Best Video Lighting Kit of 2024

The best video lighting kit will help you achieve a perfect exposure level and capture beautifully-detailed videos with well-balanced highlights and shadows.

When looking for the most suitable lights for your project, consider what features they have and what kind of light they produce. Analyze the supported color temperature, lighting type, color rating, and controls to see whether a model is convenient to use.

Besides, you should consider such things as light quality, suitability for different uses, and price.

1. Light fixtures: They are used as light sources. Kits may include LED panels, tungsten lights, fluorescent lights, or HMI lights.
2. Light stands: They should be durable and bendable, which makes it easier to adjust the lights at a specific angle and select a suitable height.
3. Modifiers: Using a variety of modifiers, including softboxes, umbrellas, diffusers, and reflectors, a filmmaker can improve the quality of light. These modifiers allow making the light softer, showing a subject in a flattering light and minimizing harsh shadows.
4. Power sources: Using batteries, power cables, and adapters, a filmmaker can power the light fixtures. They are necessary for portable and studio kits.
5. Light controls: They enable changing the intensity and color temperature of the lights. Such controls light include light dimmers, color gels, or bi-color panels that enable an owner of a kit to configure the color temperature.
6. Carrying case or bag: Such a bag is necessary for those who travel a lot, as it allows storing all the components securely when traveling to a specific location.
7. Accessories: Some kits include extra accessories like barn doors, grid attachments, remote controls, or mounting hardware, which allows the owners of such setups to customize them depending on their needs.

The components included with a kit may vary depending on the price of a model and a brand. Expensive setups have more advanced functionality and may come with a variety of accessories, while budget kits include only basic components.

Using these lighting kits, you can create a variety of effects, experiment with colors, simulate flickering, or recreate specific lighting situations. Regardless of your level of experience, you can easily find top-level lights for streaming and other tasks. The prices for the models listed below range from $100 to $1,000.

Each of them has its advantages and shortcomings, with some of them being more suitable for budget-conscious users. When shooting videos, I use all these four types of lamps depending on my needs.

HMI (For shooting full-length films and video production at a studio)

HMI lights utilize mercury vapor and metal halide to produce powerful light without consuming a lot of energy. Their light can be compared to natural sunlight (6000K) due to its perfect daylight balance.

Main characteristics:

• High output: HMI lights produce daylight-balanced light of high intensity, which makes them suitable for outdoor use or for shooting videos with natural light.
• Color temperature stability: Such lights produce light with a consistent color temperature of around 5600K, which guarantees accurate color reproduction.
• Flicker-free operation: HMI lights support high frequencies, which allows them to produce lights without any sign of flickering, which you may notice when using other lights with high-speed cameras.
• Efficiency: HMI lights do not consume a lot of energy despite their high output, which makes them more suited for budget-conscious users than traditional tungsten lights. They are an excellent choice for longer shoots or the situations when a filmmaker does not have power sources at hand.
• Cooler operation: Even though they produce light of high intensity, HMI lights do not emit so much light as tungsten lights, which makes them more convenient for long shooting sessions as they do not overheat the subject or shooting gear.

Tungsten (For producing videos outdoors)

Tungsten lights stand out for their powerful performance, which makes them a perfect replacement for incandescent light bulbs. They support 3200K color temperature and are especially suitable for indoor use. Other color temperatures are supported by gels.

Main characteristics:

• Warm color temperature: Tungsten lights are known for their warm, amber-colored light and support a color temperature of around 3200K, which allows videographers to use them to transform the atmosphere in a studio.
• High color rendering index: Tungsten lights stand out for their high CRI, which allows them to render colors with high precision and facilitates capturing scenes and objects in the frame as they are.
• Continuous spectrum: Tungsten lights are used as a source of light in a continuous spectrum, which enables filmmakers to capture colors with high accuracy and avoid artificial color tones when recording footage. They are often used as a part of the best studio lighting kit for video recording.
• Dimmable: Tungsten lights are typically dimmable and come with convenient controls, which allows their owners to adjust light intensity without impacting color temperature. Due to this, they can be used in a range of lighting setups.
• Affordability: Tungsten lighting setups do not typically cost as much as pro-level lighting kits, which is why they are often used by independent filmmakers, budget-conscious videographers, and the owners of small studios.

Fluorescents (For object videography and shooting outdoors)

Fluorescent lights utilize gas to emit light amplified by phosphor coating. They do not consume a lot of energy and have color temperatures ranging from 2700K to 6500K.

