Nanlux Evoke 1200
Recently we've added the Nanlux (High-end version of Nanlite) Evoke 1200 in our assortiment. A 1,2kw COB-style (Chip on Board) LED light that has the comparable output of industry standards such as a 1.8kw PAR and 2.5KW HMI Fresnel.
History of LED lighting
Before we deep dive into the Evoke 1200, let's briefly look at the relatively short history of LED lighting in the filmmaking industry. Before LED lighting was even a thing on set, Tungsten lamps, HMIs and Fluorescent lighting were the go-to on set. Tungsten for its beautiful skin tone rendition, HMI for its high output and fluorescent lighting as a soft source and ambient fill.
Besides nice skin tone rendition, high output and soft light, these type of lighting fixtures also come with downsides. Tungsten lighting needs a lot of power, generates high amounts of heat and requires scrims/dimmers and gels to dim the light and change color temperature. HMI lighting fixtures require ballasts (which become increasingly larger the higher the output of the HMI) which can cause noise disturbance for sound recorders on set. In addition, moving an HMI (that is turned on) can become time-consuming. As it requires turning off the HMI, waiting for it to cooldown and then turning it back on. Finally, Fluorescent lights just don't offer much output compared to other lighting fixtures.
And then: light-emitting diode (LED) lighting fixtures. Though only recently have LED lighting fixtures been used for video, the technology itself has been around longer and is in essence simple technology. The benefit when using LED lighting compared to other fixtures, is its efficiency and lifespan. Due to being more efficient, most LED lighting can be powered by batteries such as V-mounts, are relatively lightweight and some fixtures allow for color temperature adjustments, RGB and lighting effects.
This then begs the question; why are LED lighting fixtures not the industry standard yet? This comes down to one main reason: light output. HMIs such as the Arri M8, M18 and M40 offer more output than most of their LED counterparts.
The Evoke 1200
But then the Nanlux Evoke 1200. A COB-style lighting fixture with comparable output to an 1.8kw HMI and 2.5kw Tungsten, but more efficient and compact. The Evoke will be available as Daylight balanced (5600K) and Tungsten balanced (3200K). Besides its high light output, the Evoke also boasts a CRI/TLCI of 96/96, is IP54 rated which means it is well protected against dust and is protected against splashing of water from any angle and only weighs 6.94 kg.
The Evoke in combination with the FL-35 (Fresnel) will have a comparable output to the Arri M18 (Evoke + FL35 = 65,280 Lux @ 3m, M18 = 75,000 lux @ 3m), but in a much smaller and compact size. The Evoke 1200 has made a big leap in terms of LED lighting fixtures, but LED lighting fixtures still have a long way to go in order to compete with all currently available HMI fixtures in terms of output. Despite this, we at Budgetcam are a big fan of LED lighting fixtures and are curious as what the future of LED technology will bring.
