Nanlite FS-150B & FS-200B Review

A few weeks ago Nanlite announced its new FS-150B and FS-200B COB spotlights. They are the newest members of the FS series and Nanlite states that they offer high output and good performance, at an affordable price.

The FS-120B and 200B were designed as entry-level lighting fixtures with easy-to-use controls.

Versatile COB lights in this form factor have become increasingly popular due to their swiss army knife style abilities, which enable them to be used for a variety of lighting scenarios. This is why we have seen so many of them being introduced over the last few years.

According to Nanlite, the quality of the FS-120B and 200B is on par with other Nanlite fixtures even though they were developed for entry-level shooters. Both fixtures have a claimed CRI of 96 and a TLCI of 97.

The Nanlite FS-150B and FS-200B look to be interesting lights given their relatively low cost and small size. So without further ado, let’s get on with the review.

Concept

The concept behind all of these LED spot lights, whether they are daylight, bi-color, or full color, is to make a very flexible, fully-featured lighting source that won’t empty someone’s wallet. The only problem with this concept is that so many lighting companies are doing the exact same thing, that it is hard to make your product stand out.

Nanlite also has a ton of very affordable lighting modifiers such as a Fresnel and a Projector Mount. These affordable options certainly increase the versatility of the FS series.

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Appearance-wise, the Nanlite FS-150B and 200B look very similar to other Nanlite fixtures.

Build Quality

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The build quality of the Nanlite FS-150B & FS-200B is ok given their low price tag. The housing is reasonably robust but you shouldn’t expect the lights to have the same feel or quality as more expensive fixtures, because they don’t.

The power on/off button and the rest of the dials and buttons, at least in my opinion, do feel a little on the cheap side, but that is understandable given the low price point. They don’t have a tactile feel, but they do get the job done.

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The yoke frame locks down securely when tightened, but the knobs that you use to tighten do feel a little cheap and not overly robust.

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The locking mechanism for where you attach the yoke frame to a light stand is also made out of plastic.

The controller and power supply are built into the light fixture, which helps keep the size and weight to a minimum.

Attention to detail is not something you will find in more budget-conscious lighting products. If you don’t have the locking mechanisms on the yoke frame tightened down the light will just tilt backward quite fast because the yoke frame hasn’t been positioned to create an optimal center of gravity.

The light comes with a limited 2 Year Warranty which can be extended to 3 years by registering online.

COB Design

Lots of LED lights on the market, including the Nanlite FS-150B and 200B are using COB technology. COB stands for “Chip On Board” where multiple LED chips are packaged together as one lighting module. The advantage of COB LEDs being multi-chip packaged is that the light-emitting area of a COB LED can contain many times more light sources in the same area that standard LEDs could occupy. This results in a greatly increased lumen output per square inch.

Both fixtures do feature a decent-sized fan that is on the underside of the lights.

The biggest problem with COB LED lights is that unless you diffuse them they are very bright to look at and unsuitable for directly lighting talent.

Weight & Size

The Nanlite FS-150B and FS-200B are reasonably compact, and they were designed so they won’t take up a lot of space in a bag.

The FS-150B weighs just 5.07 lb / 2.3kg, and the FS-200B tips the scales at 5.73 lb / 2.6kg. As the controller and power supply are built into the lamp heads you don’t have to worry about any additional components.

The nice aspect about this low weight is that you can use both these lights with a reasonably lightweight and compact light stand. This makes them a good option for anyone who needs to travel with minimal gear.

CCT range

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Both lights have a CCT range of 2,700K to 6,500K. This is a decent enough range and it will suit most people’s needs.

Beam Angle

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The beam angle of the fixtures, when used open face, is 120°. If you use the lights with their included reflector it is 55°. The nice aspect about the FS-150B and 200B is that when used open face, they produce really crisp shadows.

The included reflectors are the same that you get with most Nanlite Bowens mount fixtures.

