However good your camera, lighting is key to the success of your videos. Light colour, intensity and quality all contribute to creating mood in a scene, Ian Pack rounds up his video lighting best buys.
Continuous lights for video come in many shapes and sizes, from pocket LED panels to massive 32 kW rigs used in feature film production. Here we’ll reveal some of the best introductory lighting equipment for shooting video, but first, let’s go through some key considerations.
Video lighting: daylight, bi-colour or RGB lights?
The colour of the light used in your videos is important. Do you want to create a natural neutral look, or use colour to introduce a particular effect or mood?
When shooting with the daylight white balance setting on your camera, it will vary between 5,000K and 6,500K so a daylight LED light will give a good clean, neutral colour rendition. If you have a daylight LED light source it is possible to modify the colour with lighting gels.
Alternatively there are bi-colour lights where the light output can be adjusted from around 2,500K at the warm orange end of the spectrum to 6,500K. Most lights will let you know what range they offer as “Correlated Colour Temperature”, or simply CCT.
More and more manufacturers are developing RGB lights where the colours can be adjusted to any one of 16.7 million, using a cluster of coloured LEDs.
Many LED lights now have the choice of controls on the light unit or even a dedicated smartphone app to control the colour, intensity and in-built visual effects. Some apps also let you to select a colour from a JPEG file and then pick that colour for your lighting.
Video lighting: accurate colour
Accurate colour is important for many applications, especially product and fashion photography. Older LED video lights can vary in colour consistency, emitting a discontinuous spectrum. Look for lights with a Color Rendering Index (CRI) of 95+ or TLCI (Television Lighting Consistency Index) of 95+ – these let you know how accurate the colour accuracy will be.
Video lighting: light output
Light output is expressed either as Watts (W) or Lumens. Watts are the measurement of the energy required to power electrical devices; they equate to absolute power, meaning they measure the rate at which energy is consumed.
Lumens, meanwhile, measure the amount of visible light intensity that a bulb or a lighting device produces. The higher the number, the more light is emitted. The design of the LED, and the housing, has a direct effect on the brightness of the light emitted.
Video lighting: cooling and fan noise
Contrary to popular belief LEDs do produce heat, but much less than conventional incandescent lights. LEDs will heat up with continued use, and as with any other delicate electronic equipment, the components and circuits will need cooling.
This is done in two ways; passive cooling, where an aluminium alloy body efficiently dissipates heat all the time the ambient temperature is lower than the temperature of the unit. The alternative is fan cooling, which draws air into and out of the unit.
The downside of fan cooling is noise, especially in environments where sound and speech are being recorded. Some LED video lights have a silent mode but the amount of time this can be used will vary according to the power setting on the light.
Best video lighting: pocket LED panels
These battery-powered lights are about the size of a mobile phone and are ideal as an on-camera light to for adding sparkle in your subjects’ eyes, fill light or even a key light for smaller subjects such as macro and close-up shots. They’re also great when creating selfie content in low-light, or when visual effects are needed.
Kenro RGB Compact LED Video Light
At a glance
- Price: $105.00 / £84.99
- Weight: 200g
- Size: 149mm x 80mm x 14mm
- CRI: 96+
- User level: beginner to professional
- kenro.co.uk
This pocket-sized LED is part of the Kenro SMARTLITE range of video lights. It has an internal 4040 mAh battery which lasts around 1.5 hours on a full charge. Charging is via a standard USB-C port. There’s a battery life indicator on the clear rear control panel, which also shows the Bluetooth connectivity; like many LED lights these can now be controlled from a smartphone app.
There is a CCT colour temperature range of 3500 – 7500K with a full 360º colour spectrum with 1 – 100% controls for brightness and colour saturation.
There are a number of pre-programmed visual effects, including emergency service vehicle lights and RGB variable speed spectrum cycle.
The Kenro light is supplied with a protective carry bag and also contains an aluminum mini ball head with a standard cold-shoe insert, making it easy to mount on top of your camera. There are three standard screw threads for horizontal or portrait orientation mounting.
Colbor PL8B
At a glance
- Price: $49.00 / £44.00
- Weight: 263g inc. removable diffuser
- Size: 125 mm x 75mm x 18mm
- CRI: 98
- User level: beginner to professional
- namgrip.tv
The Colbor PL8B is a pocket size bi-colour portable light, suitable for video and stills. It is also available in a RGB full spectrum version. It has a CRI of 98 for accurate colour rendition and a CCT colour temperature range of 2500K – 9000K, which equates from candle light/tungsten light bulb to shade/heavily overcast sky. The unit has a 5000 mAh rechargeable battery with USB type A socket for DC output as a power bank, and USB-C for charging.
