Best Video Lights In 2022

Continuous video lighting for vlogging and filmmaking

We choose the best video lights for all kinds of videography, from the run and gun vlogging to studio and location work

Guide:

The best video lights are among the best things to get to increase the production value of your video content. Natural light is a fickle beast, and it’s vital to be able to create a pleasing light for your subject no matter what discipline you’re working in. And that’s where video lights come in. You may have an image of expensive studio lamps on stands, but a video light can be something as simple as an LED panel that fixes to the hot-shoe of a camera.

Using light effectively will make a huge difference, no matter whether you’re shooting full-length features or straightforward TikToks. A good light allows you to balance exposure levels in a scene, retaining more detail in shadows and highlights. Also, once you get comfortable with your lights, you can start creating effects, using different colours to evoke different moods or even to simulate things like a flickering TV or the blue flashing light of an emergency vehicle. Lights can help you tell a story.

The fact that video lights are much cheaper than they used to be has democratised the skill, and more people than ever can start to learn the basics. So, in our guide to the best video lights, we’ve tried to select affordable but capable units that pretty much any videographer can make use of, whether you’re working with a DSLR setup or shooting on your iPhone.

We’ve picked lights at a range of price points, so there should be something here for every user. So let’s get started!

KNOWING HOW LIGHTING WILL AFFECT AN AUDIENCE ALLOWS VIDEO PRODUCERS TO CREATE A SPECIFIC TONE, AND ULTIMATELY, TELL STORIES MORE EFFECTIVELY.

Hard and soft light each create a specific feeling in viewers. Knowing how lighting will affect an audience allows video producers to create a specific tone, and ultimately, tell stories more effectively.

Power

Next, you’ll have to consider how the light will be powered: AC, battery or both? Someone who works primarily in a studio will have very different needs than a run-and-gun documentary crew. Along with power options, you’ll also want to know the lights draw and output. How much energy does the light use, and how much light does it produce? Output can be measured in terms of wattage (w), lumens, candela, lux or foot-candles (fc).

Lighting types

Finally, let’s look at the four main types of light used in video production. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, and some types are more affordable than others.

HMI

HMI lights use mercury vapor and metal halide to create a high output of light with decent energy efficiency. The light provided from HMI’s is very similar to that of natural sunlight (6000K), making them daylight balanced. These lights cost a lot up front but can save on power costs in the long run. On the downside, they require bulky ballasts and are not fully dimmable. You’re not likely to encounter one of these large, expensive lights unless you’re working on a professional film set. We don’t recommend HMI lighting for the average video producer.

Tungsten

Tungsten lights are like super-powerful versions of the old incandescent household light bulb. At 3200K, Tungsten is the standard color temperature for indoor lighting. Other color temperatures will require gels. Tungsten lights are lower-cost and have good color rendition. On the downside, they get hot, they require lots of power and the bulbs require sensitive care. Always handle tungsten lamps with gloves, even when cool, since oil from your fingers can cause the lamp to explode. For decades, Tungsten lighting dominated on set, but with new technology, fluorescent and now LED lighting is becoming more prevalent. This is thanks to relatively low power draws and cooler handling temperatures.

Fluorescents

Fluorescent lights use gas to create a glow, which is amplified by a layer of phosphor coating. These lights are very energy efficient and can have a range of color temperatures from 2700K to 6500K. Fluorescent lighting is compact and generates little heat. Regular-use fluorescent lighting can create problems with ‘flicker’ and color rendition, but fluorescent lighting made specifically for video doesn’t usually suffer from the same issues. Professional fluorescent lights have special ways to negate the flicker and poor color quality inherent in home-use fluorescents, but they are considerably more expensive.

LED

Light emitting diode (LED) units are energy efficient but are known to produce limited output. LEDs can provide variable light across the RGB spectrum and often feature bi-color functionality to allow easy switching between daylight and Tungsten color temperatures. They are a fast-growing part of the landscape and are increasingly being used in Fresnel light fixtures as well as panels. LEDs have an extremely long lifespan, allow for full dimming and are very rugged and safe units compared to the other bulbs. They can be more expensive, but prices are coming down every year as this technology becomes more widespread and economical.

Conclusion

Knowing your needs and how they fit into the current marketplace makes it easier to get the right tools. Becoming familiar with the range of lights available will help you choose the right tool for the jobs ahead.

6 Best Video Lights we recommand

1 – Viltrox L116T Pro Ultra-Thin 176 LED Dimmable Video Light

Viltrox being one of the finest Lights brands out there has plenty of useful accessories for both photographers as well as videographers.

Speaking of the L116T LED Video Light, we decided it should be placed at the 1st position on this list because of plenty of reasons. First of all, this Video Light is extremely rugged, yet weighs only 260grams, and its dimensions are 192x 128 x 25mm. That said, you won’t face any hassle carrying it for your outdoor shoots, and it won’t even occupy much space in your bag. It supports NP-F550/F750/F960 series Li-Polymer batteries, and can also be used with 12V/2A, DC005 General interface.

It’s a set of two LED video lights, so you can creatively try some good lighting combinations with them. On top of that, the LED lights can be set at two different colour temperatures, 3300K-5600K. Apart from that, the brightness of the LED lights can also be adjusted from 20%-100%, simply with the help of the adjustment knob. At the back, a small LCD panel is also given that shows you the information about light settings.

Best Features:

Adjustable Colour Temperature
20%-100% Brightness Adjustments
Comes with an NP-F550 battery

Pros:

Super lightweight
USB-C charging port
It has CRI above 95

Cons:

Charging Adapter not included in the package

Buy now from eBay

2 – Neewer 5600K LED Video Light

If you frequently check for camera equipment and lights, you must be aware of Neewer already since it’s one of the most affordable and reputed brands out there.

