Creating captivating vlogs is hard enough. Invest in the products that will give you great image quality so you can get back to vlogging!

Whether you’re forced into working via zoom or finally have time to showcase your fab hobbies, you may be searching for products to take your image quality to the next level. 

Between learning about web connection and having adequate sound quality you’ve probably noticed your home and natural lighting leaves something to be desired. LED lights can add a polished look to your vlog or work meetings and without a doubt, make you look better. The right lighting can give you a radiant glow, keep your skin from looking off color, brighten your eyes and wipe away tired face shadows. With all the information out there on LED lighting, we thought we’d help you narrow in on choosing the best options for your videography purposes.

When choosing a light, the first thing to think about is portability. Factors that will tie into portability will be the size and charging capabilities. If you plan on using the light for impromptu situations, you should invest in a light that’s easy to take with you like the LitraTorch, a one-inch Cube made for videographers on the go. This tiny light can easily be put in your pocket and packs an impressive spread of light. If you plan on spending a lot of time in the field, go for an LED light with a battery that can be charged externally, meaning you can charge the battery separate from the light unit. I recommend the Savage RGB360 which has a large range of handy features. The ability to bring extra batteries with you is key, and I’ve found that LED lights, with batteries built-in, have a shorter life span when it comes to holding a charge, which could leave you with a light that will only work while plugged in.

The second thing to look for in an LED light are bi-color temperature options. You’ll want to avoid one temperature lights, they may make the color of your skin look slightly red or blue. The focus of your video should be on what you have to say, not the color of your face. The ability to balance your LED light with the rest of the lights in the room is important too. You may want to combat warm office lights with a slightly cooler LED temperature. Look for a light with a wide range of temperature options like the Promaster 57B.

What is CRI? You may have noticed that some light specifications list a CRI number. Basically, CRI is the measure of how accurate colors look under the light. The higher number the better. Look for something over 90CRI.

Having an LED light super close to your face can be harsh and cause a loss of detail. Look for a light that can be dimmed, so you can control the power of the light without having to physically move the light closer or further away from you.

One downside to having an LED Light are those tricky catch lights that show up on anything reflective, like glasses or other screens in the room. Even your pupils can reflect the tiny bulbs that make up your LED light. The best way to deal with this is using a diffusion panel or Light modifier. Make sure your light comes with a thick diffusion panel like the one on the 57B, because not all diffusion panels will disperse the light from LED bulbs evenly.

The shape of the light is important too. Round lights, and modifiers like umbrellas and octaboxes, though large tend to wrap light filling-in where a square light would create depth and shadow. If you have the extra room, a square light can easily be modified into a softer, round light using an umbrella bracket set up. Check out the Manfrotto Lite-Tite Bracket to turn any light into an umbrella set up. There are also ring lights, popular and fashionable. The ring light works great as a beauty light, but be careful because the ring light at close distances to your face will cause your eyes to look like something out of a vampire movie.  

Two lights are better than one, if you want to fill in shadows and have the best light coverage. This is a much better set up for those vlogging about a hobbies (i.e. baking, fashion, or anything where the subjects is more than just a facial profile). If you’ll accept a less convenient, much larger set up, a two light kit is the better way to go! Sure, you’ll spend more money but there are options out there like the Ulite kit that will deliver the quality you’re looking for and won’t break the bank. We’ve got these options plus more, you’re sure to find the right fit for the job at CameraMall. 

 

The Ultrasoft 57B is very small and thin to fit in your camera bag. It can draw power from a normal household receptacle or from the included, rechargeable battery. A remote control is included for wireless operation as well. It ranges from 3200K to 5600K has a CRI rating of 95 and is dimmable 10 to 100%  

16 bulbs, daylight-balanced 5700K output in either strobe or continuous output with a CRI of 90. The light offers a runtime of 4 hours in low mode and 35 minutes in high mode. The 70° beam angle matches the camera view with no hot spots or harsh edges. The LitraTorch 2.0 can also be used with your camera for flicker-free slow-motion video recording.

This small and lightweight fixture is easy to carry around and place just where it is needed. It features a variable 3200 to 5700K color temperature range and 10 to 100% dimming. In RGB mode, the light allows you to select colors throughout the 0 to 360° RGB color spectrum, and it provides control over saturation and brightness. A built-in display screen lets you see the settings of your light and remaining battery power. The light features a high CRI rating of 95 at 5700K for accurate color rendering. It comes with an common L-series battery that can run the light for about 2.5 hours at full power at 5700K, and about four hours at full power in RGB mode.

Thee versatile aluminum bracket will fit on almost any light stand. It offers two removable, reversible studs with 1/4"-20 and 3/8"-16 male and female threads. The male threaded stud is useful for mounting lights, shoe mounts, and more. The adapter has an umbrella receptacle perfect for the Westcott white 43" umbrella. This umbrella broadens the light and evenly diffusing the light for a softer effect.

This two light kit comes complete with two 6.5' stands, two 20" soft boxes and a remote for wireless control. The light is a beautiful 5600K daylight temperature, that is dimmable from 0%-100% and spills out light with full coverage from head to toe. This light has notable color accuracy at 95+ CRI.

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