The new Lume Cube Ring Light Mini is a pro performer for lighting in small spaces or on the go – and I love it
Lume Cube has just launched its latest lighting device, the Lume Cube Ring Light Mini – and it's exactly what I've been waiting for.
Despite being best known for its titular cube-shaped lights, Lume Cube has quickly carved out a reputation as a manufacturer of the best ring lights in the business. And the new Lume Cube Ring Light Mini is, in essence, a pint-sized version of the brilliant Lume Cube Ring Light Pro.
This has long been my go-to ring light (and one of my favorite lights period) but, at 17 inches in diameter, it's overkill for a lot of situations – and just too plain big for travel. Enter the Ring Light Mini, which packs all the functionality – and a lot of the power – of the Pro into a 12-inch form factor. Here's how the two ring lights compare in size:
(Image credit: James Artaius)
The Mini features 120 inward-facing LEDs with built-in diffusion, delivering 960 lux at 0.5m, producing the beautiful quality of light that Lume Cube is known for. And with a 96+ CRI rating, it ensures authentic skin tones (a Color Rendering Index rating above 90 is considered excellent).
It comes with a light stand that extends from 16 to 40 inches, along with a C-clamp to mount it to a table or other surface, and a set of tripod legs if you want it to stand independently. It also comes with a smartphone clip, along with a USB-C power cable to charge the device.
"Ring Lights are one of the most popular choices among creators and those in a home office setting. After trying over 50 of them from Amazon, I was continually let down by the quality of each product," said Lume Cube CEO, Riley Stricklin, echoing the frustration of many consumers.
"We've been working on product design for Ring Light Mini for over a year, and I couldn’t be more excited to finally bring the most premium designed Ring Light to market at a $179 price point. Our product development team knocked this one out of the park."
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The Lume Cube Ring Light Mini is available directly from Lume Cube for $179.99 (approximately £140 / AU$274). We'll be publishing our full review soon, but trust me – this Stricklin is right when he said they knocked it out of the park with this one.
The editor of Digital Camera World, James has 21 years experience as a journalist and started working in the photographic industry in 2014 (as an assistant to Damian McGillicuddy, who succeeded David Bailey as Principal Photographer for Olympus). In this time he shot for clients like Aston Martin Racing, Elinchrom and L'Oréal, in addition to shooting campaigns and product testing for Olympus, and providing training for professionals. This has led him to being a go-to expert for camera and lens reviews, photo and lighting tutorials, as well as industry news, rumors and analysis for publications like Digital Camera Magazine, PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine, N-Photo: The Nikon Magazine, Digital Photographer and Professional Imagemaker, as well as hosting workshops and talks at The Photography Show. He also serves as a judge for the Red Bull Illume Photo Contest. An Olympus and Canon shooter, he has a wealth of knowledge on cameras of all makes – and a fondness for vintage lenses and instant cameras.
