The Neewer CB300B 320W Bi-Color Monolight as its name suggests, is a 320W COB spotlight with a CCT range of 2700K-6500K, 12 built-in effects, and a Bowens S-mount.
This is the first product I have ever reviewed from Neewer, but like all reviews I do on Newsshooter, every product regardless of who makes it, where it comes from, or how much it costs, gets the same independent and thorough review.
Key features
- For Video Production & Vlogging
- High output
- 2700-6500K CCT
- AC Power
- CRI 97 | TLCI 97
- Onboard & App Control
- 12 Preset Special Effects
- Fan Cooled
- Bowens S Accessory Mount
- Includes Reflector & Power Cord
The Neewer CB300B was designed to be an affordable entry-level lighting fixtures with easy-to-use controls, good color rendition, and a high output.
Versatile COB lights in this form factor have become increasingly popular due to their Swiss army knife-style abilities, which enable them to be used for a variety of lighting scenarios. This is why we have seen, and continue to see so many of them being introduced. There are so many similar lights on the market, so it will be interesting to see how the Neewer CB300B fares in this crowded space.
According to Neewer, the fixture has a claimed CRI of 97 and a TLCI of 97.
On paper at least, the CB300B appears to offer good value for money, given its relatively affordable price. So without further ado, let’s get on with the review.
Concept & Design
The concept behind all of these LED spot lights, whether they are daylight, bi-color, or full color, is to make a flexible, fully-featured lighting source that won’t empty someone’s wallet. The only problem with this concept is that so many lighting companies are doing the exact same thing, that it is hard to make your product stand out.
The Neewer CB300B features a very understated design and there is nothing overly exciting about how it looks.
The design, at least in my opinion, isn’t a massive departure from other similar COB monolights that are already on the market. It does have a tubular structure instead of the square form factor of most other similar lights.
The CB300B is a self contained light and it doesn’t have a large, separate power supply/controller.
Build Quality
The overall build quality of the CB300B is pretty good given its relatively low price tag and weight. The housing is very robustly made and not knowing what to expect, I was slightly surprised as I thought that maybe because of its price, it wasn’t going to be that good. This is exactly why you should never judge a book by its cover.
The buttons have a tactile feel, but the dial is a little loose for my liking. However, in saying that, everything works correctly as advertised.
The yoke frame locks down securely when tightened, although it doesn’t feature a ratchet lever like you find on most lights. This does make it slightly harder to tighten and loosen.
The locking mechanism for where you attach the yoke frame to a light stand works well.
Unlike a lot of other similar lights it also doesn’t feature a locking power connector. Instead, you just get a regular jug plug. I would have preferred to have seen locking PowerCON cable.
The light does come with a 2 year warranty which is good to see.
COB Design
Lots of LED lights on the market, including the Neewer CB300B are using COB technology. COB stands for “Chip On Board” where multiple LED chips are packaged together as one lighting module. The advantage of COB LEDs being multi-chip packaged is that the light-emitting area of a COB LED can contain many times more light sources in the same area that standard LEDs could occupy. This results in a greatly increased lumen output per square inch.
The biggest problem with COB LED lights is that unless you diffuse them they are very bright to look at and unsuitable for directly lighting talent.
Weight & Size
The Neewer CB300B is reasonably compact as it’s a self-conatined all-in-one fixture with its own power supply in-built. It weighs 6.5 lb / 2.9 kg.
The Neewer CB300B in its included case tips the scales at 6.1kg / 13.44 lb. This makes it a nice lightweight solution if you are traveling.
How does the weight of the Neewer CB300B compare to some other fixtures that could be considered competition? Below you can see.
| WEIGHT | |
| Neewer CB300B | 2.9 kg / 6.5 lb |
| Nanlite FC-300B | 3.7 kg / 8.16 lb |
| Aputure LS 300x | 11.4 kg / 25.13 lb |
| Godox SL300IIIBI | 3.59 kg / 7.91 lb |
| Zhiyun MOLUS G200 Bi-Color LED Monolight | 1.91 kg / 4.21 lb |
| GVM Pro SD400B | 7.6 kg / 16.7 lb |
| Kelvin Epos 300 | 8.2 kg / 18.07 lb |
| Prolycht Orion 300 FS | 6.9 kg / 15.21 lb |
| amaran 300c RGB LED Monolight | 3.52 kg / 7.76 lb |
| Godox SZ300R Zoom RGB LED Spotlight | 3.2 kg / 7.1 lb |
| Lupo Movielight 300 Full Color PRO | 5 kg / 11 lb |
The nice aspect about this low weight is that you can use the light with a reasonably lightweight and compact light stand.
