Photographers/videographers, makeup artists and YouTubers should be masters of light. Today, we’re looking at the best LED lights for video, photography and youtube.
LED lights are inescapable for YouTubers and you should use quality, even light to capture your subject. This often goes under appreciated but this article will help you make an informed choice in 2022.
Top 5 Best LED Lights For Video, Photography & YouTube
1. Neewer 2 Packs Dimmable Bi-Color 660 LED Video Light (Best Tested)
✅ 2 PACK LED VIDEO LIGHTs
✅ ADJUSTABLE vertical POSITIONS
✅ DIMMABLE & temperature CHANGING
Coming in at my number one spot is the value packed Neewer 2 Pack LED Lighting Kit. Neewer is well known for their great lighting range and this model definitely didn’t disappoint. This kit includes 2 bi-color lights, 2 stands, power adapters and a carrying case.
While the LED’s can go to great kelvin levels, they also emit the two color temps (warm and cool). By setting the camera to one or the other and switching the lights to the corresponding color, a very accurate color rendition can be achieved.
Adjusting the above mentioned settings on these units was incredibly straight forward. Both of the LED units sport the on/off switch, the color temp change switch, and a dimmer control. All buttons and knobs are tactile so I could easily adjust it from the front after a few tries.
When it comes to powering these lights, they both are powered by either A/C adapters or batteries. Having the ability to use batteries made these lights really versatile and could even be used on a camera hot shoe mount. I wasn’t stuck staying close to power outlets, and I can take these on location with the optional rechargeable batteries.
In the field, these lights were up to whatever task I have in mind. The batteries let me shoot for around 90 minutes before being drained. But having a few extras on hand always had me back up and running again.
Overall, this Neewer LED video lighting kit was an absolute joy and would be happy recommending it to any video creator.
2. G1S RGB Video Light (Best Portable Lighting)
✅ 12W RECHARGEABLE BAttery
✅ full rgb ADJUSTABLE COLORS
✅ 12 light effects
✅ SMALL AND PORTABLE
The G1S portable video light is powerful and small video light. It is a perfect small video light since you can recharge it with a USB C port.
It comes with a small adjustable stand and hotshoe fastener that can move 360 degrees when mounted.
It has full RGB color which means you can adjust the light to anything you’d like.
It has 2500-8500K color temperature and a sturdy aluminum alloy body.
This is an amazing light for videography, photography and YouTube where you don’t need that much light or a flash.
3. GVM Dimmable Bi-color LED Video Panel Light
Third is the 13” spare GVM LED Panel light which is sold as a single light without any stand, but you can make your own kit out of any accessories you want.
This light is variable from 2300K to 6700K and has a CRI of 97! A very high quality and versatile light. Dimmer controls down to 10% of full power which was great for subtle lighting.
There is also digital display on the backside of the panel for more control over the settings. As for the power, this model uses either A/C or battery power for about 90 minutes of runtime on battery power. The aircraft aluminum housing dissipates heat efficiently allowing for long term use even in close quarters.
Being a larger lamp, this was a great choice for filming a group scene at a middle distance form the subjects. The light quality was very good, especially with the auxiliary soft light diffuser.
The price was somewhat higher than the other lights tested, but the added features more than justify the extra cost. A great pick!
4. SAMTIAN 160 LED Video Light Kit with 29 Inch Tripod
Next up on my list of the best LED lights for video is the wallet friendly Samtian Light Kit. In many ways I found this kit to be very similar to the above mentioned Neewer kit minus a few key features. Nonetheless it was a great addition to my videography equipment.
Two of the biggest differences was that this unit didn’t have the ability to adjust the coolness or warmth of the LED’s. Instead they opted for orange filters which gave me less control over the LED settings.
Secondly was the actual height of the lighting stand which is capped out at 29 inches which was an odd choice. However I easily got around this by placing the light stand on a chair or desk.
When it came to the contents, this kit included a set of batteries good for about 90 minutes run time, 2 stands, 2 hot shot mounts, carry bag and 4 filters. Best of all is that all this comes in at a very affordable price tag which made it deserve a number 2 spot in my list.
