Nanlite PavoSlim 360C 4×2 LED RGBWW Panel Light Review

Nanlite makes a few accessories for the PavoSlim series. The most interesting is the AS-DCP-PS360 dual-panel coupler that allows you to join two PavoSlim 360C’s together as a single 4 x 4′ format that quickly expands your light source. The coupler attaches to the mounting points on the back of the fixture.

I found the AS-DCP-PS360 dual-panel coupler a little fiddly to install, and while it does work well, it could be made easier to attach.

Output & Color Temperature Accuracy

A big factor for a lot of people when buying a light is how much output it can produce.

I tested the lights’ output at a variety of CCT settings, both running on mains and battery power, using a Sekonic C-800 at a distance of 3m / 9.9′ in a controlled environment; you can see the results below. With any diffusion or attachment, I measure from the end of it and not from the light source. I do this with all my measurements for lights.

With large physical sources, you cannot measure them correctly at a distance of 1m / 3.3′ and that is why the PavoSlim 360C is being measured at 3m / 9.9′. The potential issue when measuring large light sources @1m /3.3′ is that if you consider the diameter of the sensor (for example, Sekonic 800C), it is obviously very small. The emitting area of a 4×2 is very large by comparison. Of course, the quantity of light emitted from the whole area of the panel will not fit into a 1m in the small area of the sensor. Ideally, the sensor should be in the same area as the emitting area. In this case, the ideal sensor would be a 4×2 sensor and would “catch” all the light emitted.

There is a lot to get through here, so I suggest you grab a coffee or a tea!

Above, you can see what Nanlite quotes as the output for the 360C when used at various CCT settings at a variety of distances.

Nanlite PavoSlim 360C 5600K Open Face

Above, you can see the Nanlite PavoSlim 360C recorded an output of 5240 lx (486 fc) when set at 5600K and run off mains power at a distance of 3m / 9.9′. This is higher than Nanlite’s claimed figure @3m of 4590 lx.

5240 lx from an LED light with this form factor and size that has a power draw of 370W is very impressive.

*Measurement taken at 3m / 9.9′ (inverse square law calculation used)

**Manufacturers’ claimed figures (not independently tested)

As a comparison, above you can see how that output compares to some other lights. Yes, some of these are a little different from the PavoSlim 360C, but at least they give you a good indication of the output.

The PavoSlim 360C produced a CCT reading of 5795K, which was 195K off being correct.

As a competition comparison, the Intellytech MEGA-6 LiteCloth 3.0 Bi-Color Foldable LED Mat produced a CCT reading of 5642K, and the Godox KNOWLED F200Bi recorded 5513K.

Nanlite PavoSlim 360C 3200K Open Face

Above you can see the light’s output when it was set at 3200K and measured at a distance of 3m / 9.9′. It produced 4750 lx (442 fc), which is 9.35% less than the 3440 lx it produced at 5600K.

*Measurement taken at 3m / 9.9′ (inverse square law calculation used)

**Manufacturers’ claimed figures (not independently tested)

As far as CCT accuracy goes, it recorded a very good reading of 3230K. The light is more CCT-accurate at 3200K than it is at 5600K.

Again, as a comparison, the Intellytech MEGA-6 LiteCloth 3.0 Bi-Color Foldable LED Mat produced a CCT reading of 3256K, and the Godox KNOWLED F200Bi recorded 3204K.

How does it perform at various CCT settings?

Nanlite PavoSlim 360C Open Face @3m / 9.9′

The light’s output was reasonably consistent across its CCT range. The output across its entire CCT range varied by 17.36%. While there is nothing wrong with having a higher output at certain CCT settings, on really good lights, the output is almost identical no matter what CCT setting you select.

The results also show me that the light is very CCT accurate at 2700K, 3200K, and 4500K. Above 4500K, it wasn’t as good.

So, now, let’s have a look at how much output you get when using the included softbox.

Nanlite PavoSlim 360C 5600K Softbox

Above, you can see that when the light was using its included softbox, it recorded an output of 2360 lx (219 fc) @3m / 9.9′. This was 54.96% less output than when using the light open face.

Now, the softbox didn’t massively alter the CCT reading. With the softbox, the CCT reading was 5568K, which was a lot better than the 5795K it recorded with no diffusion.

