Best video lights in 2024: get better lighting for vlogging and filmmaking

Using the best video lights will instantly lift the visual quality of your content, whether you're recording footage or streaming live. While natural light is totally unpredictable, these devices will create a consistent and pleasing light for your subject. 

The best video lights are a great addition to one of the best cameras for video as they allow you to balance exposure levels in a scene, retaining more detail in shadows and highlights. You can also use them to create effects, using different colors to evoke different moods or even to simulate things like a flickering TV or the blue flashing light of an emergency vehicle. Lights can help you tell a story.

They don't have to be bulky and expensive, either: a video light can be something as simple as an LED panel that fixes to the hotshoe of a camera. In our guide to the best video lights below, we've picked out a range of affordable but capable units that any videographer can make use of. 

So whether you're working with a mirrorless camera, DSLR setup or shooting on your camera phone, read on to discover the best video lights available today, and the facts and figures you need to choose the right one for you.

The Rotolight NEO 3 builds on the success of the preceding NEO 2, adding a raft of impressive new features. Both models deliver flash output as well as constant lighting, but the NEO 3 delivers a full range of color in both modes, with full RGBWW options. It comes in various configurations and kits and accessories will vary according to which you choose.

Small but powerful and extremely versatile as a constant LED light, the NEO 3 is a quantum leap forward from the NEO 2. It delivers a full color range in both constant and flash modes, with a huge range of electronic color filters and special effects, all available via a simple and intuitive color touchscreen menu. Maximum flash output is disappointing compared to a ‘proper’ flashgun but, even so, the NEO 3 is a brilliant solution for anyone who needs to shed a little extra light on both stills and video capture. For more details, read our full Rotolight NEO 3 review.

The X100 is a revelation for content creators who move around a lot, this light is super compact and portable and can be set up almost anywhere instantly with its optional battery (available in the combo kit). The 100W power is bright enough for all close to medium-distance situations such as talking to camera or a studio shoot. It is a shame there are no lighting effects for a content creator aimed light though. The light can get also quite hot with extended use, so you need to think about storage if moving around frequently, but the DynaVolt fan does a great job at keeping it cool. 

Cool features like PD USB-C, as well as a dedicated power supply offer improved versatility. If you choose to get the optional battery pack, then this makes it even easier to get great lighting on the go. The accessory system is well thought out, with great quality accessories from Zhiyun as well as a Bowens mount adapter. 

Read our full Zhiyun Molus X100 review for more details.

The Zhiyun Fiveray FR100C Light Wand is compact enough to carry in your kitbag but thanks to its 100W output it will illuminate the darkest locations. Its rechargeable battery should keep it shining for the duration of your shoot and the control dial enables you to adjust color temperatures to match the location’s available light or you can dial in neon hues for a more creative look.

Its fans can get a little noisy to cope with that intense light in such a small package, which is something to be aware of for sound recording.

This powerful, hugely versatile yet lightweight portable LED lighting panel is a radical redesign compared with the original AEOS. It gives you 16.7 million colors of light to play with, instead of just various degrees of white. And that goes for both constant lighting and flash, the latter with a high-speed sync option. The interface is also completely overhauled, with the addition of a color touchscreen that makes it quick and easy to access a huge range of lighting options, digital filters and special effects. 

The AEOS 2 is available in several kit configurations: the cheapest 'Basic' kit only includes a mains power adaptor and no battery, although the light does come complete with a good-quality diffuser dome. The Explorer Kit adds a battery and charger, plus a padded soft case. Next up the price ladder, the Masters Kit doubles up on lamps and diffusion domes while also adding light stands and a padded soft case, but this time batteries aren’t included. Top of the range is the Ultimate Kit, which is essentially the same as the Masters Kit with the addition of two batteries and chargers.

Even the cheapest AEOS 2 Basic kit is still a hefty investment, but it’s a joy to use and a top performer, making it worth the money. For more details, see our full Rotolight AEOS 2 review.

Designed with both the photographer and videographer in mind, the StellaPro Reflex S dual head kit is compact yet powerful and perfect for shooting in a studio or on location. When on flash mode it can keep up with a continuous burst mode of 20fps which is perfect even if shooting high-action sports. When using the lights on continuous mode that can run for up to 30 minutes on full power or an impressive 10,000 flashes so you can shoot all day long even on location. It is expensive and what's more is the accessories are also pricey so that is worth thinking about but it is an excellent hybrid kit that performs very well.

