Zhiyun M60Ultra 60W RGB LED Light - Lab Test & Measurements

Zhiyun M60Ultra - Technical Analysis

The M60Ultra is a compact 60-watt RGB light from Zhiyun with white light from 2,700K to 10,000K as well as full-colour RGB operation. Measurements were taken at a distance of 1 m without modifiers, across a total of 33 individual measurements (linear mode).

Score	Value
Total	90.3
Colour	80.1
Power	78.9
Usability	67.2
RGB	135.0

🔍 Key Measurements (White Light, 100%, 1 m)

Parameter	2700K	3200K	5500K	6500K	10,000K
Brightness (Lux)	4,521	5,447	5,958	5,950	4,712
CRI (Ra)	97.0	96.6	94.8	94.7	95.3
R9 (Red Rendering)	98.0	96.0	86.0	84.0	89.0
TM-30 Rf/Rg	–	95.0/104.0	94.0/105.0	93.0/104.0	–
SSI	–	82.0	74.0	71.0	–
CCT Deviation (MK-1)	11.30	11.30	4.04	3.02	7.21
DUV (Green Tint)	+0.00040	-0.00416	-0.00356	-0.00390	-0.00418

---

🔎 Performance Analysis

💡 Light Output

For a 60-watt light, the M60Ultra delivers an above-average light output. Unmodified, it reaches up to 5,958 lux at 5500K and 5,950 lux at 6500K at a distance of 1 m. For comparison, the Godox VL150 with 150 W reaches around 5,049 lux at 5600K. The M60Ultra therefore achieves a higher value while drawing less than half the power. That points to an efficient light engine.

The dimming behaviour is nearly linear across all CCTs. At 10% power, the values sit consistently between 11 and 11.5% of maximum brightness, for example 520 out of 4,521 lux at 2700K or 647 out of 5,950 lux at 6500K. That is a clear advantage for precise, reproducible exposure control.

Brightness distribution across the CCTs is also fairly balanced. 5500K and 6500K sit almost level at 5,958 and 5,950 lux respectively, while the extremes at 2700K with 4,521 lux and 10,000K with 4,712 lux come in roughly 20% lower. Such a drop-off is typical for bi-colour and full-colour light engines, but it stays moderate here.

This high efficiency can be explained by the built-in lens system. As a compact panel light, the M60Ultra focuses its output optically rather than relying purely on raw LED power. For small panel form factors, this approach extracts noticeably more usable light per watt than a simple COB-and-reflector combination.

Standout Features:

• ✅ High efficiency: Up to 5,958 lux at just 60 W, thanks to a sophisticated lens system
• ✅ Clean, linear dimming: ~11% light output at 10% power across all CCTs

🔬 Optics: Lens System & Colour Consistency Across the Field

The downside of the focusing lens system shows up outside the focus area. Without a diffuser attached, a slight green tint appears at the very outer edges of the beam. Within the actual usable area, this plays no role. At the edges, however, it is worth keeping in mind, for example when the beam is deliberately used wider or cropped into frame.

A G/M correction is available. Even so, the neutral default setting is not entirely free of green. Slightly more magenta correction tends to be needed here than one would expect from a true zero point.

Standout Features:

• ✅ Efficient lens system explains the high light output despite the compact form factor
• ⚠️ Green tint at the very outer edges outside the focus area without a diffuser
• ⚠️ G/M neutral point already slightly green-leaning: a G/M shift is available, but correction is usually needed

🎨 Colour Rendering (White Light)

Colour accuracy is very good across the entire range. CRI (Ra) stays consistently between 94.7 and 97.0. The light is strongest at the warm end with Ra 97.0 and R9 98.0 at 2700K, and at 10,000K with Ra 95.3 and R9 89.0. It shows excellent values at both ends of the spectrum.

In the middle of the range, at 5500K and 6500K, R9 drops to 86.0 and 84.0 respectively. That is still a good, practically usable value for skin tones, but noticeably lower than at the edges of the CCT range. This pattern does not appear on every light, but it stays unproblematic here since all values remain above 80.

TM-30 Rf moves between 93 and 95, and TM-30 Rg between 104 and 105. Rg values above 100 indicate slight oversaturation. Colours therefore tend to appear a bit more vivid and lively than the reference, which is usually perceived as pleasant in practice.

The SSI, the Spectral Similarity Index, falls from 82 at 3200K to 74 at 5500K and 71 at 6500K. The values are good for tungsten light and drop noticeably towards daylight. This is not a specific shortcoming of the M60Ultra but a fundamental limitation of conventional RGB and bi-colour light engines with only a few colour channels. Lights with more sophisticated multi-channel or spectral engines, such as Blair, Nebula C8 or PalletteLab, achieve higher SSI values here. The M60Ultra therefore performs within the range typical for its device class rather than at the level of specialised spectral engines.

