Godox TL60 RGB LED Tube light- Lab Review

Godox TL60 – Technical Analysis

The Godox TL60 is an 18 W RGB tube light. The measurements cover white light from 2700K to 6500K at a distance of 1 m without modifiers, across a total of 9 individual measurements. RGB mode was not part of this measurement series, so there is no RGB score.

Scores and lab report based on the current version of our evaluation (October 2026). As there is no reflector for this tube, the power score is based on the bare output.

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

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🔎 Performance Analysis

💡 Light Output

As an 18 W tube, the TL60 is clearly an accent and effect light: at a distance of 1 m, it delivers 402 to 451 lux (EV 7.3 to 7.5). In return, output is very even across colour temperatures. The difference between the darkest setting (2700K) and the brightest (6500K) is only about 11%, which makes it easy to combine several tubes at different CCTs.

The dimming curve is linear in the upper range, but lifted at the bottom end:

At 10%, the TL60 still delivers around 14 to 15% of its maximum output, so the lowest settings are somewhat brighter than the display suggests. The colour temperature, on the other hand, stays very stable across the dimming range (under 1.5 MK-1).

Standout Features:

• ✅ Very even output across CCTs: 402 to 451 lux, about 11% spread
• ✅ Colour-stable dimming: under 1.5 MK-1 between 10% and 100%
• ⚠️ Low end lifted: 10% power ≈ 14–15% light
• ⚠️ Low absolute output: accent light, not a key light

🎨 Colour Rendering (White Light)

With a colour score of 85.9, the TL60 is one of the best performers in this discipline in our database. CRI (Ra) ranges from 94.2 at 3200K to 97.9 at 6500K. R9 is particularly high at the outer settings (98 at 2700K, 97 at 6500K), but drops to 86 and 85 at 3200K and 5500K. At 3200K, R9 falls to 83 at 10% and 50%. TLCI (for information) reaches 97 to 99.

TM-30 Rf increases from 92 at 2700K to 96 at 5500K and 6500K. Rg ranges from 98 to 104, so the TL60 renders colours from slightly muted (2700K) to slightly saturated (5500K).

The SSI is 88 at 2700K and 84 at 3200K, and drops to 74 at 5500K and 70 at 6500K. For a tube light, those are good values.

Standout Features:

• ✅ High colour score: 85.9
• ✅ Very high R9 at 2700K and 6500K: 98 and 97
• ✅ High TM-30 fidelity in daylight: Rf 96 at 5500K and 6500K
• ⚠️ R9 dip at 3200K and 5500K: 86 and 85

🧪 TM-30 in Detail

TM-30 divides colours into 16 hue bins. The local chroma shift (Rcs) shows whether a hue is rendered more or less saturated than under the reference light, the local fidelity (Rf,h) how accurately it is rendered overall. Shifts of a few percent are barely visible; from around 10%, the affected hues look noticeably more intense or duller.

The detailed analysis reveals an interesting contrast. 2700K has the highest SSI and R9 of all settings, but the weakest TM-30 result: yellow-orange and yellow are rendered about 7% less saturated, yellow-green and green follow with -4%, and local fidelity drops to 87 in yellow-orange. 25 of the 99 colour samples fall below Rf 90. Warm golden tones such as wood, brass or warm interiors therefore look slightly duller than in reality.

From 3200K upwards, the TL60 is remarkably clean. At 3200K, all hue bins stay within ±4%, and local fidelity sits between 92 and 97. In daylight, purple (5500K, +8%) and violet (6500K, +10%) are emphasised, but fidelity in the cyan-blue range stays at 91 to 93, which is better than usual for phosphor LEDs. Only 7 to 8 colour samples fall below Rf 90 at these settings.

Skin tones in the orange-red and orange bins (2 and 3) reach Rf,h 93 to 99 at every colour temperature, with saturation shifts of at most ±2%.

The spectrum peaks at 635–636 nm in the warm settings and at 446–447 nm (blue pump) in the daylight settings.

Standout Features:

• ✅ Very clean daylight: only 7–8 of 99 samples below Rf 90, cyan-blue Rf,h 91–93
• ✅ Skin tones stable: bins 2/3 at Rf,h 93–99
• ⚠️ 2700K mutes warm yellows: -7% in bins 4/5, 25 samples below Rf 90

🌡️ CCT Accuracy

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

The TL60 hits its colour temperatures very precisely. At 2700K and 3200K, the deviation is below 1 MK-1, and even at 6500K it stays at 5.35 MK-1, well below the threshold of around 10 MK-1 at which a shift becomes perceptible. The daylight settings are slightly cooler than set.

The tint varies more than the CCT: at 3200K, Duv of -0.0036 means a slight magenta tendency (-0.0045 at 10%), and at 6500K, +0.0043 means a slight green tendency. Both are small, but can show up on neutral, white backgrounds when tubes are combined with other lights.

Standout Features:

• ✅ Practically perfect at 2700K and 3200K: 0.14 and 0.78 MK-1
• ✅ Daylight also precise: 4.45 and 5.35 MK-1
• ⚠️ Slight tint at 3200K and 6500K: Duv -0.0036 (magenta) and +0.0043 (green)

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✅ Strengths

1. Excellent CCT accuracy → Under 1 MK-1 at 2700K and 3200K, maximum 5.35 MK-1
2. High colour score → 85.9, Ra up to 97.9, R9 up to 98
3. Clean daylight rendering → TM-30 Rf 96 at 5500K and 6500K, only 7–8 of 99 samples below Rf 90
4. Very even output across CCTs → 402 to 451 lux, ideal for multi-tube setups
5. Colour-stable dimming → Under 1.5 MK-1 between 10% and 100%

⚠️ Weaknesses

1. Low output → 402 to 451 lux at 1 m, an accent light rather than a key light
2. Lifted low end → 10% power ≈ 14–15% light
3. R9 dip at 3200K and 5500K → 86 and 85, 83 at 3200K and low dimming levels
4. Warm yellows muted at 2700K → -7% saturation in yellow-orange and yellow, TM-30 Rf 92
5. Slight tint at 3200K and 6500K → Duv -0.0036 and +0.0043

📉 Practical Applications

Ideal for: → Accent and background lighting: even output across all CCTs → Multi-tube setups: precise CCTs and only about 11% output spread → Interviews and product shots as fill or edge light: high colour fidelity, stable skin tones → Daylight scenes: the cleanest TM-30 results of this light

Use with caution: → Key light in larger setups: output too low → Very low brightness levels: the bottom end of the dimming curve is lifted → Warm, golden looks at 2700K: yellows lose some saturation → Neutral white backgrounds at 3200K and 6500K: slight tint

📌 Conclusion

The Godox TL60 is a small but very precise tube light. It hits its colour temperatures almost perfectly, delivers even output across all CCTs and achieves one of the highest colour scores in our database with 85.9.

The detailed analysis shows that its daylight settings are particularly clean, while 2700K mutes warm yellows despite the highest SSI and R9. Output is limited by the 18 W class, and the bottom end of the dimming curve is lifted. As an accent, background or edge light with precise colour, the TL60 is a very good choice; as a main light, it is too weak.

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.

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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.

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