either of the other two lights without stands, and I guarantee that stand won't have any issue handling the SL300II and a modifier.
@@billyoung9538 Depends how high... I have a neewer steel combo stand (similar class but probably not quite as good as the Matthews) if you're just using it as is fine it's more than enough, but add the column of a c-stand as an extension (I was lighting up a stage in a hall so it was really high) and it starts to feel wobbly (granted it's an extreme use case for me but you can find yourself in those situations)
Perfect review. Short and concise. TY! I'm going with the Godox.
So glad this video was helpful!
I purchased and returned one SL300II because of the bad yoke. It allows the light to tilt and sag about 2cm even when the knob is tightened 100%. Very hard to work with this and place it precisely. I think even the "budget" pricing does not excuse such a wobbly yoke. The issue seems to be the design of the yoke, as there is a rubber washer between the teeth. Thank you for your excellent review! I found the light produced by the 300II to be excellent.
Hey hey Ken!
Thank you so much for checking out this video and commenting!
Aw man, sorry about the wonky yoke. Mine is pretty solid, but it would definitely be awesome if all of them use the rosette lock types for added strength.
Thanks again for stopping by! Stay safe, healthy, and I’ll see you in the next one!
@@TLDR_filmmaker Thanks. Quick follow-up. Tightening the hex-bolt opposite the tension knob works to reduce sag quite a bit; however, the yoke itself is flexy. I decided to go with an M300D (on sale!) to get a better yoke, 1.5 lbs. lighter head up on the stand, access to the phone app, battery ready, and a great case. Cheers!
do they fix this problem on sl300 III ?
@@think2mucheh I went with Litemons 200's plus a Knowled 300. I'd avoid this particular light unless you don't need to precisely place you light. They really are heavy, clunky.
i have the same question
@@think2mucheh
Thank you for this
You're most welcome!
Thank you for the comparison! This was helpful!
Hey hey Brandon!
Thank you so much for checking out this video and commenting!
So glad you enjoyed this video! I will continue to do my best with my content and reviews!
Thanks again for stopping by! Stay safe, healthy, and I’ll see you in the next one!
Would be even more interesting to include nanlite fs 300; it's cheaper than godox.
Hey hey XonX!
Thank you so much for checking out this video and commenting!
That would be interesting to compare this against the FS300, not sure if I can get ahold of one, but as I continue to accumulate these lights I will always compare them against my database!
Thanks again for stopping by! Stay safe, healthy, and I’ll see you in the next one!
So considering that the colors seem to match on the chart, is it right to assume that one could use these two lights together to light a single scene?
Let's say I was gonna get one for outdoor battery use (Aputure) and then have a second one with the same output for indoor lighting (Godox).
Hey hey Robert!
Thank you so much for checking out this video and asking a question!
Correct, from what I can tell the colors are so similar that you can go ahead and mix them in the same scene. Honestly all daylight balance LED's for video these days are so similar that it would be very hard to see a difference. Back in the day this was not the case.
Thanks again for stopping by! Stay safe, healthy, and I’ll see you in the next one!
Hi! How much in Kilograms does only weight the light Aputure 300d II without the control box, clamp or anything else. Just the light with the yoke itself. Thanks.
Hey hey John!
Thank you so much for checking out this video and asking a question!
I unfortunately do not know what the light fixture weights on its own. Might want to check Aputures website and look at the spec sheet. It may tell you what the weight is.
Thanks again for stopping by! Stay safe, healthy, and I’ll see you in the next one!
The SL300w II seems to be a nice and good light, i have two UL60's.
Do you know what about the SL300 mark III, what is the difference ?
And is the SL300 III bi any good?
Or now a year later from your post is there a beter light for 400-700 dollar/euro?
thanks and greetings from Holland!
I think the only difference is probably different efficient LED chips used as well as updating the SL300 to finally utilize the newer "Godox Light" app instead of the older app and remote.
I have not personally tested the Bi-Color version. I would go to their website and take a look at their photo metrics to see if the Daylight output is close to the Daylight only model. If so, then it is one of their better LED chips that they used in the ML60bi.
Color wise it is most likely on par with the last gen of LED chips that look pretty good for all digital cameras, but maybe not for cinema cameras filming higher bit depths.
If you're just looking for a studio 300w LED that doesn't really travel too much. The Godox SL300iii series is still a great budget brand that works well. The other would be the Amaran 200xs (if you want bi-color) Though if I remember correctly, Aputure/Amaran products are more expensive compared to Godox in Europe.
Hope this helps! Greetings from the USA!
@@TLDR_filmmaker Thanks for the information it’s really so nice!
I am thinking to buy the Godox SL300III, which there was a Godox UL300.
I have one question left.. 🙂
What are good color gels, and do they have a kelvin indicator if you use daylight 5600 kelvin.
greetings Mike
No problem! The classic gel companies that people trust are LEE or ROSCO. I believe they have a Kelvin gel pack for 3200k to 5600k in a few increments incase you need to go inbetween.
@@TLDR_filmmaker Thanks so much, I will check them!
Since you've had this light for a while now, have you had any problems with the AC adapter!
Hey hey RYDEentertainment!
Thank you so much for checking out this video and asking a question!
I have not had any problems thus far as it is just a straight cable into the LED. It would be nice if they implemented a lock type of cable like they do on some LED Power bricks, however those cables are a bit harder to find versus the standard power supply type that it currently uses.
Thanks again for stopping by! Stay safe, healthy, and I’ll see you in the next one!