Nanlite PavoSlim 360C 5600K Softbox Double Diffusion

Above you can see the light’s output when it was set at 5600K and used with the softbox and both pieces of diffusion at a distance of 3m / 9.9′, was 1020 lx (94.9 fc), which was 80.53% less than the 5240 lx it produced when used open face.

As far as CCT accuracy goes, it recorded a reading of 5692K.

Nanlite PavoSlim 360C 3200K Softbox

Above you can see the light’s output when it was set at 3200K and used at a distance of 3m / 9.9′ and using the softbox was 2130 lx (198 fc), which was 55.15% less than the 4750 lx it produced when used open face.

As far as CCT accuracy goes, it recorded a reading of 3171K, which was around 59K lower than the 3130K reading when used open face.

Nanlite PavoSlim 360C 3200K Softbox Double Diffusion

Above you can see the light’s output when it was set at 3200K and used with the softbox and both pieces of diffusion at a distance of 3m / 9.9′, was 915 lx (85 fc).

As far as CCT accuracy goes, it recorded a reading of 3193K.

Battery Output

One of the nice aspects of the PavoSlim 360C is that it can be run by V-mount batteries.

Nanlite PavoSlim 360C 5600K @3m / 9.9′ Single 14.8V Battery

Ok, so now let’s see what happens to the output if I try running the Nanlite PavoSlim 360V via a single 14.8V battery.

Above, you can see that when the light was running off a single 14.4V V-mount battery, it recorded an output of 1880 lx (175 fc) @3m / 9.9′. This was 64.12% les than when running from mains power. Nanlite states that with a single 14.8V battery the output is limited to 35%. I found this to be true.

Nanlite PavoSlim 360C 5600K @3m / 9.9′ Two V-lock Batteries

Ok, so now let’s see what happens to the output if I try running the Nanlite PavoSlim 360V via two V-mount batteries.

Above, you can see that when the light was running off two 14.4V 150Wh V-mount batteries, it recorded an output of 3,930 lx (365 fc) @3m / 9.9′. This was 25% less output than when it is run via mains power. Nanlite states that with two 14.8V batteries, the output is capped to 65%, but I found that it was around 10% higher than that.

Nanlite PavoSlim 360C 5600K @3m / 9.9′ Two 26V V-lock Batteries

Above, you can see that when the light was running off two 26V V-mount batteries, it recorded an output of 5210 lx (484 fc). This was basically identical to what the light recorded when run via mains power.

Combining two PavoSlim 360s together

The AS-DCP-PS360 dual-panel coupler allows you to join two PavoSlim 360C’s together. So let’s see how much output that combo can produce.

2x Nanlite PavoSlim 360Cs 5600K @3m / 9.9′

Above, you can see that when two PavoSlim 360s were combined together and run via mains power, they recorded an output of 10,300 lx (961 fc) @3m / 9.9′. This was a ton of output, and it equates to 92,700 lx @1m / 3.3′.

The CCT reading was 5698K.

2x Nanlite PavoSlim 360Cs 3200K @3m / 9.9′

Above, you can see that when two PavoSlim 360s were combined together and run via mains power, they recorded an output of 9390 lx (872 fc) @3m / 9.9′. This was a ton of output, and it equates to 84,510 lx @1m / 3.3′.

The CCT reading was 3223K.

CCT consistency & linear output when dimming the light

Now, what you should always do when testing lights is to see if the CCT remains consistent when dimming the light. Just because you set a light at say 5600K, that doesn’t mean that the CCT 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 CCT being recorded changed. This was done at a distance of 3m / 9.9′ using a Sekonic C-800. These tests were done at 5600K with the light being used open face.

Nanlite PavoSlim 360C

The Nanlite PavoSlim 360C maintained decent CCT consistency as you start dimming the fixture. My testing showed that the CCT readings varied by 163K from 100% to 10%.

As far as how linear the output is when you start dimming the light, at 50% output, it had 49.80% less output than when used at 100%. At 25%, it had 73.85% less output than when used at 100%. At 10% output, it had 88.32% less output than when used at 100%. This shows me that the light’s dimming curve is very linear.

Color Rendering

So now that we have seen how much output the Nanlite PavoSlim 360C produces, how does it perform when it comes to replicating accurate colors?

