Anyone here using YN-300/YN-300II's for weddings?
 

Hey guys, I was just wondering if anyone's using these for receptions? If so, how are they on the job? I recently picked up a pair of YN-300's, but need to get them sent back. They're fine on full power, but as soon as I turn it down one notch or lower, my camera picks up really bad flickering. Anyone here face the same issue as me?

Re: Anyone here using YN-300/YN-300II's for weddings?
 

Buy the YN600's no flickering issues with those.

Re: Anyone here using YN-300/YN-300II's for weddings?
 

Yes and no. There were flickering issues on the early models, but these should have been fixed on 2014 production.

Here's my reviews on the YN300 & YN600 lights (all have written reviews, first two have videos, the second one is a bit long - sorry):

Yongnuo YN300 Pro LED Video Light Review

Yongnuo YN300-II Pro LED Video Light Review

Yongnuo YN600 (5500K) Pro LED Video Light Review

Yongnuo YN600 (3200K-5500K) Pro LED Video Light Review

The YN600 units have some definite issues when running on batteries and the fans can be problematic in quite situations. OTOH, they are a lot brighter. There are better alternatives.

Re: Anyone here using YN-300/YN-300II's for weddings?
 

I need something a little more portable for weddings, so the YN600 is a no go.

Hey Dave. Funny, I actually bought the YN-300's after watching your reviews online a few weeks ago. Great job btw. I also was under the impression that the newer model of the YN-300 had the flickering problem fixed, so I'm guessing I received an older model that was leftover stock. This really sucks, because I ordered these for a wedding in 2 weeks, and I know for a fact that the reception is going to be dark. I hope I have enough time to order a new set, but I am afraid that I will end up receiving another set of the older ones. Do you think it'd be safer just to order the mark II? I was hoping that I wouldn't have to, since I will only be getting 1/2 of the LED's for tungsten and daylight. Also, I couldn't find anything online, but I'm guessing the flickering problem was fixed by the time the mark II was released, meaning none should have that problem, correct?.

Re: Anyone here using YN-300/YN-300II's for weddings?
 

Great write ups ...

Any chance you will do the same with the newly released YN900's ... 900 LED versions ? They are available in 5500k and 3300-5500k variations.

Re: Anyone here using YN-300/YN-300II's for weddings?
 

Thanks. They are on my list to do, but as ever, I have to buy them before I can review them.

Next up will be the Aputure Amaran 528 range which are the ones I choose to use over the Yongnuo LED lights, even though they are slightly more expensive. Hoping to have those up shortly.

Re: Anyone here using YN-300/YN-300II's for weddings?
 

Al, what frequency / frame rates are you using on your cameras? I'll be happy to set my YN300 & YN300-II up here and do a quick test to see if mine have the same problems.

I'm assuming 60hz, but at you running at 23.98, 24, 29.97, 59.97?

Re: Anyone here using YN-300/YN-300II's for weddings?
 

That would be great, Dave! I'm running at 23.976 fps and 1/47 shutter speed with Magic Lantern loaded.

Re: Anyone here using YN-300/YN-300II's for weddings?
 

Well, the bad news is I'm unable to replicate the problem. I recorded a scene at 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90% and 100% of the light and I'm not seeing any flicker. I even stepped through one frame at a time with a vector scope open looking exposure variations and there's nothing to suggest flicker at all.

When you use your YN300 are you also under other lighting conditions? Is it possible that your flicker is coming from the other lights in the room? Have you ever seen this flicker before (without the light) ?

I know that some lights products prior to about October 2013 had this issue, so it's possible you got an old one (did you buy it new), but I would have thought that this far on all the old stock would have gone.

Re: Anyone here using YN-300/YN-300II's for weddings?
 

Hi Al,

Why do you feel that the YN600 is not portable enough for weddings? We use them for weddings all of the time. I love the remote for not only turning on and off, but adjusting the brightness. Additionally, we have been to some receptions where they use 3200k lighting for the events and then switch over to 4500-5600k lighting for the party. It is so great to be able to adjust the color balance from the remote.

For the events of the reception, depending on how large the dance floor is, I may go 15-30% with the YN600s, but then once the party kicks, I back them off quite a bit, maybe 5-10%. The batteries last for the entire reception using the YN600 like this.

I have two pairs of them. I removed the barn doors on the pair I use on lights stands near the dance floor. Without the barn doors, they look smaller, and as Dave pointed out, the barn doors are useless for controlling the light.

I have a second set that I use in a light kit for non weddings, and as Dave pointed out, I use diffusion paper clipped to the barn doors. I use a Lowel Rifa for the key light and then a couple of YN600s for the fill and hair light. I have never heard the fans kick on, but I guess I'm generally running the lights below 10% for interviews.

Re: Anyone here using YN-300/YN-300II's for weddings?
 

I picked up an Aputure Amaran 672 bi-color LED a few weeks ago. It's their new line of 95+ CRI, which got me interested. Fanless operation, remote control, and small size were a consideration, as I wanted this to be part of a travel lighting kit. If you're looking for long throw, then the spot version would be the better option, but it's not a bi-color unit. For a general purpose light, I'm pretty happy with this one. I did a quick review here:
I tested it with shutter speeds of 1/2000 and didn't see any flicker, regardless of intensity.

