NANLITE Forza 300B II and Forza 500B II – First Look

by Jeff LochJune 5^th, 2023

The NANLITE Forza 300B II and Forza 500B II were launched in January 2023 and benefit from many improvements over the previous generation: a smaller and lighter ballast with two V-Mount battery plates, a new Green/Magenta adjustment, which is unique on bi-color fixtures, a new yoke, and much more. So let’s take a closer look at these revamped LED fixtures!

Tradeshows are always the perfect occasion to see recently announced pieces of gear in person and ask a company about all the new features and improvements. This is especially true with the NANLITE Forza II and PavoTubes II series that was launched at the beginning of this year. Indeed, NANLITE revamped its entire LED lighting lineup with no less than eight new products announced simultaneously.

NANLITE Forza 300B II and Forza 500B II features

During our interview, Barry Garcia from NANLITE emphasized that the company placed great importance on actual user and content creator feedback when developing the second version of their Forza series. Their goal was to deliver the best possible product based on this valuable input. Amongst other fixtures in the Forza II series, the 300B II and 500B II are the results of that user and market research.

So what is new in the 300B II and 500B II? Here is a list of all the improvements:

• Improved light output by 10-15%: 43,480lux at 1m for the 300B II and 68,490 for the 500B II.
• Both fixtures can still go from 2,700°K to 6,500°K, but with a new Green/Magenta adjustment that can be adjusted from Plus/Minus 80.
• A new yoke bent to 45° allows better clearance when adjusting the fixture. Also, the yoke-locking mechanism has been improved.
• The ballast of both fixtures is more compact: 37% slimmer for the 300B II and 16% for the 500B II compared to the previous generation.
• Both external ballast now features two built-in V-Mount battery plates. Also, the fixtures come with a clamp to attach the ballast to a lighting stand. This mounting clamp has a new quick-release mechanism.
• The head-to-ballast cable is longer and easier to use.
• All fixtures include built-in 2.4Ghz Wifi and Bluetooth connectivity compatible with the NANLINK App. The ballast also features 5-pin DMX input/output ports that support wired DMX/RDM control. You can plug an optional wireless DMX receiver into the USB-A port on the ballast for wireless control.

Pricing and availability

The NANLITE Forza 300B II and Forza 500B II are both available now. The Forza 300B II retails for $999; its bigger brother will set you back $1,499.

For more information, please visit NANLITE’s website here.

What do you think about these Forza second-generation LED lights? Do you own the first versions and consider upgrading your lighting kit? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments down below!