Nanlux Evoke 5C: Gear of the Year Awards 2026 winner
Posted on Nov 2, 2026 by Lily Smith
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Great lighting can come from unexpected places thanks to the tiny, full-colour Nanlux Evoke 5C.
The Nanlux Evoke 5C is about putting precisely shaped, beautifully controlled light where bigger fixtures can’t go. That’s why it’s the editor’s choice in the specialist lighting class of the Pro Moviemaker Gear of the Year Awards.
It’s difficult to appreciate quite how small the 5C is until you see it. Measuring just 5.6×4.4×4.5cm and weighing only 160g, it’s small enough to conceal inside sets, furniture and props, squeeze into corners or position close to miniature subjects. It’s a miniature professional spotlight.
The 6W fixture produces 2026 lux at 0.5m at 5600K, but raw output isn’t really what it’s about. It’s what you can do with that light that makes the 5C so special.
Nanlux has developed a wide range of magnetic modifiers, including a Soft Dome, Fresnel Lens, Spot Beam Lens, Snoot and Projection Attachment. Fit the Fresnel and output approximately doubles, while the Spot Beam Lens can boost it to 5.5 times the bare fixture. This mini LED becomes capable of creating tightly controlled highlights, accents and pools of light. There are 16 dedicated accessories in total, covering light shaping, mounting, power and control. Magnetic and snap-fit attachment means modifiers can be swapped rapidly rather than turning a tiny fixture into a fiddly miniature rig.
Colour performance is equally serious. The 5C uses the same Nebula C8 Color Light Engine technology found in larger Evoke fixtures, combining Deep Red, Red, Amber, Lime, Green, Cyan, Blue and Indigo LEDs. Colour temperature stretches from 1000K to 20,000K, with ±200 green/magenta adjustment and an average CRI/TLCI of 98. And there are seven lighting modes: CCT, HSI, HSIW, RGBW, XY, Gel and Effect.
That makes it useful for far more than just throwing a splash of colour into the background. For product videos and tabletop work, it can precisely highlight small details. It could disappear inside a car interior, sit behind furniture, hide within a practical or add a tiny pool of illumination.
The built-in battery runs for around 50 minutes, extending to 4.3 hours with the battery grip, while USB-C is another option.
Pro-level control is still included despite miniaturisation of the fixture. The Evoke 5C can be adjusted directly or through the Nanlink app, with wired DMX and wireless CRMX options. NFC enables DMX parameters to be configured across multiple fixtures while they’re switched off.
And the Evoke 5C’s IP67-rated body can withstand immersion in 1m of water for 30 minutes, while an optional underwater housing extends operation to depths of 30m.
The Evoke 5C has taken the colour, control, modifiers and workflow expected from professional fixtures and shrunk them dramatically. It’s the professional LED that you can put where no other light will go.
More details at nanlux.com
