YongnuoLEDYN 808 Ringlight
Portrait/videoLEDringlight/53cminnerdiameter// 800 LEDs//Adjustable
brightness// 3200 and 55 00K//Remote control/Batteryormains-operatedT
HEWORLDOFlightinghasbeentotally
transformedbythearrivalofaffordable
LEDsasanalternativetoconventional
flashandcontinuouslightingsystems.The
adventofLEDlightpanelshaveprovena
benefittophotographersandvideographers
alike,offeringa portable andeasytouse
continuouslight source.A specialistformof
LEDpanelis theringlight,availablein small
sizesforclose-upsandlargervariantsfor
portraitsandforusebyvloggers.
Yongnuois aChinesebrandsoldvia
onlinestoressuchasAmazonandeBay,
ratherthantraditionalphotooutlets.It is
bestknownforbudgetflashgunsandlenses
offeringfeaturesandperformancethatfar
exceedthemodestpricetags. TheYN808is
a largeringlightdesignedforportraitand
productphotography, aswellasforuseasa
videolight.It features 800 LEDlamps– the
versionwetestedhas 400 at 3 200 K and 400
at 5500K,whileanotherversionis available
with 800 5500KLEDs.It is poweredby
mains(19V5A)ortwobatteries,withslots
forSonyNP-F750-compatiblebatteries.
Annoyingly, nopowersourceis provided,
soyouneedtoalsoordera mainsadaptoror
batteries– I optedfora (£24)DSTEcharger
with two batteriesfrom Amazon.Tokeepcostsdown,theYongnuois
constructedfromplasticbutseemswell
made,althoughI'mnotsureit wouldtake
beingknockedoveraccidentally.
Theblackpanelat theinnerlowerareaof
theringhousesallthecontrols.Alongthe
topis themainon/offswitchanda knobthat
is rotatedtoadjustbrightness.Atripodbush
andtwocoldshoes(a thirdis locatedat the
topofthering) allowsfortheattachmentof
amobile, cameraora microphone.
Therearhousesslotsfortwobatteries,
themainssocketandtwoUSBportsthat
canbe usedtorechargesmartphonesand
similardevices. Alsolocatedon theback isa
smalldisplaywiththreefunctionbuttons
beneath.Thechannel(Ch)buttonoffers
eight settings forusewiththesupplied
bluetoothremote.TheBattery(Bat)button
allowsyoutogetanideaofhowmuch
charge remains,whiletheCoarse/Fine
buttonaltersthebrightnesslevelsin 1%or
1 0%jumpsdependingonwhetheryou
preferprecisionorspeed.
On thefrontofthepanelis another
displaysothatyoucanchecksettings from
thefront,idealifyou're a vlogger shooting
yourownvideos.Set 1 andSet 2 buttons
allowyoutolockbrightnesslevels,while
Whiteningadjuststhebrightness.TheMode
buttonallowsyoutoilluminatesectionsof
thering, choosingbetweentheleft,right,
upperorlowerhalf, orlightingtheupperleft
andlowerright,orupperrightandlowerleft
areasofthering. Furthercontrolsarefound
on the remote,allowingyoutoadjustthe
brightnessofthe3200Kand5500KLED
lampsindependently.AYongnuoappwith
similarcontrolsis alsoavailableforuse.
Theringlight is attachedtoa lightingstand
viaaplatformthatoffersa tiltfacilitysoit can
be angledupordownwards.It's easyto
adjusttheangle viathelarge knob,butI am
concernedit might wear/breakwithuseas
theplasticfixingsdon't seemtoorobust.
TheYN808is straightforwardtouseas
there aren't too many controls and buttonsTest:DANIELLEZANOOverall
VERDICT
There are several decent portrait
ringlights available from the likes of
Nanguang and Rotolight, but this
Yongnuo has the advantages of a large
diameter, good range of features and an affordable
price. A fine choice for portraits, still-lifes or video.SPECIFICATIONS
Guideprice:£220
LEDlightsource: 800 lampbeads
Outputpower: 48 watts
Colourtempperature:3200Kand 5500 K
Lightbrighgtnessrangge:Steplessadjjustment
Illuminationangle: 55 °
Average life:50,000hours
Powersupp ypply:TwoNP-F750lithiumbatteries(opptional)
Externalppower: 1 9V5ADCpowersupply(optional)
Dimensions:550x55x550mm(innerdiameter530mm)
Weight:2,285grams
Suppliedaccs:Storage bag, remotecontrol,instructions
Website:www.hkyygongnuo.comto workout.Theinstructionsexplain
featuresbutthetranslationtoEnglishdoes
leaveyoudecipheringthemeaningin places- thepurposeoftheWhiteningmodein
particularis unclear,while theYongnuoiOS
app,whileusable,couldbeimproved.
TherewerenoissueswiththeYN 8 08's
performance.Isetupthecamera's White
Balanceusingagreycardat thestartand
foundthecolourtemperaturefairly
consistentat differentbrightnesslevels.
Aquickdepressionofthebrightnessbutton
letsyoueitherallowthe 3200 KLEDs to
comeintoplaywhenthe 5500 KLEDs reach
maximumbrightness,orkeepthemoff.I
foundIusedtheremotemorethantheunit's
controlsasit is simpletosetupanduse.
Thebright 5500KLEDsareideal when
youwanta cleanlight output,butIfound
experimentingwiththe3200KLEDsandthe
camera's WBsettings producedgood
effectstoo.Movingthe subjecttowards or
awayfromtheYN808,aswellasadjustingits
brightness,allowsyoutomixits effectwith
ambientlightforcreativeresults.
Ataround£200(thepricedoesfluctuate
afairamount),theYongnuocompareswell
againstmanyofitsrivals.Brandslike
Nanguangoffer similarly-pricedmodels
that while notaslargeorofferingthe same
range offeatures,areavailablethrough
traditionalUKoutlets.Modelsfromother
budgetbrandslikeNeewer(soldthrough
Amazon) arecloserin specificationand
price to the Yongnuo, but aren't aslarge.
Accessories ear
October 2 019 DigitalSLR Photography 105
The YN808 comes in two versions:
one with 800 5500K LED lamps
(as shown in this image with half the
ring activated), or with 400 3200K and
400 5500K lamps, that can be used
together or independently (see insets).