While there are controls built into the rear of the light, the Elgato can be paired with a companion app, allowing you to adjust the brightness and colour temperature without having to leave your seat. This feature will certainly be appreciated by both streamers and YouTubers. As you’d expect from a larger light, the Elgato provides a soft, shadow-free look along with bright halo catchlights. However, unlike a lot of large lights, it features a solid desk-mounting stand, rather than a traditional tripod, which means it’s easier to position and takes up no floor space. If you want to add a professional pop to your Zoom and Skype calls but don’t fancy turning over your whole desk to a larger lamp and stand, Elegiant’s 6.3” Ring Light is ideal. In short, yes: larger lights provide better overall coverage. Larger ring lights will, in general, provide a more flattering look as the larger light source is better able to surround you or your subject. Larger ring lights also facilitate a greater working distance, so you don’t need to position them as close to your subject. Smaller ring lights can still do an excellent job, though, provided you position them a little nearer. What brightness do I need? Now, when I was recording the video I shared my on the spot always honest thoughts. I felt that I preferred natural light to the ring light. However, since using the Equatech ring light for photos, I found it does an amazing job of brightening, warming and illuminating my shots and therefore my brown skin.

As a blogger who is against airbrushing and filtering, I want to keep my videos real and don’t like over-polished editing. Small, lightweight and with a range of mounting options, Rotolight’s LED Ring Light Kit is a great option for vloggers and content creators on the move. Using the included stand, it can be attached to any smartphone or camera or used standalone on its tripod. Alternatively, if you use an external microphone like the Rode Videomic Pro, the light can simply slide right over the top of it. It comes with three light settings ranging from cool to very warm, which you can see in my YouTube video.

Rotolight’s Conference Kit takes the highly-regarded Rotolight Neo 2 video light and pairs it with a desk-friendly stand. Key specs – Ring diameter: 46cm; Brightness: 2000 lumens; Dimmable: Percentage increments; Colour temperature: 2900, 5500k, 6500k; Advertised CRI: 90; Internal mount: Phone or camera; Power source: Mains adapter

Key specs – Ring diameter: 13cm; Brightness: 2500 lumens; Dimmable: Percentage increments; Colour temperature: 2900-7000K; Advertised CRI: 96; Internal mount: None; Power source: 6x AA or included mains adapter So I finally caved in and bought a ring light. If like me you’re not a mega influencer and just want a cheap ring light for video and photos that won’t take up too much space in your house, AND something that passes the brown girl skin test, then this review of the Home Bargains ring light is for you.The light features a clamp so you can mount it directly on your laptop, monitor, or the edge of your desk with no need for an additional stand. Once set up it can then be angled to suit, and can be plugged directly into your computer’s USB port, which keeps messy cable runs to a minimum. For versatility, you can alternatively opt to power it via a USB wall adapter or power bank.

The blue cool setting makes my brown Asian skin look a little washed out as you can see in the video here. Unlike the majority of ring lights, Elgato LEDs are built into the frame rather than the face of the ring. The result is a uniform ring of light, free of harsh hotspots which is noticeably less fatiguing on the eyes. If you plan on spending extended periods facing the light, then this design is a game-changer. As a working mum-of-two I barely have time to brush my hair let alone shoot videos and create content.The Equatech ring light is very easy to use and with a long wire that has a switch to control the settings so you don’t have to move around a lot (crucial when you’re recording content and don’t want to have your head cut off on the video). You’ve no doubt noticed that natural light can appear cool and blue, while indoor incandescent light can seem warm and yellow. If you plan on matching your ring light to any ambient lighting you’ll need to make sure it offers some form of colour temperature control. Most ring lights include the option to adjust the temperature, either electronically with an adjustable dial, or using interchangeable filters. Look for a 5500K or daylight setting if you plan on working mainly with natural light, or a 3200K or tungsten setting for working indoors. What other features should I look out for?