Ring lights are responsible for many of the great images and videos we see on social media. Have you ever swooned over how perfect your favorite makeup artists look in their tutorials? Or have you been in awe of how amazing the lighting is in the selfies your celebrities upload? Ring lights are affordable lighting tools that help you take great selfies and videography for social media, YouTube, TikTok, and more. This simple accessory can add a ton of quality to your photos and videos. Here are our top picks for ring lights:
- Best Overall: JSYW Selfie Ring Light
- Best Ring Light for Professional Photographers: Diva Ring Light
- Best LED Ring Light: ESDDI LED Lightening Kit
- Best Ring Light for Home Use: Trumagine 8” LED
- Most Adjustable Ring Light: GLCon Selfie Ring Light
- Best Ring Light For Event Photographers: Neewer Ring Light Kit
- Best Budget Ring Light: Samtian LED Light
- Best Ring Light for Portrait Shoots: Jurgen K LED Ring Light
What Is a Ring Light?
Ring lights provide lighting from a single fluorescent bulb or numerous small LED lights connected to each other. In either case, the light forms a circle with a space in the middle (like a hula hoop) for you to put your camera in. Hence, the name “ring light.”
The ring light is a must-have tool for photographers in the portrait, fashion, or makeup industry. Professional photographers use this light to take high-resolution pictures. But, you don’t necessarily have to be a professional to use this lighting tool.
If you’re fond of taking selfies as flawless as the Kardashians’, this is something you should invest in. Or, if you want studio-quality lighting on a budget, a ring light is a good option. To help you pick the best ring light available, we did some research. The list below should help you choose the right light that fits all your needs. Our ring lights are cheap if you are on a tight budget and start at about $30!
1. JSYW Selfie Ring Light
If you’re someone who wants perfect selfies on a budget, this is the ring light for you. The JYSW Selfie Ring Light contains ten lighting levels. This means you can adjust the light according to your preference.
If you’re not a fan of pictures that are too bright, you can simply dim the LED. It also has three color modes – white, warm, and soft light. Perhaps the best feature of this ring light is the ease of connectivity it provides.
You can connect it to USB ports, your MacBook, and other laptops. You can even use a power bank or your PC to power it. The length of the ring light’s tripod stand can extend from 14 inches up to 47 inches. This means that you will definitely find a length that suits you. The adjustable length also makes it easy to carry everywhere. The tripod stand is also multipurpose, and you can use it as a phone tripod or a selfie stick.
If you like vlogging on a budget, this ring light can help. You can rotate it at a complete 360 degree as well. This function is a necessity for videos and specifically live broadcasts.
Whether you’re an iPhone or Android user, this light has a phone stand that works for everyone. The universally compatible phone stands add to its usefulness.
2. Diva Ring Light
This is the ring light that you need in your studio if you’re a professional photographer. This light comes with features that will give you full control over the resulting image/video. If you require dim light, you can reduce the light from 20 – 100%. Another great feature of this light is the diffusion cloth. You can strap the cloth over the light to produce a softer image.
The light’s reflective aluminum interior also ensures a maximum output of light. You can say goodbye to any annoying fluorescent flicker thanks to the high-frequency ballast of the Supernova light. This is a ring light you will want to invest in if you’re taking up photography or beauty blogging professionally. The one-year warranty it comes with makes buying this a safe bet!
3. ESDDI LED Lightening Kit
This is an LED light designed to save energy. This makes it perfect for people who want to use their light for a long period of time. The best thing about the product is that it gives out uniformly distributed light. You will also notice that no harsh shadows appear, unlike when low-cost lights are used. The stand is also firm and adjustable.
The ESDDI Light gives the user the freedom to control the color temperature. This ensures that you can easily create the lighting environment you desire. Photographers can use this as a back or front light during day or night photography. It has the capacity to be used both professionally and at home and is also affordable.
4. Trumagine 8” LED
This is the perfect ring light for home use. Thanks to its small size, you can fit it easily in any room. It is also easy to store and takes up less space. You can put it up on your makeup desk without worrying about it covering the whole table.
This ring light is easy to use for beginners. If you’re starting out in the world of beauty vlogging or portrait photography, this is a good investment. Luckily, this light won’t put a dent in your wallet. It also has a decent service life as well, up to 100,000 hours.
5. GLCon Selfie Ring Light
This is not your ordinary-looking ring light. It boasts a unique and stylish gooseneck design. This means you can use it as a lamp or a bedside light as well. With this light, you can say goodbye to the hassle of charging your device, thanks to its USB power cable. The tripod is also adjustable, and the phone holder is universal. It gives you as many as nine levels of brightness to choose from.
The GLCon Selfie Ring Light is easy to adjust. You can change the angle on this light as it rotates 360 degrees. Taking a selfie in low light won’t be a problem any more thanks to this fabulously designed ring light!
6. Neewer Ring Light Kit
The Neweer Ring Light Kit includes a continuous fluorescent light with a light stand. It also comes with a white and orange color filter set and a hot shoe adapter. The carry bag makes the kit exceptionally easy to carry.
This is the ring light most professional, and event photographers should choose. Whether you need an outdoor photo light or an indoor filling light, this ring light will do an exceptionally good job.
What we really like about this light is that it is fairly easy to set up the whole kit. Its aluminum light stand also makes it the best bet if you want to go for heavy-duty work.
7. Samtian LED Light
Samtian’s LED Light kit is a great professional light if you’re on a budget. It contains 180 SMED LED beads and a power output of 45 watts. The kit consists of one ring light, a stand, and two diffusers. It also contains a selfie remote control for smartphones which is a highly impressive part of the kit. A smartphone holder, a power plug, and an adapter are included in the kit.
But wait, there’s more – a hot shoe adapter and a portable bag to help you carry it with you everywhere. It also has a regulator, meaning you can alter the height and intensity of light as per your wishes.
8. Jurgen K LED Ring Light
The Jurgen K LED Light has three different colors: white, light yellow, and warm yellow. Each color has eleven different levels of brightness as well. So, this ring light gives you a lot of customizability when it comes to the kind of light you want. The light also has a 360-degree horizontal rotation angle and a 180-degree side rotation angle. This huge range gives you a lot of freedom to adjust lighting for your photographs.
This ring light is a bit smaller than most professional ones but is ideal for portrait shoots. It also has a universal cell phone holder that can hold most type of smartphones. The Jurgen K LED light is also a very high-quality product. The ring light has a working life of up to 20,000 hours, a very impressive feat.
What Are Ring Lights Good For?
Ring lights are great for a wide variety of situations. If you are looking for a great ring light for a portrait shoot, we recommend the Jurgen K LED Ring Light. Any of the models on our list are great for clothing photography and makeup photography. At the end of the day, all of these ring lights will give you professional imagery on a tight budget. Here are some situations where you might benefit from a ring light:
- Selfie photography
- If you are a makeup artist
- Videos for TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube
- If you are an influencer and need to make professional photo content.
Bottom Line on Ring Lights
This list comprehensively covers all the best options available on the market today. Everyone should be able to find a ring light to suit their needs on this list – whether you’re a YouTuber, a makeup artist, or a professional photographer.
Even if you just want a ring light so you can take nice selfies, this list won’t let you down. Carefully consider your options and choose whichever light fits your needs the best. Once you do, get to buying!
