Vloggers, TikTokers, makeup artists, and Facetimers use the best ring lights in 2023. However, these lights are also excellent for videoconferencing and remote meetings, as the best ring lights can give a more professional and brighter look than room lighting & windows. Whereas photographers use these lights to achieve soft portraits.
Usually, the best ring lights can create a wide, constant light illuminating face from every direction. Try to buy a big ring light to get softer lighting. As a videographer, you will definitely want to buy the best ring lights not only because of the soft and flattering lighting, but also to get the benefit of continuous light. You should know that a regular camera flash isn’t good for videos. However, most of the ring lights will permit the users to adjust the color temperature to suit different skin tones and to match the ambient light conditions.
What is a Ring Light?
A ring light indicates a ring flash mounted in a big circle. You can see a hollow circle in the center where the camera lens is held for attaining the maximum light from the ring light.
Lester A. Dine developed this in 1952 for medical/dental reasons. It was mainly invented to capture dental images. Later, it began to be used in fashion photography. Currently, these are available in 3 sizes. While one small medical ring light can be used to fit the front of your camera, the uses of the other two can be seen in the fashion industry. These other two come in a 9″ & 12″ diameter, respectively. Earlier, these ring lights were available in heavy and bulky setups. But nowadays, these are becoming more practical.
What is a Ring Light Used for?
You can use these for various purposes in photography & videography. The best ring lights can provide plenty of light, which is beneficial for other professional uses. These are the most common uses of the ring lights.
Portrait Photography:
Professionals in this field love to use these lights. They provide more diffused & soft light on the subject and decrease the level of harsh shadows. Due to these functions, these lights are considered a popular lighting option for close-up portraiture. These lights help to make the subject “pop” without washing out or changing face contours which makes these ring lights an ideal choice for selfies & portraits. When a model faces a ring light by the appearance of circular catchlights in the eyes of the subject; these highlights immediately make the portrait more engaging because of the capability of drawing the viewer’s attention instantly.
Macro Photography:
Hence, these ring lights can provide a bit more front-focused lighting than a lightbox. These are able to spread the light around a small subject properly with the intention of hiding shadows. Thus, bringing out even more detail becomes possible. The right color temperature allows a ring light to supplement natural light.
Video and Social Media Content Creators:
These are available at very affordable prices. So, it is an excellent option for those who are content creators and maintain a YouTube channel. Moreover, those who stream live on different platforms like TikTok, Twitch, etc., can use these ring lights. Have you ever wondered why someone is looking well-lit, even when using a webcam? It may happen because they are using the best ring light. When you record with your tablet or mobile, it is possible to use clip-on selfie ring lights which are portable as well as inexpensive. The best ring lights can be the top lighting option for YouTube videos, mainly for vloggers & product reviewers.
Makeup Artists:
Every makeup artist on YouTube uses this light for makeup tutorials. While these lights help to increase the facial features, they also showcase the real skin colors and colors of products. If you are an artist, you need to place your makeup ring light in your camera’s front position and then record away. These lights are used by make-up artists while preparing brides and models ready for photoshoots.
How Can You Use a Ring Light?
You need to put it around your camera lens so that it becomes able to capture focus in the eyes. This one is the correct way of using the ring light as the primary source of light. But if you want to try some experiments, then you can use a ring flash from the side. Placing the ring light properly enables you to get outstanding results for portrait photography. Hence, you should know the fact that most photographers prefer to use the ring lights in the traditional way.
So, you should learn how to use this light in a traditional way before beginning any experiment with it. If you use ring flashes as light sources, you may need to use tripod stands. But these are heavy, because of which you can mount them on the wall. With the help of the high-end ring lights, you can shoot under low ISO conditions & longer focal distances.
These lights help to prevent distortion on the final picture by deducting the post-processing time. That is why you should purchase such models that can save time in the long run. While you need to evaluate the time you have, you need to determine the time you have for editing vs. the budget for your equipment. In this way, it’s possible to decide which one is the best ring light for you.
How To Set Up A Ring Light:
As soon as you choose the right model from the best ring lights, you need to know how to set up this:
Power Up:
Your first task is to connect the product to a USB port or an outlet. Otherwise, you need to insert the correct battery type. Then, you should turn it on.
Place The Camera:
If you are a photographer, you should place your camera directly inside the light’s circle to set it up. Thus, the light will be aimed directly at the subject and illuminate them in a gentle and vibrant light. If you want to take selfies, you have to place the mobile (or digital camera, whatever you use) in the holder of the ring light. Then, you need to step back into the light’s glow. After that, you should use a remote or a timer to snap a few shots. Alternatively, when you use the ring light with a laptop camera, your job will be to place it above the screen’s top. Then, you need to angle this toward the face.