CCT range
The light has a CCT range of 2700K to 6500K. This is a decent enough range and it will suit most people’s needs.
Beam Angle
The beam angle of the fixtures, when used open face, is 120°.
If you use the light with its included reflector it is 25°, which is a lot narrower than the 55° that most other reflectors in similar competing products are.
If you want to see the Light Distribution curves, I have put them above.
The included reflector looks very similar to what you get with most Bowens mount fixtures of this size, with one exception. Neewer has actually put a small cut-out in the reflector which I assumed was to help alleviate heat. When I contacted Neewer ands asked them about it they said that it’s so that the reflector can be used in conjunction with an umbrella. This gap allows the umbrella to pass through the reflector.
If you are using an umbrella this is fine, but if you are not using an umbrella, you do get a strange little extra round shape on the beam.
Mounting
The Neewer CB300B comes with a traditional two-sided yoke frame.
As I mentioned earlier in the review, while the yoke frame locks down securely when tightened, it doesn’t feature a ratchet lever like you find on most lights. This does make it slightly harder to tighten and loosen.
While the yoke frame work reasonably well, there isn’t a lot of clearance and the power cable will end up hitting the yoke frame if you try and tilt the light up too much.
Power Draw
The power draw of the CB300B is 320W. I like that Neewer gives you a nice long power cable for the light.
Unfortunately, Neewer doesn’t give you many options when it comes to powering the fixture. There is no way of running it via a camera battery like you can from so many competing fixtures.
In the kit, you just get an AC power cable. Yes, I know these are more aimed at indoor studio use, but given its relatively low weight it would have been nice to have seen a camera battery powering option, even if this was an optional extra. A lot of people looking at lights want versatility and the ability to use their fixtures in a variety of different ways and in different environments.
Mount
Like most COB spotlights, the Neewer CB300B utilizes a Bowens S mount. This allows you to use readily available lighting modifiers and accessories that you may already own.
Unlike almost every Bowens S mount that doesn’t feature a locking mechanism, the included reflector doesn’t wobble around on the mount.
The light also has an umbrella mount on the bottom it which is handy to have.
Controls & Menu System
The rear LCD display on the light is reasonably large, and although it is fairly basic, it does show you key information about the light’s operating modes, brightness, CCT, etc.
As I say in every lighting review, with a good light, you shouldn’t have to read a manual to work out how to operate it. You should be able to turn it on and use it straight away. With the Neewer CB300B, it is easy to make changes to the CCT and brightness. As there is no actual menu, it is pretty easy to work out how to use it quickly, even if you aren’t familiar with he light.
To access some of the modes you need to use the Neewer App which I will talk about further down in the review.
You can also control the light using an optional 2.4G remote controller.
Operating Modes
The lights have the following lighting modes that you can access from the fixture:
- CCT
- Booster Mode & Silent Mode
- FX
CCT
In CCT mode you use the dial on the back of the light to make adjustments in increments of 100K. You can choose CCT values anywhere from 2700-6500K.
Booster Mode & Silent Mode
The lights also feature a Booster Mode and a non Booster Mode. I am not sure why Neewer calls it a Booster Mode, as all it does is to allow the light to operate at 100% output.
If you turn the Booster Mode off then the light operates with a 80W output and the fan switches off completely.
No +/- Green adjustment
The fixtures don’t include +/- Green adjustment so you can’t correct any tint.
FX
The FX mode lets you recreate a wide range of lighting effects that can be handy for certain scenarios. The effects include:
All the effects modes can be individually adjusted, and you change the Speed and Cycle.
Bluetooth App
The light can be controlled via Bluetooth using the Neewer App.
I personally dislike apps where I need to Log in to use them. You shouldn’t need to provide your email details or personal information. I really dislike companies who ask for this information. Why should I need to log in to use an app? Now, you can get around this by choosing Guest Mode if you want.
It is relatively easy to connect up a light and get started. All you need to do is tap on add a fixture and wait a few seconds till it finds the light.
Once it does, you select the fixture and press ok. It will then set the fixture up so you can control it using the app.
The light will then be automatically be added to a Scene if you are using the app for the first time.
You also have the option to rename or remove the light from the scene.
