The diffused light evenly illuminates faces, softening shadows, flattering the facial features and creating iconic halo catchlights. It’s no surprise, then, that ring lights are now some of the most popular lighting choices for YouTubers, vloggers and makeup artists. Increasingly they’re also being taken up by those looking to give their Zoom and Skype video calls a professional polish. The secret is their size and shape. The best ring lights produce a constant, wide, circular light that illuminates the face from all directions – and the bigger the ring, the softer the lighting. The result is incredibly flattering illumination, with spectacular circular catchlights in the eyes, soft falloff, and light that generally wraps and sculpts the face. But with so many separate elements, set-up can be slow. Other annoyances include the relatively pricey and uncommon CR123 batteries that power each flash, and we found the light quality to be a tad harsh without the diffusers fitted, though color rendering is excellent. The feature list on the Bolt VM-160 LED Macro Ring Light is a bit short, but the price more than matches the more limited features. Despite the appearance, the Bolt VM-160 is largely a continous LED light, though there is a flash mode, it lets out a half-second burst of light every time. That means it works for video too, but is much less powerful than a flash. Despite the budget price, the light has six brightness adjustments and can also be set to have one side off for more dimensional lighting.

Large lights like the Wescott kit make the most aesthetically pleasing, soft light effects; however, it’s not always possible or easy to carry bulky lights around, especially if it’s just for selfies. The Quiya Selfie Ring Light is a small, super portable phone light that’s very convenient for taking selfies on the go. This light clips right onto your phone and encircles the camera lens to produce a halo effect. Key specs – Ring diameter: 13cm; Brightness: 2500 lumens; Dimmable: Percentage increments; Colour temperature: 2900-7000K; Advertised CRI: 96; Internal mount: None; Power source: 6x AA or included mains adapter Nissin’s contender stands outwith its clever head design thatcan expand by 14mm to accommodate lens diameters up to 82mm without vignetting – though the six mounting plates included top out at 77mm. They can be attached to your laptop, tablet or phone so long as it's 18mm or thinner. They're great for taking on nights out so you can capture well-lit selfies, on holiday or even when traveling away from home so that you can Facetime loved ones no matter how much light is around you. In short, yes: larger lights provide better overall coverage. Larger ring lights will, in general, provide a more flattering look as the larger light source is better able to surround you or your subject. Larger ring lights also facilitate a greater working distance, so you don’t need to position them as close to your subject. Smaller ring lights can still do an excellent job, though, provided you position them a little nearer. What brightness do I need?Most ringflashes include attachment rings to connect to the front of different-sized lenses, but ensure the model you choose is large enough for your lens (and be warned some adaptor rings cost extra). The guide number (GN) measures the maximum output of the flash. It gives the range in metres if using an aperture of f/1 at ISO100. Divide it by your actual aperture to give the real range. Ringflashes are used at close distance, so the GN will be small – around 15.

Most light bulbs are measured in watts, which is a measurement of the energy emitted. So the higher the wattage, the brighter the light. Since light-emitting diode (LED) technology uses energy more efficiently, wattage is not a viable measurement of brightness, which is why LEDs are measured in lumens. No ultraviolet and infrared light radiation, low heat output, safety, and environmental protection. Changing modes is easy with the color LCD on the control unit, and the simple interface also makes light work of configuring the wireless TTL master and slave options. Advance features also include high speed sync and rear curtain sync.As you’d expect from a larger light, the Elgato provides a soft, shadow-free look along with bright halo catchlights. However, unlike a lot of large lights, it features a solid desk-mounting stand, rather than a traditional tripod, which means it’s easier to position and takes up no floor space. user-selectable brightness increments let you set a comfortable level of illumination, and there’s a trio of colour temperature options so you can best match your ambient lighting. Given their donut-shape, ring lights are perfect for headshots and close-ups, whether you're shooting still images or video. So if you photograph or film yourself or others directly looking into the camera, a ring light is perfect for you. Ring lights can also be used like more traditional LED light panels, to provide overall key or fill lighting to a scene, but they are tailor made for shooting faces. Do professionals use ring lights?

It produces super soft, wrap-around light to provide flattering, shadow-free lighting across the face. Thanks to its size and brightness, it doesn’t need positioning too close, giving you more options when it comes to where and how far away it can be positioned. The light is also easy to control thanks to its simple control layout and wireless remote. It also a pair for USB power outlets, enabling you to keep your phone topped up while recording. Key specs – Ring diameter: 43cm; Brightness: 2500 lumens; Dimmable: Percentage increments; Colour temperature: 2900-7000K; Advertised CRI: 94; Internal mount: Camera; Power source: Mains adapter A standard cold shoe with a ball head adapter is compatible with most DSLR cameras and a smartphone holder for most smartphones (iPhone Xs/X/XR/8 plus/8/X/7/6, Samsung Galaxy S9/S8, Huawei, LG, etc.) While there are controls built into the rear of the light, the Elgato can be paired with a companion app, allowing you to adjust the brightness and colour temperature without having to leave your seat. This feature will certainly be appreciated by both streamers and YouTubers.

Key specs – Ring diameter: 16cm; Brightness: n/a; Dimmable: 10 levels; Colour temperature: 2700, 4400, 5500K; Advertised CRI: n/a; Internal mount: None; Power source: USB You’ll find a range of brightnesses on offer, and the ideal option will be determined by how you plan to use your light. Most ring lights advertise an approximate brightness in lumens, with 800 lumens comparable to a 60W incandescent lightbulb, and 1500 lumens a 100W bulb. Larger ring lights tend to feature more LEDs and therefore provide a brighter output, although smaller lights can often be positioned closer for similar results. There’s only so much you can do with a light that’s attached to your camera (or lens, as is the case with macro ring flashes). As an off-camera, adjustable light, the Wescott 18″ Bi-Color LED Ring Light is a versatile kit offering excellent quality. Because the light can both dim and adjust the color temperature, the Wescott ring light is ideal for a variety of shooting situations, including both shoot-through and off-camera use. The light dims from 0 to 100 percent, with color temperature adjustment from 3200K to 5600K. Rather than using a one-piece ring flash, this kit comes with a pair of SB-R200 flashguns that clip onto a mount, which in turn attaches to your lens via included adaptors in sizes from 52mm to 77mm. You won’t get identical results to what you’d get with a large ring light, but you will get something that’s compact, relatively lightweight, and easy to transport to enhance your selfie game. Plus, it features adjustable brightness levels for every situation, so no matter where you need to create content, there’s an option for you. Whether you’re vlogging your day running errands or shooting your next YouTube video at night in your room, the Quiya has you covered for whatever situation.