The Molus G200 LED light is far too bright for my specific needs as a video maker but if you need to light a subject from a distance then it is well worth considering (especially thanks to its ability to boost the default 200W output to the max 300W). It will suit professional corporate and studio-based filmmakers more than social media content creators, who might be better off with the cheaper and smaller Molus X100.  Music mode could be useful to certain connect creators but I imagine that it’s not a deal breaker for most people. The lack of animated preset effects (such as Flash and Lightning) is disappointing, given that they are featured on other similar COB bi-color lights.

Read our full Zhiyun Molus G200 review for more details.

The Zhiyun MOLUS G60 is probably one of the best options for any content creators who move around a lot, who don’t have a lot of space, or just need a simple but incredibly functional lighting source. The 60W power is bright enough for most close to mid-distance situations such as talking to camera or a studio shoot, and the DynaVolt fan does a great job at keeping it cool. Neat features like PD USB-C, as well as a dedicated power supply offer improved versatility. The accessory system is well thought out, with great quality accessories from Zhiyun as well as a Bowens mount adapter. 

There are some small disappointments like the lack of an optional dedicated battery pack, or lighting effects or colors, but these are easily looked past when you are reminded of how much power Zhiyun managed to squeeze into this Rubix Cube size box. 

Read our full Zhiyun Molus G60 review for more details.

The Forza 60C is an expensive bit of kit but when it comes to accurate and creative color rendition this powerful yet compact LED outperforms many of its rivals thanks to its advanced RGBLAC color technology. We also enjoyed its wide range of creative animated lighting effects though these will be of more use to creative video drama producers than to photographers. 

Despite the intensity of light funneling through the attached reflector, the LED didn’t run too hot (and we didn’t notice any distracting fan noise), so we could quickly pack it away at the end of the shoot without a long cool-down period.  A compact, powerful, precise, and versatile LED.

Read our full Nanlite Forza 60C review for more details.

With a variable color output from 2700 to 6500K for interior, exterior, and mixed light situations, this video light is a great choice for both location shoots and gloomy studios. Powerful enough to be used as a key light, it allows you to steplessly adjust the brightness of the fixture to get exactly the right brightness level. It's easy to use and operate, boasts the latest in COB light technology, and provides you with accurate colors and well-lit subjects. It's great for shooting stills too: for more details, see our SmallRig RC 220B COB Bi-Color LED Video Light review.

It was a long wait, but we finally got a proper successor to the charming Lume Cube, the little mountable light. The Lume Cube 2.0 is pretty much everything you could want – a brighter light compared to its predecessor with a larger beam angle and overall better quality. 

Weighing just 99g, it's small enough (and affordable enough) that you could quite easily construct a setup with three or four of them. The battery life is good, and USB-C compatibility is a welcome addition to this version. 

The only real downside is that the waterproofing has been scaled back a little on this iteration – possibly due to the new construction, it's only rated down to 30ft. And if you're not a deep-sea diver, do you really care? For more details, see our full Lume Cube 2.0 review.

The powerful SmallRig RC 350D COB (chip-on-board) LED Video Light is the perfect accessory for a studio or location-based shoot, combining a strong key light output for talking heads style interviews with a collection of special lighting effects to enhance dramatic productions. Its relatively silent fans won’t give your sound recordist any concerns. It's an expensive device that will suit the needs of a high-end video producer rather than a hobbyist vlogger.

If connectivity is important to you, then note there were a few issues with controlling the light using the companion app. The light is also on the pricier side compared to some of the competition, but its features and build quality go towards justifying a higher price.

The Zhiyun FIVERAY V60 is one of the least complicated ways to instantly improve the lighting in your photos or videos and is well worth adding to your kit bag. The V60 is simple to set up and control, you can easily put the light in previously inaccessible places and become even more creative with your shots. The V60 is bright enough to light up a substantial space down to a blogging studio, and variable color temperatures can match any environment. Music sync mode and lighting effects, especially when controlled via the Zhiyun app are one of the simplest ways to step up your storytelling. 

The V60 is let down a little by loose control knobs that don't offer enough resistance to accidental or precise turns. The Max boosted power mode is also a useful addition, but this is first and foremost a portable light, and it just won't also be worth the hassle of carrying the DC adapter and finding an outlet for many.

Read our full Zhiyun Fiveray V60 review for more details.

For content creators and videographers who regularly shoot on the move, the Zhiyun Fiveray M40 LED light offers a versatile lighting solution that won't weigh you down. It's very small and portable, not a huge amount thicker or wider than a large phone so can be used no matter how small the space you're shooting in. 

On full brightness, this light is seriously bright for its size, but it can also be dimmed from 0-100% to shoot each shooting scenario, it also has a very quiet built-in fan for cooling, which means longer shoot times. Unfortunately, its only pitfall is there are no lighting effects or colors to choose from.

Read our full Zhiyun Fiveray M40 review for more details.

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