Ring lights are a vital part of your lighting set up
Whether it’s for Makeup, YouTube, Instagram, Tik Tok, Zoom/Video meetings or any other social media.
Ring lights have taken the world by storm in recent years and are impossible to escape.
what are the best ring lights?
Essentially, a ring light is a circle halo light that eliminates harsh shadows, especially when the camera is close to the subject.
It is used typically with one subject, and is very useful for many jobs. Makeup artists, tattoo artists, content creators, photographers and people who work-from-home will all benefit from this light.
These are our picks for the 5 best ring lights in 2023. They are going to be the easiest way for you to get great lighting at an affordable cost.
Top 5 Best Ring Lights For YouTube, Tik Tok, Makeup Artists and Photographers in 2024
1. Neewer 18″ LED Ring Light Kit: Large Standing Ring Light
First off is the Neewer 18 Inch 55W LED Ring Light Kit. This is a great value and a very useful kit for so many different people.
The 18” light delivers a continuous output of Daylight balanced 5500K, and two sets of filters that fit directly on the ring light, soft white and orange.
What is this ring light best used for?
This light stands up and delivers light at multiple angles. It is best used for videographers/photographers/content creators or live streamers who need a lot of light on their subject.
You can use it for:
- YouTube videos
- Vlog Lighting
- Makeup Application
- Tattoos
- Low-budget videography
- Product photography/videos
It’s a well thought out lighting kit, including a phone holder/camera mount, a very sturdy light stand, and a bag to carry it all in.
It isn’t the most portable but the light quality and reliability of this product is unmatched. They provide the best big standing ring light on the market.
The goose neck allows for variation in the angle you point it, but it’s a little stiff. It’s adequate to stand it, adjust it and then shoot your subject.
FEATURES
- 18 inch light with stand
- 55W Power
- Phone + DSLR Mount
- 3200K – 5500K Cold/Warm Color Temperature
- Comes with case and remote
You can use a DSLR or a phone on this ring light.
You’re going step up your game on YouTube with this light. This unit is easily my favorite of all tested and Newer is a high-quality, affordable company making awesome products.
This is one of the best ring lights & big out there, and it will surely provide you great results!
2. Neewer 14″ Inch LED Ring Light: Medium best ring lights for zoom calls, Tik Tok
✅ 14 inch light
✅ phone mount
✅ 55w power
Second, we have the Neewer Dimmable 14 Inch 55w kit. Almost everything I said about the other Neewer ring light applies to this one. Neewer products look, feel, and act like quite high quality tools.
WHAT IS THIS MEDIUM BEST RING LIGHT BEST USED FOR?
For close-ups and subjects that are close to the camera. This is also a good Makeup ring light as it provides enough light.
You can use this light for:
- Tik Tok Filming
- Zoom Conferencing
- Video Calls
- Makeup and Tattoos
- Vloggers/Vlogging
This LED Circle Light is perfect for just about any situation. At 55 watts, the light output is slightly lower than the fluorescent bulb.
It should be adequate for product photography and shooting where you are close up to the subject.
FEATURES
- Ring Light 14in large frame
- Adjustable and dimmable
- Lightweight
- 55W Power
You don’t get a stand or adapters with this kit. Overall, though, a very good ring light, with all the advantages of the LED crowd of lighting products.
This light comes with the normal kit supplies – a stand, phone holder and remote. It’s easy to set up, easy to use, and a very understandable set of instructions.
At 8 watts, the light output is certainly lower than that of the previous lights mentioned. It is a vital piece of Tik Tok equipment and good for many uses.
You get the ability to adjust a wide range of brightness and color temperatures. Though, you get a considerably less strong light.
FEATURES
- Adjustable height
- Phone mount
- Dimmable and color temperature changing
- Small and portable
You can adjust the stand to as tall as 51 inches and as short as 17.5 inches. It’s small size makes it fairly portable, but it does have to be plugged in. Hopefully, in the future, we can get a fully portable light without any cord at all.
4. UBeesize Selfie Ring Light: Tabletop Selfie Light
- Lightweight and adjustable
- 3 color modes
- Affordable
- 480 LM
The UBeesize Ring Light is a super lightweight and affordable ring light option. It has 2-in-1 functionality as you can set up your light and phone simultaneously.
Unlike the bigger ring lights, the light is slim and not bulky at all. You can easily wrap it up and store it away in no time.
The light is extremely easy to use. You just clamp the light to any surface, plug in and adjust your light and phone in any direction. You’ll be set up and shooting in a matter of seconds. The clamp, gooseneck stand and phone holder are very sturdy and allow you to quickly change direction of your light or phone with ease.
This light is good, but obviously won’t provide you enough light if you need it for bigger projects.
This product is great because it has so many uses! You can easily clamp the light onto your desk while you’re video chatting, your sink while you’re doing your makeup, or you can fasten it to your headboard for late-night reading. And the affordable price makes it totally worthwhile!