The PL8B has two standard screw holes and is supplied with a mini ball head with a cold shoe and thread for mounting to camera hot shoes or light stands. The back of the unit is magnetic for mounting to ferrous metal objects, and has a cold shoe for mounting a microphone when used on-camera.
Phottix M200R RGB LED Light and Powerbank
At a glance
- Price: $139.95 / £99.00
- Weight: 200g
- Size: 151 mm x 80mm x 11.5mm
- CRI: 96
- User level: beginner to professional
- theflashcentre.com
The Phoenix M200R is a compact and powerful video light for video and stills photography. It’s an ideal tool for on-the-go content creation, interviews, and macro and close close-up shots with a smartphone or digital camera. It’s supplied with a tilting cold shoe mount for attaching to mirrorless and DSLR cameras two threads for horizontal or vertical mounting.
The unit also has full 360º colour, hue and saturation adjustment including a CCT colour temperature range of 3200K – 5600K. The unit is also a power bank, with DC 5V output via a USB type A socket and there’s a USB-C socket for charging.
Twenty one preset scenario effects are supplied, including Police, Club, Flame, Fire Work, Strobe Lights, Fire Truck and more.
Rosco DMG Dash
At a glance
- Price: $299.00 / £262.00
- Weight: 367g
- Size: 128mm x 80mm 28mm
- CRI: 95
- User level: intermediate to professional
- rosco.com
The DMG Dash is a high-specification pocket LED for film makers. It can be controlled via a Bluetooth app or by wireless CRMX control, and is rated IP65 weather resistant for outdoor use. The unit has an internal 6000 mAh rechargeable battery and charges via a USB-C socket from a 5Vdc charger. Charging time with a 2A charger is around three hours with a three hour run-time, less in boost mode.
The case is made from aluminium alloy with mounting threads and a magnetic back. In addition, the case is designed to fit other DMG Dash units, giving you larger, brighter light sources. The aluminium case also acts as a heat sink so there’s no fan noise. The kit contains flat and dome diffusers, an egg-crate grid and a gel holder.
Flat panel LEDs
These vary in size from pocket panels the size of an average mobile phone to very large units used in film and TV production. Flat LED panels produce soft light as they are relatively large when positioned close to the subject, just out of frame.
Flat-panel LED lights are perfect for vlogging and content creators who need simple but powerful lights. Some flat panel LEDs are highly portable, too, and can be carried in the laptop sleeve of many camera bags.
Kenro Bi-Colour LED Smartlite Panel
At a glance
- Price: $185.00 / £149.99
- Weight: 1300g
- Size: 360mm x 256mm 12mm
- CRI: 96+
- User level: beginners to advanced enthusiast
- kenro.co.uk
This is a well made and well specified flat-panel LED. The case is made from durable aluminium alloy, but is light in weight. It’s about the same size as a 16-inch laptop, and has the option of AC mains or battery power.
Light output is good for the size, with a colour range of 3200K – 7500K. As with most LED lighting products, there are a number of pre-programmed lighting effects included and the package also includes a small 2.4gHz remote control.
Godox LD75R 75W RGB Bi-Colour LED Video Panel Light
At a glance
- Price: $799.00 / £689.90
- Weight: 3500g
- Size: 441mm x 410mm x 107.5mm
- CRI: 96
- User level: beginner to intermediate
- essentialphoto.co.uk
The LD75R is a powerful RGB video panel light, giving a wide range of creative opportunities – you can choose from 16.7 million colours for a stunning range of visual effects. It’s ideal for broadcasters and hobbyists alike, with high colour accuracy and a silent mode for situations where fan noise could be an issue.
There are multiple control options, including a 2.4Ghz wireless remote control, which works via Bluetooth using a smartphone app, or a DMX control console for larger video productions. You also have the choice of mains power or via an external V-Lock battery.
Bowens LPL1 LED Light Panel
At a glance
- Price: $220 / £179
- Weight: 1350g
- Size: 320mm x 270mm x 55mm
- CRI: 97
- User level: beginner to advanced
- wexphotovideo.com
The Bowens LPL1 LED Light Panel has an adjustable colour temperature range of 2700K – 7500K and is dimmable from 100% to 1%, in 1% increments. It has built-in barn doors for light control, and the barn doors are square rather than tapered, which helps to control light spill.
There’s a strong tilting light stand mount with standard 16mm female receptor. Power is provided by main AC mains or a pair of Sony NP series Lithium batteries. There’s also a diffusion panel over the LEDs which I recommend leaving in place, otherwise the shadow edges will have a jagged saw-tooth effect from the multiple hard LEDs.
