LED Video Lights

What an LED video light is for

An LED video light is a small, flat panel of LEDs, often about the size of a phone or a little bigger. Unlike a ring light, it sits to one side of the camera, which gives a face some shape: one side a little brighter than the other, the way light from a window falls. That makes it a good choice for talking to camera with a more natural look than a ring light gives, for lighting food, crafts and things to sell online, and for filming on the move, since the small ones run from a built-in battery and fit in a pocket.

Where a panel goes

Most small panels have the standard quarter-inch screw thread underneath, the same as a camera tripod, so they fit on a mini tripod, a light stand or the mounting shoe of a phone rig. On a rig, the light moves with the phone and lights whoever is in front of it wherever you point it.

• One panel at an angle to one side of your face, a little above eye level, is the simplest set-up.
• Two panels put the main light on one side and a second, dimmer one on the other to soften the shadows. A white wall can do the second light's job.
• For objects, a panel on each side at an angle shows texture without hard shadows.

How to choose an LED video light

Look at the colour settings first. White light comes in different colours, measured in kelvin: around 3,000 to 3,200K is a warm white like a household bulb in the evening, and around 5,500 to 5,600K is daylight. Many panels move between the two, so you can match the light already in the room. Some panels also give coloured light, for effects and backgrounds. Some lights give a CRI figure, the colour rendering index, a score out of 100 for how truly a light shows colours; 90 or more is the figure usually looked for in lights for video. That matters most when colour does, as with skin, clothes and products.

Then the power. Battery panels usually charge from USB-C, and many can run while plugged into a power bank. A diffuser that clips over the front softens a small panel's light further.

Remember that light falls off quickly. Move a light twice as far from your face and you get only about a quarter of the light on it, so a small panel works well close in and struggles across a room. If a picture looks dull, moving the light nearer helps more than turning it up.

Questions people ask about LED video lights

Can I use an LED panel for video calls?

Yes. Put it just behind the phone and a little to one side, above eye level, and turn it up only until your face looks clear on the screen.

How bright should I set it?

Start low and raise it until the face looks clear. Turned right up close to the face, a light makes people squint, shines on skin and glasses, and runs the battery down faster.

How long does delivery take?

Delivery is included in every price and tracked to your door. Each product page says when it usually arrives.

More to look at

• Ring lights
• Clip-on selfie lights
• Phone flashes
• Phone rigs and cages
• Mini tripods
• Wireless microphones
• Guide: Ring lights and video lights for phone filming
• Guide: Phone tripods, gimbals and selfie sticks