5. Neewer Video/Photography 160 LED Studio Lighting Kit
Next up is another great Neewer product which is a more simplified version of the first kit that I reviewed.
The 4×5” lights have a foot for mounting directly to the hot shoe or accessory shoe of a digital camera, or you can mount the lights to the included light stands.
Unlike the other Neewer kit, this one uses filters to change from one color temperature to the other. Not as convenient, but it simplifies the construction, which is likely one reason these lights are as inexpensive as they are. Even though inexpensive, they have a high quality construction.
The plastic housing is not as impressive looking as the aircraft aluminum of some other lights, but it doesn’t have the cheap feel and look of some plastic lights. These stands are more than adequate to hold these lights, and they extend a little under three feet in height. This is a great kit and is great value for money.
6. SAMTIAN Dimmable 4 X 240 LED Light Kit
Rounding out the top 5 best LED lights for video, photography, and YouTube list is this four light kit with stands and included batteries.
The lights are switchable between 3200K and 5600K at a CRI of about 93. Run time with batteries is about 50 minutes and the lights can be also be powered on plug in A/C power.
Instead of variable color temperature and brightness, these lights have two color temps, 3200K and 5600K, and 10 distinct power settings. A remote control allows for controlling all of that from camera position without having to physically change each light. In practice, the remote was a little bit fiddly.
Each light came with a ball head mount that fits either a camera accessory shoe, a tripod, or the supplied light stands. The stands are tall enough for just about any normal use. Each light has a diffuser for soft light.
The lights are roughly 5×7” and the whole kit fits into the supplied carrying bag. These lights are simple, but a kit of four of them won’t break the bank, so they belong in my best LED lights for video list.
Why use LED lights for video and photography?
There are several good reasons to look at LED lights for our use in video and photography. One reason is that LED lights put out a huge amount of light without a lot of heat. With strobes, heating isn’t an issue too often. But video and motion picture require continuous lighting.
The long time standards for continuous lighting emit quite a bit of heat. If you’ve ever worked with color corrected photo floods, you may have noticed how hot they get. Some higher output lights even have cooling systems. LED lights are much cooler operating for similar levels of light.
Another reason is color correction. A household lamp is very warm toned. Many fluorescent bulbs add in their own characteristic color value. While our cameras can cope automatically with many color balance issues, it’s much better to have a color corrected light to start with.
Limitations of using LED lights for video when compared to incandescent lights
Two areas where incandescent bulbs are better than LEDs are in cost and in color rendition. Cost might be offset by the average lifespan of the bulb. In other words, even though the incandescent bulb and fixture costs less than an equivalent LED, if I have to buy replacement bulbs every month or so, the costs do tend to equalize.
The color rendition is tricky. Color rendition index (CRI) is best explained as what color do the lights make the subject appear to be on the recording medium. Generally speaking, color corrected incandescent bulbs are superb in this, while some less expensive LED lights have some variation from true color.
Well, let’s get to our testing to find the best reasonably priced LED lights for use in photography, video, and YouTube.
Major Advantages of LED Lights
The biggest advantage of using LED lights is in the amount of power savings you can achieve.
Old technology including halogen and tungsten lights consumes a lot of power because they are incandescent lights.
LEDs on the other hand, are electroluminescent. In other words, they produce light when electricity is passed through them.
The second mechanism is a lot more power conserving and the difference shows up in your monthly electricity bills.
The fact that LED lights require a lower voltage means you can power them using portable batteries, which are no heavier than a few kilos at the most.
Also, they give you the advantage of packing everything up and taking them on-site out in the field to shoot with.
Portability is a big plus when it comes to filmmaking.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are LED lights?
Are LED lights good for video?
What brand has the best video lights?
Are LED lights good for product photography?
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starofservice avis says
I find these LED lights as powerful as each other. I have a preference for the first and third of this top 5. In any case, thank you for these clarifications and this very useful information
Kazi Ehsan says
The only thing concerns me most is the heat issue. I did burn a lot of lights while shooting videos for a long time. Very useful article and will check few of them soon.