Once you click on the fixture you will be taken to the above main operating screen. Here you have the ability to make adjustments to the CCT and intensity of the light.
If you prefer you can change the control over the CCT and intensity to being done via gestures on the screen.
On the main page you can also bring down a drop down menu where you can access all of the modes.
You can also access a page where you can turn the Booster Mode on/off and see information about the firmware you are running, etc.
Now, the problem with the app when doing this is that the intensity slider still shows 100% regardless of whether you have the Booster Mode on or off.
You have the ability when using the app to set one light as the Master light, so any changes you make will be made to all lights that are in the scene.
LIGHT SOURCES
Light Sources allows you to access a range of pre-set lighting sources.
SOURCE MATCH
Source Match allows you to access your smartphone’s camera so you can use it to capture a color or other lighting source. Now, because this isn’t an RGB light it won’t work if you try and replicate certain colors.
CTO/B
CTO/B lets you choose from a variety of digital CTO and CTB filters.
FX
The FX mode lets you choose from 12 different effects and you can make adjustments to those effects.
FX PICKER
FX Picker lets you record a scene and then the light will attempt to play that scene back and replicate it. Now this sort of works, but at least in my opinion, ititss a bit of a gimmick on a non RGB light as it can”t replicate scenes you have recorded very accurately.
FX MUSIC
FX Music will pulse the light to the sound of music that is playing.
The app is straightforward and reasonably easy to use. I didn’t experience any issues when using it.
How does it stay cool?
COB lights get very hot, and keeping them cool is not an easy task. The Neewer CB300B, as I mentioned earlier in the review, does utilize a fan.
There are no options on the light or in the App to change the fan settings. On the back of the light you do get a temperature display.
The fan in the Neewer CB300B is fairly quiet even when the light has been operating at 100% output in its Booster mode for long periods of time.
I left the light on for around an hour at 100% output in a normal room and I could barely hear the fan. The lack of fan noise makes tis light a good choice for certain applications where critical audio needs to be recorded within proximity of the fixture.
Photometrics
So now let’s get to the photometric results. I always test lights in this way so that I get a reference to how they compare to other fixtures. Results only tell part of the story and should never be used alone to judge a light. I have found from extensive testing over the years that certain lights that have good photometric results don’t always look good, and lights that have worse photometric scores can sometimes look better than their results indicate.
You can’t judge a light from one set of photometric results. You have to look at all of the different results to be able to come to a conclusion. You wouldn’t read one chapter of a book and think you know the whole story, so don’t look at one set of results for a light and think you can make a conclusion because you can’t.
Different lights can also look different depending on what camera you happen to be using.
Output & Color Temperature Accuracy
I tested the Neewer CB300B at a variety of CCT settings with a Sekonic C-800 Spectrometer to find out how much output the light had and how accurate the Kelvin color temperature reproduction was. All readings are taken at a distance of 1m (3.28ft) in a controlled environment. The readings were also taken directly from the lighting source. In the case of using the lights with their Reflector, the readings were taken from the end of those attachments.
Ok, so let’s find out if those figures are correct.
Neewer CB300B 5600K (open face)
Above you can see the CB300B recorded an output of 12,400 lx (1150 fc) when set at 5600K and used open face.
The light recorded a CCT reading of 5787K which was 187K off being correct.
Neewer CB300B Open Face 3200K
Above you can see the output when it was set at 3200K in the open face configuration was 11,000 lx (1020 fc), which was 11.29% lower than the 12,400 lx it produced at 5600K.
As far as CCT accuracy goes, it recorded an extremely accurate reading of 3205K.
Ok, so let’s now look at how much output the light had at various CCT settings when used open face.
Neewer CB300B Open Face
| OUTPUT | CCT READING | |
| 2700K | 9870 lx | 2716K |
| 3200K | 11,000 lx | 3205K |
| 4500K | 12,300 lx | 4553K |
| 5600K | 12,400 lx | 5787K |
| 6500K | 12,300 lx | 6828K |
The fixture has the most amount of output at 5600K.
As you can see, the output varies by 20.4% across the CCT range. It was the most accurate when used at 3200K, but it was also very accurate at 2700K and 4500K. The light was 328K off being correct when set at 6500K.
As a competitor comparison, the Neewer CB300B at 5600K when used open face had had 30.5% more output than the Nanlite FC-300B (9,530 lx).
At 3200K, the Neewer CB300B at 5600K when used open face had had 10.7% more output than the Nanlite FC-300B (9,820 lx).
