Nanlite Forza 60C RGBLAC LED Light Review – Newsshooter

In the app you can control and make changes to the following modes:

• CCT
• HSI
• XY COORDINATES
• RGBW
• EFFECT
• PRESET

What is a little odd is that because Nanlite has so many different lights that you can use with this same app it hasn’t really been customized to work with the 60C. For instance, there is still a mode called RGBW, even though this light is RGBLAC. If you enter this mode you only have the ability to adjust RGBW values. You can’t adjust individual values for LAC. This is an issue because if you use the app it seems to only allow you to generate colors that are well below what an RGBLAC light is capable of. This is presumably because no one has bothered to change the app and it hasn’t been set up for an RGBLAC light.

The same issue happens if you try and use the XY COORDINATE mode. If you look at where you can move the XY COORDINATES they are constrained within a smaller-sized space gamut.

The devil is in the details and although Nanlite makes some really good lights, it is little things like this that often upset customers.

Apart from those complaints, the app is straightforward and reasonably easy to use, however, they haven’t made it as intuitive or visually appealing as some other companies lighting control apps. This is something I would like to see Nanlite work on.

The only other downside when using the app is that when you make changes they don’t happen instantaneously, there is a slight delay.

How does it stay cool?

COB lights get very hot, and keeping them cool is not an easy task. The Forza 60C, as I mentioned earlier in the review, does utilize a fan.

In the menu settings on the light, you have the choice of turning the fan on or off. If you turn the fan off the maximum output is capped at just 25%.

You can also turn the fan on or off using the NANLINK app. The trouble when doing this with the app, is that the intensity slider will still show you values that are way above 25% even though the light is only at 25% output. This is where I think NANLITE needs to pay more attention to small details. Little quirks like this could easily be addressed by updating the app, but unfortunately, a lot of lighting companies release apps, and then very rarely ever update them.

The fan in the light is fairly quiet and that allows you to use it close to where audio is being recorded.

Photometrics

So now let’s get to the photometric results. I always test lights in this way so that I get a reference to how they compare to other fixtures. Results only tell part of the story and should never be used alone to judge a light. I have found from extensive testing over the years that certain lights that have good photometric results don’t always look good, and lights that have worse photometric scores can sometimes look better than their results indicate.

You can’t judge a light from one set of photometric results. You have to look at all of the different results to be able to come to a conclusion.

Different lights can also look different depending on what camera you happen to be using.

Output & Color Temperature Accuracy

I tested the Nanlite Forza 60C at a variety of Kelvin color temperatures with a Sekonic C-800 Spectrometer to find out how much output the light had and how accurate the Kelvin color temperature reproduction was. All readings are taken at a distance of 1m (3.28ft) in a controlled environment. The readings were also taken directly from the lighting source. In the case of using the light with the Reflector, F-11 Fresnel, and PG-FMM-19, they were taken from the edge of those attachments.

Above are the claimed photometric data that Nanlite lists for the Forza 60C.

5600K (open face 56.5°)

Above you can see the Forza 60C recorded an output of 5450 lx (506 fc) when set at 5600K and used open face. Nanlite lists a figure of 5790 lx, so the result I got was fairly close to their claimed figure.

The light recorded a Kelvin color temperature reading of 5685K which was pretty good.

3200K (open face 56.5°)

Above you can see the output when it was set at 3200K in the open face configuration was 5330 lx (496 fc), which was just 2.2% less than the 5450 lx it produced at 5600K. Nanlite lists a figure of 5694 lx, so the result I got was not too far away from their claimed figure.

As far as Kelvin color temperature accuracy goes, it recorded an extremely accurate reading of 3194K.

Reflector

So, now let’s see how much output the light has when used with its 45° reflector.

5600K (Reflector 45°)

Above you can see the lights output when it was set at 5600K with the reflector was 13000 lx (1210 fc). This was 138.5% more than the 5450 lx it produced at 5600K when used open face. It is important to note that this measurement was made from the edge of the reflector. This is a lot of output from a fixture that was just 88W, but it is at a fairly tight beam angle of 45 degrees.

