Zhiyun FIVERAY M20/M20C Series Pocket Lights Review

Introducing the latest innovation in portable lighting technology, Zhiyun once again asserts its dominance with the release of the new FIVERAY series. Among the array of portable lighting options available on the market, Zhiyun products stand out for their compact design and superior performance, earning them a dedicated following among users. Now, with the unveiling of the Zhiyun FIVERAY M20/M20C Series Pocket Lights, the brand pushes the boundaries further, offering pocket lights capable of delivering a peak power output of 20W, setting a new standard for versatility and efficiency.

A notable feature of the Zhiyun FIVERAY M20 Series is its striking resemblance to the highly acclaimed Zhiyun FIVERAY M40, both in design and functionality. Sporting a form factor comparable to a sticky note, these pocket lights incorporate essential features such as support for expansion brackets, diffusers, and light baffles. Additionally, the inclusion of an LCD screen for real-time data display enhances user experience, making it easier to monitor and adjust settings on the fly.

Breaking away from the limitations of traditional pocket lights, the Zhiyun FIVERAY M20 series represents a significant advancement in film and television lighting technology. With a compact footprint and weighing in at just 200g, these lights boast an impressive light-emitting area capable of accommodating up to 100 LED lamp beads. Furthermore, the inclusion of RGB lamp beads in the M20C model offers enhanced color adjustment capabilities, providing filmmakers with greater creative control over their lighting setups. 

As we delve into our review of the FIVERAY M20 series, we explore the differences between the M20 and M20C models, shedding light on their respective strengths and capabilities.

Unboxing

The outer packaging of the Zhiyun FIVERAY M20/M20C series maintains Zhiyun’s iconic white theme. The pure white background is printed with a rendering of the product, allowing people to see the characteristics of the product at a glance. What’s interesting is that the front of the secondary packaging is a rendering of the front of the product, while the back is a rendering of the back of the product. Through the packaging, you can see the shape of the light and distinguish the front and back of the box to prevent the product from falling when it is opened face down.

After opening the package and taking out the main body, you can see that this lighting set is complete with accessories. In addition to the main lighting body, there are also storage bags, USB-C charging cables, and magnetic light control accessories.

Design

In terms of design, The Zhiyun FIVERAY M20 series lights boasts a classic pocket light design, characterized by its boxy shape that exudes charm and practicality. Its compact form makes it effortlessly portable, ideal for on-the-go usage. Within the light body panel, the lamp beads are meticulously arranged to ensure uniform illumination, allowing for a consistent glow.

Notably, the M20 and M20C models bear striking similarities in appearance, with both featuring casings crafted from transparent plastic. While their fuselage colors and certain design elements may differ slightly, their overall aesthetic remains sleek and cohesive. This M20 series light body is very small, with measurements of only 78 x 78 x 35.75mm, and a weight of only about 200g. It is similar in size to a traditional pocket light.

The Lights showcases a blend of innovative engineering and aesthetic design. Through the fuselage shell, one can observe the custom-made radiator and variable-frequency FOC fan, both integral components of Zhiyun’s patented cooling technology. Despite the protruding battery disrupting the sleek aesthetic, Zhiyun opted for an industrial approach.

They transparently display the internal battery, incorporating it seamlessly with a special clamp that serves multiple functions. This design integrates magnetic accessories, fixed lamps, and extended cold shoes, harmonizing beauty with practicality in a single, cohesive unit.

The latest iteration of the Zhiyun FIVERAY M20 series introduces a significant upgrade with the integration of an LCD screen alongside the traditional double-knob design. Positioned strategically, the screen offers enhanced functionality, allowing users to manipulate various parameters with ease.

Through intuitive controls situated on the left side, users can power the screen on/off, navigate through menus, and select desired options. Meanwhile, on the right side, buttons enable swift adjustments to menu tab parameters. This innovative addition empowers photographers to exert precise control over crucial aspects such as output brightness, color temperature, and lighting mode in real time. By leveraging this dynamic interface, users can efficiently manage their workflow, utilizing actionable data to swiftly adapt and optimize their lighting setups for superior results.

The rear panel of the light features oblique heat dissipation holes, providing efficient cooling for the device. These holes offer a glimpse of the orange cooling fan, which activates automatically when temperatures rise. Positioned at the upper left and upper right corners are two knobs. The left knob serves multiple functions, including power management, mode selection, and more. Meanwhile, the right knob offers control over brightness, color temperature, and HSI value adjustment, exclusive to the RGB version of the Zhiyun FIVERAY M20 series.

The Zhiyun FIVERAY M20 series lights offer the convenience of being used while charging, supporting full power and continuous operation within the PD protocol charging environment, making them ideal for long-term live broadcasts. However, a notable drawback is the placement of the charging interface at the top when mounted on a light stand via the bottom 1/4 screw hole. This configuration risks bending and potentially damaging the charging cable during repeated use. Placing the interface at the bottom or side would mitigate this issue.

The Zhiyun FIVERAY M20 Series boasts remarkable expandability, featuring a specially customized expansion bracket as a standard inclusion. This bracket, easily installed through buckles, offers versatility by magnetically securing onto metal surfaces at varying angles. Moreover, its array of expansion interfaces facilitates seamless integration with other devices.

Notably, the expansion bracket’s front hosts four magnetic contacts, ideal for attaching light control accessories like light panels, soft light sheets, and honeycomb sheets simultaneously. This versatility proves invaluable in scenarios such as business portraits or Vlog shooting, where fill light is essential. By diffusing light across the subject’s face, it softens harsh shadows, preserves the skin’s natural radiance, and enriches the overall visual depth.