Mounting

The Nanlite FS-150B and FS-200B both come with a traditional two-sided yoke frame. While these work reasonably well, there isn’t a lot of clearance and the power cable will end up hitting the yoke frame if you try and tilt the light up too much.

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As I mentioned previously, the yoke frame locks down ok, but it does feature a type of rachet design and the locking mechanisms on either side of it are a little on the cheap side and they don’t inspire confidence. In saying that, they will get the job done

Power Draw

The power draw of the FS-150B is 175W, and with the FS-200B, it is 2220W. As I mentioned earlier, Nanite doesn’t give you many options when it comes to powering the fixtures.

In the kit, you just get an AC power cable. As far as I am aware there is no way of powering this fixture remotely, which is an oversight, at least in my opinion, especially considering the relatively low power draw of both of these fixtures.

I am not the biggest fan of the nonlocking power cable that goes into the back of the fixtures. They feel more consumer than professional, and it doesn’t take much force for the cable to come out.

Mount

Like most COB spot lights, the Nanlite FS-150B and FS-200B utilize a Bowens mount. This allows you to use readily available lighting modifiers and accessories that you may already own.

Controls & Menu System

The rear LCD screen on the light looks similar to what you would find on most of the Nanlite products. Although it is fairly basic, it does show you key information about the lights operating modes, brightness, CCT, etc.

With a good light, you shouldn’t have to read a manual to work out how to operate it. You should be able to turn it on and use it straight away. With the FS-150B and FS-200B that is a little hit-and-miss. While it is easy to make changes to the CCT and brightness, the menu is a little more complicated and not so intuitive. I would have preferred to have seen a dedicated menu button.

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In the menu, you can adjust quite a few settings, such as the DMX, fan, etc. The menu isn’t perhaps the most intuitive, but it is still easy enough to make changes to items that you will probably very rarely need to adjust.

As well as being able to adjust certain parameters and modes on the light itself, you can also use the NANLINK Bluetooth app. Additionally, 2.4GHz provides control through the separately-available WS-TB-1 transmitter box for more elaborate setups, or with hardware remotes like the NANLINK WS-RC-C2. DMX/RDM control is also supported for advanced users.

Operating Modes

The lights have the following lighting modes that you can access from the fixture:

• CCT
• EFFECT

The lights also feature a Maximum Output Mode and Constant Output Mode and Nanlite claims that there isn’t any CCT shift from 2700K-6500K in either mode.

No +/- Green adjustment

The fixtures don’t include +/- Green adjustment so can’t easily correct any tint.

EFFECTS

The EFFECTS mode lets you recreate a wide range of lighting effects that can be handy for certain scenarios. The effects include:

All the effects modes can be individually adjusted, and you change the Speed and Cycle.

Bluetooth App

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The lights can be controlled via Bluetooth using the NANLINK App. It is relatively easy to connect up a light and get started. All you need to do is tap on add a fixture and then choose how you want to connect.

For this example I chose Bluetooth and the app will search for available Nanlite fixtures.

Once you select the fixture you want to add, it takes about 5-10 seconds for the app to configure everything.

Once the fixture is set up you can see that it has been added to the scene page.

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There is a range of parameters that you can adjust using the app, including changing the output, CCT, turning the fan on/off, saving presets, and switching between constant and maximum output modes.

Strangely I couldn’t find any controls in the app to utilize the effects mode.

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 do they stay cool?

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COB lights get very hot, and keeping them cool is not an easy task. The FS-150B and 200B, as I mentioned earlier in the review, do utilize a fan.

In the menu settings for the FS-150B and FS-200B, you have the choice of turning the fan on or off. If you turn the fan off the maximum output is capped at just 15%.

