The ZHIYUN FIVERAY M20C ($159) is the “bigger brother” of the Fiveray M20 ($129), but it’s not actually bigger. It’s just better. With an extended temperature range, wireless controls, mesh lighting features, and full RGB control, the M20C promises much more than the original M20 without taking up any extra space in your bag.

The Zhiyun Fiveray M20C

As I stated earlier, the Fiveray M20C is the same size as the original M20, but while the M20 is a bicolor light, the M20C has full RGB capabilities. Besides full RGB control, the M20C has a few other tricks up its sleeve. Firstly, the temperature range of the M20C is 2500-10,000K, while the original M20 is only 2700-6500K. Secondly, the M20C also features mesh networking and app control, which I will cover later in this review. If you are looking for something to compare it with, the Aperture MC Pro and the Godox KOWLED C5R sit in the same mini LED panel category, but it is more powerful and definitely more stylish.

The Zhiyun Fiveray M20C is loaded with accessories

The Zhiyun Fiveray M20C kit includes a few attachable accessories. A small honeycomb grid, a diffuser, and a four-leaf barn door attachment. All of these accessories are magnetic and compact. Even the barn doors are easy to throw in your camera bag as they fold nicely (since I am already mentioning bags, check out our best camera bags guide).

To use the magnetic accessories, you need to use an extension bracket that comes with the M20C combo. It provides magnetic mounts for the accessories, cold shoe mount support, and a 1/4″ mount. There is no way to mount the M20C without the extension bracket. This makes it extremely useful but also mandatory, as you don’t have any on the M20C itself. So, when you are looking at the specs, take into consideration that, in practice, the light is a bit bigger.

To attach the extension bracket, you slide the M20C inside and lock it from behind. Actually, you don’t have a reason to ever take the bracket off. There is a small fabric bag, and when you are done using the light, just use the bag for storage, along with the rest of the accessories.

Zhiyun Fiveray M20C light quality

I tested the Fiveray M20C with and without its accessories, which provide quite a lot of control over the light spread.

“Naked”, the M20C scored 95.7 CRI in testing, which fits Zhiyun’s claims of ≥94 CRI. Putting the diffuser on kills about 2/3 of a stop without any other noticeable change. Since Zhiyun already included a diffuser, I would much rather see a bigger version that can create a softer light. If Zhiyun even made multi light bracket for the M20C, then I can see those filters used as a way to make one smooth surface.

The honeycomb grid provides good control over light spills. Killing about 1.75 stops when you go off center. It’s what a grid is supposed to do, and it does it well.

The last accessory that Zhiyun provides is the barn doors, which can limit the spread of the light, depending on how you set them. The doors simply cut the light out where you need it to.

Here is a table with my raw measurements using a Skonic C700 light meter. All measurements are at 5600k, 100% brightness

Modifier	Placement	LUX	Temp
Fiveray M20C	Center beam	490 lux	5460k
Fiveray M20C	50cm off-center	320 lux	5440k
Fiveray M20C, with the diffuser on	Center beam	300 lux	5380k
Fiveray M20C, with the diffuser on	50cm off-center	200 lux	5470k
Fiveray M20C with the magnetic honeycomb grid on	Center beam	430 lux	5440k
Fiveray M20C with the magnetic honeycomb grid on	50cm off-center	130 lux	5460k
Fiveray M20C with the magnetic barn doors nearly closed	Center beam	470 lux	5500k
Fiveray M20C with the magnetic barn doors nearly closed	50cm off-center	63 lux	5000k

Light modes

The Fiveray M20C has multiple modes. Of course, you have the standard HSL and RGB that you would come to expect from an RGB LED light. But, in addition, you also have 16 modes of light effects (try not to get dizzy, please; just click the effect you want to see):

Stacking multiple Fiveray M20C units

The M20C is a small, 20-watt light. There is a way to make it bigger and more powerful (kinda). You can combine multiple M20Cs via the magnetic bracket to get a larger and more powerful unit. Kinda like the constractions making a devastator. This gives you a bigger (and softer) light, not to mention more light output. From there, you can create a light mesh network on the app and enjoy one big light source.

Fiveray M20C power options

The Fiveray M20C, runs on a 4500mAh internal battery. It has a charge time of two hours and will last 40 minutes on full power. The battery isn’t removable, but if you need longer runtimes, there is a USB-C port on the top of the M20C, which allows charging. You can use it to run the M20C off an external battery or even plug it into a wall charger. I am very happy to see that USB-C batteries are becoming a standard for video lights.

Twenty watts is not a massive heat generator, but in such a small body, you still need a way to cool it off. The M20C comes with a built-in fan system. The DynaVort Cooling System mark two. The fan system does its job well, keeping the M20C cool to the touch no matter how bright I set the light. This fan system isn’t silent, but it’s not that loud. If you’re stacking multiple units of the Fiveray M20C, you will want to keep a distance between them and your mic, as with each unit, the total amount of noise grows larger.

ZY Vega remote control app

Unlike the original M20, you can control the Zhiyun Fiveray M20C using the ZY Vega remote control app. The app lets you update the M20C, change light modes, dimness level, tint, temperature, and more. As I mentioned before, it even includes the option to set up a mesh lighting network via Bluetooth.

Zhiyun Fiveray M20C VS M20

Light	M20C	M20
Max power	20W	20W
Color temperature range	2500K-10000K	2700K-6500K
Peak Illuminance	1950 Lux	2010 Lux
RGB/HSI	YES	NO
Lighting Effects	16	10
Support for accessories	YES	YES
APP Control	YES	NO
Battery Runtime	40 mins	40 mins
Net Weight	200g	200g
Size(cm)	7.8*7.8*3.6 (W*D*H)	7.8*7.8*3.6 (W*D*H)
Operation Temperature	-10°～40°	-10°～40°

Conclusion

If you are looking for a tiny LED light, the Zhiyun Fiveray M20C is a great option. It boasts a lot of features for such a small package. If you’re looking for a tiny light that can be used on camera as a small fill light, the M20C will do the trick. If you need to light an entire scene, I suggest grabbing a couple of M20C’s and doing a mesh setup to get the best results.

The Zhiyun Fiveray M20C combo is available now for $159. It comes with foldable 4-leaf barn doors, a honeycomb grid, an extension bracket, a diffuser, and a bag. If you already have the accessories, you can get the M20C itself for $109. It’s a tad bit pricey for a pocket light, but as the M20C packs more features than most, it’s a fair price.