This NEEWER 18 Inch Edge Lit Ring Light ships inside a transport bag that has a place for the ring light; the included light stand, the power adaptor and all the different camera mounts. It is a very complete kit that can grow with you; with two phone holders and a separate mini ballhead to mount a compact camera or small mirrorless camera. It’s a big ring light; it is 46cm across so the light and bag are on the larger size. The light is controlled by an attachable remote control that quickly lets you adjust the colour temperature from a warm 2900k to a cool bluish 7000k. The daylight setting of 5600k matched gave a natural looking light. If you don’t want to use the remote you can use your phone and the Neewer light app; this doesn’t require registration and makes it easy to set the light up; and has memory settings to recall where you were. (Powering the light on and off it returns to the last setting.) Lastly Neewer include a usb dongle you can use with your computer to control it from there. If you want something to control your phone release, there is a Bluetooth trigger in the bag you can pair to your phone and use to start and stop recordings. This worked just fine with my android and iPhone. The power brick is quite large and on about 3m of cable; sadly, it doesn’t have a metal ring to lift it off the floor if you need to. That power brick provides the 40w the light needs to pump out its 3300-lux full brightness, which it very bright and best used at a longer distance from you. The light from the ring is very diffuse with no visible hotspots and it gives a very good even light all the way around the ring. That even lighting is available on all the brightness settings and colour temperatures. It’s an idea light for any video you are shooting of people’s faces for conference calls, talking heads or other content creation. The large ring size makes it possible to mount mirrorless cameras to it, or on a separate tripod behind the ring. Read more

This is probably not the sort of thing you are going to buy to make yourself look good in Teams meetings. This is for people who are fairly serious about video lighting. Of course, it is no replacement for a properly lit studio, but for many that isn't an option. I am really impressed with how much thought has gone into this package. Starting with build quality, everything feels solid and built to last, right down to the Bluetooth remote. Set up is exceptionally easy, and the manual is also well written. I barely had to use the manual to get going, the only thing I had to use it for was the QR code for the mobile app. The remote control itself is very intuitive and could easily be used to control it, the app is great and makes it easier but if you are using your phone to film, the remote will be a must. The remote can be left on the light where it will be charged, it is held on by some pretty strong magnets. The brightness and colour temperature are easily adjustable with a good available range. These are very easy to tweak using the dials on the remote. The description talks about the lighting being on the edge, when looking at the light, you can see that but the camera pointing at you will see diffused light coming across very uniformly. The light coverage is uniform throughout the ring and is quite bright at its brightest setting. There are a number of modes available which may suit some videographers, these include things like lightning, which sets the colour temperature and flashes the light on very briefly, candlelight which gives a slight flicker. I am not going to list all the package contents here but suffice to say there are many, and they are as well-built as the light itself. As for portability, it is technically portable, but it does require mains electricity and at 45 cm for the ring on its own, it probably will not fit in your backpack. This should be viewed as portable in the sense, you really need a car. It does come with a bag though which has a separate section for the tripod. In conclusion, this is a great light for a budding videographer. Well-thought-out and built well. Read more

This is a good bit of kit, but you would expect that with the make and the £218.99 price tag (although at time of review there was a £35 voucher available) So how good is it: • Firstly, its strongly made and has a professional equipment look to it. If there was one negative point it would probably be the 3 hot shoe anchor points which are plastic and I didn’t find the easiest to use, but its good that there is a choice of 3, giving you the option to mount more than one phone/camera. • The light ring is quite big, bigger than cheaper rings, but I think an ideal size, for illuminating a face for a portrait and the light isn’t too harsh. Although mostly plastic it feels strong and provides good illumination. • I like the case which gives good protection and it’s a nice idea to accommodate the tripod in its own zip able compartment at the bottom of the bag, which will save it damaging the light etc. • The included tripod is firm and offers a good range of heights. I tested the light with my SLR, in the middle and it worked fine, but my camera is heavy particularly with a zoom lens attached, so I wouldn’t suggest this setup, better to use a lighter camera/50mm lens. If you do plan to use a heavy camera setup with it, I would suggest mounting it on a separate tripod and standing it behind. The set comes with a remote for changing functions/effects, brightness and colour warmth, it’s blue-tooth and can be used on its own or magnetically clipped to the ring light. This all worked very well. I also tried using the light with my phone, as there is a small shutter remote allowing you to synchronise taking a picture on the phone with making the light flash, but although the remote paired easily I couldn’t get it to activate my phone shutter. I will have to look into this, but I think its probably an issue with my rather old mobile than the remote/light itself. I’m an amateur photographer, I’ve been the main photographer at 7 weddings, so am reasonably familiar with taking portrait shots. This ring light is a useful addition to my equipment. Read more

The NEEWER 18-inch Edge Lit Ring Light comes with a transport bag that holds the ring light, a light stand, power adapter, and various camera mounts. It's a comprehensive kit that includes two phone holders and a mini ball head for mounting a compact or mirrorless camera. The ring light is quite large, measuring 46cm in diameter, so both the light and the bag are relatively big. You can adjust the light using an attachable remote, allowing you to switch the color temperature from a warm 2900K to a cool 7000K. The 5600K setting provides a natural daylight look. Alternatively, you can control the light via the Neewer app on your phone, which doesn’t require registration and offers memory settings to save your preferences. It also comes with a USB dongle to control the light from your computer. For phone users, there’s a Bluetooth trigger in the bag that pairs with your device to start and stop recordings, and it works well on both Android and iPhone. The power brick is fairly large and comes with about 3 meters of cable, though it lacks a metal ring to lift it off the floor. It delivers 40W of power, allowing the light to reach its full brightness of 3300 lux, which is very bright and works best from a distance. The ring light provides even, diffused lighting with no visible hotspots, and this consistency is maintained across all brightness levels and color temperatures. This light is ideal for video shoots involving people, such as conference calls, talking-head videos, or other content creation. Its size also allows for mirrorless cameras to be mounted either on the ring or on a separate tripod positioned behind it. It's easy to assemble and offers good value for money. Read more

You definitely notice the differences between this and the LED rings costing as little as one tenth the cost: as well as the ring being larger, the stand is full size rather than a 'put this on a table' one. It's not quite strong enough to cope with a DSLR and heavy lens though, so you'll still want your normal tripod with that sort of setup. This one is particularly useful for people doing video with a range of effects to simulate being the object of attention of paparazzi, or in a lightning storm, or lit by candles. But if you're just doing stills, you will be able to spend a lot less for an LED array that will do a variety of colours and intensities. Read more

Bright and reliable Read more