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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 15% even though the light is only at 15% 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 FS-150B is fairly quiet even when the light is operating at 100% output in its Max Output mode. This allows you to use them close to where audio is being recorded. On the FS-200B, the fan is slightly louder than that of the FS-150B. I would recommend that you don’t put the FS-200B too close to an audio recording source. It isn’t like the fan is really loud, but you might hear it in a quiet room if it was only a meter or so away from where audio was 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. You wouldn’t read one chapter of a book and think you know the whole story, so don’t look at one set of results for a light and think you can make a conclusion because you can’t

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

Output & Color Temperature Accuracy

I tested the Nanlite FS-150B and 200B at a variety of CCT settings 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 lights with their Reflector, the readings were taken from the edge of those attachments.

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Above are the claimed photometric data that Nanlite lists for the FS-150B.

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Above are the claimed photometric data that Nanlite lists for the FS-200B.

FS-150B 5600K (open face)

Above you can see the FS-150B recorded an output of 7280 lx (676 fc) when set at 5600K and used open face. Nanlite lists a figure of 7298 lx, so the result I got was almost identical to their claimed figure.

The light recorded a CCT reading of 5552K which was pretty good.

FS-200B 5600K (open face)

Above you can see the FS-200B recorded an output of 9310 lx (865 fc) when set at 5600K and used open face. Nanlite lists a figure of 8578 lx, so the result I got was higher than their claimed figure.

The light recorded a CCT reading of 5707K which was pretty good.

FS-150B 3200K (open face)

Above you can see the output when it was set at 3200K in the open face configuration was 5980 lx (556 fc), which was just 17.8% less than the 5552 lx it produced at 5600K. Nanlite lists a figure of 6126 lx, so the result I got was not too far away from their claimed figure.

As far as CCT accuracy goes, it recorded an extremely accurate reading of 3185K.

FS-200B 3200K (open face)

Above you can see the output when it was set at 3200K in the open face configuration was 8250 lx (767 fc), which was just 11.38% less than the 9310 lx it produced at 5600K. Nanlite lists a figure of 7845 lx, so the result I got was a little higher than their claimed figure.

As far as CCT accuracy goes, it recorded an extremely accurate reading of 3224K.

Reflector

So, now let’s see how much output the lights have when used with their 55° reflector.

FS-150B 5600K (Reflector 55°)

Above you can see the light’s output when it was set at 5600K with the reflector was 24,200 lx (2250 fc). This was 232.4% more than the 7280 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 draws 175W.

As far as CCT accuracy goes, it recorded a very good reading of 5546K. The CCT 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 CCT won’t change by any real noticeable difference.

FS-200B 5600K (Reflector 55°)

Above you can see the light’s output when it was set at 5600K with the reflector was 28,500 lx (2640 fc). This was 206.1% more than the 9310 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 draws just 220W.

As far as CCT accuracy goes, it recorded a very accurate reading of 5633K. The CCT 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 CCT won’t change by any real noticeable difference.

FS-150B 3200K (Reflector 55°)

Above you can see the output when it was set at 3200K with the standard reflector was 20,200 lx (1870 fc), which was 16.5% less than what it output at 5600K using the reflector.

As far as CCT accuracy goes, it recorded an exceptionally good reading of 3241K which was a very good score.

FS-200B 3200K (Reflector 55°)

Above you can see the output when it was set at 3200K with the standard reflector was 25,500 lx (2370 fc), which was 10.5% less than what it output at 5600K using the reflector.

As far as CCT accuracy goes, it recorded an exceptionally good reading of 3255K which was a very good score.

How does the output compare against the amaran 100x and 200x?

Below you can see how the Nanlite FS-150B and FS-200B compare to the amaran 100x and 200x when it comes to output when all of the lights are using their included reflectors.

	OUTPUT
Nanlite FS-150B*	24,200 lx
amaran 100x**	34,300 lx
Nanlite FS-200B*	28,500 lx
amaran 200x**	51,600 lx

*Independently tested

** Not tested. Manufacturers claims

Now, I can’t independently verify the output claims for the amaran 100x and 200x and I don’t know whether Aputure did its measurements from the end of the Reflector or from the COB. One thing to keep in mind is that the Hyper reflector that comes with the amaran lights does produce quite a strong hot spot. So you may be thinking, the amaran lights are way brighter but hold your horses, there is more to this story.

