Nanlux’s Evoke hard-light lineup of LED lights now features a Daylight, Tungsten, Bi-Colour, and Colour model. It’s the Nanlux Evoke 900C coloration model that we devoted a while to interrupt down at NAB 2023, and now, once more, we do it right here. This stage of protection is for an excellent cause – high-wattage laborious lights are nonetheless considerably of a novelty. Nonetheless, it looks like that is the place the cinema-focused lighting {industry} is headed after a number of years of speedy innovation on the smooth panel color-capable mild aspect. Time for a full evaluation of the 940W RGBLAC Evoke 900C.

HMI’s, in all their daylight-only glory, are nonetheless the output kings on location. Hefty fixtures (in expense, energy draw, and measurement) like ARRI’s M40 are nonetheless in play on mid to large-sized industrial and scripted units. Hopefully, the Evoke 900C from Nanlux helps proceed the regular march in direction of greater output color-capable LED laborious lights with the objective of at some point dethroning HMI fixtures. We’re not there but, however the path ahead is beginning to grow to be slightly clearer. Fingers crossed.

Picture credit score: Graham Sheldon/CineD

Now to the fixture itself – the Nanlux Evoke 900C. There are a couple of opponents on this hard-light color-capable LED house, however the Evoke 900C sits alone in a number of classes of wattage and worth, not less than for now.

Rivals embody the next:

• ARRI Orbiter: 400W to 500W, large CCT Vary from 2000K – 20000K, on the pricier aspect from $6300 to over $10,000 relying on the package, restricted largely to ARRI-Solely equipment
• Aputure LS 600C: 2300K – 10000K CCT, max energy draw of 720W, reasonably priced – $2,490.00, industry-friendly Bowens S-Sort mount, big vary of 1st/third get together equipment
• Litepanels Gemini 1×1 Onerous: 46-degree beam angle, 2700K – 10000K CCT vary, reasonably priced – $2,517.00
• VelvetLight Kosmos: 400W, 2500K – 1000K CCT vary, built-in fresnel (13-56-degree beam angle) mid-range pricing – $5,579.00
• Prolycht Orion 675 FS: 675W, 1800K – 20000K CCT vary, consists of smooth case w/30-degree and 55-degree reflector, Bowens S-Sort mount, big vary of 1st/third get together equipment, worth: $3795.00

As you’ll be able to see from the listing, the Evoke 900C, with its 940W energy draw and aggressive $4,660 price ticket for the journey package, make it considerably of a disruptive lighting product – not less than till different manufacturers can comply with swimsuit.

Preliminary impression

I acquired the Nanlux Evoke 900C in a semi-rigid wheeled smooth case that Nanlux calls a trolley case. Beforehand, the Daylight and Bi-Colour Evoke fixtures had been accessible in giant flight instances with or with out room for a fresnel accent. The trolley case is, by far, essentially the most moveable of the accessible Evoke case choices, and it’s my most well-liked one of many bunch because the Evoke 900C lamp head isn’t notably fragile, to start with. In case you have a big grip truck or mid/large-sized rental enterprise, you’ll choose the flight case.

Picture credit score: Graham Sheldon/CineD

Nanlux has included the next with the Evoke 900C journey package:

• Lamp Head
• Yoke
• Energy Provide (newly up to date for the Evoke 900C)
• 45-degree Reflector
• USB Flash Drive for firmware updates
• Distant
• Fast Launch adapter
• DC Cable (24.6′)
• AC Energy Cable (19.6′)

Picture credit score: Graham Sheldon/CineD

Visually the lamp head doesn’t look a lot completely different than different Evoke lamp heads. The facility provide, nonetheless, is dramatically completely different from each the Daylight and Bi-Colour variants of the Evoke. In reality, the facility provide design feels extra streamlined and akin to the design of the Nanlite Forza 720B energy provide. Nanlite is the extra prosumer-focused little cousin of the Nanlux pro-oriented model. You’ll be able to learn my evaluation of the superb Nanlite Forza 720B right here. One of many important variations between Nanlite and Nanlux is that Nanlux introduces a variety of DMX choices of their options. Extra on that in a second.