Ring-light LEDs
Circular ring-light LEDs are proving very popular with lifestyle bloggers, vloggers and content creators. They’re easy to set up and give a glowing, almost shadowless, light, which is very flattering.
They come in various sizes from small units that clip to a smartphone around the lens to larger 50cm units that run from AC mains or external batteries.
Kenro 19-inch RGB Ring Light Kit
At a glance
- Price: $210.00 / £169.99
- Weight: 960g
- Size: 580mm x 480mm x 34mm
- CRI: 96+
- User level: all
- kenro.co.uk
Ring lights tend to be under-estimated, with many people assuming that you just place them with them the camera lens pointing through in order to give even shadowless light. They can also be used as broad soft key lights, however, in the same way that flat-panel LED lights are used.
This ring light kit from Kenro has everything that an aspiring or established vlogger needs to get started, including a tripod light stand, ball head, tablet and smartphone mounts. All is supplied in a case with AC mains power supply. If needed, the light can be powered by batteries, which are available separately.
Monobloc LEDs
Monobloc lights are similar in construction to the studio flash units used by stills photographers. They are AC mains or battery powered, and vary in output from 30W to 600W or more. These lights produce hard light because of the relatively small light source. The advantage of a hard light is it can be diffused with diffusion sheets of varying density.
Colbor CL60
At a glance
- Price: $149.00 / £159.99
- Weight: 710g
- Size: 140mm x 80mm x 90mm exc. base
- CRI: 97
- User level: enthusiast to professional
- namgrip.tv
The Colbor CL60 is a reasonably priced and compact bi-colour COB LED light with a CCT range of 2700K – 6500K, and is dimmable from 100% – 1%. It’s small enough to fit in the average camera bag, and there is a choice of AC mains power, industry-standard V-Lock batteries and a COB LED light PD power bank.
On the rear of the light, there’s a clear control panel and you can also control the unit via a smartphone app. With the standard reflector, output is sufficient to act as a key light on a bright sunny day with the sun behind your subject. The popular Bowens S-type mount enables the use of a wide range of third-party light modifiers and shapers.
The Colbor CL60 is made from aluminium alloy, which helps dissipate heat and is designed to dovetail with similar lights to create a larger, more powerful, light source. The CL60 is the baby of the range, with 100W, 220W and 330W models available.
Godox SZ150R 150W Ultra Zoomable Bi-Colour RGB LED Light
At a glance
- Price: $559.00 / £501.99
- Weight: 2650g
- Size: 336mm x 191mm x 165mm
- CRI: 97
- User level: enthusiast to broadcast level
- essentialphoto.co.uk
This Bowens S-type RGB LED mono bloc is best suited to indoor and studio use. It has high output, combined with the convenience of a bi-colour CCT range of 2800K – 6500K and an RGB spectrum of 36,000 colours. The LED can be zoomed between 20º and 65º to adjust the beam angle. The light can also be controlled via a smartphone app, a dedicated remote control or DMX control, which is an established standard for lighting control.
Rotolight AEOS 2 Pro
At a glance
- Price: £1499.00 / £1,199.99
- Weight: 1400g without battery or 2500g inc. mounting yoke and diffuser
- Size: ⌀ 295 mm 25mm without battery
- CRI: 95
- User level: enthusiast to professional
- rotolight.com
The Rotolight AEOS 2 Pro is lightweight, with a thin design which is ideal for video and stills photographs on the move. Like many RGB LED units, it will produce around 16.7 million colours with some extra unique features, including 2,500 pre-programmed lighting gels, high-speed RGB flash for stills photography.
The supplied diffuser gives a beautiful soft light which is real help with portraits, delivering accurate skin tones. Power is provided from either the supplied AC mains adaptor or industry standard V-Lock batteries rated at >100W. There are ¼” 20 screw threads for mounting or the option of a yoke with a ⅝” 16mm receptor for attaching to light stands. Control is via a full-colour OLED touch screen on the unit or a dedicated smartphone app.
Kenro LED Video Smartlite
At a glance:
- Price: $235.00 / £169
- Weight: 1,640g
- Size: 245mm x 238mm x 25mm
- CRI: 96+
- User level: beginner to professional
- kenro.co.uk
This cost-effective LED RGB panel light is supplied with a carry case and AC mains power supply (it can also be powered by a pair of Sony F-series batteries). The unit has a CCT colour temperature range of 3200K – 7500K and full 0-360º RGB colour control, giving the choice of 16.7 million colours.
It can be operated by controls on the back of the unit or with a smartphone app. Barn doors are supplied for light control, and two could be tapered for additional control.
Further reading:
- Best accessories for video
- Best lenses for video
- Best external camera screens for video
- Best video-editing software, free and paid
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