As far as Kelvin color temperature accuracy goes, it recorded a reading of 5709K. The Kelvin color temperature accuracy when using the reflector was fairly similar to when the light is used open face. It is nice to know that when using the reflector the light’s Kelvin color temperature won’t change by any real noticeable difference.

3200K (Reflector 45°)

Above you can see the output when it was set at 3200K with the standard reflector was 12800 lx (1190 fc), which was 1.56% less than what it output at 5600K using the reflector.

As far as Kelvin color temperature accuracy goes, it recorded an exceptionally good reading of 3226K which was a very good score.

How does it perform at various Kelvin color temperatures?

Summary of results (Reflector)

These results show me that the light’s output varies by just 14% across the Kelvin color temperature range I was able to test. If you look at 3200K to 10,000K the output difference only varied by 5.69%. The consistency of the output across the CCT range is really good.

The Kelvin color temperature accuracy across the range is very good from 2500K to 10,000K. It was no more than 120K off being correct at any measurement I took.

Kelvin color consistency & linear output when dimming the light

Now, what you should always do when testing lights is to see if the Kelvin color temperature remains consistent when dimming the light. Just because you set a light at say 5600K, that doesn’t mean that the Kelvin color temperature will remain stable as you start dimming the fixture down. I also wanted to see how linear the dimming curve was.

I decided to do a series of tests at 100%/75%/50%/25%10% to see if the Kelvin color temperature being recorded changed. This was done at a distance of 1m using a Sekonic C-800. These tests were done at 5600K with the reflector.

The Nanlite Forza 60C could be slightly better at maintaining Kelvin color consistency as you start dimming the fixture. My testing showed that the Kelvin color temperature varied by 188K. These are hardly terrible results, but not as good as other lights that I have tested.

As far as how linear the output is when you start dimming the light, at 50% output it had 46.84% less output than when used at 100%. At 25% it had 70.53% less output than when used at 100%. At 10% output, it had 86.69% less output than when used at 100%. This shows me that the light’s dimming curve is reasonably linear.

Output when creating super saturated colors

I also wanted to test the light to see how much output it could produce when creating super-saturated colors. All readings are taken at a distance of 1m (3.28ft) in a controlled environment. The readings were also taken from the edge of the Reflector.

Above you can see that the light when using its reflector and creating a super saturated red with a HSI value of 0 degrees recorded an output of 3240 lx (450 fc). What you clearly need to know when using full color lights like this is that the output levels you can produce when creating super saturated colors (depending on the color) are generally going to be a lot less than when using the light in a CCT mode.

Above you can see that when the light was set to create a super saturated blue with an HSI value of 240 degrees it produced an output of 1540 lx (143 fc).

Above you can see that when the light was set to create a super saturated yellow with an HSI value of 60 degrees it produced an output of 14,900 lx (1380 fc). Saturated yellows are very hard for RGBWW lights to produce. Because the Forza 60C is using RGBLAC it does a really good job of producing colors like this.

Output when using the Nanlite Projector Mount (19°)

I also wanted to test the light when using the optional Nanlite Projector Mount for Forza 60 and 60B LED Monolights (19°) to see how much output it had and if the Kelvin color temperature gets altered in any way.

5600K

Above you can see the light’s output when it was set at 5600K with the Nanlite Projector Mount for Forza 60 and 60B LED Monolights (19°) was 26,900 lx (2770 fc). This is a good amount of output, even though it is at a very tight beam angle. It is important to note that this measurement was made from the edge of the Projector mount.

The Nanlite Projector Mount for Forza 60 and 60B LED Monolights (19°) works really well if you need to concentrate light in a very small area, or even to use with lighting modifiers such as the CRLS reflectors.

As far as Kelvin color temperature accuracy goes, it recorded a reading of 5395K which was not nearly as good as the reading it recorded when used open face or with its reflector.

The only caveat with using the Nanlite Projector Mount for Forza 60 and 60B LED Monolights (19°) is that as its name suggests, it wasn’t designed for the 60C. As the 60C has a narrower beam angle, it isn’t going to illuminate all of the projector mount. What this means is that you will get some drop-off in illumination on the edges of the beam. Now, this isn’t as terrible as it may sound because if you put a gobo inside the projector mount, the gobo is going to get fully illuminated. These are very minor nit-picks, but they are still worth mentioning.

The biggest issue I found is that if you are using the projector mount without gobos to create crisp edges on a circle you can’t, but on a square, it doesn’t seem to be an issue.

The projector mount is very capable of creating crisp edges and shadows.

With the included gobos it is easy to create patterns and make them either sharp or diffused by adjusting the focus mechanism on the projector mount.

Output when using the FL-11 Fresnel

I also tested the light with the optional Nanlite FL-11 Fresnel ($79 USD) to see how much output it had, and if the Kelvin color temperature gets altered in any way.

5600K (10°)

Above you can see the light’s output when it was set at 5600K with Nanlite FL-11 Fresnel Lens for Forza 60 set at 10 was 28,000 lx (2600 fc). This is a good amount of output, even though it is at a very tight beam angle. It is important to note that this measurement was made from the edge of the Fresnel.

The caveat with using the FL-11 Fresnel Lens for Forza 60, just like the Nanlite Projector Mount for Forza 60 and 60B LED Monolights (19°) is that it wasn’t designed for the 60C. As the 60C has a narrower beam angle, it isn’t going to illuminate all of the Fresnel. What this means is that you will get a drop-off in illumination out towards the edges of the beam. You need to be aware of this, especially when using it at 10°.

If you also use the Fresnel at 10° with the included barndoors and you try and close the barn doors down it does introduce some bad pattern effects. This is fairly common on most of these COC spot light Fresnels.

For the most part, the FL-11 Fresnel Lens for Forza 60 works really well and most importantly it is dirt cheap at just $79 USD. Just like the projector, if you need to concentrate light in a smaller area, or even to use with lighting modifiers such as the CRLS reflectors it works well.

As far as Kelvin color temperature accuracy goes, it recorded an exceptionally good reading of 5589K which was a lot better than the reading it recorded when used open face or with its reflector.

Color Rendering

5600K (Reflector)

So now that we have seen how much output the Nanlite Forza 60C produces, how does it perform when it comes to replicating accurate colors? Above you can see that when the light was set at 5600K using the standard reflector it recorded an average CRI (R1-R8) of 97.6 and an extended CRI (R1-R15) of 96.10. For replicating accurate skin tones it recorded for R9 98.8 (red), 99.2 for R13 (closest to caucasian skin tones), and 97.6 for R15 (closest to Asian skin tones). These are excellent results, although the light struggles to produce R12 (Blue) with a score of just 78.0.

	CRI	EXTENDED CRI	R9	R13	R15
Forza 60C	97.6	96.10	98.8	99.2	97.6
600c Pro	96.8	95.14	95.8	99	98.5

As a color rendering accuracy comparison, the Aputure 600c Pro recorded an average CRI (R1-R8) of 96.8 and an extended CRI (R1-R15) of 95.14. Yes, these are completely different lights, but I just wanted to show you how the color rendering accuracy compared when creating a 5600K source from both an RGBWW and an RGBACL lights.

The Forza 60C, when set at 5600K, recorded a TLCI score of 97.

3200K (Reflector)

Above you can see the scores for when the light was used at 3200K. It recorded an average CRI (R1-R8) of 97.1 and an extended CRI (R1-R15) of 95.43. For replicating accurate skin tones it recorded 92.3 for R9 (red), 97.7 for R13 (closest to caucasian skin tones), and 96.4 for R15 (closest to Asian skin tones). These were good results, but not quite as good as when the light is used at 5600K.

	CRI	EXTENDED CRI	R9	R13	R15
Forza 60C	95.43	96.10	92.3	97.7	96.4
600c Pro	98.2	96.78	91.5	99.1	99

As a color rendering accuracy comparison, the Aputure 600c Pro recorded an average CRI (R1-R8) of 98.2 and an extended CRI (R1-R15) of 96.78. Just to reiterate again, these are completely different lights, but I just wanted to show you how the color rendering accuracy compared when creating a 5600K source from both an RGBWW and an RGBACL light.

These results were slightly better than when the light is used at 5600K.

The light, when set at 3200K, recorded a TLCI score of 94, which was a little low.

CC Index & ⊿uv

The CC Index displays the CC correction value and whether any magenta or green need to be added or subtracted. 1 CC corresponds to 035 Kodak CC values or 1/8 Rosco filter values. Any reading less than +1.00 or -1.00 and you’re probably not going to need to make any kind of adjustment. The ⊿uv is the value to show how much this light is away from being an ideal light source (black body radiation = incandescent lamp). As with the CC Index you want this number to theoretically be zero. Kelvin is not a linear value, so we need to convert from Kelvin to MK-1 to compare the values of color temperature. To calculate from Kelvin to Mired is MK-1= 1*1000000/Kelvin. While this may sound confusing, it is the only way of measuring if the Kelvin shift is significant enough to warrant having to use a filter for correction. Below are the results for the Nanlite Forza 60C:

Kelvin Vs MK-1

	Kelvin	Difference in K	MK-1	Difference in MK-1
SET VALUE	2500K	0	400	0
ACTUAL READING	2470K	30	404.85	-4.85 MK-1
SET VALUE	3200K	0	312.5	0
ACTUAL READING	3226K	26	309.98	2.52 MK-1
SET VALUE	4500K	0	222.22	0
ACTUAL READING	4611K	111	216.87	5.35 MK-1
SET VALUE	5600K	0	178.57	0
ACTUAL READING	5709K	109	175.16	3.41 MK-1
SET VALUE	6500K	0	153.84	0
ACTUAL READING	6612K	112	151.24	2.60 MK-1
SET VALUE	8000K	0	125	0
ACTUAL READING	8078K	78	123.79	1.21 MK-1
SET VALUE	10000K	0	100	0
ACTUAL READING	9952K	48	100.48	-0.48 MK-1

These figures might look confusing, but what it tells me is that the light is very Kelvin color accurate at all temperatures. Any MK-1 score that is under -9/9 means you wouldn’t have to use any color correction gels. The MK-1 scores for this light were very good. Any MK-1 score that is under -6/6 is a very good result.

CC INDEX & ⊿uv

	CC INDEX	⊿uv
2500K	0.1G	0.0005
3200K	0	0.0000
4500K	0	-0.0004
5600K	0	0.0007
6500K	0.2G	0.0005
8000K	0.5G	0.0005
10000K	0.8G	0.0006

Again, these were excellent results across the board., although the light does start to push a little green once you get above 5600K, however, that is nothing you couldn’t dial out using the +/- G/M.

The ⊿uv at 3200K was a perfect 0.0000. There have only been a handful of lights that I have ever reviewed that have had a perfect ⊿uv score at any Kelvin color temperature setting. The consistency of the ⊿uv scores across the Kelvin color temperature range that I tested was exceptionally good.

TM-30

TM-30 is a relatively new color rendering standard that was developed to deal with the limitations of CRI. TM-30 looks at 99 individual colors. These 99 colors are categorized into seven groups: nature, skin color, textiles, paints, plastics, printed material, and color systems.

TM-30 scores go from 0 – 100. The higher the score, the more accurate a light is at producing colors. Any TM-30 Rf score in the ’90s is considered to be good. What is interesting and something that you need to be very aware of is that two separate light sources with the exact same CRI scores can render colors very differently. A light with a high CRI rating could have a low TM-30 score. Conversely, a light with a good TM-30 score could have a bad CRI score.

Now, there are two measurements associated with TM-30, Rf and Rg.

Rf (Color Fidelity)
Rg (Color Gamut)

With Rf value, ideally, you want a score in the 90’s.

With Rg value, a score below 100 indicates that the light source renders colors with less saturation than the reference source. So ideally you want this score to be above 100.

Above you can see the scores for the Forza 60C at various Kelvin color temperatures. Below I have listed the figures as well.

Here are the results:

	Rf	Rg
2500K	95	101
3200K	94	101
4500K	94	101
5600K	94	101
6500K	93	101
8000K	92	100
10000K	92	100

The TM-30 scores are all excellent and it shows me that the light is pretty consistent at replicating accurate colors with full saturation. The consistency of their scores was very impressive. Again the benefit of using RGBWACL is clear from these tests. Most RGBWW lights values for Rg fall below 100 once the light hits 8000K and above.

