Best lighting for video creators
The lights I film with, from my main key light and diffuser to the small RGB units I use for background color. What to buy first and what to skip.
Browse top Lighting
Godox CS-85T Lantern Softbox (85cm)
My go-to softbox. Quick to set up, beautiful soft light, and works with Bowens mount lights.
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Amaran COB 60d S
My main key light. Portable, powerful output, and easy to set up anywhere.
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Aputure Light Box 45x45 (18 x 18")
My travel softbox — pairs perfectly with the Amaran 60D S for professional lighting on the go.
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Aputure MC RGBWW LED Light
Tiny RGB light I use for background accents. Adds depth and color to any setup.
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Lume Cube Panel Pro 2.0 RGB Camera Light
Compact but powerful on-camera light with full RGB. Super versatile for video.
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Aputure Light Dome Mini III Softbox
My softbox for longer studio setups. Creates soft, even light for video.
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Aputure MT Pro RGBWW Mini Tube Light
RGB tube light for adding creative color to backgrounds. Compact and easy to place anywhere.
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Amaran PT1C Pixel Tube Light
I use this to add color and RGB effects to my video backgrounds. Makes any setup pop.
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FAQs about Lighting
What people ask before buying Lighting.
Mine is the Amaran COB 60d S at $135 on sale, which is bright enough to overpower a window, and the Godox CS-85T lantern softbox at $69, which is my main diffuser. Under $210 together, and it is the setup I still use. A second light can wait until you can say what the first one is not doing.
A bare LED panel a few inches wide throws hard shadows no matter how dim you set it. Put the same light through the Godox CS-85T at 85cm and the shadow edges soften immediately. The fix is always a bigger diffuser or moving the light closer, never lowering the brightness.
The Amaran COB 60d S packs down small, and the Aputure Light Box 45x45 at $59 folds flat and pairs with it directly. That combination gives me the same look in a hotel room as in my studio. For power away from an outlet, the SmallRig NP-F970 USB-C battery at $63.98 on sale runs it.
The Godox CS-85T lantern at $69 is my go to because it opens like an umbrella and throws soft light in every direction. The Aputure Light Dome Mini III at $129 is a proper octagonal softbox, so it puts light where you aim it and spills less onto the background. If your room is small and you want the wall to stay dark, use the dome.
I use the Aputure MC at $72 on sale for small background accents and the Lume Cube Panel Pro 2.0 at $179.99 when I want something brighter with full color. Neither lights my face. They give the background depth so the shot does not look like a person in front of a wall.
Key light slightly off to one side and above eye level does ninety percent of the work. My second light is usually not a second key, it is an Aputure MC or a tube light putting color behind me. Adding more lights before you have the first one right just multiplies the problem.
The Godox CS-85T is a Bowens mount modifier, so it works on my Amaran COB 60d S and on almost anything else I might buy later. Choosing a light with a proprietary mount locks you into one brand's modifiers, which is an expensive way to save money once.
The problem is not quality, it is repeatability. A window gives you a different look at 9am, at noon and on a cloudy Tuesday, and you cannot film in the evening at all. A single Amaran COB 60d S means the video you shoot today cuts against the one you shot last month. That consistency is what you are buying.
The Amaran PT1C pixel tube and the Aputure MT Pro at $159 on sale are both built for this, and the MT Pro is small enough to hide behind a plant or a monitor. Keep the color subtle. If a viewer notices the light before they notice you, it is turned up too far.
Daylight will beat almost any LED, so outdoors your light is filling shadows rather than replacing the sun. I run the Amaran COB 60d S off the SmallRig VB99 Pro V mount battery at $199.98 on sale, connected with the Nanlite D-Tap to 5.5mm cable at $44.20. That combination gives me continuous power for long outdoor shoots.
A ring light puts a flat, shadowless light straight at your face and a distinctive circular reflection in your eyes that reads as amateur on camera. Every light on this list is a better use of the money. If you already own one, put it off to one side rather than dead in front of you and it will look considerably better.
My lighting category runs from a $59 light box to a $179.99 RGB panel, and the two pieces I use every single day cost $135 and $69. Lighting has the best value curve of any category here. There is a large jump from nothing to one good soft light, and a small one from there to anything more expensive.