Nanlite announced earlier today a whole range of new lighting products all part of its Mark II collections including Nanlite Forza 60, 300, and 500 in both daylight and Bi-color variants and two new second-generation tube lights from the PavoTube family.
Second-generation Forza line
The original Forza line has been around for quite a few years and became quite popular with different variants ranging from 60W all the way to 720W in both daylight and bi-color versions.
With the second-generation Forza lights, Nanlite didn’t just focus on output (although quite a few of the lights did show increased output) but also on general usability, battery power, size, and noise levels.
Forza 60 II/Forza 60B II
Nanlite’s announcement today included no less than 6 different Forza second-generation COB lights.
We shall start with the more compact Forza 60 II and 60B II which have been upgraded to include new features improved user interface and controls as well as better noise management, and last but not least increased output.
The Forza 60 II is said to output 17,620lux at 1m (with reflector) while the bi-color 60B II can output 14,350lux (with a CCT range of 2700K to 6500K). The bi-color version also comes with 12 built-in special effects with adjustable parameters (the daylight version has 11).
You can control the lights using either 2.4G, Bluetooth, or DMX/RDM and the lights have an OLED display with two control knobs.
One of the biggest improvements has to do with the cooling which is now said to include ultra-low level fans with extremely low noise levels (20dbA at full power which is basically inaudible).
Both lights use FM mount but can accept Bowens using an adapter and can be upgraded via their USB-A. You can power the Forza 60 II and 60B II using a wall charger or via a battery grip with either NPF or V-mount batteries.
Official Forza 60 II and 60B II video
Forza 300 II / 300B II
Moving over to the second series of lights announced today and the Forza 300 and the new bi-color 300B II COB lights bring some big improvements and features including
Compared to the older generation, the new Forza 300 second-generation control boxes are significantly smaller ( Nanlite states up to 37% smaller) and include v-mount battery plates on both sides.
In terms of output, the Forza 300 II outputs 69,400lux and the 300B II can output up to 43,480lux when used with a reflector @1m. They can compensate for green/magenta shift (plus or minus 80) and be controlled remotely via built-in 2.4G as well as Bluetooth and DMX/RDM (wired).
Both lights can be powered via 14.4V-14.8V v-mount batteries. The new cooling system has 4 modes – smart, full speed, low speed, and off and on the smart mode only produces 23dBA.
Some small but important additions include a tilted yoke (although only on the top) for better clearance when pointing the light up/down) extra umbrella mount and comes with a quick-release clamp for the controller 3m cable (7.5/12m cables can be purchased separately).
The light comes in a re-designed padded bag and just like the Forza 60 II series can be upgraded via USB-A.
Forza 500 II / 500B II
While all other lights so far have been new versions of existing lights, in the 500 series we actually see a brand new model that did not exist before with the Forza 500B II variants (originally only a daylight version of the Forza was introduced, mind you last year Nanlite introduced higher power models including the Forza 720B).
The Forza 500B controller – more compact and much more silent
The most powerful series announced today by Nanlite are the Forza 500 II and the new bi-color 500B II COB lights (these lights draw up to 560W). We had a talk with Nanlite earlier today and they mentioned that the new Forza 500B output 68,490lux@1m (with a 45°reflector, 5600K, basically as much as the daylight Forza 300 II can output). You can compare that to the 720B which outputs up to 84,460lux@1m (again with 45°reflector, 5600K).
The Forza 500B with two 26V v-mount batteries
Compared to the original Forza 500 the new version(s) are about 16% more compact. Just like with the new 300 series, they also have V-Mount battery plates on both sides, a curved yoke, and a quick-release clamp (controlling features are also similar to the 300 series).
The Forza 500 II kit
Nanlite PavoTube II 15C/30C
Besides the 6 new COB mark II Forza lights there are also two new tube lights – the PavoTube II 15C and PavoTube II 30C. The original PavoTube lights were introduced back in 2020 and the new versions include an RGBWW technology with a 10% and 20% output increase (15C and 30C respectively).
The new tube lights have a wider CCT range of 2700K-7500K and you can correct their green and magenta by as much as plus or minus 150 (which is more than any other light that we know of).
One of the most attractive aspects of these tube lights is the support of USB-C PD charging (PD 3.0) for the internal battery (USB-C charging is common in less powerful tube lights but 30W and especially 60W tube lights typically only charge via AC). The PavoTube II 15C has a 14.8V/2200aAM lithium battery and the PavoTube II 30C has a 14.8V/4400mAH lithium battery.
Both the lights have a layer of diffusion material and both support 15 effects and DMX/RDM support.
Nanlite PavoTube II 15C/30C official video
Pricing and availability
There are many products and many types of kits that Nanlite is offering with the new models – here is a summary of some of them:
- Nanlite Forza 60 II Daylight – $290.
- Nanlite Forza 60 II Bi-color – $320.
- Nanlite Forza 300 II Daylight – $950.
- Nanlite Forza 300 II Bi-Color – $1000.
- Nanlite Forza 500 II Daylight – $1350.
- Nanlite Forza 500 II Bi-Color – $1500.
- Nanlite PavoTube II 15C RGB LED Tube Light (2′) – $220.
- Nanlite PavoTube II 15C RGB LED Tube Light (2′, 4-Light Kit) – $770.
- Nanlite PavoTube II 30C RGB LED Tube Light (4′) – $320.
- Nanlite PavoTube II 30C RGB LED Tube Light (4′, 4-Light Kit) – $1190.
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Iddo Genuth 
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