SSI

SSI (Spectral Similarity Index) was developed by the Sci-Tech Council of the Academy. SSI gives me the ability to set any light as a standard, or use predefined standards (such as CIE D55), and then give other lights an SSI score based upon how well they will match standards such as CIE D55. This way I can measure spectral response and compare it directly against an ideal light source. This is actually a much better test than recording CRI scores.

3200K

In this graph, the red bars indicate a perfect Planck 3200K source. The gold bars indicate a perfect 3200K Tungsten source. This lets us compare how close to a perfect 3200K lighting source the Forza 60C is. Any SSI score in the high 70’s, low ’80s is very good for a 3200K LED light. The results for the Forza 60C were reasonably good when used at 3200K. As you can see, LED lights have a hard time replicating colors below about 450nm.

As a comparison, above is the results for the ARRI Orbiter. I have included the ARRI Orbiter because it recorded the highest SSI scores I have ever seen.

5600K

In the graph above the gold bars indicate a perfect CIE D55 source. The red bars indicate a perfect CIE D 5600K source. This lets us compare how close to a perfect 5600K lighting source the Forza 60C is. A score in the low 70’s is typical for a 5600K LED source.

As an SSI comparison, above is the results for the ARRI Orbiter.

The main reason we want to record SSI scores is so we can see how well they match with other lights. As an example, I wanted to see how well the Forza 60C matched the Aputure LS 600c Pro and Nanlite Forza 700B. Below you can see the results.

As you can see neither lights are not a perfect match to the Nanlite Forza 60C, but they are reasonably close. You could fine-tune the lights to try and get them to match more closely. In saying that, a score in the high ’80s and low 90s is still reasonably good and the Forza 60C would work well with both of these lights.

As another test, I thought I would compare the Aputure LS 600c Pro and ARRI Orbiter against the Nanlite Forza 60C at 3200K. Below you can see the results.

As you can see, the Forza 60C is still a reasonably close match to the Aputure 600c Pro, but not with the ARRI Orbiter. Very few lights from different manufacturers are ever going to be an exact match, but ideally, in a lot of scenarios, you want to use lights that match as closely as possible.

SSI tests are a great way of telling you what lights you own or use will work well together.

Spectral Distribution

Above you can see the spectral distribution of the Forza 60c when it is set at 5600K. The spectral distribution isn’t overly full, and there are quite a few spikes.

As a comparison, above you can see the spectral distribution of the Aputure 600c Pro. It is considerably fuller and it doesn’t have as many spikes.

Above you can see the spectral distribution of the Forza 60C when it is set at 3200K. Again, the spectral distribution of the light isn’t that great and it isn’t overly full.

As a comparison, above you can see the spectral distribution of the Aputure LS 600c Pro.

Real-World Performance & Quality of Light

As I always say, photometric scores only tell you part of the story. So let’s how the Forza 60C performs in the real world.

The photometric results can only give me scientific data and it is much more important for me to see how the light looks and performs.

The Forza 60C produces great results and most importantly it is easy to use, and easy to power. With the optional lighting modifiers like the Fresnel and Projection Attachment, you can create a very versatile lighting solution that doesn’t take up a ton of space. In saying that, I am still not sure why lighting companies don’t make bags that can hold the light and a lot of the optional lighting modifiers. There is really no need to be carrying around 3-4 separate bags when you could put everything into one.

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Despite its small size and low power draw, this light packs a punch. It has a lot of output and this allows it to be used for a lot of lighting applications. Above you can see how much output the light has when used with its reflector and placed outside and pushed through a sheer curtain. For a small-sized, lower power draw fixture it certainly packs a punch.

Above you can see some photos I took when placing the light outside and punching it through a sheer curtain into a room using the included reflector. As the light is RGBCAL you can create numerous different lighting looks.

Above you can see some more example shots of the light being used open face.

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Above you can see the light used with the optional F-11 Fresnel.

Above you can see the light used with the optional Projection Mount. The Projection mount works really well and it allows you to really concentrate light into a tiny area.

