The best ring lights are among some of the most overlooked peripherals. In fact, outside of the vlogging and content creating communities, most people can’t even imagine needing one. But, one of the many things the COVID-19 pandemic has taught is that one can’t simply sit in front of a webcam for a work meeting and hope for the best. And, if we’re going to continue this work from home trend post-pandemic, we have to find ways to stop looking like zombies during video conferences.
That’s where the best ring lights come in. These light halos are designed to make any subject look good in front of the camera by illuminating it softly and evenly – and yes, that includes any human who’s just stumbled out of bed mere minutes before a Zoom meeting or a hardcore game streamer who may or may not have skipped a shower. We’ve gathered the best ones for you right here, from a webcam with its own mini ring light to a premium ring light with all the trimmings you could ever dream of – and click here to find them in the UK.
TL;DR – These are the Best Ring Lights
- Neewer 20-inch LED Ring Light
- Qiaya Selfie Ring Light
- Elgato Ring Light
- Razer Kiyo
- Yongnuo YN-14EX
- Qiaya Clip Selfie Ring Light
- Kodak LED Ring Light with Tripod
- UBeesize 10’’ Ring Light
- Lume Cube Ring Light Pro
- StillCool 10" Selfie Ring Light
Best Ring Light
Neewer’s 20-inch LED Ring Light is the complete package. The large 20-inch ring comes packed with 176 bright white LED lights and another 176 yellow LEDs, letting you get plenty of light as well as the option to shift between color temperatures from a warm 3,200K up to a cooler 5,600K. You can switch up the lighting on the fly thanks to the simple control knobs.
For your money, you’re getting not only the ring light itself but also a convenient-to-use tripod allowing you to carefully mount it in just the right spot to get the best lighting for all your on-camera needs. The kit also includes a phone clamp you can use to hold your phone within the setup. It can run on wired power for the brightest operation, but if you need ring lighting on the go, you can also run the light on included batteries at 10 watts.
Best Budget Ring Light
The Qiaya Selfie Ring Light is perfect for casual users and budding content creators with a tight budget who aren’t looking for top-rate performance. At well under $50, this is definitely in the economy class of ring lights, but don’t let that price fool you.
There’s a lot of value in this ring light, touting an adjustable color temperature range of up to 6,000K, two power solutions, 10 levels of brightness, a highly adjustable lighting angle, and a decently sized ring diameter. Its stand is solid and has four different levels. Plus, there is the attached adjustable phone holder for added convenience. Though, it’s still very much for novice users, however, with only three color modes and a CRI of less than 90. Still, this is a very capable ring light for beginners and those who just want to look good during video calls.
Best Streaming Ring Light
Elgato’s ring light is, for lack of a better word, elegant. This RedDot award winner boasts up to 2,500 lumens and an impressive color temperature range of 2,900 – 7,000 K. But, it doesn’t just make you look stunning with its two diffusion layers; it also does it while looking just as good with its bezeled look and large setting buttons, which are strategically-placed to be easily accessible and blend seamlessly with the design
Its operation is just as elegant. While the aforementioned buttons adjust the ring light’s brightness and color temperature, it also comes with its own app that allows you to make those adjustments from your smartphone or computer. That means you can toggle the ring light setting without needing to physically touch it. Ideal for everything from game streaming and video conferencing to full-on photoshoots. Plus, it comes with a rubber-padded clamp and Elgato’s robust and highly expandable Master Mount S stand.
Go for gold and purchase the whole affordable expandable system that includes a heavy base, a solid arm, and a flexible arm, as well as the longer Master Mount L so that you’ll never feel the need to upgrade to another lighting system again.
Best Webcam with Ring Light
If you’re more of a minimalist, you can keep things simple and uncomplicated with the Razer Kiyo. While this may be more of a webcam than a ring light, it’s a nifty 2-in-1 device perfect for those who want to look good jumping on a video call with friends and colleagues. The ring light itself is just as simplistic and easy to handle, with just a dial around it to adjust the brightness.
The light looks tiny but it’s more than good enough to make you look flattering in front of your audience. And, that versatile clamp-style mount makes it effortless to attach to any display. As for the webcam, it’s 1080p at 30fps and 720p at 60fps video resolution should be more than enough to keep most users happy, and should be an incredible upgrade to whatever is on your laptop.
Best Ring Light for Camera
The Yongnuo YN-14EX is not so much a continuous ring light, but rather a ring flash best used for still photography. It’s a vital tool for those looking to up their macro and modeling photography game.
There are a lot of ring flashes out there, but if you’re looking for something that won’t burn a hole in your pocket, Yongnuo is the brand for you. The Yongnuo YN-14EX supports exposure compensation, rear-curtain sync, and FE lock to start, and yields just as good results as its pricier rivals for less. It’s also compatible with 52mm, 58mm, 67mm and 72mm filter size lenses – though you’ll have to invest in a set of adapters for larger lenses, and fitted with the standard PC synchronous interface and an LCD display. This is a great addition to your beginner photography set, especially if you plan on doing a lot of macro and portrait photos.