Neewer CB300B 5600K (Reflector 25°)
So, now let’s see how much output the lights have when used with its 25° reflector.
Above you can see the light’s output when it was set at 5600K with the reflector was 89,200 lx (8290 fc). This was a whopping 619% more than the 12,400 lx it produced at 5600K when used open face. It is important to note that this measurement was made from the end of the reflector. This is a huge amount of output from a fixture that draws 320W.
Now, there is a spoiler alert I have to make you aware of. The reflector produces a massive hot spot in the middle and along with its very tight 25° beam angle that is why this figure is so high.
As far as CCT accuracy goes, it recorded a decent reading of 5706K. The CCT accuracy when using the reflector was actually better than when the light is used open face.
Neewer CB300B 3200K (25° Reflector)
Above you can see the output when it was set at 3200K with the standard reflector was 77,500 lx (7200 fc), which was just 13.1% less than what it output at 5600K using the reflector.
As far as CCT accuracy goes, it recorded an exceptionally good reading of 3223K which was a very good score and very close to the result I obtained when using the light open face.
Ok, so let’s now look at how much output the light had at various CCT settings when used with its reflector.
Neewer CB300B 25° Reflector
| OUTPUT | CCT READING | |
| 2700K | 71,500 lx | 2744K |
| 3200K | 77,500 lx | 3223K |
| 4500K | 87,900 lx | 4553K |
| 5600K | 89,200 lx | 5706K |
| 6500K | 89,200 lx | 6757K |
The fixture has the most amount of output at 5600K and 6500K.
As you can see, the output varies by 19.84% across the CCT range. It was the most accurate when used at 3200K, but it was also very accurate at 2700K and 4500K. The light was 257K off being correct when set at 6500K.
Neewer CB300B 25° Reflector 5600K (Booster Mode Off)
So, now let’s see how much output the light has when used with its reflector with the Booster Mode turned off.
Above you can see the light’s output when it was set at 5600K with the reflector and the Booster Mode turned off was 27,800 lx (2580 fc). This was 68.83% less than the 89,200 lx it produced at 5600K when used in Booster Mode.
As far as CCT accuracy goes, it recorded a bad reading of 6101K. The CCT accuracy when turning the Booster Mode off seems to drastically alter the CCT reading.
Neewer CB300B 3200K 25° Reflector (Booster Mode Off)
Above you can see the output when it was set at 3200K with the standard reflector and the Booster Mode turned off was 22,400 lx (2080 fc), which was 69.93% less than what it output at 5600K using the reflector and with the Booster Mode turned on.
As far as CCT accuracy goes, it recorded a bad reading of 2985K. Just like at 5600K, the light’s CCT accuracy gets massively altered when turning the Booster Mode off.
How does the output compare against the competition?
Below you can see how the Neewer CB300B compares to some of the competitors when it comes to output when all of the lights are using their included reflectors.
5600K
| Output at 5600K | CCT (K) | |
| Neewer CB300B | 89,200 lx* (25° reflector) | 5706K |
| Nanlite FC-300B | 29,900 lx* (55° reflector) | 5746K |
| Kelvin Epos 300 | 19,400 lx* (55° reflector) | 5561K |
| Prolycht Orion 300 FS | 25,900 lx* (55° reflector) | 5665K |
| Zhiyun MOLUS G200 Bi-Color LED Monolight | 56,000 lx (47° reflector) | 5674K |
| amaran 300c RGB | 26,580 lx** (65° reflector) | NA |
| Lupo Movielight 300 Full Color PRO | 28,600 lx* (55° reflector) | 5779K |
| Aputure Light Storm 300x | 17,500 lx* (hyper reflector) | 5295K |
*Independently tested
**Manufacturers claims
As you can see, the Neewer CB300B had way more output than any of these other lights, however, this is very deceiving because the reflector has a much tighter beam angle and it produces a massive hot spot in the middle of it. Its CCT reading at 5600K was pretty decent, but not as good as the Kelvin Epos 300 or Prolycht Orion 300 FS.