Nanlite PavoSlim 360C 5600K (Open Face)

Above you can see that when the light was set at 5600K and used open face, it recorded an average CRI (R1-R8) of 94.5 and an extended CRI (R1-R15) of 92.26. For replicating accurate skin tones, it recorded 82.0 for R9 (red), 92.3 for R13 (closest to caucasian skin tones), and 91.5 for R15 (closest to Asian skin tones). These were ok results, and very similar to the PavoSlim 240CL. However, R9 (Red), R10 (Yellow), R11 (Green), and R12 (Blue) were all below 90.

The light, when set at 5600K, also recorded a TLCI score of 99.

As a comparison, I compared the color rendering of the PavoSlim 360C to the PavoSlim 240CL, Godox KNOWLED F200Bi, Aladdin Bi-Flex2 Bi-Color LED Panel 1×2, and the Intellytech MEGA-6 LITECLOTH 3.0. The Aladdin and Godox both have excellent color rendering scores, and I personally consider them to be a benchmark for these types of thin LED panels.

Above you can see a head-to-head comparison against the Godox KNOWLED F200Bi, Aladdin Bi-Flex2 Bi-Color LED Panel 1×2, and the Intellytech MEGA-6 LITECLOTH 3.0 when used at 5600K. The Nanlite PavoSlim’s scores were all below the Godox, Aladdin, and Intellytech, which are what I personally consider to be the industry benchmarks for flexible panel lights when it comes to color accuracy. I saying that any light with scores in the 90s is going to be pretty good.

Nanlite PavoSlim 360C 3200K

Above, you can see the scores for when the light was used at 3200K open face. It recorded an average CRI (R1-R8) of 95.9 and an extended CRI (R1-R15) of 94.66. For replicating accurate skin tones, it recorded 94.8 for R9 (red), 94.2 for R13 (closest to caucasian skin tones), and 95.94 for R15 (closest to Asian skin tones). These were better results than when the light was used at 5600K. Only R12 (Blue) was below 90.

The light, when set at 3200K, recorded a TLCI score of 98.

Above, you can see a head-to-head comparison against the Nanlite PavoSlim 240CL, Aladdin Bi-Flex2 Bi-Color LED Panel 1×2, and the Intellytech MEGA-6 LITECLOTH 3.0 when used at 3200K. Again, just like at 5600K, the Nanlite’s scores were all below the competition, but nonetheless, still very good.

Nanlite PavoSlim 360C 5600K Softbox

Above, you can see that when the light was set at 5600K and used with its softbox, it recorded an average CRI (R1-R8) of 94.6 and an extended CRI (R1-R15) of 93.06. For replicating accurate skin tones, it recorded 82.2 for R9 (red), 92.6 for R13 (closest to caucasian skin tones), and 92.0 for R15 (closest to Asian skin tones). R9 (Red), R10 (Yellow), R11 (Green), and R12 (Blue) were all below 90.

Above, you can see how those scores compare to when you are using the light open face.

These tests basically tell me that the color rendering performance is very similar whether you use the light with the softbox or open face.

Nanlite PavoSlim 360CL 3200K Softbox

Above, you can see that when the light was set at 5600K and used with its softbox, it recorded an average CRI (R1-R8) of 95.3 and an extended CRI (R1-R15) of 94.04. For replicating accurate skin tones, it recorded 92.1 for R9 (red), 93.6 for R13 (closest to caucasian skin tones), and 94.8 for R15 (closest to Asian skin tones). Only R11 (Green) and R12 (Blue) were marginally below 90.

Above, you can see how those scores compare to when you are using the light open face.

These tests basically tell me that the color rendering performance is almost identical whether you use the light with the softbox or open face.

How does it perform when creating saturated colors?

I also wanted to test the PavoSlim 360C to see how it performed when creating super-saturated colors.

0° – RED

Above, you can see that the light recorded an output of 2640 lx / 245 fc @3m / 9.9′.

As far as creating an accurate 0° Red, the PavoSlim 360C was 1° off.

120° – GREEN

Above, you can see that the light recorded an output of 3610 lx (336 fc) @3m / 9.9′.

As far as creating an accurate 120° Green, the PavoSlim 360C was spot on with a 120° reading and 100% saturation.