Standout Features:

• ✅ Very good colour rendering across the entire range: Ra 94.7–97.0
• ✅ Excellent extreme values: R9 98.0 at 2700K, R9 89.0 at 10,000K
• ⚠️ R9 drop in the mid-range: 84–86 at 5500K/6500K, still good but not at the level of the edges
• ⚠️ SSI decreasing towards daylight: 71–74, typical for conventional RGB/bi-colour engines without spectral channels, unlike, for example, Blair, Nebula C8 or PalletteLab

🌡️ CCT Accuracy

The deviation in Mired (MK-1) is more meaningful than the raw Kelvin difference, since the Kelvin scale is not linear:

Target CCT	Measured	Deviation	MK-1	Duv
2700 K	2,785 K	+85 K	11.30	+0.00040
3200 K	3,320 K	+120 K	11.30	-0.00416
5500 K	5,625 K	+125 K	4.04	-0.00356
6500 K	6,630 K	+130 K	3.02	-0.00390
10,000 K	10,777 K	+777 K	7.21	-0.00418

This is a very clean result across the entire range. At 5500K and 6500K, the deviation of 4.04 and 3.02 MK-1 respectively sits well under the threshold of around 10 MK-1 at which a shift becomes perceptible. Even at the upper end at 10,000K, the deviation remains a comfortable 7.21 MK-1. That is not a given, since many lights spread apart significantly at very high CCT values. At the warmest points, 2700K and 3200K, the deviation of 11.30 MK-1 sits just above this threshold, but it remains small.

The Duv values are consistently low, ranging from -0.0042 to +0.0004, and show no pronounced green or magenta tint. 2700K in particular, at +0.00040, sits practically exactly on the Planckian locus.

Standout Features:

• ✅ Very good CCT accuracy at 5500K/6500K: 4.04 / 3.02 MK-1
• ✅ Controlled deviation even at 10,000K: 7.21 MK-1, instead of the significant outliers common on other lights
• ✅ Neutral Duv across the entire range: no visible colour cast

---

🌈 RGB Analysis

Colour	Hue Target	Hue Measured	Lux @ 1 m (100%)	Purity	Dominant Wavelength
Red	0°	0.0°	684	99.4%	622 nm
Yellow	60°	70.6°	1,660	76.2%	564 nm
Green	120°	126.1°	1,150	75.5%	522 nm
Cyan	180°	177.9°	1,273	62.0%	492 nm
Blue	240°	247.7°	347	97.6%	461 nm
Magenta	300°	308.1°	780	50.6%	547 nm*

*Magenta is a non-spectral purple hue; the wavelength given refers to its complementary dominant.

With an RGB score of 135.0, the M60Ultra sits clearly above many previously tested RGB lights in this evaluation category. This shows up above all in the primary colours. Red and blue reach a very high spectral purity of 99.4% and 97.6% respectively. For red, with R 99.0, G 0.8 and B 0.2, practically only one LED channel is active, and blue looks similar with R 0.6, G 3.1 and B 96.3. This produces very clean, strong tones.

For mixed colours, purity is naturally lower since several channels are driven at once (cyan: G 60.5/B 38.8; magenta: R 55.9/B 42.5). That is technically normal for a 3-channel RGB system and not specific to the M60Ultra.

More noticeable is the hue shift for yellow. The target value is 60°, but 70.6° was measured, a deviation of 10.6° and the largest in the test field. Magenta at +8.1° and blue at +7.7° also deviate noticeably, while red at 0.0° and cyan at -2.1° are hit very precisely. A pure yellow tone is difficult to produce exactly with a 3-channel RGB chip that has no dedicated amber or lime channel. This shift appears in a similar form on practically all comparable RGB lights.

In terms of brightness, yellow (1,660 lux) and cyan (1,273 lux) appear photometrically brightest, while red (684 lux) and blue (347 lux) appear noticeably darker. This comes down to spectral eye sensitivity, since lux is weighted towards green, and not to an actually lower optical output from the red or blue channels.

Standout Features:

• ✅ Very high purity for primary colours: red 99.4%, blue 97.6%
• ✅ Strong overall RGB score: 135.0
• ⚠️ Hue shift for mixed colours, strongest at yellow: +10.6°
• ⚠️ Lower purity for mixed colours: cyan 62.0%, magenta 50.6%, a systemic effect

---

🔋 Accessories, Power Supply & Fan

Accessories: A grid and diffuser are included, well made, and attach magnetically. That allows a quick, tool-free change of light shapers directly on the head. That is a clear advantage over systems where accessories first need to be screwed or clicked into place.

Power supply: Continuous operation via USB-C is possible, so the light can be run permanently from mains power. Pure battery runtime, however, is on the short side. That is worth planning for on longer, mobile jobs without an external power source.

Fan: The fan is noticeably quiet in operation. That is an important practical factor for a light clearly designed for on-camera use or positions close to microphones and people. An audible fan right next to the mic or in frame is a much bigger problem for exactly these applications than it would be in a large studio setup.

Standout Features:

• ✅ Magnetic accessories: tool-free swapping of grid and diffuser
• ✅ Continuous operation via USB-C for stationary setups
• ✅ Very quiet fan, important for on-camera and near-field use
• ⚠️ Short battery runtime in pure battery operation

---

✅ Strengths

1. Efficient light output thanks to the lens system → Up to 5,958 lux at just 60 W, more output per watt than significantly more powerful COB lights, thanks to focusing optics for the compact panel form factor
2. Very good CCT accuracy → MK-1 3.02–11.30 across the entire range, including stable behaviour at 10,000K
3. Strong colour rendering → Ra up to 97.0, TM-30 Rf 93–95, Rg 104–105
4. Punchy, clean RGB → Purity up to 99.4% for primary colours, RGB score 135.0
5. Well thought-out accessory system → Magnetic grid and diffuser, tool-free swapping
6. Very quiet fan → Ideal for on-camera and near-field use close to microphones and people
7. Continuous operation via USB-C

⚠️ Weaknesses

1. R9 drop in the mid CCT range → 84–86 at 5500K/6500K, well usable but below the level of the edges (89–98)
2. SSI decreasing towards daylight → 71–74 at 5500K/6500K, a shortcoming of conventional RGB/bi-colour engines, not of spectral engines such as Blair, Nebula C8 or PalletteLab
3. Hue shift for RGB mixed colours → Most notably yellow (+10.6°), a systemic effect of 3-channel RGB
4. Green tint at the edges without a diffuser, G/M neutral point slightly green-leaning → Only relevant outside the focus area, correctable via G/M shift, but needed out of the box
5. Short battery runtime → Continuous operation practically relies on USB-C

📉 Practical Applications

Ideal for: → On-camera and near-field use: very quiet fan, compact size → Interviews and content creation: high efficiency, good colour rendering at 2700K and in the daylight range → Creative RGB applications: punchy primary colours, high RGB score → Stationary setups with a continuous power source: continuous operation via USB-C

Use with caution: → Colour-critical applications at 5500K/6500K: R9 and SSI sit below the level of the edges there → Long mobile jobs without a power source: limited battery runtime → Precise yellow/secondary hues: noticeable hue shift for mixed colours

📌 Conclusion

The Zhiyun M60Ultra is, by the numbers, a very efficient 60-watt RGB light. Its light output is significantly higher than its power draw would suggest, which can be explained by the focusing lens system of this compact panel light. CCT accuracy is unusually clean across the entire white-light range, including the extreme values, and colour rendering stays consistently high. In RGB mode, it delivers punchy, highly pure primary colours and a strong overall RGB score. Mixed colours, yellow above all, show the hue shift typical of 3-channel systems. The lower SSI towards daylight is not an individual shortcoming but the limitation of conventional RGB/bi-colour light engines compared with specialised spectral engines such as Blair, Nebula C8 or PalletteLab. Only outside the focus area, without a diffuser, does a slight green tint appear. The G/M correction can counteract this, but even the neutral setting is not entirely free of green out of the box.

The accessory concept is also convincing in practice. The magnetic, well-made grid and diffuser allow quick changes, and the noticeably quiet fan makes the light an obvious choice for on-camera use or positions close to microphones and people, where an audible fan would otherwise quickly become a problem. The only limitation is battery runtime in pure battery operation. For long, mains-independent jobs, continuous operation via USB-C is the more reliable option.

Data Overview

📥 PDF herunterladen

TM-30-18

TM-30 Multi Report

TM-30 Comparison

Multiple Measurements in Direct Comparison

Report selection by CCT

All loaded reports are sorted by CCT automatically. The slider snaps to the nearest report.

–

Color Vector Graphic

Reference and test as closed 16-bin curves.

Click a CES cell to view vector and detail values.

Normalized Spectral Power Distribution

TM-30 Dashboard

Local shifts and radial visualization as in the standard report.

Local Chroma Shift (Rcs,hj)

Local Hue Shift (Rhs,hj)

Local Color Fidelity (Rf,hj)

Click one of the three local titles to see a short explanation of meaning and visual impact.

Color Sample Fidelity (Rf,CESi)

Direct overview of all 99 CES samples with fidelity values.

Measure Comparisons

Additional comparison view analogous to the TM-30 reference representation.

Color Evaluation Samples

Highlighted skin-tone areas provide practical orientation for portrait colors. Click to zoom.

Click a CES cell to view the comparison in the popup.

Related Articles

Disclaimer

This product was provided to us by Zhiyun for testing and we were allowed to keep it after completing the review. This review reflects our independent, unbiased opinion. We did not receive any monetary compensation or other benefits for this publication. All measurements were performed in our own lab and are reproducible. The results are based on the measured data and our analysis.

Copyright © of product image in the title image are the ones of the respective manufacturers. All rights reserved.