3200K
| Output at 3200K | CCT (K) | |
| Neewer CB300B | 77,500 lx* (25° reflector) | 3223K |
| Nanlite FC-300B | 30,000 lx* (55° reflector) | 3272K |
| Kelvin Epos 300 | 18,500 lx* (55° reflector) | 3265K |
| Prolycht Orion 300 FS | 25,000 lx* (standard reflector) | 3148K |
| Zhiyun MOLUS G200 Bi-Color LED Monolight | 41,600 lx (47° reflector) | 3249K |
| amaran 300c RGB | 21,390 lx** (65° reflector) | NA |
| Lupo Movielight 300 Full Color PRO | 28,200 lx* (55° reflector) | 3139K |
| Aputure Light Storm 300x | 15,100 lx* (hyper reflector) | 3144K |
*Independently tested
**Manufacturers claims
As you can see, the Neewer had considerably more output than any of these other lights. Its CCT reading at 3200K was better than any of the other competing fixtures I have tested. Again, the output figures are deceiving because of the hot spot and reflector.
Neewer CB300B with DoPChoice Octa 3 Softbox
Let’s now see how much output the Neewer CB300B has when used in conjunction with a DoPChoice Octa 3 softbox at 5600K.
Above you can see the output when it was set at 5600K and used with the DoPChoice Octa 3 softbox was 4750 lx (441 fc). This is a good amount of output.
As far as CCT accuracy goes, it recorded an exceptionally good reading of 5607K.
Now, while it still fills the soft box reasonably well, you do get quite a lot of fall off. I did some measurements and the difference between the output at the center of the softbox too the edges was about half.
CCT consistency & linear output when dimming the lights
Now, what you should always do when testing lights is to see if the CCT remains consistent when dimming the light. Just because you set a light at say 5600K, that doesn’t mean that the CCT will remain stable as you start dimming the fixture down. I also wanted to see how linear the dimming curve was.
I decided to do a series of tests at 100%/75%/50%/25%10% to see if the Kelvin color temperature being recorded changed. This was done at a distance of 1m using a Sekonic C-800. These tests were done at 5600K with the reflector.
Neewer CB300B
| CCT READING | OUTPUT | INTENSITY % |
| 5706K | 89,200 lx | 100 |
| 5874K | 67,100 lx | 75 |
| 5975K | 44,500 lx | 50 |
| 6080K | 20,000 lx | 25 |
| 6025K | 6480 lx | 10 |
The Neewer CB300B doesn’t maintain CCT consistency as you start dimming the fixture. My testing showed that the CCT varied by 374K.
As far as how linear the output is when you start dimming the light, at 50% output it had 50.11% less output than when used at 100%. At 25% it had 77.57% less output than when used at 100%. At 10% output, it had 92.73% less output than when used at 100%. This shows me that the light’s dimming curve is pretty linear.
Color Rendering
So now that we have seen how much output the Neewer CB300B produces, how does it perform when it comes to replicating accurate colors?
Neewer CB300B 5600K (25° Reflector)
Above you can see that when the CB300B was set at 5600K using the standard reflector it recorded an average CRI (R1-R8) of 96.8 and an extended CRI (R1-R15) of 94.81. For replicating accurate skin tones it recorded 90.8 for R9 (red), 97.6 for R13 (closest to caucasian skin tones), and 94.8 for R15 (closest to Asian skin tones). These are decent results, although the light struggles to produce R12 (Blue) with a score of just 77.4
| CRI | EXTENDED CRI | R9 | R13 | R15 | |
| Neewer CB300B | 96.8 | 94.81 | 90.8 | 97.6 | 94.8 |
| Nanlite FC-300B | 98.1 | 96.70 | 95.5 | 99.4 | 97.9 |
As a color rendering accuracy comparison, above you can see how the Neewer CB300B compares against Nanlite’s FC-300B.
The Neewer CB300B, when set at 5600K, recorded a TLCI score of 98.
Neewer CB300B 3200K (25° Reflector)
Above you can see that when the CB300B was set at 5600K using the standard reflector it recorded an average CRI (R1-R8) of 96.6 and an extended CRI (R1-R15) of 95.31. For replicating accurate skin tones it recorded 94.7 for R9 (red), 95.1 for R13 (closest to caucasian skin tones), and 95.2 for R15 (closest to Asian skin tones). These are very good results, and only R12 (Blue) was below 90 with a score of 85.4.
| CRI | EXTENDED CRI | R9 | R13 | R15 | |
| Neewer CB300B | 96.6 | 95.31 | 94.7 | 95.1 | 95.2 |
| Nanlite FC-300B | 98.1 | 96.70 | 95.5 | 99.4 | 97.9 |
As a color rendering accuracy comparison, above you can see how the Neewer CB300B compares against Nanlite’s FC-300B.