	OUTPUT
Nanlite FS-150B*	7,280 lx
amaran 100x**	3,700 lx
Nanlite FS-200B*	9,310 lx
amaran 200x**	6,700 lx

Lets now compare the lights when they are used open-face. This is a better test for actual output because no lighting modifiers are involved. As you can see, the Nanlite FS-150B and FS-200B have substantially more output when used open face than the amaran 100x and 200x. However, you do need to factor in that the amaran 100x draws 130W, while the Nanlite FS-150B draws 175W. The amaran 200x draws 200W, while the Nanlite FS-200 draws 220W.

These results clearly show me that despite the differences in power draw, the Nanlite fixtures have a higher output.

How do they perform at various CCT settings?

Summary of results FS-150B (Reflector)

SETTING	OUTPUT	CCT READING
2700K	16,300 lx	2802K
3200K	20,200 lx	3241K
4500K	23,700 lx	4515K
5600K	24,200 lx	5556K
6500K	21,300 lx	6398K

These results show me that the light’s output varies by a whopping 48.46% across the CCT range. Yes, you can run the light in its Constant ouput mode if you wanted the output at all the CCT values to be almost the same but that greatly reduces the output.

The CCT accuracy across the range was excellent. It was no more than 102K off being correct at any measurement I took.

Summary of results FS-200B (Reflector)

SETTING	OUTPUT	CCT READING
2700K	20,000 lx	2747K
3200K	25,500 lx	3255K
4500K	29,400 lx	4637K
5600K	28,500 lx	5653K
6500K	24,900 lx	6428K

These results show me that the light’s output varies by a whopping 46.99% across the CCT range. Yes, you can run the light in its Constant output mode if you wanted the output at all the CCT values to be almost the same but that greatly reduces the output.

The CCT accuracy across the range was excellent. It was no more than 137K off being correct at any measurement I took.

CCT consistency & linear output when dimming the lights

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 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.

FS-150B

CCT READING	OUTPUT	INTENSITY %
5546K	24,200 lx	100
5549K	18,200 lx	75
5568K	12,200 lx	50
5583K	6,300 lx	25
5578K	2,650 lx	10

The Nanlite FS-150B is excellent at maintaining CCT consistency as you start dimming the fixture. My testing showed that the CCT varied by only 37K.

As far as how linear the output is when you start dimming the light, at 50% output it had 49.58% less output than when used at 100%. At 25% it had 73.96% less output than when used at 100%. At 10% output, it had 89% less output than when used at 100%. This shows me that the light’s dimming curve is very linear.

FS-200B

CCT READING	OUTPUT	INTENSITY %
5653K	28,500 lx	100
5658K	21,100 lx	75
5654K	13,600 lx	50
5647K	6,890 lx	25
5687K	2,930 lx	10

The Nanlite FS-200B was also excellent at maintaining CCT consistency as you start dimming the fixture. My testing showed that the CCT varied by 34K. These are some of the best results I have seen.

As far as how linear the output is when you start dimming the light, at 50% output it had 52.28% less output than when used at 100%. At 25% it had 75.82% less output than when used at 100%. At 10% output, it had 89.71% less output than when used at 100%. This shows me that the light’s dimming curve is extremely linear.

Color Rendering

So now that we have seen how much output the Nanlite FS-150B and FS-200B produce, how do they perform when it comes to replicating accurate colors?

