Last updated on January 23rd, 2024 at 02:31 am
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If you create videos and find your lighting side of things wanting, you may want to consider getting yourself a ring light.
Whether you’re shooting selfies, talking head videos, or product demonstrations, the versatile ring light can provide you with even, well-lit videos.
That is why more and more video creators are choosing ring lights (initially used for medical and dental purposes) over softboxes, umbrella lights, and LED panel lights.
Advantages of Ring Lights
Ring lights suit beginners. They are easy to set up and work from the POV of your camera. All you have to do is fit in your camera, camcorder, or smartphone between the hole of a ring light.
They also take up much less space compared to other bulky lighting equipment.
Illumination from a ring light washes over a subject evenly, producing a shadowless lighting effect. Even with the camera very close to the subject, you get sufficient lighting.
In other words, a ring light creates a halo shadow, which picks out the subject of the video. Foreground details are emphasized instead of those of the background.
It perfectly lights up a subject’s face and eyes.
The result is it sets the right mood and tone of your videos, giving them a pro look and making them stand out among that of their competitors with the potential of gaining more eyeballs.
Types of Ring Lights
There are two types of ring lights – fluorescent and LED.
Fluorescent Ring Lights vs LED Ring Lights
Fluorescent ring lights get hot fast, especially when used for long hours. Sometimes you may have to put up with a humming sound and flickering.
With a fluorescent ring light, you would need an AC power supply to get it working. That means you’ll be limited to indoor use.
LED ring lights are more power-efficient and environment-friendly. They’re also less fragile than fluorescent tubes which can break easily and release mercury.
If you plan on using lighting on the go, an LED ring light would be appropriate. They can be used with batteries and also through an AC supply with a DC power adapter.
Also, LED lights would suit you if you need a variable color temperature control. LED lights come with better color options.
LED ring lights also last much longer than their recent counterpart.
What to Consider When Choosing a Ring Light
Here are among the areas you would want to pay attention to when making a ring light purchasing decision.
Size
Ring lights come in various sizes (measured by their diameters) – the larger the ring light, the better the lighting results you can expect.
Standard sizes range from 12,14, and 18 inches.
A 12-inch ring light will suit you if you’re going for tight headshots. An 18-inch light would allow you a more flexible use.
Dimmer
A dimmer will be useful if you’ll be working with different brightness and color temperature levels. If you can’t get a ring light with a dimmer, you would have to physically adjust the distance between your light and subject to get the correct brightness level.
Color Rendering Index (CRI)
The higher the CRI, the more vivid and natural colors you’ll get. Go for a CRI value of at least 90 + or, better still, 95+.
Movement Flexibility
If you don’t foresee using your ring light in a fixed position, you would want to go for a flexible neck or ring head which allows you to adjust the light 90 degrees forward or backward.
This will be useful for bouncing light off the ceiling or for shooting flat-down subjects.
If your ring light set doesn’t come with a flexible head, you can always buy an add-on adapter.
Remote Control
If you would be using your smartphone for video shoots, make sure you get a ring light with a remote. Units usually come with a Bluetooth-enabled remote control which should work with iOS phones and most Android smartphones.
Top Choices for Video Ring Lights
There is a wide range of ring lights for you to consider. Here are the top bestselling video ring lights for you to choose from.
Sensyne Bi-Color 10-Inch LED Ring Light
This ring light comes with cool white, warm yellow, and daylight color modes. You also get 10 brightness levels for different shooting needs.
It works on an AC power supply and promises over 50% more brightness than USB-powered models.
A spring-loaded phone holder extends up to 3.6 inches wide. It should handle any smartphone without a problem.
The tripod can be extended from 15.7 inches to 50 inches.
A pocket-sized Bluetooth remote comes useful for selfies and group photos. The remote works at a distance of up to 30 feet. It works with most Android and Apple phones without the need for app installation.
This ring light comes with a 12-month warranty.
Check out the Sensyne Bi-Color 10-Inch LED Ring Light.
UBeesize 8-Inch Ring Light
If you would like to get a ring light for video streaming or makeup, then this mini LED ring light would interest you.
This is a USB-powered ring light. You can get it to work through a computer, power bank, USB charging port, and AC adapter.
The cool white, warm light, and daylight color modes have 11 brightness levels each. The dimming range is from 1% to 100%.
The ring light also comes with a Bluetooth remote which can operate from a distance of up to 10 meters.
Ideal for all kinds of personal video production from vlogging to Facebook Live and the creation of YouTube videos.
Parts come with a 3-year replacement service.
Check out the UBeesize 8-Inch Ring Light .
Cyezcor Video Conferencing Ring Light Kit
You can this ring light over your laptop computer for live streaming, video conferencing and distance learning, among others.
The three modes of lighting have color temperatures ranging from 3200k to 68000k.
There are five levels of brightness you can play with.
This USB-powered light comes with a clip set that you can clamp to the edge of your computer screen.
Like most USB-powered ring lights you can use it with any USB port which provides power (laptop, power bank, and AC adapter).
Check out the Cyezcor Video Conferencing Ring Light Kit.
More Ring Light Ideas
If you have other ring light needs do check out Best Ring Lights for Video.