5. Inkeltech 18″ LED Ring Light: Ring Light for Makeup Artists/Tattoo Artists
- 60W Power
- Phone mount + DSLR mount
- 3000K to 6000K Color Temperature
- Comes with case and remote control
Second, we look at the Inkeltech Ring Light. This is an awesome, multi-functional kit with a stand, mount and bag.
Rated at 60W, the LED light is balanced for 3000K to 6000K. This gives you a very diverse color temperature to make your scenes very cool or very warm.
In this ring light, there are 512 LED bulbs, which makes this light super powerful, while keeping the picture soft.
LEDs are not one big tube or globe bulb, but a whole lot of little bulbs put together. A huge advantage to LEDs is that they give off very little heat compared to similar wattage conventional bulbs. A disadvantage is the price. Also, with this particular lighting tool, if the LEDs go out, you can’t replace them.
This halo ring light is a big, sturdy tool for all creators. You can even wall mount it and it will be a constant source of light from one direction.
Also by combining a ring light of this caliber with a backdrop system you will get great results.
This light set up is another great tool for videographers, YouTubers, photographers, and make-up artists. The fit and finish of certain parts of the stand and mounts seem a little underwhelming, but nothing to diminish its intended purpose.
All in all, a very nice unit. Because of the above mention features, it deserved a spot on our best ring lights list.
6. Auxiwa Clip on Selfie Ring Light: Best Ring Light to take Selfie in Phone and Laptop
- 3W of light power
- 5600K color temperature
- Rechargeable via USB
- Super small and portable
Lastly, Auxiwa markets a ring light for phones and laptops. This a 3 inch ring light that has 3W of light power and a 5600K color temperature, which is perfect for indoor shooting. This does not come with a stand, because it is designed to be extremely portable and clamp onto the top of your phone or laptop with ease.
One great feature this light has is that it is rechargeable. So, you don’t have to be tied down by a cord. The lithium battery has a decent enough charge life, but once you notice it start to dim, it will be mostly out of power in a few short minutes. A three position switch allows for reducing the light output, which will also increase battery charge life.
Charging is easy through the supplied USB cable. Though, the connections sometimes didn’t feel quite secure. After several times of plugging and unplugging, I had to wiggle the cord to make sure the charging signal came on.
The battery charge lasts about multiple hours and recharging takes about the same. After it’s charged, it feels great to not be tied down by a cord.
It has a much lower light output but it is portable and versatile. I would include make-up artists (or selfie aficionados) in my recommendations for users, because this will give you just enough light coverage for close ups. For YouTubers or videographers, I would recommend a larger ring light kit.
Why use a Ring Light?
A ring light is like a hula hoop of light, with your DSLR or smartphone poking through the open middle.
A primary advantage to ring light use is the shadowless lighting. Though shadowless, it isn’t flat. The lens (or phone or your eyes) sit in the middle of the light source. This means that the light source surrounds the optical line of sight.
Thus, the light is falling on the subject from every direction. Eliminating the shadows means you can clearly see the details that may have been obscured otherwise.
How much is a Ring Light?
A ring light ranges from $30 to $150. They are fairly cheap if you want a smaller light with less brightness for selfies and recording yourself on your phone.
- 8″ ring lights can be cheap, around $30.
This might be good if you are close to your laptop on Zoom, conferencing or Face Timing and you need extra light. In this case, a 10 inch to 14 inch ring light will do a great job.
If you simply need an additional source of light for doing your makeup or taking photos, there’s no need to splurge on an expensive light. You can easily find a ring light that will both serve your purpose and remain inexpensive.
- 12″ ring lights are approximately $50.
Though, if you are a YouTuber or Tik Toker, you might be moving around quite a bit. A more powerful light like the 18″ Neewer option . Getting a good big ring light will significantly help you light scenes and subjects reliably.
- 18″ ring lights will be around $100.
These are good for big, sturdy standing light scenarios. Video creators who shoot wider shots may benefit from the added light here.
Are There Alternatives To Ring Lights?
We’ve already established that using a ring light is an excellent idea and will unleash your photograph’s true potential! But, there are a couple of ways to improve your lighting without buying a ring light.
Check out the best soft boxes or the best YouTube video lighting in 2024 as an alternative!
Another thing you can do is play around with lamps in your room. But, as always, make sure to test out what the lighting looks like before joining a meeting!
What other Ring Lights are out there?
There are ring lights with rotating bases, so you can get a 360 degree view. You can even get full RGB ring lights that are 20 inches to 22 inches. They are used for so many creative and cool effects that add flare to videos.
Apart from all the possibilities already mentioned, there are a couple more ways to use a ring light. Did you know that best ring lights were developed for dental purposes, but were later perceived useful for other professions as well?
