Have you been searching for good ring lights for your streaming footage? Streaming, like all visual content, requires a good lighting source. If you use greenscreens or have a dim lighted setup, then a ring light is sure to come in handy. Besides, it works great for photography as well.
Why Should You Get A Ring Light?
Although lighting sources like soft-boxes and hot lights have been popular, ring lights are generally preferred. It is mostly because the other light sources can be expensive, hard to maintain, and very uncomfortable to use.
Ring lights are usually considerably cheaper, with no hassle to install, and are very easy and comfortable to use. Most light sources also require lights from two different directions to be effective. Ring lights, however, provide very good lighting with just a single ring.
So, whether you’re ready to invest or simply testing the waters, we’ve got all your possible choices covered in this guide. Here’s our curated list of the best ring lights for streaming and other video content.
Elgato Ring Light – Best High End Ring Light
This RedDot Award 2021 winner is a sure bang for your buck. The Elgato-Ring-Light produces an impressive 2500 lumens and has one of the widest color temperature ranges of 2900k – 7000k. Fair enough to say, this ring light will definitely give you one of the best lighting for an at-home set up. You can use it for photography, streaming and all sorts of content creation.
This 17inch ring light is powered by OSRAM LED pieces to ensure flicker free lighting. Besides the onboard buttons on the ring light it comes with an app you can install on your device. The app acts as a remote control for the ring light and is installable on App on iOS, MAC, Android or Windows devices. So, you can adjust the lighting from your desk even while streaming.
It also comes with two diffusion filters and although not the highest, it has a CRI of 94.
One tip is to check the Elgato website to purchase the Gold Package for added equipment. Amazon only retails the basic package with a mount and the ring light.
The only contention for some streamers might be that it does not run on batteries. You would have to plug it to a power source for the duration of its use.
Pros
- Produces 2500 lumens
- Great Color range
- Remote control via App
- OSRAM LED
Cons
- Only plug-and-use
- Expensive
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Neewer Camera Photo Video Lighting Kit
Best Budget Ring Light
This ring light from Neewer produces one of the best lights in the market. It is unique because, unlike other ring lights, this one does not create shadows. So, if you like streaming in dim setups or prefer your ring light as the only light source, this is a solid choice.
It comes as an 18inch ring and has a color temperature of 5500k plus a dimming range of 1-100%. The ring’s 240 LED pieces are arranged in specific spaces. As such, this arrangement gives light that both highlights and provides optimal mid-level saturation. If you’re using only a phone camera for streaming, then this ring light will help you out a lot.
The Neewer Camera Photo Video Lighting Kit is unlike other ring lights because you can physically alter light saturation with removable filters. This Neewer ring light also comes with a cold-shoe adapter for cameras and a phone bracket as well. It comes with a ring light case, remote control, and an aluminum stand.
The ring light, however, has very polarizing color temperature settings. It is either warm or cold, and there is no middle ground. Moreover, it is missing a USB port and does not come with batteries so you will need to purchase lithium-ion batteries.
Pros
- Great dimming range
- The LED arrangement provides unique lighting
- No shadows
- Physically interchangeable filters
Cons:
- Doesn’t come with a USB port or with complimentary batteries.
- No mid-option for color temperature
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Best Mid Range Ring Light- Angler Bi-Color LED Ringlight
The Angler-Bi-Color-LED-Ringlight is an 18 inch LED light that comes with 240 LED pieces. It is competitively priced and is almost always at a $100 discount from the original $249. So if you’re not willing to shell out on the Elgato ring light, then this is the one for you.
One of the best things about this ring light is its high CRI of 98. The higher the CRI, the wider the light spectrum produced. Meaning your footage will have better, true-to-life colors with this ring light. And if you like using green screens, this will provide balanced colours without washing out the subject.
Like most LED ring lights, its dimmable range is wide, from 0 to 100%. Plus, it has a decent color temperature range of 3200k to 5600k. It runs on batteries which provide it with 2.5 hours of run time, and you can also use it plugged in.
This ring light is also available from several vendors, with most vendors providing different kits. So keep a lookout with an entire kit that includes a dual mirror, mounting options like ball heads and phone brackets, and a ring light case. Sadly, a stand does not come with this ring light.
Pros:
Good diminishable range
Very high CRI of 98
Good color temperature range
It runs on both batteries and plug
Cons:
Have to purchase a separate stand
Most vendors don’t sell complete kits
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Rotolight Ultimate Vlogging Kit
The Rotolight-Ultimate-Vlogging-Kit is both affordable and versatile. So if you enjoy putting up vlogging as well as streaming content, then this could be the one for you. It can also be a perfect starter ring light for those who’ve already invested in other streaming equipment. You may even find a use for it in the future if you start vlogging
The ring light comes on a stand that has a phone and camera bracket. The stand is a tabletop tripod which is sturdy and very mobile. It is powered by 3 x AA batteries which allow it to run for up to 4 hours!
The right light provides up to 242 lux, which is 1000 lumens, which is decent enough for a 145mm x 55mm ring light. It also comes with filters to adjust temperature and color.
This is decent for its price and size but is not an alternative to light bigger setups. Plus, the filters aren’t nearly as efficient or varied.
Pros:
Very affordable and versatile
Decent light for the size
Long run time
Sturdy stand
Cons:
Not great for large scale projects
Filters are not too great
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In Closing
Ring lights come in all sizes and have found great use with all types of content creators. And now, with streaming, great content pops up everywhere— the competition can get pretty tough. Using a good light source like ring lights can easily add a slight edge to your setup. Ultimately, a better setup will provide you with better quality content. So, if you’re streaming, we highly recommend investing in a ring light.