The overall size of the light panel is 5.51″x3.74″ inches, and consists of 66 high-quality SMD LED bulbs. The lights are USB powered and can be plugged into any 5V, 2A USB wall charger for continuous use. You can even power them using a power bank, laptop, etc., but prolonged usage won’t be possible in that case. With 10%-100% brightness adjustments, it becomes easy to manage the lighting and get the perfect shot. However, adjusting colour temperatures is not possible as it only delivers a 5600K light throw.

For camera enthusiasts, this LED Video Light from Neewer comes as a complete package, if you generally shoot indoors. Speaking about the accessories, this whole package includes two mini tripods and two extension rods which can increase the tripod height from 22.5cm to 1.16m. Both the tripods are foldable, and lightweight too. Along with that, two light filters of red, yellow, blue colour each, and two diffusers are also included in the package.

Best Features:

USB-powered LED Video Lights
Comes with 4 Colour Filters
22.5cm to 1.16m tripod height adjustments

Pros:

Easy to set up
Multiple levels of brightness adjustment
180° Angle Adjustable

Cons:

Colour Temperature can’t be adjusted

Buy now from Hridz

3 – Neewer 2 Packs 660 LED Video Light with Softbox Kit

DIMMABLE BRIGHTNESS AND 2 COLOR TEMPERATURE: With 330 White and 330 Yellow LED long lasting bulbs, this light illuminates a variable white balance from Tungsten-Daylight from 3200 to 5600K; 2 separate knobs on the panel back for adjusting color temperature and brightness; CRI 96+ can truly restore the color of the shooting product or portrait; Clear LCD screen can show the brightness, color temperature and power status of the light

PREMIUM MATERIAL AND U-MOUNT BRACKET: Made of excellent quality aluminum alloy showing simple elegant appearance; U- mount bracket enables the photographers to adjust the lighting angle according to the shooting environment; Attaching barn doors make light sources create a beam spread of light.

Best Features:

LED Video Lights comes with power adapter
Can be used with battery for outdoor shooting
Bi-color 660 LEDs

Pros:

Easy to set up
Multiple levels of brightness adjustment
Barndoor to shape the lighting

Cons:

Batteries are not included.

Buy now from Hridz

4 – Neewer CB150 LED Video Light with Wireless Remote

POWERFUL LED BEAD: 150W LED bead creates stable light resource and even illuminance to guarantee high light brightness. With 97+ color rendering index, it can present the object as authentically as possible. Built-in 2.4G Remote Control, it is intelligent and convenient to use. 5600K stable color temperature, it can provide natural light and reproduce accurate colors. 12000lux/1M Lumen, suitable for photographic light filling

SOLID AND SIMPLE DESIGN: With a large-size LCD panel, users can clearly check the working parameters of the light, such as current brightness, channel and current light temperature. A specialized lamp protect cover prevents LED bead from destroying for touch and collision.

Best Features:

Brightness and channel can be adjusted from within 20 meters distance
Included remote control
With Premium heatsink and built-in fan, it extended the service life of this video light

Pros:

Lumen: 12000Lux/1m brightness
LED Lamp Bead Safe Temperature: less than 70℃
Remote Transmission Distance (Max.): Up to 20 meters

Cons:

Be mindful of minor fan noise if it too hot

Buy now from Hridz

5 – GVM 800D-RGB LED Studio 3-Video Light Kit

For all the expert photographers and videographers who are looking for some high-end lighting equipment to use in their studios, there’s hardly any better brand than GVM in that case.

Although the pricing might seem a little high to some customers, the quality you get from these LED video lights will blow your mind. Fortunately, you get 3 LED light panels in this deal which are extremely easy to install and have plenty of adjustment features.

For instance, you can control these light panels via a mobile application and tweak all the light settings remotely. Speaking of the adjustments, we mean the colour temperature is adjustable from 3200K to 5600K, and the brightness can be adjusted between 0%-100% seamlessly. Along with the package, you will get a separate tripod for each light, 3 diffuser panels, power adapters, and a rugged carrying case as well.

These 800D Studio Video Lights also support Master and Slave mode where you can set one light as master and the other two lights as a slave. This feature helps you control all three lights just by adjusting the settings on the master one. For the money you invest, you get 168 SMD light bulbs and 84 RGB beads in each panel. In fact, each of the LED lights in the panels has a life of more than 100000 hours. For powering these lights, you can use an AC power adapter and connect them for continuous usage. On the other hand, it also supports Sony F750/970 battery, but unfortunately, that’s not included in the box.

Best Features:

8 Pre-programmed lighting modes
App Control Function
Master and Slave Function

Pros:

Delivers RGB lighting also
Can be controlled remotely via GVM mobile app
Comes with all the essential accessories and a carry bag.

Cons:

Expensive

Buy now from eBay

6 – Neewer 660 RGB Led Video Light with APP Control

POWERFUL RGB LED VIDEO LIGHT: 50W high power light, Consist with 660pcs SMD LED beads (170pcs cool/170pcs warm/320pcs RGB beads), Bi-color can adjust the color temperature from 3200K to 5600K, RGB can adjust the hue output from 0° to 360° and color saturation from 0% to 100%；Ultra high CRI 97+ helps to restore and enrich the color light object, providing you a natural and vivid shooting effect

BUILT-IN APPLICABLE SCENES MODES: This RGB light adopts a constant current control design which brings better effect for video shooting with no stroboscopic phenomenon；It supports 9 special lighting scenes to enrich your shooting environment, including Cop Car, Ambulance, Fire Truck, Fireworks, Party, Candlelight, Lightning, Paparazzi,TV Screen; the RGB video light can meet your different needs in different situation

Best Features: