With LED lights getting smaller and more powerful, it’s only a matter of time before what used to take a grip truck will soon require but a carry-on suitcase full of fixtures. And while that utopian vision may still be a ways off, it’s undeniable we are living in an era of great tiny lights. The Nanlux Evoke 5C, released earlier this year, certainly fits the bill. This palm-sized 6W RGB spotlight has the Nebula C8 color engine, an IP67 rating, and a massive 1000-20,000K CCT range. For those looking to go all in, the Evoke 5C 8-light kit adds a ton of accessories and a nifty hardshell charging case. We popped the lid to see what it holds.
The Evoke 5C Light
The Evoke 5C is undeniably an impressive tiny light. It’s compact (2.2 × 1.73 × 1.77”), super portable (160g), and has the color accuracy you’d expect from a professional brand. Color modes match larger Nanlux fixtures, with CCT, HSI, HSIW, RGBW, XY Coordinates, Gel, and Effect, so it can certainly keep pace settings-wide. And with eight of them at your disposal, they’re an invaluable tool for macro and model work, product shooting, small scale virtual production, accent lighting, fake practicals, discreet eye lights, and underwater lighting.
That being said, you have to be realistic about the 5C’s capabilities. Photometrics fall off quick, with the bare LED rated for around 2000 lux at 1.6’ and 500 lux at 3.3’. You’re going to need to use them mostly indoors at close distances for any kind of serious effect. There’s still a large gap between “compact” COB lights and this type of truly handheld light, even if the sizes and weights are starting to enter the same ballpark. If you need real power or a wide spread, you may need to jump up to the Evoke 150C.
The Panoply of Accessories
The case includes (deep inhale) eight Diffusers, eight CRMX Modules, eight Thermal Shields, four Soft Domes, four Barndoors, four Snoots, four Fresnel Lenses, four Battery Grips, four E27 Socket Adapters, four Yokes, two Spot Beam Lenses, two 15-35° Projection Attachments, eight Gobos, four 5/8” Baby Pins, an AC Cable, and a D-Tap Cable. All of these that go on the front of the 5C attach via tiny magnets in the four corners, while the accessories that attach to the back have a nice clip system as well as magnetized pins.
Everything is well-crafted, thoughtfully designed, and satisfyingly easy to use shaping the output in creative ways we haven’t been seen before with palm-sized lights. Nanlux says the Fresnel doubles the output while the Spot Beam multiplies it by more than five times, but I found the real world differences pretty understated, especially when it comes to diffusion. When you’re using a couple 5C’s by themselves, the accessories are quite effective. When you have 5C’s alongside other larger lights, most of the add-ons have a less pronounced effect.
The Hard Case and Use Cases
Produced by the brand GUTEK, the custom charging case is certainty a top selling point for the kit. Everything is well laid out and easily viewable, aided by a diagram on the lid, and having three charging options (AC, USB-C, and D-Tap) is a nice touch. The case is heavier than I expected, but feels incredibly sturdy and durable. Being able to quickly charge all eight lights at once is infinitely easier than fiddling with a bunch of cables, so for anyone looking to deploy a fleet of 5Cs, there’s really no other option.
You’ll definitely want to add the 5Cs to your Nanlink app or attach the CRMX modules and control them that way, as the four-button onboard controls are finicky and the display screen is small. I yearned for a scroll wheel and had strong memories of Tamagotchis. Battery life is also so-so, with only about 40 minutes of runtime at full blast (feed it continuous power via USB-C and you’ll be fine). Other than that, there’s little to complain about here. It’s a niche product pulled off at an extremely high level. If you’re filming a lot of small sets and objects, this 8-light kit might just change your life.
For more information about the Nanlux Evoke 5C 8-Light Kit, including features, specs, and highlights, be sure to check out the detailed product page.