Test It Out:
You should experiment with various angles, distances, brightness levels, & coloring. Hence, you can observe a marked difference in the way you appear on camera from switching on the ring light. However, you need to experiment with various settings to find the best one for you.
Top Five Best Ring Lights In 2023:
Xinbaohong Clip-On Selfie Light
Description: If you are looking for the best ring light for selfies, then it is the one you should choose. As the size of this ring light is very small, you will be able to keep it in your pocket or a bag. If you are travelling away from home, you can carry this small ring light to capture well-lit selfies at night.
As it is 18mm Or thinner, this can be attached to your laptop, tablet or mobile.
Features:
Ring Selfie Light: This best ring light comes in a high-diffusion permeable design. Whereas, the complementary light is beautiful.
Three-Level Adjustable Brightness: This ring light comes with 40 built-in LEDs. When you use this product, you can see three settings — warm, cold, warm & cold light. The more you tap & hold the power button, the more it will become brighter or dimmer. Thus, it can provide the desired light as you need. That means, no matter how much light is around you — using this ring light, you will be able to take selfies indoors or outdoors at day time or at night.
Humanize Design: The silicone gel is designed for protecting against scratches. 16mm is its maximum holding thickness. The ring light can be held in the visor, the collar, the tent, the backpack, the mobile phone, the bicycle stand, the glass surface, etc.
Multi-Application: While the ring light includes an in-built battery, it can support USB charging. Usually, it is used for make-up, reading, camping lights, election lights, taking selfies, cycling and flash runs.
Worry-Free Warranty: It has a one-year manufacturer warranty and comes with a 100% money-back guarantee.
Pros:
- Includes USB and battery power. Bright and dim modes are available.
Cons:
- It gets dimmed after about sixty minutes.
Posliv Overhead Phone Mount and Ring Light
Description:
This one of the best ring lights for video streaming, weighs 900g. If you are looking for more flexibility to film cooking or design work on a desk, this overhead ring light on an extendable arm will be an ideal option. While the little gem can be clipped onto a desk’s edge, you can pull it into position for holding the mobile where you need it. Although it is not the sturdiest, its affordable price makes it an excellent option.
Features:
Sturdy & Versatile: The desktop tripod weighs very light. If you are looking for vlogging gear for YouTubers and Content Creators, this one is an excellent option. You can use this model while capturing unboxing video, broadcasting, video recording, and photography.
Wide Compatibility: You can find the clip arm and tripod head universal 1/4 threaded. Hence, you should know that it supports all iPhones, Logitech webcam Brio 4K, C930e, C920, C920s, C922, C922x, C615 etc.
Dimmable: It has three lighting modes, and every mode comes with ten brightness levels. The swivel ball head comes with a 360° rotation meeting angle. Moreover, you should know that the LED ring light is USB powered. In order to supply the power, you are capable of using a wall charger, power bank, laptop etc.
Shooting At Any Angle: It includes a flexible head, arm ball joint & the base. Adjusting the swing arm angle & height is possible according to your needs for meeting various application scenarios such as top-down video recording, live streaming, baking, and so on.
Extra Flexible Clip Arm: This ring light comes with a scissor boom arm, ball head, C clamp, phone clip holder, as well as an additional flexible clamp arm that can provide several application scenarios to webcam, mobile, lightweight camera, mini projector, and ring light. This one can be used for Online Teaching Meetings, Overhead Video Recording, cooking, Drawing, Nail Art, baking, Tattooing, crafting, and many more.
Pros:
- Additional flexible clip arm
- Three lighting modes
- 360° rotation meeting angle
Cons:
As it has a maximum load weight of 3 lbs, it isn’t for heavy-duty cameras or devices.
Westcott Bi-color LED Ring Light Kit
Description:
If you are looking for a ring light for photography, it is an excellent option. Those who are professional photographers & content creators prefer to use this Westcott Bi-color LED Ring Light Kit. Users can get an excellent lighting solution using this product that allows them to capture awesome visuals.
Features:
Overall use: This light kit can provide bold light with distinguished catchlights. Besides, it helps to reduce shadows & facial imperfections. This product comes with adjustable color and light intensity with high color-accuracy. Additionally, the product features several power options, user-friendly controls and mounts for DSLRs, action cameras, & mobiles.
Great control: The color temperature varies from 3200K tungsten to 5600K daylight, which can match different lighting environments. It comes with 97 CRI/TLCI color accuracy for flattering skin tones. In addition, it has a digital display screen featuring a battery level indicator. This ring light allows you to adjust power & color temperature easily.
Plenty Of Mounting Choices:
It comes with accessories like a 6.5′ aluminum light stand, swivel & mobile cold shoe mounts, 1/4″-20 mount, & flexible gooseneck. In addition, it has a multi-voltage AC adapter, which you can use indoors. Moreover, it comes with NP-F750 batteries along with chargers, and you can use this light to shoot on location for up to 70 min.
