As one of several Chinese companies offering affordable lighting options for video creatives and filmmakers, Nanlite's bread and butter has been its tube fixtures, panels, and spotlights.
With the PavoTube II XR and the new Froza II series, the product line sees a nice bump in color accuracy and output. Are you in need of affordable lighting? Here's what you should know before you jump into a new ecosystem.
A Series of Tubes
The Nanlite PavoTube series has been a nice option for filmmakers and video creators who don't want to break the bank. Over time, the line has seen a slight update, but now the PavoTube II XR series aims to raise the bar.
With a wide CCT range of 2700K to 12000K, G/M ± 100, and built-in batteries, PavoTube lights can fit into small spaces and provide creative lighting options. As with the previous PavoTube II X, LumenRadio CRMX is integrated into the fixtures for cost-effective wireless control.
Tube lights
Credit: Nanlite
But now, creatives will find further options to fine-tune their color needs. With a CRI of 98 and a TLCI of 95, The PavoTube II XR series will have over 360 static light colors on the RGB spectrum, 15 built-in practical effects, and a new pixel feature that adds additional 10-pixel effects.
Fixtures come in 2 feet for the PavoTube II 15XR, 4 feet for the PavoTube II 30XR, and 8 feet for the PavoTube II 60XR.
Overall, the lights feel like a nice upgrade on paper, and if you need color-accurate tube lights, these might be a solid option for your next project. Nanlite isn't reinventing the wheel here, but that feels like a good thing.
Nanlite PavoTube II 15XR Pixel Tube Light
Designed with wireless support for LumenRadio CRMX, the PavoTube II 15XR are 2' tubes with T12 compatibility. Each tube light outputs up to 377 lux at 3.3' at 5600K and offers professional color, control, and power features to make it a valuable asset for anyone.
Yaroslav AltuninFinding Your Spotlight
The next new release from Nanlite is an update to the Forza series of spotlights. The Nanlite 300 II and 500 II come in both daylight and bi-color and claim to offer up to 30% more battery life thanks to a smaller control unit and optimized efficiency.
In addition, these LED spotlights now can adjust the green-to-magenta shift by +/- 80, so you can color-match other brands or just fix any underlying issues you may have on set.
The Forza II series packs a punch.
Credit: Nanlite
With a CCT of 2700K-6500K, a CRI of 96, and a TLCI of 97, creatives will get nice color reproduction. For the 300 II, we should see about 69400 lux at 1 meter and 43480 lux at 1 meter (measured at 5600K).
For the 500 II, creatives should see an output of 92310 lux at 1 meter and 67320 Lux at 1 meter for the 500B II. Do note that all of these readings include using the included reflector.
These lights can be controlled via onboard controls, with the NANLINK app via built-in Bluetooth, via 2.4G handheld remotes, or via DMX/RDM. You can also power the units via external DMX receivers, which is a nice touch.
Overall, it's another great update that doesn't reinvent the wheel but makes it a little better.
Nanlite Forza 300 II Travel Kit
Featuring a daylight-balanced color temperature of 5600K with a green-magenta shift by +/- 80, the Forza 300 II is a step up to the next level of quality for your video and photo productions. Each light comes with Bluetooth and 2.4 GHz for wireless control, DMX/RDM capability, and four fan modes for speed adjustments or absolute silence.
Yaroslav AltuninAre These Lights For You?
If you're a creatives not already knee deep in a lighting ecosystem, Nanlite is offering some solid tools at attractive price points. Between tubes and spotlights, you'll have a lot of options for creativity, especially when you add in soft boxes, gobos, and bounce.
But as we said, only if you're not in another lighting ecosystem. The issue we're seeing is that these affordable lighting companies are all making some solid tools that can have very small differences. If this is your first attempt at getting a kit, Nanlite might be a good option to consider.
However, if you're looking to expand your Godox or Aputure lighting kit, these new lights might be a tough sell.