Re: Anyone here using YN-300/YN-300II's for weddings?
 

I actually tried the lights in different lighting conditions including in a pitch black room, so there is definitely something wrong with the YN-300's I have right now. I also have a pair of CN-160's, and tried them in the same lighting conditions dimmed down, with no flickering issues. It looks like I might of just been unlucky and received the older model. I bought them brand new off of Amazon. Thanks for testing it out for me, Dave. I really appreciate it.

Hey Mark, the reason I say that the YN-600's are not portable enough is because there are times where I would need to mount an LED on top of my camera, and the YN-300 would be the better choice. I also heard that the fan noise could be a little loud, so I'm afraid that it might ruin the audio during speeches. Have you had any problems the fan noise?

Thanks Oren! I'll definitely look into the Apurtures!

Re: Anyone here using YN-300/YN-300II's for weddings?
 

I personally prefer the Aputure lights (sorry my reviews are not up yet - they're coming - promise!).

But:

• They are just as big as the YN600 and not really suitable for on-camera mounting

• Don't have barn doors if you want to mount diffusion paper

• Are not as bright as the YN600 and the 'C' (variable colour) version is not even as bright as the YN300

• The 528 series don't have remote controls - the newer model does

However:

• They don't have noisy fans

• They can charge batteries while you're using them plugged in to the wall

• They have a much more stable output

Re: Anyone here using YN-300/YN-300II's for weddings?
 

Okay, that makes perfect sense. I would never put a YN600 on a camera. We use them on light stands. Most of our packages are multi camera dslr, and we do not use on camera lighting with those. One package is just one camera and in that case we do use an on camera light for the times when the action happens away from the dance floor. With the one camera package we use the YN300II on camera, in addition to the YN600s on light stand on the dance floor.

I run a feed from the board and a mic near the speaker system, so I don't rely on the on camera audio for the speeches.

Re: Anyone here using YN-300/YN-300II's for weddings?
 

Sorry for the late reply guys. I was out of town over the weekend. Thanks for all the advice! One more question. Do you guys think I'd be able to get away with 2 or 3 YN-300II's on light stands for lighting up a reception dance floor and speeches, or do you think it'd be a safer bet with 2 YN600s or Aperture 528s?

Re: Anyone here using YN-300/YN-300II's for weddings?
 

Al, here's a (hopefully not too complicated) graph of relative LED power output when running on batteries over a 2 hour period, measured at 8ft with a lux meter.

Sorry it doesn't include every LED made, only the ones I'd tested at the time I made this graph about 8 months ago.

Where only the model number is shown (e.g. YN600 or YN300) then this is the original daylight only model.

Where I state a colour temperature (3200,4350, 5500) it's the mark II variable temperature model.

3200K and 5500K only use half the LEDs, so 100% means those (half) LEDs at full power.

4350K uses all LEDs on the light (300 or 600 depending on the model), so 100% means both banks at 100%.

For reference, the 528C (the variable colour version) (not shown) comes in just BELOW the YN-300 II at around 100 lux no matter what temperature you select (it uses an onboard colour dial).

The 528S is a spot light version and is almost as bright as the YN600 but has a much narrower beam of light and is not suitable to covering an entire dance floor. The huge drop off in power (to zero) is where this light decided it couldn't maintain output after the battery depleted on contrast to how the Yongnuo just gets rapidly dimmer.

The 528W (not shown) comes in just above the YN300 (mk I) and is a wide beam version 5500K only.

The red blobs show where the fan was running on the two YN600 models.

If Mark says he only needs 15% power from his YN600s (is this right Mark?) then you should have no trouble with the power from the YN300. However, 15% really isn't that bright so I'm wondering how light/dark Mark's venues are.

Re: Anyone here using YN-300/YN-300II's for weddings?
 

Hi Dave,

My YN300 IIs came with remotes. Did your YN300 not include a remote?

Yes, that right, I use two YN600s on light stands near the speaker system to add light on the dance floor for the special dances, toasts and tosses, I run them between 15-30%, depending on the size of the dance floor and the general brightness of the room. Once the party dancing starts, I dim them down, depending on the conditions to 5-10%.

One other thing to consider is the low light abilities of the camera. I shoot with Canon 5D Mk3s with either 2.8 or 4.0 lenses, so they generally perform better in low light than video cameras.

Re: Anyone here using YN-300/YN-300II's for weddings?
 

Mark, you're right - the YN300 came with remotes too - bit of a brain drain there while I was thinking about other lights I have. Sorry for the confusion - I've updated the post to remove that bit!

At 30% you're likely to be able to run for 2-3 hours solid with no real variation in performance. It's just for some reason the YN600 units can't sustain full power on battery alone. the YN300s are fine, which is odd given that the YN600 is only running 300 LEDs of each battery!

Re: Anyone here using YN-300/YN-300II's for weddings?
 

Thanks again for such a detailed response, Dave! I think I have made up my mind, and going with 3 YN300II's.