Ideal For Images And Videos:
This ring light can produce beautiful and soft lighting which can fill in shadows on the face. Besides, it helps to reduce facial imperfections. If you are looking for a ring light for vlogging, live streaming, video conferencing, beauty shots, portraits, and headshots, then you should give it a try.
Accessories:
It has a default diffusion, AC Adapter, NP-750 Batteries and charger, Gooseneck Arm, Swivel Mount, Mobile Device Mount, etc. In addition, it includes a 6.5′ Light Stand. Moreover, it comes with a Travel Case. Besides, this model comes with a warranty of 1-Year and offers a friendly U.S. Customer Service.
Pros:
- Professional-grade lighting
- Multiple mounting options
- Adjustable color temperature for precise lighting control
- Dual power options
Cons:
- Installing the batteries on the product’s back panel is difficult.
Joby Beamo 12-inch ring light
Description:
If you are looking for the best ring lights for zoom, it is probably the best option. It comes with adjustable color temperature from 3000k to 5600k. 330g is the weight of the model. You will get a USB cable within the box.
If you are a vlogger or someone who loves to create content, then this model is the best option for you. Hence, the product comes with ten brightness levels & 3 color temperatures.
Features:
Versatility: This one of the best ring lights for zoom can offer plenty of customization. You can find three cold shoe mounts there which you can use to attach accessories.
Simple usage: This ring light can offer a solid brightness of 100 lux at 1 m and it can be used easily with other Joby products.
Pros:
- 100 lux solid brightness
- Adjustable color temperature from 3,000K to 5,600K.
Cons:
- Difficult to push on
Neewer 55W 5500K Dimmable Ring Light
Description:
This model comes with a fixed 5500K color temperature that can match a daylight source. Besides, it comes with two color filters that are orange & white. This model consists of high-light-transmission plastic, letting you switch temperatures between 5500K and 3200K. You can also find a step-less dimming knob that enables you to adjust the brightness.
This portable LED light comes with a 61-inch light stand that is made of aluminum alloy. The product is equipped with a 360-degree rotatable smartphone holder. Besides, there is a Bluetooth receiver that can be used to control the ring light remotely. Moreover, it comes with a useful carrying bag.
Features:
Accessories: Along with the ring light, you will find these items within the package:
- a 61″ light stand,
- a soft tube,
- a white & orange color filter set,
- a Bluetooth receiver
- a tripod head hot shoe adapter
- a universal adapter with us/eu plug,
- a smartphone holder
Charming Lighting: It helps to boost facial features under constant lighting.
Compatibility: There is a hot shoe adapter that supports most DSLR cameras. You can use a smartphone holder for most mobiles, like iPhone 6 plus or 6 or 5 or 5S, Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge or S6 or S5, and so on.
Pros:
- Stepless dimming from 1-100%
- A 61-inch light stand is included
- Bluetooth to control ring light
Cons:
- The color temperature is fixed at 5500K
Why Do You Use Ring Lights For Video Calls and Social Media?
Ring lights have become so popular for making video calls or filming to-camera social media videos. You can get them at affordable prices. Besides, these are highly portable because of their ideal sizes. Moreover, these are simple to set up on a desk, or you can set them on the floor without the need for too much space. The ring usually produces dispersed light flattering much more on the face. Based on the light position, the ring will be reflected in the subject’s eyes. When you look closely, you can view that telltale halo in several online videos.
How To Choose The Best Ring Lights In 2023:
As several ring lights are available in the market, you can be confused while deciding which one to choose or which one is the best option for you.
Price:
You first have to consider how much you wanna invest. Products given in this article are available in different price ranges. You can go for costlier models for more professional or specialized uses. Although the price of these models can be around $500, these are versatile and powerful enough.
Use Cases:
How are you willing to use the ring light? If you want to capture casual images on your mobile, there is no need to spend so much money. But when you create a weekly video podcast or episode for your YouTube channel, you may wish to spend more money for a ring light that can give you extra options.
Temperature Range:
If it comes to talking about more precise filming, the factor matters. So, filmmakers or those who do creative shots, need to buy the best ring light. The temperature is measured based on the warmth or coolness of light’s tone, whereas Kelvin is the unit of measurement. Do you want to use the ring light only for TikToks & video conferencing? Then, there is no need to have a large color range. But those who want to get creative, should purchase the ring light with a large range that will enable them to simulate various lighting conditions.
Size:
You have to consider this factor also. While a few ring lights are small and simple to port, a few of these are heavier. If the ring light is small and portable, you will be able to easily carry it on the road with you.
Color Rendering Index (CRI):
It is a metric relating the appearance of artificial light to natural light. Index refers to a 100-point scale with 100% accuracy to natural light & 0% being a poor rendering of it. You should buy a light that has a high CRI, like 95 or more than that, for natural-looking shots.
