About two years ago, we saw Aputure reveal the compact LED fixture the 300d. Now the company is releasing the follow-up to the 300d: the 300d Mark II.
With the 300d Mark II, Aputure aims to improve the 300d by making the new LED fixture 20 percent brighter, more durable and more portable. Let’s take a look at what Aperture did to achieve that.
20 percent more light
One of the most notable improvements to the 300d Mark II is the amount of light it outputs. The new 300d Mark II now outputs 20 percent more light than its predecessor. If it is combined with the Fresnel 2X, the 300d Mark II can produce up to 80,000 lux. That’s almost getting to the luminance of a 575W HMI.
Additionally, it holds a CRI and TLCI rating of 96+ and 97+ respectively. Temperature-wise, the light comes in at 5500K.
Hyper-efficient 55° reflector
The 300d Mark II is the first Aputure light to feature a hyper-efficient 55° reflector. The reflectors slightly narrow the beam from 60° to 55° and utilize the inner shape and coating of the reflector. Aputure says they were “able to increase the output of the 300d II by more than three times” compared to the original light.
New control features
The 300d Mark II’s control box, which has been redesigned to be completely silent with a fan-less heatsink design as well as a new durable aluminum alloy, features 8 built-in lighting FX. The FX are: “Paparazzi”, “Fireworks”, “Lightning”, “Faulty Bulb”, “TV”, “Pulse”, “Strobe”, and “Explosion.” There will be more coming in future firmware updates.
There’s also a trigger button to activate lighting FX instantly.
Also added it a 0%-100% stepless dimming control. Users can now use the 300d in low-light situations or to overpower the bright sun. There are four different dimming curves that can be used: Linear, Logarithmic, Exponential, and S-Curve.
The 300d Mark II also features a “studio mode” that allows the lights to turn on and be controlled when receiving power.
More options for control
Now, in addition to the control wheel, the new 300d features DMX512-compatibility. There’s also a new 2.4Ghz Aputure Wireless remote with an FX toggle button.
The new 300d is first app-controllable Aputure lighting fixture
With Bluetooth SIG mesh network technology, the new 300d is first app-controllable Aputure lighting fixture. Users can control the new 300d from up to 400 meters away by linking multiple lights up to 80 meters apart. The Sidus Link app allows users to access all of the functions of the control box.
Pricing and availability
You can preorder the 300d Mark II now for $1,099. It should start shipping this month. You can learn more at aputure.com.