The Neewer CB300B, when set at 3200K, recorded a TLCI score of 98.
Neewer CB300B 3200K (Open face)
Above you can see the scores for when the light was used open face at 3200K. It recorded an average CRI (R1-R8) of 96.6 and an extended CRI (R1-R15) of 95.26. For replicating accurate skin tones it recorded 94.2 for R9 (red), 95.1 for R13 (closest to caucasian skin tones), and 95.2 for R15 (closest to Asian skin tones). These were good results, and almost identical to when the light is used with its reflector. Only R12 (Blue) was marginally below 90.
The Neewer CB300B, when set at 3200K, recorded a TLCI score of 98.
Neewer CB300B 5600K (Open face)
Above you can see the scores for when the light was used open face at 5600K. It recorded an average CRI (R1-R8) of 95.9 and an extended CRI (R1-R15) of 93.54. For replicating accurate skin tones it recorded 84.1 for R9 (red), 94.9 for R13 (closest to caucasian skin tones), and 91.7 for R15 (closest to Asian skin tones). These were decent enough results, but not quite as good as when the light was used at 5600K with its reflector. Both R9 (Red) and R12 (Blue) were under 90.
The Neewer CB300B, when set at 5600K, recorded a TLCI score of 98.
CC Index & ⊿uv
The CC Index displays the CC correction value and whether any magenta or green need to be added or subtracted. 1 CC corresponds to 035 Kodak CC values or 1/8 Rosco filter values. Any reading less than +1.00 or -1.00 and you’re probably not going to need to make any kind of adjustment. The ⊿uv is the value to show how much this light is away from being an ideal light source (black body radiation = incandescent lamp). As with the CC Index you want this number to theoretically be zero. Kelvin is not a linear value, so we need to convert from Kelvin to MK-1 to compare the values of color temperature. To calculate from Kelvin to Mired is MK-1= 1*1000000/Kelvin. While this may sound confusing, it is the only way of measuring if the Kelvin shift is significant enough to warrant having to use a filter for correction. Below are the results for the Neewer CB300B:
Neewer CB300B Kelvin Vs MK-1
| Kelvin | Difference in K | MK-1 | Difference in MK-1 | |
| SET VALUE | 2700K | 0 | 370.37 | 0 |
| ACTUAL READING | 2744K | 44 | 364.43 | 5.94 MK-1 |
| SET VALUE | 3200K | 0 | 312.5 | 0 |
| ACTUAL READING | 3223K | 23 | 310.26 | 2.24 MK-1 |
| SET VALUE | 4500K | 0 | 222.22 | 0 |
| ACTUAL READING | 4553K | 53 | 219.63 | 2.59 MK-1 |
| SET VALUE | 5600K | 0 | 178.57 | 0 |
| ACTUAL READING | 5706K | 106 | 175.25 | 3.32 MK-1 |
| SET VALUE | 6500K | 0 | 153.84 | 0 |
| ACTUAL READING | 6757K | 257 | 147.99 | 5.85 MK-1 |
These figures might look confusing, but what they tell me is that the light is very CCT accurate across its range, especially when used at 3200K, 4500K, and 5600K. Any MK-1 score that is under -9/9 means you wouldn’t have to use any color correction gels. The MK-1 scores for this light were very good across its range. Any MK-1 score that is under -6/6 is a very good result.
Neewer CB300B CC INDEX & ⊿uv
| CC INDEX | ⊿uv | |
| 2700K | 0.1M | 0.0016 |
| 3200K | 0.3G | -0.0039 |
| 4500K | 0.6G | -0.0061 |
| 5600K | 0.3G | -0.0021 |
| 6500K | 0.4G | -0.0007 |
These were decent results across the board, but the ⊿uv scores could have been better for 3200K and 4500K.
TM-30
TM-30 is a relatively new color rendering standard that was developed to deal with the limitations of CRI. TM-30 looks at 99 individual colors. These 99 colors are categorized into seven groups: nature, skin color, textiles, paints, plastics, printed material, and color systems.
TM-30 scores go from 0 – 100. The higher the score, the more accurate a light is at producing colors. Any TM-30 Rf score in the ’90s is considered to be good. What is interesting and something that you need to be very aware of is that two separate light sources with the exact same CRI scores can render colors very differently. A light with a high CRI rating could have a low TM-30 score. Conversely, a light with a good TM-30 score could have a bad CRI score.