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You can create a softer source by utilizing something like the optional Nanlite Forza 60 Softbox ($119 USD). I wouldn’t recommend using the Bowens mount adapter and a Bowens mount softbox, because the beam angle and spread of this light are far too narrow to fill up those types of softboxes.

What you also clearly need to remember with point source lights such as this one is that even though they can generate a decent amount of output when not used with diffusion, once you add diffusion they lose a ton of output because that output is coming from a very small concentrated source.

The light also works well when used with bounce boards or the CRLS reflector system when you combine it with the F-11 Fresnel or Nanlite Projector Mount for Forza 60 and 60B LED Monolights (19°).　

Who is the Forza 60C aimed at?

As this is a very versatile lighting source I don’t think that this light is being pigeonholed into being targeted at any specific audience because it could be used for lots of different applications, by lots of different people. I think a lot of people who are in the market for a compact-sized full color light that can easily be run via batteries will be looking closely at this light, especially given the affordable lighting modifiers that are available for it.

It is certainly priced to appeal to owner-operators who are looking for a small-sized jack-of-all-trades lighting solution. The versatility of the Forza 60C allows it to be used as a hard light source, a soft source, a fresnel, a gobo, or just about anything else you want it to be with the correct modifier.

I personally think this is one of the most intriguing small-sized full-color fixtures that are currently on the market. It has good color accuracy, and it has consistent output and performance across its wide CCT range.

Price & Availability

The Nanlite Forza 60C retails for $699 USD and it is available to buy. This makes it a very appealing prospect for those shooters who are looking for a light that offers features and functionality that are usually only found in much more expensive fixtures.

To my knowledge, there really isn’t anything in the way of competition given the power draw, RGBACL color engine, and size of this fixture.

What do you get?

• Nanlite Forza 60C RGBLAC LED Spot Monolight Kit
• Nanlite Forza 60 Bowens Mount Adapter
• Nanlite Forza 60 Battery Grip (NP-F750)
• Nanlite Power Adapter for Forza 60
• Protective COB Cap
• AC Power Cable (10′)
• 45° Reflector
• Carrying Case
• Limited 2-Year Warranty, 1-Year Extension with Registration

Optional Extras

The Nanlite Forza 60C can be used with Nanlite’s own accessories, but because it also comes with a Bowens mount adapter, there are a ton of affordable accessories you could also use. Below you can see how much the key accessories that Nanlite makes sell for:

Conclusion

The Nanlite 60C is fully-featured, color-accurate, has a ton of output, and it is easy to use. Its versatility makes it a fixture you can use for so many different applications. As I previously mentioned I don’t know of any other similar fixture that competes with it that you can actually buy.

The output, CCT range, and the ability to run it off flight safe batteries for long periods of time make this light stand out.

Having the ability to use the Forza 60C with the F-11 Fresnel, Projection Mount, and a wide array of lighting modifiers gives the light a lot of versatility.

The interface and operating system could be better, and so could the app. These are two areas I would like to see improved. While the optional Fresnel and Projection Mount are great accessories, they weren’t designed for the 60C and there are a few small caveats when using them that you need to consider carefully, however, there was nothing that I encountered that would make it a deal-breaker.

The fan noise is very minimal and won’t be a concern for most people. The small size and lightweight nature of the fixture make it a great option for anyone who is traveling. A couple of these lights with a few of the modifiers and you could have a small, compact lighting kit that could get you out of trouble.

Yes, the light is substantially more than the Forza 60 and Forza 60B, but in my opinion, it is well priced given its feature set, output, and capabilities. This is the first time Nanlite has used RGBACL, so it will be interesting to see how this light compares to similar RGBWW fixtures that will probably be released in the future. I would imagine it is only a matter of time before Aputure releases a full color version of its LS 60 fixtures. I would also not be surprised to see Nanlite make a full color version of the Forza 720 as well.

Nanlite has certainly stepped things up over the last year or so and the quality of its fixtures has improved a lot. The Forza 60C is an impressive fixture and it does a lot of things really well, but it is far from perfect.

The use of an RGBCAL light engine, coupled with its small size, ability to run off camera batteries, good output, and consistent color rendering, makes this a light that is definitely worth looking at.

Technical Specifications

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