FS-150B 5600K (Reflector)

Above you can see that when the FS-150B was set at 5600K using the standard reflector it recorded an average CRI (R1-R8) of 97.9 and an extended CRI (R1-R15) of 96.68. For replicating accurate skin tones it recorded for R9 96.7 (red), 98.3 for R13 (closest to caucasian skin tones), and 97.2 for R15 (closest to Asian skin tones). These are excellent results, although the light struggles to produce R12 (Blue) with a score of just 83.9

FS-200B 5600K (Reflector)

Above you can see that when the FS-200B was set at 5600K using the standard reflector it recorded an average CRI (R1-R8) of 97.8 and an extended CRI (R1-R15) of 96.62. For replicating accurate skin tones it recorded for R9 98.2 (red), 97.8 for R13 (closest to caucasian skin tones), and 97.2 for R15 (closest to Asian skin tones). These are excellent results, although the light struggles to produce R12 (Blue) with a score of just 83.5.

	CRI	EXTENDED CRI	R9	R13	R15
FS-150B	97.9	96.68	96.7	98.3	97.2
FS-200B	97.8	96.62	98.2	97.8	97.2
Forza 720B	98.6	97.04	92.7	99.3	97.2

As a color rendering accuracy comparison, above you can see how the Nanlite FS-150B and FS-200B compare against Nanlite’S own Forza 720B. Even though the FS-150B and FS-200B are budget offerings, the color rendering scores are very close to that of one of Nanlite’s much more expensive fixtures.

The FS-150B, when set at 5600K, recorded a TLCI score of 99.

The FS-200B, when set at 5600K, recorded a TLCI score of 99.

FS-150B 3200K (Reflector)

Above you can see the scores for when the light was used at 3200K. It recorded an average CRI (R1-R8) of 96.6 and an extended CRI (R1-R15) of 95.54. For replicating accurate skin tones it recorded 95.3 for R9 (red), 95.3 for R13 (closest to caucasian skin tones), and 96.1 for R15 (closest to Asian skin tones). These were good results, but not quite as good as when the light is used at 5600K.

FS-2000B 3200K (Reflector)

Above you can see the scores for when the light was used at 3200K. It recorded an average CRI (R1-R8) of 96.1 and an extended CRI (R1-R15) of 95.08. For replicating accurate skin tones it recorded 97.0 for R9 (red), 94.3 for R13 (closest to caucasian skin tones), and 95.7 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
FS-150B	96.6	95.54	95.3	95.3	96.1
FS-200B	96.1	95.08	97.0	94.3	95.7
Forza 720B	96.5	96.22	97.4	95.6	97.4

As a color rendering accuracy comparison, above you can see how the FS-150B and FS-200B compare against the Nanlite Forza 720B. I just wanted to do this comparison to show you how the color rendering accuracy compared between more affordable options and one of Nanlite’s more expensive fixtures.

The FS-150B, when set at 3200K, recorded a TLCI score of 98.

The FS-200B, when set at 3200K, recorded a TLCI score of 98.

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 FS-150B and 200B:

FS-150B Kelvin Vs MK-1

	Kelvin	Difference in K	MK-1	Difference in MK-1
SET VALUE	2700K	0	370.37	0
ACTUAL READING	2802K	102	356.88	13.49 MK-1
SET VALUE	3200K	0	312.5	0
ACTUAL READING	3241K	41	308.54	3.96 MK-1
SET VALUE	4500K	0	222.22	0
ACTUAL READING	4515K	15	221.48	0.74 MK-1
SET VALUE	5600K	0	178.57	0
ACTUAL READING	5546K	54	180.31	-1.74 MK-1
SET VALUE	6500K	0	153.84	0
ACTUAL READING	6398K	102	156.29	-2.45 MK-1

These figures might look confusing, but what it tells me is that the light is very CCT between 3200K and 6500K. 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, apart from at 2700K. Any MK-1 score that is under -6/6 is a very good result.

FS-200B Kelvin Vs MK-1

	Kelvin	Difference in K	MK-1	Difference in MK-1
SET VALUE	2700K	0	370.37	0
ACTUAL READING	2747K	47	364.03	6.34 MK-1
SET VALUE	3200K	0	312.5	0
ACTUAL READING	3255K	55	307.21	5.29 MK-1
SET VALUE	4500K	0	222.22	0
ACTUAL READING	4637K	137	215.65	6.57 MK-1
SET VALUE	5600K	0	178.57	0
ACTUAL READING	5653K	53	176.89	1.68 MK-1
SET VALUE	6500K	0	153.84	0
ACTUAL READING	6428K	72	155.56	-1.72 MK-1

These figures might look confusing, but what it tells me is that the light is very CCT 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.

FS-150B CC INDEX & ⊿uv

	CC INDEX	⊿uv
2700K	0	0.0006
3200K	0.2G	-0.0025
4500K	0.2G	-0.0030
5600K	0	0.0003
6500K	0	0.0031

Again, these were very good results across the board, but the ⊿uv scores could have been better for 3200K and 4500K.

The ⊿uv at 5600K was almost 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 CCT setting.

FS-200B CC INDEX & ⊿uv

	CC INDEX	⊿uv
2700K	0.1M	0.0010
3200K	0.2G	-0.0033
4500K	0.2G	-0.0030
5600K	0	0.0003
6500K	0	0.0034

Again, these were excellent results across the board, although ⊿uv scores could have been better at 3200k, 4500K, and 6500K.

The ⊿uv at 5600K was almost 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 CCT setting.

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.

FS-150B

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Above you can see the scores for the FS-150B at various Kelvin color temperatures. Below I have listed the figures as well.

Here are the results:

	Rf	Rg
2700K	96	101
3200K	96	102
4500K	95	103
5600K	95	102
6500K	94	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.

FS-200B

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Above you can see the scores for the FS-150B at various Kelvin color temperatures. Below I have listed the figures as well.

Here are the results:

	Rf	Rg
2700K	96	100
3200K	95	103
4500K	95	103
5600K	95	102
6500K	94	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.

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 on 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.

FS-150B 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 FS-150B is. Any SSI score in the high 70’s, low ’80s is very good for a 3200K LED light. The results for the FS-150B were reasonably good when used at 3200K. As you can see, LED lights have a hard time replicating colors below about 450nm.

FS-200B 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 FS-200B is. Any SSI score in the high 70’s, low ’80s is very good for a 3200K LED light. The results for the FS-200B were reasonably good when used at 3200K. As you can see, LED lights have a hard time replicating colors below about 450nm.

FS-150 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 FS-150B is. A score in the low 70’s is typical for a 5600K LED source.

FS-2000B 5600K

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 FS-200B is. Any SSI score in the high 70’s, low ’80s is very good for a 3200K LED light. The results for the FS-200B were reasonably good when used at 3200K. As you can see, LED lights have a hard time replicating colors below about 450nm.

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 FS-150B matched the FS-200B and the Nanlite Forza 700B. Below you can see the results.

FS-150B 5600K

As you can see neither lights are a perfect match, but they are very, very close. You could easily use all three of these lights together without any issues.

FS-200B 5600K

As you can see neither lights are a perfect match, but they are very, very close. You could easily use all three of these lights together without any issues.

FS-150B 3200K

As you can see neither lights are a perfect match, but they are very, very close. You could easily use all three of these lights together without any issues when they are set at 3200K.

FS-200B 3200K

As you can see neither lights are a perfect match, but they are very, very close. You could easily use all three of these lights together without any issues when they are set at 3200K.

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

Spectral Distribution

FS-150B 5600K

Above you can see the spectral distribution of the FS-150B when it is set at 5600K. The spectral distribution isn’t overly full, but it is fairly consistent with no spikes where you wouldn’t expect to see them.

FS-200B 5600K

Above you can see the spectral distribution of the FS-200B when it is set at 5600K. The spectral distribution isn’t overly full, and it wasn’t quite as good as the FS-150B.

As a comparison, above you can see the spectral distribution of the Nanlite Forza 720B. It is considerably fuller than both the FS-150B and FS-200B.

FS-150B 3200K

Above you can see the spectral distribution of the FS-150B when it is set at 3200K.