Best Selfie Ring Light
Not everyone needs a pro-level ring light. For many users, a simple and portable clip ring light is good enough, something you can simply clip on to your smartphone, tablet, or laptop. If that sounds ideal for you, you cannot go wrong with the Qiaya Clip Selfie Ring Light, which is probably the best clip ring light on the market.
It has a built-in rechargeable battery, three different light settings, and good clamping power to keep it in place. What’s more surprising here is that it’s powerful enough to light up your selfies in a dark room. The best part might just be the price, as it’s less than $15, which means it’s affordable for pretty much everyone.
Best Portable Ring Light
Most ring lights are big, hulking devices that are a pain to break down and take along with you. Luckily, Kodak has come up with a more portable solution. This nifty tool comes with a universal smartphone clip and a decent size tripod, but the best feature is the carrying case that lets you store everything inside when you take apart the light. You can keep everything organized and safely tucked away as this storage solution has slots to hold all the different components of the light. This makes it easy to toss the case in your bag and take it along on trips.
The ring light itself is 10-inches in diameter with adjustable brightness and color balance, so it’ll make you look your best for content creation or video calls. You won’t need to worry about propping the light up on a bunch of books or other items either, as Kodak includes a tripod that’s height adjustable from 15 inches to 29 inches. The tripod is also made from sturdy aluminum alloy that remains lightweight for maximum portability. You can even throw a DSLR camera on it. This ring light has everything to make you look good on camera wherever you go.
Best Multi-Use Ring Light
Every multifaceted content creator on the budget needs something extremely versatile yet also incredibly affordable. For that, we recommend the UBeesize 10-inch Ring Light. This kit lets you mount practically every smartphone or portable camera kit up to 1kg, has 360-degree rotation for every lighting angle possible, and a color temperature range of 3000K to 6000 K. It even has a Bluetooth remote so you can easily operate that shutter without needing to go back and forth, and a tripod with a height range of 15.7 inches to 50 inches.
Another feature we love about this ring light is its touch operation for adjusting brightness and color temperature, as well as toggling on and off. The only thing missing here is the option to be battery-operated so you can still use it when there’s no outlet on hand. Still, for something that’s under $40, it already offers a whole lot for a low price.
Best Outdoor Ring Light
With its premium price, the Lume Cube Ring Light Pro boasts all the high-end features you’d expect. You’ll especially love taking it outside, thanks to the cordless design with a handy remote for adjustments and the inclusion of a travel case for easy portability. Its rechargeable battery can run for 70 minutes at full brightness or up to 2 hours on lower settings for plenty of time to get the shot. And if your phone or camera is running low on juice, it can charge it up while you record via USB-A.
This light can be as bright and natural as you need it to be with its edge-lit technology, built-in diffuser, flicker-free operation, temperature range from 3200-5600K, and 96+ CRI. An LCD screen on the light even shows your settings and the battery life. The 70-inch stand is also easily adjustable yet robust, and the ring light offers a 180-degree pivot to find the ideal positioning.
Best Ring Light for Small Devices
Shooting primarily with smaller devices such as smartphones and action cams? The StillCool 10" Selfie Ring Light might just be perfect for you, especially if you want a ring light that’s decently sized and still highly capable. And, it's a fantastic value for under $40.
Despite being only 10-inches in diameter it’s plenty bright and offers three lighting modes – white, yellow, and warm white. You can adjust between 10 different brightness levels for a plethora of lighting scenarios, as well as a 360-degree rotation for all sorts of lighting angles. There are also two adjustable holders to mount your phone and smaller devices. And, the stand can go high. With a height range of 17.5 to 61 inches, the tripod will let you shoot all sorts of subjects from different angles. Just bear in mind that if you do upgrade to a DSLR or mirrorless camera, you should upgrade to a more robust setup as well.
Where to Get the Best Ring Light in the UK
Choosing the best ring light
If you haven’t owned (or used) a ring light before, choosing one can be a tad tricky. You probably already know that you can’t just get the first one that pops up in your Amazon search, but did you know there are other considerations beyond quality and price?
When choosing the best ring light for you, you should consider the size or diameter of the ring, first and foremost. Usually, the larger ring lights produce softer and more diffused lighting. However, smaller ones should be good enough for close-ups. It’s the same with a ring light’s Color Rendering Index. The higher the CRI, the more natural the light is and the more vivid it will make the colors look.
Most ring lights are dimmable, but the cheap ones don’t often offer adjustable color temperatures. Keep in mind that if you’re looking for something with a wider color temperature range, you might have to spend a bit more. It’s worth it, however, especially if you need extra versatility for different shooting scenarios.
Speaking of versatility, you’ll find that some ring lights are both AC- and battery-powered, making them ideal for outdoor and remote location use by being battery-powered. Again, they’ll probably cost more, so if you’re shooting everything indoors, you should just go for an AC-powered option.
Lastly, consider the type of bulbs being used. Some use fluorescent lights while a few others utilize LED lights, which are more energy-efficient, more robust, and better for the environment.
Michelle Rae Uy is a freelance tech and travel writer, part-time production editor, and a full-time traveler from Los Angeles, California. She currently splits her time between Los Angeles, London and the rest of the world. Follow her on Instagram @straywithRae
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