After looking at the main body of the light, let’s take a look at the accessories. Even though the product is consumer-grade, the light control accessories provided by Zhiyun are professional-grade. The first is the magnetic soft light sheet, which is often not used when shooting portraits. If you need too hard light, a soft light sheet that can be directly magnetically attached is easier.

The second is the honeycomb, which can be used with a diffuser to concentrate the soft light on a certain area. Finally, there is the matte box, which can control the angle of the light through the four leaves.

Features

The Zhiyun FIVERAY M20 offers an enticing combination of affordability and professional-grade features. With a versatile color temperature range spanning from 2700K to 6500K, it caters to the nuanced demands of professional photography. Boasting a peak brightness of 2010Lux at a 0.5m distance, it ensures optimal illumination in various shooting conditions. Notably, its impressive color rendering index (CRI) of ≥95 and TV lighting consistency index (TLCI) of ≥97 rival that of high-end professional lamps, guaranteeing exceptional color accuracy and consistency.

The Zhiyun FIVERAY M20C, an advanced version of the M20 model, boasts an expanded color temperature range from 2500K to 10000K, surpassing the typical center point of white balance at 6000K to 6500K. With its capability to handle temperatures above 6500K, the M20C excels in capturing cold scenes without succumbing to the influence of chilly hues. This versatility minimizes post-production challenges arising from stark contrasts between scene lighting and shooting environments. Moreover, it empowers creators with greater flexibility in crafting stylized visual narratives.

In terms of warm colors, Zhiyun FIVERAY M20C can achieve up to 2500K warm light, and its excellent color temperature range and color rendering performance can fully benchmark professional-grade products.

At the same time, the design of the always-on light can, on the one hand, help photographers observe the lighting effect more intuitively, and on the other hand, it can also provide convenient fill-in light effects for videographers when shooting videos. During the entire test process, we found that the Zhiyun FIVERAY M20C’s five-fold illumination brightness always remained stable, without flickering on and off, and the overall performance was stable.

Zhiyun FIVERAY M20C supports creative lighting effects and customizable RGB color lighting effects. Through the preset program in the machine, it can provide users with customized light flashing patterns, especially the effect changes brought about by light effect speed, color temperature, brightness and other parameters. Photographers and lighting engineers can use this fill light to easily create Shooting atmosphere.

Experience and Performance

Illuminance test

The fundamental function of a light is its brightness, serving as the primary criterion for evaluation. The Zhiyun FIVERAY M20 Series lights exemplify this with a peak power of 20W. In our assessment, focusing on the M20 model, we measured brightness at 2700K, 5600K, and 6500K color temperatures, positioned at a distance of 0.5m, utilizing a light meter to provide precise brightness readings.

The M20 demonstrates consistent illumination levels across various color temperatures, registering 1304lux, 2000lux, and 2060lux respectively. Notably, exceeding 2000lux ensures ample brightness for versatile applications, be it as a supplementary surface light for portrait photography or a reliable modeling light for still-life captures. Similarly, the M20C exhibits comparable brightness values across the tested color temperatures, affirming its reliability and suitability for diverse photography needs.

Heat Dissipation

Zhiyun’s debut lighting product prioritizes stability in long-term usage, recognizing the pivotal role of heat dissipation in achieving this. Leveraging principles of fluid mechanics, their electronic feedback system ensures efficient heat dissipation. This high-pressure system not only enhances performance but also enables compact lights to deliver powerful illumination and intricate shadow play.

Observing the temperature readings across three distinct areas, it’s evident that the Zhiyun FIVERAY M20 Series lights maintain relatively low operational temperatures. Even the light-emitting panel registers at a mere 40 degrees, comparable to the temperature of the battery shell. Such mild temperatures are unlikely to cause burns, yet caution is advised, especially in hot weather, as prolonged contact may lead to low-temperature burns.

Mobile APP

The functionality of the Zhiyun FIVERAY M20C lamp extends beyond its physical knobs, as users can also leverage the RGB version’s mobile app for seamless control. With the ZY Vega app downloaded, adjusting color temperature, brightness, and RGB settings becomes effortlessly accessible through a straightforward and intuitive interface. Whether through the physical knobs or the mobile app, users have versatile options to tailor their lighting experience to their preferences with ease.

Battery

Pocket lights are prized for their lightweight and portability, though the battery typically contributes the most to their weight and bulk. For testing purposes, we selected the Zhiyun FIVERAY M20C. Once fully charged, we meticulously measured its battery life at peak brightness using a stopwatch. The battery depleted after a commendable 27 minutes, as indicated by the appearance of a battery loss sign on the light body screen before it automatically shut off. Despite this, the M20C boasts a satisfactory performance given its 20W output power. Yet, a drawback lies in its simplistic power display, lacking precise minute breakdowns. We advocate for enhanced display features in future iterations to better gauge usage durations.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Zhiyun FIVERAY M20 Series represents a leap forward in portable lighting technology, seamlessly blending innovation with practicality to meet the diverse needs of photographers and videographers alike. With its compact design, powerful performance, and intuitive controls, these lights redefine versatility in on-the-go lighting setups. Whether illuminating professional studios, capturing outdoor scenes, or enhancing creative projects, the M20 series proves to be an invaluable asset, empowering users with precise control over brightness, color temperature, and lighting effects.

Moreover, Zhiyun’s commitment to excellence shines through in the meticulous attention to detail evident in every aspect of the M20 series’ design. From its sleek aesthetic to its advanced cooling technology, each element contributes to a seamless user experience. Despite minor drawbacks such as the placement of the charging interface and simplistic battery display, the overall performance and expandability of the M20 series make it a standout choice in the realm of portable lighting solutions. As Zhiyun continues to push the boundaries of innovation, the FIVERAY M20 series stands as a testament to their dedication to providing cutting-edge tools for creative expression.