Picture credit score: Graham Sheldon/CineD

As with the opposite variations of the Evoke, Nanlux confines customers to a proprietary mount system on the 900C with their NL mount. That limits accent choices in comparison with Bowens S-type’s reputation throughout the lighting world. Fortunately third get together manufacturers like DoPChoice and Chimera are step by step including extra help for the NL mount, and Nanlux themselves have launched a complete host of equipment that, whereas maybe not rugged sufficient to carry up in a high-volume rental setting over time, are completely superb for a dutiful proprietor/operator or small G&E operation.

Picture credit score: Graham Sheldon/CineD

Nanlux’s NL-mount equipment are additionally on the extra reasonably priced aspect typically, and that reduces any grumpiness on my half from being “compelled” into a brand new accent ecosystem. Throughout prior Evoke shoots, I’ve typically gravitated to their $390 Lantern and $442 Parabolic softbox, for instance.

Management

Let me know within the feedback should you really feel like Nanlux might develop their function set relating to management choices, however for me, it is a fairly darn full listing. Nanlux Evoke 900C customers can count on the next relating to controlling the fixture:

• Bluetooth (Nanlink App), 2.4GHz Wi-fi Management
• Wi-fi Lumen Radio
• Distant Controller
• Artwork-Web/sACN Protocol Assist
• 5-Pin DMX Enter

Gaffers and lighting techs will respect the numerous wired and wi-fi DMX choices. Proprietor/ops trying to make fast tweaks on smaller shoots will respect the Nanlink app over Bluetooth.

Picture credit score: Graham Sheldon/CineD

For guide management of the fixture, you’ll want to make use of the buttons and show on the rear of the lamp head. The one tough half right here is that if the lamp head is excessive up within the air on a stand, you’ll be restricted to DMX or Bluetooth (see the accessible iOS or Android app here) choices to alter settings. Because of this, I normally choose the controls to be on the facility provide with an extended head cable versus the lamp head, however it is a minor quibble on my half.

Through the years, Nanlux has launched useful firmware updates for the Evoke sequence and their different fixtures. Fortuitously, gone are the times when it was slightly powerful to discover a appropriate USB stick for these updates. Now, Nanlux has included the right lower-capacity kind of USB stick (formatted within the essential FAT32) in a small plastic bag with the package — cling onto that!

Examine here for future Evoke 900C firmware updates, and here are detailed directions on methods to replace your Nanlite or Nanlux fixture.

Who’s the Evoke 900C meant for?

With its $4,660 price ticket, this can be a rental-only merchandise for you or a single fixture buy. For rental homes or G&E truck house owners, the Evoke 900C or perhaps a few Evoke 900Cs make a ton of sense as a “normal” merchandise in your stock. For this evaluation, I used the Evoke 900C with varied different fixtures like the favored ARRI Skypanel and some 1×1 Gemini smooth lights from Litepanels. And it suits nicely into the general circulate of the shoot. In brief, the evoke 900C performs nicely with others.

Picture credit score: Graham Sheldon/CineD

I’ve to say I loved the flexibility to plug in a favourite digital gel within the Evoke 900C and the pace that comes with that. Auditioning completely different colours, results, and appears can be clearly quicker than swapping out bodily gels. Bodily diffusion, both in a body or softbox/lantern, will at all times have a spot, however not altering out CTB or CTO, and many others., which undoubtedly saves time on location. The Evoke 900C additionally shows a base coloration temp after which the kind of digital gel on the appropriate within the menu – this feels intuitive to me as a result of it mimics the motion of putting a bodily gel on a light-weight with a dialed-in coloration temp.

