Welcome to our ultimate Neewer DS300 review that we decided to publish after publishing some reviews of other popular studio strobe lights a few months back and seeing a bunch of people reaching out about other light models.
We have noticed some people requesting a review specifically for the DS300 so decided to use this free time to tick it off our list and get this article published. We hope that our article will be useful to anyone who is considering adding the DS300 from Neewer to their collection of camera accessories and help spread the word of how good this little lighting unit really is.
Considering that it is in the sub $100 price bracket, we feel that its performance, build quality, functionality, and usability are excellent making it a real bargain. It would also seem like many people who have already picked the light up agree with us too as it has one of the best reputations going at the time of writing and we feel that its reputation within the community is only going to keep growing as time goes on.
Click Here To Check For The Latest Prices For The Neewer DS300!
User Interface And Control System
The image above shows the control system for the DS300 flash light that allows you to quickly and easily customize its performance as required with minimal effort required on your part. On top of this, Neewer has chosen to stick with the system commonly used on entry-level studio lights so if you have used any lights from other brands, you will see many similarities. If this is the very first studio lighting unit then fear not as the control system is very simple and we feel you should be able to get to grips with it in a short amount of time.
The LCD panel on the light is very clear to see and clearly displays the data required when used in low light conditions too. If you are working in low light, it is also very easy to locate the various dials and buttons on the DS300 too allowing you to tweak its settings without having to turn your main studio lights on either.
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Depending on the size of studio and the photography niche that you are working in, it may be a good idea to also look at picking up the Neewer FT-16 (Click here to check for product prices and availability) wireless flash trigger. It will allow you to tweak some key settings on the lighting unit remotely while also allowing you to remotely turn it on and off or activate is as a flash.
The Neewer DS300 uses the Bowens style mount system to allow you to mount it to any lighting stands in your studio quickly. As the Bowens style mounts are so popular, there are also a bunch of accessories available for it from various brands that pretty much let you adapt the mounting system to fit anything you need it to. This ensures that no matter where you are working, you should be able to mount the DS300 and get the great lighting it provides no matter what.
Click Here To Check For The Latest Prices For The Neewer DS300!
Performance And Functionality
As we mentioned at the start of the article, the performance that this great little strobe photo flash can provide you is excellent considering its price tag. A number of studio photographers have added it to their lighting kit and commented on its performance that can actually rival some higher price point lights too.
The two main things that we want to talk about when it comes to the DS300 is its flash duration and recycle time. Both settings are variable meaning that you are able to tweak them to meet the needs of your specific session to get the most out of your lighting rig. The flash duration range is 1/2000 seconds to 1/800 seconds while the recycle time range is 0.3 seconds to 1.5 seconds.
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These ranges allow you to use the light for pretty much any kind of studio-based photography gig that you may end up working on allowing you to get your hands on a very cheap but very versatile light rig. Although the Neewer DS300 does have some heat dissipation technology built into it, keep in mind that using the light with a fast recycle time and a short flash duration for an extended period of time will result in excessive heat building up though so plan your sessions accordingly.
As you would expect, the DS300 fully supports manual flash mode as well as S1 and S2 modes while you are also able to adjust the power in 0.1 increments to meet your needs. You are also able to mount a number of softbox lighting solutions to the DS300 if needed to further customize the performance of the light in your studio.
Click Here To Check For The Latest Prices For The Neewer DS300!
Build Quality And Design
One thing that seems to surprise most people, us included about the Neewer DS300 is its build quality. We thought at this price point, Neewer would have taken this opportunity to reduce their costs to help keep the price tag low but thankfully, they have done a decent job. The body of the lighting unit is pretty robust and made from high-quality plastics that also ensure that the lighting unit is also lightweight.
If you are planning on using the light in your studio and leaving it mounted to a light stand for the rest of its working life then this probably is not important for you. That said, if you are working in a niche where you have to travel to your locations then the robustness of the light ensures it can take any bumps during transit without breaking. Additionally, as we mentioned, once on location the various adaptor accessories for the Bowens style mount pretty much let you mount your light kit on anything available at the venue.
As we previously touched on, the light does have some heat dissipation technology on it that will reduce the chance of any overheating issues occurring when used with slower recycle times. If the requirements of your session allow, we would recommend using the a slower recycle where possible but if you do need to use a 0.3 second recycle time, plan in a few breaks to allow the light to cool back down.
Click Here To Check For The Latest Prices For The Neewer DS300!
Our Verdict
That concludes our Neewer DS300 review, we know that this review is pretty short compared to the majority of the reviews we publish but there is only so much you can say about a lighting unit. As we mentioned, the reputation of the DS300 is excellent and many people have put it to the test as a part of their studio lighting and fell in love with it.
We feel that the light could make a great addition to your own camera accessories while helping to improve the image quality of your flash photography sessions in your studio too. With it having a pretty low price tag, it also allows you to upgrade your lighting rig without having to break the bank too.
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