240° – BLUE

Above you can see that the light recorded an output of 758 lx (70.4 fc) @3m / 9.9′.

As far as creating an accurate 240° Blue, the PavoSlim 360C had a perfect reading of 240°, with 100% saturation.

60° – YELLOW

Above, you can see that the light recorded an output of 12790 lx (259 fc).

As far as creating an accurate 60° Yellow, the PavoSlim 360C was 15° off with a reading of 45°.

Because the light is RGBWW, it is going to struggle to recreate some fully saturated colors, such as yellow, accurately.

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 PavoSlim 360C:

Nanlite PavoSlim 360C Kelvin Vs MK-1

These figures might look confusing, but what they tell me is that the light is reasonably CCT-accurate at 3200K, 4500K, and 5600K. 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 just ok. Any MK-1 score that is under -6/6 is a very good result. At 2500K, the score wasn’t great, but it was still well within the bounds of being acceptable. very good.

Ok, now let’s look at the CC INDEX & ⊿uv.

Nanlite PavoSlim 360C CC INDEX & ⊿uv

These were decent results across the board. There was nothing here that anyone should be concerned about. At 5600K and above, it has a very slight green push, but it’s so marginal that you wouldn’t see it in the real world.

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 the RG value, a score below 100 indicates that the light source renders colors with less saturation than the reference source. Any score above 100 means it is over-saturating colors. So ideally, you want this score to be 100.

Nanlite PavoSlim 360C

Above, you can see the scores for the Nanlite PavoSlim 360C at various CCT settings. Below, I have listed the figures as well.

Here are the results:

	Rf	Rg
2500K	92	100
3200K	94	101
4500K	95	103
5600K	95	103
6500K	94	103
8000K	92	101
10000K	90	98

The TM-30 scores were fairly consistent across its CCT range, and it shows me that the light is reasonably consistent at replicating accurate colors with full saturation. However, you can see that it did have a tendency to slightly over-saturate magenta/red colors at 4500K-6500K.

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 measure spectral response and compare it directly against an ideal light source.

SSI is a much better way to judge an LED light than CRI or TLCI, although they don’t tell the full story of any light, and you can’t judge a light by SSI scores alone.

SSI is useful to see how well different lights will play together. As the Sekonic C-800 Spectromaster can measure SSI, I decided to test out the Nanlite PavoSlim 360C to see how it performed.

Nanlite PavoSlim 360C

3200K

Above are the scores for the light when used at 3200K. The scores show that the light does a very good job of accurately replicating a 3200K (Tungsten) source. Any score in the mid to high 80’s is outstanding for an LED light.

5600K

Above are the scores for the light when used at 5600K. The scores show that the light does a reasonably good job of accurately replicating a CIE D55 source. A score in the low to mid-70s is very typical for a 5600K LED light.

The main reason we want to record SSI scores is so we can see how well they match with other lights. For example, let’s see how well the Nanlite PavoSlim 360C matches the Aputure STORM 1200x and the NANLUX EVOKE 600C at both 3200K and 5600K. Below you can see the results.

PavoSlim 360C 5600K

As you can see, the Nanlite PavoSlim 360C is not a great match with the Aputure, but it’s a reasonably good match to the EVOKE 600C when used at 5600K.

PavoSlim 360C 3200K

At 3200K, the Nanlite PavoSlim 360C is a reasonably decent match to the Aputure and the NANLUX EVOKE 600C.

As another comparison, let’s see how it matches itself at 3200K when it is used with the softbox, and the softbox with both pieces of diffusion.

3200K

5600K

As you can see, the Nanlite PavoSlim 360C was almost a perfect match to tto itself when used with the softbox, and the softbox with both pieces of diffusion.

Being able to measure SSI in advance and compare different lights you may be using together is a great way of finding out what lights will work together and what adjustments need to be made.

Spectral Distribution

Nanlite PavoSlim 360C 3200K

Above, you can see the spectral distribution of the Nanlite PavoSlim 360C when it is set at 3200K. The spectral distribution is decent.

As a comparison, above, you can see the spectral distribution of the Nanlite PavoSlim 240CL when it is set at 3200K. The spectral distribution is decent.

As another comparison, above you can see what the spectral response of an ARRI Orbiter looks like when used at 3200K.