Picture credit score: Graham Sheldon/CineD

There’s additionally one thing to be mentioned right here about laborious mild versus smooth on a inventive stage. For years I noticed a pattern in direction of increasingly smooth magnificence and trend lighting being combined into completely different genres primarily due to the prevalence of soppy LED coloration panels. The Evoke 900C, and different laborious lights for that matter, problem you to discover a place for laborious lighting in your work. In fact, it’s simpler to melt the standard of sunshine popping out of a tough mild versus creating laborious mild from a smooth supply. The purpose is to not be afraid of laborious lighting typically.

One other favourite use case for the Evoke 900C was making the most of the large 200-point vary of +/- inexperienced and magenta changes accessible. After receiving the 900C for evaluation, I virtually instantly needed to movie an exterior outdoors a mall in San Diego, California. The flexibility to dial the 900C to match current client inexperienced shifted lights was an enormous time saver. With color-matched LED bulbs just like the Nanlite Pavotube 10C, we might have needed to change them out individually.

Cell energy

The Evoke 900C energy provide could be bypassed totally should you’re utilizing a system just like the Penta 1200. Picture credit score: Graham Sheldon/CineD

The not insignificant 940W energy draw of the Evoke 900C brings it into the block battery and high-capacity house. That’s should you aren’t focused on a gas-powered generator resolution. GENTREE, primarily based out of South Korea, has an attention-grabbing DC energy resolution known as the Penta 1200 that may energy lights with as much as a 1344W draw. Nanlux was exhibiting off the Penta 1200 at NAB 2023, and it is perhaps a strong resolution for powering the Evoke 900C within the subject

One of many different advantages of the Penta 1200 is that it makes use of the identical head cable because the Evoke 900C, and thus you’ll be able to energy the fixture with simply the Penta 1200 (subtracting the Nanlux energy provide) because the mind of the Evoke is within the lamp head itself.

Sadly, we couldn’t get entry to this battery system for the evaluation, however on paper, it appears prefer it has a risk.

Output & Kelvin dealing with in CCT mode

Picture Credit score: Graham Sheldon/CineD

I went forward and examined the output utilizing lux and coloration dealing with (utilizing Kelvin) of the Nanlux 900C at a distance of three toes (0.91 meters) with my Sekonic C-700U Spectrometer. Listed here are my outcomes with a goal of 5600K with the package 45-degree reflector connected, and the fixture up to date to the newest V1.04.06 firmware.

A results of 5463K could be very near the 5600K goal and an excellent general end result. All through all my testing at 100% output, I landed at a CRI common of 98 when R1-R8 scores. 82500lx (a measure of general output) additionally exhibits off how punchy the 900C could be by way of output.

Now for a goal of 3200K:

A results of 3232K is even slightly nearer to the goal of 3200K. You do get a little bit of an output bump (86200lx) when headed in direction of utilizing the 900C, nearer to the Tungsten aspect of the vary.

I additionally did a deeper dive into coloration rendering with the Evoke 900C and I seen that the R12 Blue efficiency suffers a bit (68.7) when dimming the sunshine down to five%. You’ll be able to see these outcomes under with output set to five% at a 5600K goal:

And, lastly for comparability, right here is the colour rendering chart with a goal of 5600K and output set to 100%:

You’ll be able to see the hit to R12 accuracy when the fixture is dimmed to five% – not an enormous deal, however one thing that you just’ll need to pay attention to when utilizing this fixture typically. R12 Blue is an space the place many LED fixtures wrestle to hit excessive marks.

Conclusion

For the second, Nanlux’s Evoke 900C is actually turning heads with its RGBACL coloration combined with spectacular output and extra streamlined energy provide design. It could’t compete but with the output of the daylight-only Evoke 1200 or 1200B (B=Bi-Colour), and meaning these fixtures will nonetheless have a spot in your units together with the 900C. I can’t assist however assume different firms with names like ARRI, Aputure, and Prolycht will ultimately have their reply to the Evoke 900C, however for now, Nanlux is main the laborious LED mild pack, and their Evoke line retains getting higher and higher.

Picture Credit score: Graham Sheldon/CineD

What do you assume? Will you be including the Evoke 900C to your package? Tell us within the feedback under!