Nanlux Evoke 1200B

Nanlux has announced the Evoke 1200B. The Evoke 1200B is a 1200W Bicolor LED Spotlight, with a CCT range of 2700K-6500K, and an IP 54 rating for both the light head and power supply.

Essentially it is a Bi-color version of the Evoke 1200 that I have previously reviewed on the site.

This high-power draw 1200W LED spot light features a 120° beam angle without the use of modifiers. Previously the Evoke 1200 was only available in either daylight or tungsten versions.

The Evoke 1200B can be used with a wide array of lighting modifiers from a Fresnel, to softboxes, to a reflector. Multi versatile fixtures have become increasingly popular and we have seen companies such as ARRI, Aputure, Godox, etc. making lights that fit this mold. Having one fixture that you can modify to perform a variety of tasks simply by adding light modifiers makes a lot of sense.

This versatility allows you to use the Evoke 1200B as a Fresnel, spotlight, or as soft source,

Even though there are quite a lot of versatile LED lights on the market, there aren’t many that have high-power draws, especially ones that draw over 1000W. There are no other Bi-color options, at least to my knowledge that are available on the market. The Aputure LS 1200d Pro LED is only currently available in a daylight version.

The Evoke 1200 is IP54 rated, and Nanlux claims that it out-performs almost any comparable luminaire. The company also claims that the Evoke is comparable to that of a 1.8kW PAR or 2.5kW HMI Fresnel.

The whole concept behind the Evoke 1200B was to make an affordable, high quality, high output, Bi-color LED spot light. There are lots of similar fixtures out there on the market, but a lot of them aren’t being targeted as replacements for high-output HMI fixtures.

The Evoke 1200B certainly looks like it took some design cues from the ARRI Orbiter as it is a similar shape and it also features a quick-release mount system.

The quick release mounting system allows you to attach the light directly to the yoke frame. If you are using the Evoke with the optional Fresnel, you attach the Fresnel to the yoke and then the Evoke to the Fresnel.

The Evoke 1200B has physical dimensions of 330 × 241 × 210mm /12.99 × 9.48 × 8.26″ (without the yoke). The light itself is fairly compact,

Make no mistake this is a heavy fixture. By the time you add up the weight of the light, yoke, power supply, power supply cable, reflector, and 5m connecting cable you are looking at a total of 21.92 kg / 48.35lb.

The power supply alone weighs in at 10.5kg / 23.14lb. In saying that, this weight is relatively low compared to say an HMI with a similar amount of output.

The Evoke 1200B has dual powering options. You can power it through mains power and Nanlux is also working on a DC battery solution so you can use it remotely in the field.

The power supply has a mounting plate on it so you can attach it to a light stand using the included clamp.

While a lot of versatile spotlights utilize a Bowens-S mount, Nanlux has followed the same path as ARRI and the Evoke 1200B just like the Evoke 1200 utilizes the proprietary NL Mount. This means you will have to purchase lighting modifiers that have been designed specifically for this fixture.

Yes, a Bowens-S mount would have allowed for a far wider array of affordable light modifiers to be used, but given the Evoke 1200B is being aimed at a specific segment of the market, I don’t see going with a proprietary mount as being too much of an issue.

The Evoke 1200B has on-board controls and a 2.8″ display. It can also be controlled via Bluetooth, WiFi, DMX, RDM, and a wireless Lumen radio. An optional wired remote control will also be available at some stage.

The Evoke 1200B is fully dimmable from 0-100% in intervals of 0.1% and it features a selection of onboard creative effects, including INT loop, flash, pulse, storm, TV, paparazzi, candle/fire, bad bulb, firework, explosion, and welding. User settings and custom looks can be stored in the fixture.

The modifiers and accessories available include:

*Comes standard with the Evoke 1200B

The FL-35 lens is an attachment that basically turns the Evoke into a Fresnel. This is similar to what Aputure does with the LS 600d and the F10 Fresnel.

Nanlux claims that the Evoke 1200B has the following amount of output:

As you can see, the output from the Evoke 1200B when using the Fresnel in the full spot position is going to give you a ton of output, however, you aren’t going to get nearly as much output as the Evoke 1200 daylight-only version. In that same configuration, the Evoke 1200 daylight-only version has a claimed output of 65,280 lx, which is about 23% more than the Evoke 1200B’s 49,940 lx.

As a comparison, an ARRI M18 and HMI 1200W SE when used at 15 degrees puts out around 75,000 lx at 3m. The Maxima 7 and Maxima 7 Fresnel Lens when set at 15° has a claimed output of 53,333 lx at 3m, and the Aputure 1200d Pro has a claimed output of 83,100 lx @ 2.98m with Hyper Reflector (Narrow).

Along with the Fresnel attachment and various other light modifiers, Nanlux will also sell the Evoke 1200B in kits and there will also be multi-light mounting frames available.

The Nanlux Evoke 1200B will retail for $3895 USD. This makes it $545 USD more than the Evoke 1200 daylight or tungsten-only versions. The FL-35 Fresnel lens costs $935 USD.

For that price, you get the following items that are listed above.

As a price comparison, the Aputure 1200d Pro retails for $3,390 USD.

Nanlux is also selling several other Evoke 1200B kits. Below are the prices and what you get in those kits.

There actually isn’t that much competition when it comes to 1200W LED lights in this form factor. The Aputure 1200d Pro would be the closest competitor, but that is a daylight-only fixture.

Matthew Allard is a multi-award-winning, ACS accredited freelance Director of Photography with over 30 years' of experience working in more than 50 countries around the world.He is the Editor of Newsshooter.com and has been writing on the site since 2010.Matthew has won 48 ACS Awards, including five prestigious Golden Tripods. In 2016 he won the Award for Best Cinematography at the 21st Asian Television Awards.Matthew is available to hire as a DP in Japan or for work anywhere else in the world.