If you talk shop when you talk about videography, people love to talk about cameras, smooth slide tracks, and lenses. The less sexy stuff includes tripods and lighting. But if you listen to Brady Shearer, it’s about the audio and lighting first. I tend to agree for the most part.
For me, the lighting has always been something I looked for but never invested in. Sun needs to be in my face, lighting track needs to be in front of me not on top of my head, and dark shots are useless. With my new computer system, I had ZERO lighting in front of me except my monitors.
What I Got
I needed to make that investment in lighting. By no means was I going to go profession photographer quality as vlogging and live streaming is a labor of love, not a revenue stream. I ended up getting the Neewer 500 LED Photo Studio lighting, three light diffusers, and a tripod for it. I did get it while it was on sale for $109, but it is worth it at the full $139.
Unlike regular bulbs that get hot with long use and wear out, LED does not have this issue and have a great longevity. The diffusers are great for close light as using it and the operating board on the back that allow fine tune controls is great.
The biggest downside I see with this setup is that it is top heavy and because it’s a tight space where I cannot fully extend the tripod base, it is somewhat nerve racking if I want to adjust something.
In other situations, I have used the setup for better lit areas and the brightest setting is more than capable of achieving a 3-point lighting setup to get rid of shadows.
Worth It?
Absolutely, yes! I’ll definitely report if any issues come up, but unless there is a serious failure, I give it 5 out of 5 stars.
Paul Clifford says
The link leads to light stands, not the light kit you reviewed (just FYI). I know I’d want to know. 😉