FS-200B 3200K

Above you can see the spectral distribution of the FS-200B when it is set at 3200K.

As a comparison, above you can see the spectral distribution for the Nanlite Forza 720B.

All three lights had very similar spectral responses when used at 3200K.

Real-World Performance & Quality of Light

As I always say, photometric scores only tell you part of the story. So let’s how the FS-150B and FS-200B perform 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 lights look and perform.

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The FS-150B and FS-200B are both capable of producing great results and most importantly they are relatively easy to use and quick to set up. Above you can see what they look like at a distance of 3m /9.9′ when used open face and with their reflectors.

The nice aspect of the reflector is that it doesn’t have a hot spot.

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Above you can see the difference in the type of shadows they create when used open face and with their reflector. When used open face you will get clean shadows. If you use the reflector then the shadows won’t have defined outlines.

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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 well as some shots with it pointing down at the table and being punched into the ceiling open face.

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I also tried the light with a DoPChoice Octa 3 softbox. While the light won’t fill the soft box completely, it still does enough to provide good results.

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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.

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 Fresnel or Nanlite Projector.　

Who are these lights aimed at?

I think a lot of people who are in the market for a compact-sized bi-color light that has a decent amount of output will be looking closely at these lights, especially given their low price and the fact that there are quite a few affordable lighting modifiers that are available for them.

They are certainly priced to appeal to budget-conscious owner-operators who are looking for a reasonably powerful jack-of-all-trades lighting solution. The versatility of the FS-150B and 200B allow them 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 am personally a little puzzled as to why there is a 150B and a 200B. The difference in output isn’t huge between the two lights and it almost feels like there should just be one model instead of two. In saying that, there is nothing wrong with having options.

Price & Availability

The Nanlite FS-150B retails for $259 USD and the FS-200B costs $349 USD. Both are now available to buy. This makes them very appealing prospects for those shooters who are looking for a reasonably lightweight and powerful spotlight that offers good performance without emptying your wallet.

Competition

The COB spotlight market has become increasingly overcrowded in the last year. Below are some of the lights that could be considered competition.

	PRICE
Nanlite FS-150B	$259 USD
Nanlite FS-200B	$349 USD
amaran 200x	$307 USD*
amaran 100x	$219 USD*
GVM SD200D Bi-Color	$299 USD*
SWIT S-2320 160W Bi-Color Studio LED Spot Light	$1,150 USD
CAME-TV Tioga Series 220W High Output Led Spotlight Bi-Color	$298 USD
SmallRig RC 220B COB Bi-Color LED Video Light (2700-6500K)	$369 USD
SmallRig RC120B Point-Source Variable Color Temperature COB Video Light	$259 USD

*Currently on sale at B&H as of the 11th December 2022.

Optional Extras

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The Nanlite FS-150B and 200B 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 some of the key accessories that Nanlite makes for the lights:

• Parabolic Softbox
• Rectangle Softbox
• Fresnel
• Lantern softbox
• Projection Attachment
• Umbrella

Conclusion

The Nanlite FS-150B and FS-200B, like most of Nanlite’s fixtures, are solid offerings. They are both color-accurate, and they feature a good amount of output. Spotlights like these offer a lot of versatility and they can be used for so many different applications and that is certainly why so many people are using them these days.

Having the ability to use the FS-150B and FS-200B with a wide array of lighting modifiers gives the lights even more versatility.

The interface and operating system could be better, and so could the app.

The fan noise is very minimal with the FS-150B and won’t be a concern for most people. The fan noise is slightly louder with the FS-200B and you need to be arae of that. 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. However, because you can’t power them remotely from a battery solution that does somewhat limit their flexibility.

Nanlite has certainly created a very comprehensive range of lights over the last few years and the quality of its fixtures have improved a lot. The FS-150B and 200B offer fantastic bang for your buck and they integrate nicely into the rest of the Nanlite ecosystem. While the build quality might be fairly average, the lights more than make up for it with output and color accuracy.