The best lights for Zoom calls will instantly make you look more appealing on a webcam. So whether you're having a one-to-one with the boss, pitching to a client, or addressing a meeting, you'll project a clear, crisp, and flattering image and look much more professional and confident.
Certainly, if you’ve spent money on the best 4K webcam, then it makes sense to invest in lighting too. And the best lights for Zoom calls are normally powered by LEDs, due to their longevity, reliability, and low energy consumption.
They come in a variety of shapes and sizes, too, so there are a lot of choices available. You might want a tabletop light, a larger free-standing lamp, or a small light with a suction-cup light that can be mounted anywhere. Bigger lights tend to offer more brightness, color flexibility, and more flattering light, although they also tend to be more expensive, so there's a compromise to be made there.
Below, we've listed the best Zoom lights you can buy right now. And we've included all the information to help you make the right choice for your needs.
Best lights for Zoom calls in 2023
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Want to look your best? YouTubers, Twitch streamers, and TikTokers know all about that, and typically use a ring light, which produces constant light, and sculpts the face in a flattering way.
Why not emulate this 12-inch model from Razer? The light quality is great and is softly diffused to cast your face in the most attractive manner. The included tripod is sturdy and substantial.
And the wired remote lets you tweak the brightness and cycle between three color temperatures with one hand. That means you can adjust things discreetly during your Zoom call, without drawing attention to yourself.
Overall, this ring light is easy to use, well made, and offers great performance for the price.
Read our Razer Ring Light review
Willing to stretch your budget? The Lube Cube Wireless ring light is packed with premium features. While it's much more expensive than the Razer Ring Light (number 1 on our list), it's also much bigger, at 18 inches in diameter. The light itself is really bright, and the two included batteries promise up to 1.5 hours of run time at full brightness. You can also run it off the mains if you prefer.
The built-in 3200-5600K color temperature range and high levels of brightness minimize shadows and reduce facial imperfections for the most flattering look. There's an LED readout for settings. Plus it comes with a carry case, a 6.5-foot stand, and mounts for iPhones, other smartphones, digital cameras, and action cameras up to 10 lbs.
In truth, this is probably overkill for just Zoom calls. But if you need a ring light for multiple professional uses, such as streaming or professional selfies, it could be a wise choice.
`Read our Lube Cube Wireless ring light review
If you're not bothered about a ring light and just want a good value light for Zoom calls, this is probably your best bet. The Lume Cube Video Conferencing Kit comes with an excellent Panel Mini LED, plus an included suction cup that allows it to be mounted to pretty much anything.
Though the obvious choices would be at the top of your laptop or computer monitor, you could also mount it to a wall for a side light if you wanted, or to a tall piece of furniture. In short, there are plenty of possibilities.
The light itself is excellent. It offers a good range of brightness and color temperature options, making it easy to customize the quality of the light and get it just the way you want it. Also, while it’s powered by a built-in battery, you can use the included USB-C to USB-A cable to connect the panel to your computer and power it that way, meaning you never have to worry about the battery dying mid-call.
This 10-inch table-top LED ring light from Neewer has an in-built, adjustable smartphone holder perfect for Zoom calls and vlogging alike. An attractive integrated light stand can fold forward 90 degrees for table-top compositions to show documents or other types of flat lays. The stand isn’t height adjustable, unfortunately, but it does have a universal 1/4" thread to mount to a light stand.
With three color modes to choose from, it can easily match interior lighting for more realistic colors and skin tones, though a dimmable slider option would be better for those requiring precise balancing. Powered by USB, it plugs straight into a laptop or power bank for quick startup.
Ready to push the boat out? Rotolight is deservedly one of the most respected names in video lighting, and this pricey kit includes the Rotolight NEO 2. With ease, you can rig up this light to give yourself soft, flattering, professional-quality lighting on your calls. The fully dimmable set of LEDs can be white-balanced from 3150K to 6500K, ensuring accurate colors in all conditions.
If this all sounds a little overkill for just Zoom calls – well, it probably is. However, the Rotolight NEO 2 is cheaper these days thanks to the introduction of the NEO 3, and this video conferencing kit represents good value for money, throwing in a desktop light stand, a 360-degree ball head, and four-piece filter set to further diffuse the light.
This LED panel from Neewer is an attractive item for those that need a good Zoom light but require flexibility when it comes to lighting for photos or videos. A slim profile and robust metal finish makes it easy to transport for use out of the home office, too.
Dimmable and capable of matching color temperatures between 3200-5600K it can render skin tones accurately. A universal 1/4" thread mounts directly to light stands and the U-mount bracket allows full vertical tilting. Also included is a useful diffusion panel for softer, more flattering light.
Setting up a Zoom call but have limited desk space, or perhaps you just need some more light while in a virtual meeting while on a train? Then opt for the Lumimuse 8, a lithium-ion powered LED light that will easily add more light to your video call. It’s incredibly bright considering its compact dimensions and so lightweight it’s easy to throw in the pocket before leaving the house.
Simply prop it up on the desk or attach it to one of Manfrotto’s many accessories for flexible positioning. The only drawback is a limited stepped brightness control and snap-on filters for adjusting color balance, but for most Zoom users it’s a great value LED panel to add a splash of light.
There are many mini light panels on the market, but the RM120 stands out from the crowd for several reasons. For starters, we were impressed by its construction. It feels more robust (and heavier) than many flimsy plastic LED panels due to its metal body (and this quality is reflected in its comparatively expensive price). It also has a colour OLED display on the rear that makes it easier to view the many menu modes this mini LED panel has to offer. You can dial in a range of color temperatures using the main dial at the side (which also doubles up as a mode-changing button). A 1/4 threaded hole lets you mount the light on a stand or tripod, you can use the supplied cold shoe adapter to pop the panel above your DSLR or mirrorless camera.
Read our full SmallRig RM120 review for more details.
The Lume Cube Panel doesn't reinvent anything about LED lighting, but it's a useful unit for occasional use, or to carry with you when away from home. For a start, it's not just an LED panel, but also a power bank; when we tested it out, we were using it as a light while also charging a smartphone, which is pretty handy.
It doesn't hold enough juice to replace a dedicated power bank, but it's a handy feature nonetheless. If you don't use this functionality, then the 3.85V Li-Polymer battery will last about 90-100 minutes, which is also really impressive. Brightness is good, and you can adjust the color temperature, so you can more naturally blend in with your room lighting.
How we test LED panels
At DCW, we test a huge variety of photo and video equipment, including cameras, lenses and accessories such as LED panels. Our process involves both real-world and lab testing – for LED panels, we measure brightness output and compare it to the manufacturer's claims to see how well the product stacks up. We also look at portability, colour temperature range, lighting modes and other factors to assess how useful the LED panel will be to working photographers and videographers. Learn more about how we test and review on Digital Camera World.
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