Now, there are two measurements associated with TM-30, Rf and Rg.
Rf (Color Fidelity)
Rg (Color Gamut)
With Rf value, ideally, you want a score in the 90’s.
With Rg value, a score below 100 indicates that the light source renders colors with less saturation than the reference source. So ideally you want this score to be above 100.
Neewer CB300B
2700K 
3200K 
4500K 
5600K 
6500K
Above you can see the scores for the Neewer CB300B at various Kelvin color temperatures. Below I have listed the figures as well.
Here are the results:
| Rf | Rg | |
| 2700K | 96 | 100 |
| 3200K | 95 | 102 |
| 4500K | 93 | 103 |
| 5600K | 93 | 102 |
| 6500K | 92 | 101 |
The TM-30 scores are very good and it shows me that the light is pretty consistent at replicating accurate colors with full saturation. The consistency of the scores was good.
SSI
SSI (Spectral Similarity Index) was developed by the Sci-Tech Council of the Academy. SSI gives me the ability to set any light as a standard, or use predefined standards (such as CIE D55), and then give other lights an SSI score based on how well they will match standards such as CIE D55. This way I can measure spectral response and compare it directly against an ideal light source. This is actually a much better test than recording CRI scores.
Neewer CB300B 3200K
In this graph, the red bars indicate a perfect Planck 3200K source. The gold bars indicate a perfect 3200K Tungsten source. This lets us compare how close to a perfect 3200K lighting source the CB300B is. Any SSI score in the high 70’s, low ’80s is very good for a 3200K LED light. The results for the CB300B were pretty good when used at 3200K. As you can see, LED lights have a hard time replicating colors below about 450nm.
Neewer CB300B 5600K
In the graph above the gold bars indicate a perfect CIE D55 source. The red bars indicate a perfect CIE D 5600K source. This lets us compare how close to a perfect 5600K lighting source the CB300B is. A score in the low 70’s is typical for a 5600K LED source.
The main reason we want to record SSI scores is so we can see how well they match with other lights. As an example, I wanted to see how well the Neewer CB300B matched the ARRI Orbiter and the Nanlite FC-300B. Below you can see the results.
Neewer CB300B 5600K
As you can see neither of the lights are a perfect match, but they are a decent enough match. You could easily use all three of these lights together without any issues if you did a bit of tweaking.
Ok, so let”s do that same exact test again, this time at 3200K.
Neewer CB300B 3200K
As you can see neither of the lights are a perfect match, but the Nanlite FC-300B is pretty close. You could easily use all three of these lights together without any issues if you did a bit of tweaking.
SSI tests are a great way of telling you what lights you own or use will work well together.
Spectral Distribution
Neewer CB300B 5600K
Above you can see the spectral distribution of the Neewer CB300B when it is set at 5600K. The spectral distribution isn’t overly full, but it is fairly consistent with no spikes where you wouldn’t expect to see them.
As a comparison, above you can see the spectral distribution of the Nanlite FC-300B.
Neewer CB300B 3200K
Above you can see the spectral distribution of the Neewer CB300B when it is set at 3200K. The spectral distribution is pretty good for a Bi-color fixture.
As a comparison, above you can see the spectral distribution for the Nanlite FC-300B.
Real-World Performance & Quality of Light
As I always say, photometric scores only tell you part of the story. So let’s how the Neewer CB300B performs in the real world.
The photometric results can only give me scientific data and it is much more important for me to see how the light looks and perform.
The Neewer CB300B is capable of producing good results and most importantly it is very easy to use and quick to set up.
1m / 3.3′ from wall 
3m / 9.9′ from wall
As I mentioned earlier, the reflector does produce a massive hot spot in the middle that you need to be very mindful of. However, in saying that, it isn’t nearly as noticeable if the light is placed a decent distance away from surfaces.
Reflector 
Open Face
Above you can see what the light looks like when it is placed at a distance of 3m / 9.9′ from a wall when used open face and with its reflector.
Reflector 100% Booster Mode 
Reflector 100% Booster Mode Off 
Light off
Above you can see some photos I took when I placed the CB300B outside and punched it through a sheer curtain into a room using the included reflector. I have kept the exposure the same for all three shots.
Open Face 
Light Off 
Position of light
Above you can see some more photos I took when I placed the CB300B outside and punched it through a sheer curtain into a room when using it open face. I have kept the exposure the same for all three shots.