Nanlite PavoSlim 360C 5600K

Above, you can see the spectral distribution of the Nanlite PavoSlim 360C when it is set at 5600K. The spectral distribution is decent, but there is a slight push toward green.

As a comparison, above, you can see the spectral distribution of the Nanlite PavoSlim 240CL when it is set at 5600K. The spectral distribution is decent, but there is a slight push toward green.

Let’s now compare that against the best LED light I have ever tested at 5600K, the Maxima 3.

Real-World Performance and Quality of Light

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As I always say, photometric scores only tell you part of the story. So do the scores from the Nanlite PavoSlim 360C translate into real-world performance? Well, let’s find out.

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If you want to see how much output the light has, above you can see what the light looks like when it is placed outside and punched through a sheer curtain. I have kept the camera settings exactly the same for all of the shots.

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Above, you can see how much output the light has when used with no diffusion. I have kept the camera settings exactly the same for all of the shots.

Above, you can see how much output two of the lights have when using the coupler kit with no diffusion and with diffusion. I have kept the camera settings exactly the same for all of the shots.

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Above, you can see how much output two of the lights have when using the coupler kit, with one of the lights using no diffusion and the other with diffusion. I have kept the camera settings exactly the same for all of the shots.

The physical size and length of the fixture make it a really nice option for overhead lighting. By using it with the honeycomb grid, you can also control the spill.

As far as how the lights look, you can produce a beautiful soft source. With the included diffusion, you get this lovely quality of light. As the light has a lot of output, you can still heavily diffuse it and get good results. Above, I am using 3 layers of diffusion, and the light is set at 38% output.

I also found it really nice to have a reasonably lightweight fixture of this size with lots of output. The light certainly punches well above its weight.

You could also use it for lighting green screens and for shooting full-length shots of people.

The light will create some cross-hatched shadows if you use it without diffusion.

By utilizing the AS-DCP-PS360 dual-panel coupler, you can combine two PavoSlim 360c fixtures to create a nice, large source. It also has a lot of punch, so you can use a diffusion screen to get a very soft source. I used this combination on a recent shoot, and it provided really nice results.

Price

The Nanlite PavoSlim 360C is now available to purchase. Below is the price:

Alternative Solutions

Other alternatives to the Nanlite PavoSlim 360C include options from Godox, Aputure, and Litegear.

	PRICE
Nanlite PavoSlim 360C	$2,490 USD
Godox KNOWLED F400R RGB Flexible LED Light Mat (2 x 4′)	$2,390 USD
Aputure INFINIMAT LED with Clear Softbox & 400W Control Box Pack (2 x 4′)	$2,190 USD
Litegear LiteTile Plus Kit Foldable Bi-Color LED Light Panel (2 x 4′)	$2,952 USD

So, how does this power draw of the PavoSlim 360C compare to some of the competition? Well, above you can see.

Conclusion

The Nanlite PavoSlim 360C is a great fixture that provides very good results. The light is well-made, well-thought-out, and it has a ton of output. It is also great that you can run it from camera batteries.

It produces a beautiful, big, soft light source, especially when you combine it with the built-in soft box and extra diffusion. The output is extremely impressive given the light’s relatively low power draw. That high output really helps when you want to create a more diffused lighting source, but you still require a decent amount of punch.

The coupler kit, while a little tricky to install, is a great adition and being able to combine to of the lights to create one larger fixture makes it extremely versatile.

Unlike flexible LED lights, because the PavoSlim features hard backing plates they are super quick to set up and use. The mounting system is substantially better than what you will find on most flexible LED panels.

The photometric scores across the board were decent enough, however, the light doesn’t have consistent output across its CCT range. This is probably not a big deal for most people, given the light’s high output.

I like that the diffusion Nanlite has used doesn’t alter the CCT readings in any huge way. This is a big deal because a lot of diffusion I have previously seen with lights like this alters the CCT readings quite considerably.

The Nanlite app works well, and it is easy to use and navigate, as are the physical controls on the power supply/controller.

The PavoSlim 360C is my favorite light in the series, and it is a worthy addition to the range. It makes for a great interview light, overhead light, and it certainly has enough punch to be used as a hard source when needed.

If you are looking for a large-sized, thin, and lightweight panel with a ton of output, it makes for a very compelling option.