Main characteristics:

• Cool operation: Fluorescent lights do not generate a lot of heat, which makes them different from tungsten lights. Due to this fact, filmmakers can use them for a long time even when working in small rooms and with subjects sensitive to high temperatures.
• Energy efficiency: Fluorescent lights are more energy-efficient than regular tungsten lights and produce decent light, which enables their owners to save money in the long term.
• Soft, diffused light: Fluorescent lights are known for their soft and diffused light, which ensures that there won’t be harsh shadows in the frame. Due to this fact, they are often used by those who need to focus on the face of the subject or capture natural-looking videos.
• Excellent color temperature range: Fluorescent lights support various color temperatures, from cool to warm, which enables filmmakers to use them in various shooting situations with ease.
• Impressive lifespan: Fluorescent bulbs last longer than tungsten bulbs, which makes it unnecessary to replace them often or perform maintenance. Due to this, they are best suited for those who follow busy production schedules or record videos in remote locations. You can easily find the best portable video lighting kit that includes such bulbs at an affordable price.

LED (For creating video content for social media and close-up shooting in various conditions)

Light emitting diode (LED) units allow saving energy but fail to produce a lot of light. Despite this shortcoming, they produce variable light across the RGB spectrum and often support bi colors, which makes it easier for an owner of such a light source to select daylight or tungsten color temperatures.

Main characteristics:

• Energy efficiency: Video LED lights save an impressive amount of energy, which makes them more cost-effective than regular tungsten or fluorescent lights. Besides, they still allow people to illuminate a whole room, which allows their owners to save a lot of money.
• Adjustable color temperature: Such lights typically allow users to select a suitable color temperature. For instance, a videographer can choose either daylight or tungsten color temperatures when using lighting for filming. Besides, you can adjust the lighting to ensure that it matches a specific setting.
• Compact and lightweight: A filmmaker can take such a light on a trip, as LED lights are extremely portable and can be used in small rooms.
• Dimmable and flicker-free: A videographer can adjust the intensity of such a light without changing color temperature. You won’t notice any sign of flickering even at high frame rates, as such lights deliver a consistent performance.
• Long lifespan and durability: LED bulbs stand out for their impressive lifespan. The best lighting kits for video with such bulbs can last for years, which makes them a better choice than other lighting sources. Besides, they are extremely durable, which ensures that their owners will be able to use them for a long time without replacing any parts.

After testing GVM RGB 800D, I decided that this model is the best lighting kit for YouTube videos, as it’s suitable for a various of shooting scenarios and allows me to use it in various lighting conditions. Most time I work at my studio, but sometimes I need to shoot videos at other locations.

This lighting kit is suitable almost for all lighting conditions I work in. The key selling point of this model is that it has an advanced control system. To adjust the settings, you need to use its native app, which makes it the perfect choice.

When shooting videos, I can alternate between two main modes. One of them enables me to change the color temperature to create a perfect balance. The other one lets me adjust hues and RGB color saturation.

Another advantage of such LED lights for photography and videography is that they allow me to capture natural skin tones and hues thanks to the CRI of 97+.

I have been shooting videos for work projects and personal needs for 25 years. Throughout this time, I have been using various pieces of shooting equipment. This ring light for Tik Tok and other uses was released by IVISII. I was impressed by its performance. This best light kit for YouTube videos has top-quality components, which ensures its long-term durability.

The kit comes with a white filter for producing soft light and an orange filter. Both of them are attached to the ring light. A videographer can detach them with ease. As it has LED bulbs, it is quite lightweight, and will serve its owner for a long time.

This portable LED light is suitable for many uses. I prefer to use it for shooting full-length movies, which happens quite often. Whether you use it in constant or flash modes, the NEO 3 PRO supports an extensive color range.

The light stands out for a superb choice of electronic color filters and special effects, which makes it the perfect choice for my needs. To access them, I need to use a streamlined color touchscreen menu. This model has zero recycle time and allows me to work without any interruptions for a long time. Using the third party battery NPF 750 that comes with the light, I can shoot videos without worrying about charging.

Thanks to the native app, I can quickly alternate between different lighting modes to adjust colors, select different power sources, adjust flash settings, etc. In addition, this best LED video lighting kit allows me to create groups and projects to manage up to 20 lights for videography at the same time, which is extremely important for those who work on full-length movies.

