Best Budget Video Lights
Does lighting matter more than my camera?
As a video creator, I find that lighting is the most important part of shaping the final image. Please don’t try to “fix it in post”. Taking time to set up and dial in your lighting should be a top priority. Polishing turds just makes sparkling turds.
This blog is also an announcement that I’m working on a SkillShare Class about how to shape lighting in more than just a basics of 3 point lighting setup. Check out my current SkillShare Classes if you want to grow as a videographer. So for the rest of this post, I want to show you my favorite lights, some videos of those lights, and a few accessories that you may consider adding to your content creating arsenal.
Main Lights
Each of these lights have their time to shine. I often pair the SL100 and SL60 together as main lights. One as a rim/back light and the other as a big key source. I often use CTO gels to make the SL60 a bit warmer, but this does reduce the output slightly, which can be an issue if I am battling a bright window.
Detail Lights
For the ring light, I find that it creates a great catch light in the pupil of the eye for those who aren’t glasses wearers. Ring lights cast a bad reflection for those wearing glasses. These can really help to add that nice pop of light in the eye and create a nice fill light in the darker parts of your image. There are so many different scenarios where I don’t want a really contrasted image. For instance, lighting someone who is making a video trying to build trust would be a great time for less contrast.
The Falcon Eyes F7 is a full RGB light. I actually have two of them because they are just that great to use. These have great battery life, great color, and even a magnet built into that back. I always keep one of these lights in my bag and I use them on virtually every shoot. They even allow a power bank to power them at a reduced 70% output max. I could go on, but I’ll spare you on my fanatic love for these.
Light Accessories
Each of these are awesome for creating different styles for lighting people and products. Generally, the larger and closer the source, the softer the light will be. The smaller and farther away, the more the light will be direct and cast more shadows. Using a reflector can help by shaping fill light or ever taking it away with the black side as a negative fill.