Material Durability:
You should not purchase a cheap ring light that is made of inferior materials like plastics, as these models are not durable.
Chromatic Aberration:
There are a few products that can cause chromatic aberration to appear in the images when you use them on the axis. Therefore, you need to spend a lot of time on your PC using Photoshop or Lightroom to rectify those errors. So, before buying, you have to check the customer reviews of the product. If necessary, you can research the manufacturer before purchasing it.
Light Intensity Settings:
If you can not shoot at low ISO settings or if you are in a limitation when you work with large apertures due to the light output — what’s the use of the ring light then? You should purchase a ring light that can provide various aperture settings to work with.
Accessories Required:
Although you can wall-mount a few of them, most ring lights need to be put on a tripod light stand. And you should know that this stand can be very heavy. A few products are available with in-built lightweight stands. So, if you plan to purchase a ring light, go for these to save your money. Otherwise, you have to spend extra on purchasing the accessories.
Advanced Features:
A few ring lights have bendable arms. So, if you want, try various tricks using your ring light photography skills. The advanced features will offer you innumerable choices. The reason is that the ring light won’t be mounted to the camera anymore.
What Controls Should A Ring Light Have?
If you choose the best ring lights with dimming or brightness control, you will get a lot of advantages. You should purchase a model that will permit you to control the brightness. When the brightness is fixed, moving the light closer or further away is the only option left when you are working on the wrong light level. If the model has a dimming control, you can place the light where you want. Then, you can change the light’s power as required.
Do You Need A Ring Light With Changing Colour Temperature?
Usually, people use white LED ring lights to achieve accurate, and true-to-life colors. But if you want to balance the available light such as tungsten light bulbs or refine light depending on skin tone, you should choose a ring light that features color temperature control. Try to choose a model that has snap-on filters. Or you can choose those which are controllable with onboard knobs.
A few sophisticated models include options to change RGB colors that make them ultra-customizable. On the other hand, other models come with filtered gels sitting over LEDs. Professional-grade LED lights come with creative lighting effects for mimicking natural lighting like lightning, gunshots or campfires.
Are Battery-Powered Ring Lights Worth It?
It depends on whether you are willing to take the light outside or on location. A few models are a little less expensive for the additional connections & electronics that are needed to accept batteries. However, you can find a few models which can offer both.
If you have both options, you will be able to plug it into the mains as well as draw power from a battery on the ring light. It will be the most flexible option as it offers benefits of both studio & location lighting. A ring light with both benefits will be costly. People filming for long periods inside should use a mains-powered ring light. On the flip side, those willing to film in shorter bursts outside should use a battery-powered light.
Which is better: LED Light or Ring Light?
Lighting is considered a key component for content creators and for those who need to attend work from home meetings. When you need to go in front of the webcam of your PC for an interview, you will need a light to add some clarity. The shape is the main difference between a ring light & an LED light. While LEDs usually have a more rectangular shape, ring lights are available in a ring shape.
In addition, mainly for videography and product showcases, LEDs are designed which are usually a bit more costlier than ring lights. What makes a ring light special is it has space for the camera allowing you to shoot through it. The shape of the ring light is mainly designed to capture faces. You should go for a ring light when you have several in-home meetings & interviews or are planning to start your TikTok accounts. But those who want to start a YouTube channel or a Twitch channel or need a wider light source, should go for an LED light.
Is A Better Or Smaller Ring Light Better?
The larger the ring light will be, the softer and pleasing light you will get. You can go for a minimum size limit of 12 inches in diameter as these models can provide the required balance of light quality and price. However, you can go for 6-inch light, if you want an ultra-portable model for making videos on the go. Along with the size, you need to check the amount of LEDs that the ring light has, as it can affect how diffuse and how bright the light will be.
Conclusion:
While a few ring lights can be plugged into the PC directly, some need to be mounted to the wall. If you select a ring light with a wall plug, it will free up the USB ports for more peripherals. In this article, we have mentioned the best ring lights in 2023. You can choose the best one as per your requirements.
Frequently asked questions
Which Ringlight is the brightest?
JOBY Beamo Ring Light delivers the brightest light output, measuring 590 lux at 2 feet away from the light source. This one includes three various temperature settings (range between 3000 and 5600 Kelvin) that you can access via the switch.
What are ring lights good for?
These lights are ideal to be used for headshots & close-ups when you shoot still images or videos. If you film yourself or someone directly looking into the camera, you can use a ring light. Moreover, these lights can be used like more traditional LED light panels.
Q. Do professionals use ring lights?
Once upon a time, professionals used these lights only. Before the revolution of LED, they used ring lights for glossy magazine shoots slick music videos. However, in recent times, technology has evolved, making them much more affordable. However, there are still several professionals (mainly in the industry of content creation) who use ring lights.