The Aputure MC Pro has impressive CRI and TLCI scores of 96+. Its SSI scores are 84 in tungsten and 74 in daylight. Thanks to 100 levels of saturation, I can accurately recreate any color when shooting creative and professional visual content at my studio.

I can select one of the in-built light effects, including Paparazzi, Fireworks, Faulty bulb, etc. What I like about this light is that it has an app with a handy Color Picker feature. When I run it, I can point my camera at any color and my light will recreate it. This video lighting kit allows me to bring my creative ideas to life, which is necessary when I shoot music clips.

The Lume Cube 2.0 exceeded my expectations as this lighting kit for filmmaking stands out for its powerful performance and great beam angle. It is the best lighting for filming with 95+ CRI and 10 levels of brightness.

As this affordable lighting kit for filmmaking is quite lightweight (0.2lb), it is perfect for those who work on the go. I prefer to utilize this 3-point setup with multiple lights.

I also like the fact that it comes with a good battery. In addition, I can connect it to any device with a USB-C port. Its housing is made of aluminum and is up to 30 feet waterproof. This portable video light is best suited for recording videos outside, as it allows using a variety of filmmaking techniques.

After using MOUNTDOG Softbox, I can confirm that it’s an excellent option for those who make their first steps in videography or are looking for a reliable and lightweight kit for YouTube content.

It fully lights my studio, which makes it perfect for my needs. I have been also using it with low-end cameras and smartphones and achieved decent results. This model is an affordable option for owners of mid-range cameras who are looking for the best budget lighting kit for video.

I also decided to test out the remote of this lighting for YouTube videos and was pleased to discover that it functions perfectly. However, the remote reflects the lights, which makes it challenging for me to adjust only one of them.

This recently released Godox ML60IIBi 70W is a bi colored light with a body made of durable plastic. The model is well-designed and lightweight, which makes it perfect for those who need to take a light source to various locations. On the back of this video studio lighting kit, you will find two dials and a power switch, which makes it quite convenient to use.

The LCD screen on the back of the light is quite convenient to use and has an attention-grabbing design with a white and black background. Using the left knob, I adjust color temperature, while the right knob allows me to change the intensity. Another advantage is that the light saves the last settings I used and restores them when I turn it on. Due to this, I do not need to constantly change lighting settings when I want to continue working on the same project.

This best lighting kit for video interviews is perfect for my studio, as it allows creative professionals to achieve a high level of brightness. These easy-to-adjust, low-profile lights enable me to evenly lit the people and objects in the frame, which is why this model has great value for the money.

I also tested these lights when shooting in poorly lit areas and utilized them for my Photobooth company. This best video lighting kit under $500 is easy to set up and use. Besides, it’s suitable for those who work on the go.

I was also pleased with the lighting. I like the fact that I can adjust brightness and make the lights dim to achieve soft lighting. I believe that this model is a great light for green screen.

When selecting a video lighting kit, make sure to consider its type. A ring light will come in handy to anyone who wants to shoot close-up footage. In addition, you can use soft boxes and umbrellas to capture shadows or get rid of them. If you buy the best LED video light kit, it will support a higher brightness level and produce less heat.

Power supply. It’s also recommended to use a LED panel that can be powered by a main plug and a battery. Using such models, you will be able to capture professional footage regardless of your shooting location.

Color temperature. Opt for video shoot lights with a wider range, as it will allow you to experiment with warm and cool light. Thanks to it, you can work in poor-light situations and achieve different effects. Many professionals who specialize in shooting videos use lights in the 5,600 Kelvin range, as they produce natural light.

Stands. To adjust your lights, it’s better to mount them securely to a stable surface. This is why it’s advisable to use lighting rigs with stands. You can use the best beginner lighting kit for video in different lighting scenarios.

CRI rating. After taking a look at the CRI, you will see whether the light allows you to capture true-to-life colors. It’s especially important for those who capture portraits and interviews, as it allows them to understand whether the skin tones look natural.

Make sure to select a light with a high CRI rating. If you are on a tight budget, buy a light with a CRI rating of at least 90.

Flicker-free. Some LED panels have flickering issues. The best models support a stable level of brightness while being completely flicker-free.

Bluetooth technology. Video lights that support a Bluetooth connection are usually compatible with smartphones, which makes it easier for a shooter to adjust a variety of settings remotely.