Above you can see a shot using the reflector where the light is outside and being punched through a sheer curtain and angled down onto a table using its reflector.
Reflector 
Reflector 
Light Off 
Open Face 
Open Face
Above you can see what the light looks like when punched directly into the ceiling when used open face and with its reflector.
I also tried using the light with a DoPChoice Octa 3 softbox. While the light won’t fill the softbox completely, it still does enough to provide good results.
In the above example images I have just used the CB300B with the DoPChoice Octa 3 softbox and a honeycomb grid and no other lights. The light was only set at 19% output. The Neewer CB300B is more than capable of producing enough output when coupled with a large softbox for most interview requirements.
Who is the Neewer CB300B aimed at?
I think a lot of people who are in the market for a compact-sized powerful bi-color light should potentially consider the Neewer CB300B, especially given its reasonably low price and the fact that there are quite a few affordable lighting modifiers that are available to work with it. Yes, there is always going to be a certain stigma with lights, especially one from a brand you may not be overly familiar with.
The Neewer CB300B is priced to appeal to owner-operators and entry level users who are looking for a powerful and reasonably lightweight jack-of-all-trades lighting solution. The Neewer CB300B could be used as a hard light source, a soft source, a fresnel, a gobo, or just about anything else you want it to be with the correct modifier.
The fixture is going to be more suited to indoor use than location work, and if one of your requirements is being able to remotely power a light using camera batteries then there are other options available from competing companies.
Price & Availability
The Neewer CB300B retails for $459.99 USD. This is a reasonably good price for a light like this, but it faces very stiff competition from more established and recognized lighting brands making similar offerings.
Competition
The COB spotlight market has become increasingly overcrowded in the last few years. Below are some of the lights that could be considered competition for the Neewer CB300B.
| PRICE | |
| Neewer CB300B | $459.99 USD |
| Nanlite FC-300B | $479 USD |
| Nanlite Forza 300B II | $999 USD |
| Aputure LS 300x | $999 USD |
| Zhiyun MOLUS G200 Bi-Color LED Monolight | $379 USD |
| Godox SL300IIIBI | $589 USD |
| GVM Pro SD400B | $659 USD |
| Kelvin Epos 300 | $2,499 USD |
| Prolycht Orion 300 FS | $1,799 USD |
| amaran 300c RGB LED Monolight | $569 USD |
| Godox SZ300R Zoom RGB LED Spotlight | $729 USD |
| Lupo Movielight 300 Full Color PRO | $1,398 USD |
Optional Extras
The CB300B can be used with Neewer’s own accessories, but because it also comes with a Bowens mount adapter, there are a ton of affordable accessories you could also use.
Conclusion
The Neewer CB300B is a solid offering. It is color-accurate, quiet, and it certainly has a good amount of output. The caveat with that high output is that the reflector produces a very narrow beam angle of 25°. Spotlights like this offer a lot of versatility and they can be used for so many different applications and that is certainly why so many people are using them these days.
Having the ability to use the Neewer CB300B with a wide array of lighting modifiers gives the light even more versatility. A Bowens mount is also advantageous because you don’t have to spend a lot of money on accessories to use with it.
The interface and operating system are fairly basic, but they are easy to use. The app works well and it’s nice to have an alternative solution for controlling the light, especially considering that it doesn’t have a separate power supply/controller.
The build quality is good and in a lot of respects it is just as well made as some of the other competing lights in this space, however, in saying that, a lot of the competition is also significantly more expensive.
The fan noise is very quiet and this allows it to be used when you need to record critical audio close to where the fixture is placed.
The negative aspects are that you can’t run the fixture remotely from batteries, the reflector produces a very noticeable hot spot, and the CCT isn’t overly consistent when dimming the light.
Neewer will also have to deal with the stigma of not necessarily being a brand that a lot of people are familiar with. They also don’t have has many lights available as other competing companies and that also will also play a factor.
The relatively small size and lightweight nature of the fixture make it a decent option for anyone who is traveling. Two of these lights with a few modifiers and you could have a relatively small and compact lighting kit that could handle a lot of lighting requirements. However, because you can’t power the fixture remotely from a battery solution that does somewhat limit its flexibility.
The build quality and color consistency of more affordable lighting solutions over the last few years has improved a lot. The Neewer CB300B offers good value for money, and its photometric results were very solid across the board.
If you are looking for a good value COB spotlight that is easy on the wallet and you don’t need to run lights remotely from camera batteries then it’s worth considering.