Ring lights are also an excellent option if you want to emphasize certain details in your photos and videos. Its design and structure is adept for this purpose.
Another way to put a ring light to good use is to generate color effects. This can be achieved by simply changing the white bulbs in the ring to other colors. This way, you can create incredibly fun photos and completely change the aesthetic by simply adding in different colored light bulbs!
Even though ring lights provide enough
lighting themselves, you can also complement them with softboxes to create a stunning professional environment.
Do you need a Ring Light?
The short answer is that you need lighting to make your content look great! A ring light can help you with that.
But anyone can use a ring light and can benefit from the shadowless lighting source.
Makeup artists, YouTube content creators, Tik Tokers, Zoom conferencers, tattoo artists, vloggers, hair stylists/salons, selfie lovers, streamers, photographers are all great examples of people that this light will help.
Best Ring lights are a purchase that you will not regret. They’re multi-purpose and affordable, meaning you can buy them even if you do not intend to use them strictly for business. Use the best ring lights to make your selfies look more professional, organize a fun shoot with your friends, etc. The ways to use a ring light are truly endless – it all boils down to your creativity!
What’s the best standing ring light in 2024?
You’ll need to weigh all your needs and wants, comparing them to the options available. All of them are high quality options and needed for a different occasion.
You can check out this tutorial on how best to use a ring light.
Think about what you want to do with a ring light. A makeup artist might be thinking on different lines than a YouTuber or someone on Tik Tok. Also, still photographers and videographers have similar needs, but if depending on how close or far away your subject is, you’ll have to adjust your decision.
And to be fair, having too much light is not a bad thing so you might want to opt for an 18 inch or 14 inch light, even 22 inches. A good ring light will last you years if you treat it nicely!
If you want to learn more about equipment for Lights for Makeup, YouTube, Tik Tok, Zoom conferencing, product photography, etc., check out other articles below!
- Best Cameras for YouTubers and Makeup Artists
- Best YouTube Lighting Equipment
- Best Cameras for YouTube
- Best Laptops for YouTubers
- Best Laptops for Video Conferencing
Nicole DeStefano says
As a hairstylist wanting to mimic natural but diffused light for capturing haircolor would fleurescent or LED be best? I’m sort of confused on the color output difference. I want a cooler color rather than warmth
Bill R says
Thanks for the comment, personally I would recommend a LED light as it’s generally a “cooler” light which you can then add on filter to make the light more warm or cold. It’s also produces less heat so won’t make you hot while styling. Hope this helps!
Emma says
I have the Neewer ring light and also recently got the Glowpro 18″ ring light too. The Neewer is brighter as the cover can be removed. But overall I prefer the Glowpro as it has temperature controls which is probably the best invention for beauticians ever!
Overall they are both great for different uses
Hope this helps
Rob says
Does the Neewer attached to a point and shoot camera with the tripod?
Bill R says
Yes it does, it has a standard thread that will fit to most DSLR and point & shoot cameras 🙂
Rachel says
I’ll be using my ring light at my desk, so it will be only 2 feet away from me…do you think 18″ is too big for that distance? And is 75 watts excessive for that set up? Thanks for a super helpful post 🙂
Bill R says
I think 18” should be fine, there is a dimmer on the back of most of the ring lights so you can control the brightness if it starts to get too much. Just keep in mind that this option is only for the LED ring lights. Hope that helps!
Victoria says
Hello.
I’m looking into getting a ring light for my makeup room.
Primarily for use on my desk but occasionally I’ll need it on a taller tripod.
So my question is are all the ones you have listed able to be switched from a small desktop tripod to a tall one? Or are the larger ring lights too big/heavy to do that?
Any help would be much appreciated.
Victoria
guycochran says
I’m surprised that the Diva Ring light isn’t on the list? Accurate color is what makes skin tones look healthy, a lot of the lights listed have sub par bulbs resulting in a poor look.
Evangeline says
Hi,
I want to do vlogging as well as still phonography. Will the EACHSHOT ES240 Kit be okay?
Makeup Ring Light says
Hi Bill,
I appreciate your effort. It’s a great article. As you said, these 5 are the top best ring light in 2018.
In 2019, I can suggest one more – Beauty Expert LED Ring Light from Cosmetic Beauty Boutique
Hope this helps 🙂
John W. DeFeo says
Ring lights are great. Even the cheap China-direct lighting kits are better than some of the pro-LED kits from 20 years ago. However, I have one word of caution: Never attach an expensive camera to a cheap tripod or stand, no matter what the light kit’s instructions say.
It kills me when I hear stories of a $3,000 camera tipping over on a $20 stand. Madness!
Paultimpetra says
Great Information!!! Your Information is very inspiring. Keep it going. Thank You
Electroluxe says
Thank you, We like your blog and we also provide LED selfie ring lights. Vist our website http://www.electroluxe.co
Gautam says
Thanks for the sharing informative article, I really like this post.