Here is our “Neewer Ring Light Review” to help you make an informed decision about which one of their ring lights would best suit your needs.
In case you were wondering how the top beauty bloggers, and Instagram influencers take such great photos, or why some YouTube channels or TikTok users look more professional than others, there is one simple answer. Good lighting. There may be additional reasons of course, but one thing all the best content creators have in common is good lighting.
Introduction to Ring Lights
The reason why so many bloggers and social media influencers recommend a Neewer is because they give champagne results at lemonade prices. Yes, you can get better ring lights but then you’ll need a much bigger budget. We’ve found that there really is no point spending more as they have quality products that will solve your lighting needs.
Buying a Neewer will enable you to create top-quality content for a fraction of the price that a professional outfit would pay for their equipment. This will allow you to fake it, until you make it!
Once you have as many Instagram followers as Kim Kardashian then you can splash out buying equipment that costs thousands of pounds. Until then just a small investment can increase your blogs, and associated social media accounts, earnings potential beyond your expectations.
There is no doubt that YouTube vloggers who have good background lighting give their videos an air of professionalism, that means that they can grow their subscribers far faster than the average account will.
Good News on Prices
If you were to go back in time a few years, then this type of lighting equipment would have been awfully expensive as it was such a specialist niche market for professional photographers and the like. However, since the social media explosion and the growth of platforms like Instagram, YouTube etc the amount of people looking to buy this type of product has increased enormously.
Therefore, the price point for ring lights and other commonly used photography items has dropped like a stone. Nowadays no self-respecting blogger/influencer would be without one. So a once niche market is now saturated with products at affordable prices.
Real Life User Reviews
Ok so here we have spoken to some top bloggers/content creators and asked them to give us here at the Chalk Kids Blog their views on ring lights, what they use them for and how they have improved their content creation.
Here is what they had to say:
Stacy Zant of the “Radiant Pearl Living Podcast” told us...
“I am always delighted to use my Neewer Ring Light for my recorded summit presentations as a speaker and recording artist. I love the light this lighting kit provides as I facilitate live interviews and live streaming of myself and guests for both my podcasts: Radiant Pearl Living and The Fearless Creator.
I receive invaluable feedback on the quality of the videos I am able to produce, whether recording through Zoom, Ecamm straight to my Facebook page and group or for our viewers to enjoy later on YouTube. This is one of the 1st purchases I made when I got serious about production from my in-home studio and home office and it is one of the best purchases I could have made, especially at a time like now when all my work including grant funded projects are completed from home”.
To find out more about Stacy and read her post about creating a great home office (where she has her ring light set up) visit her blog here: Home Office & Craft Room.
Jenna Von who writes the “Ramblings of Jenna Von” blog said...
“I use my Neewer ring light to apply beauty products and makeup. It gives me the choice to apply these products at any time of the day and it ensures I have a realistic view on what I look like. It is hard applying makeup with indoor lighting and this effects when I can apply makeup but with my Neewer ring light I can apply it whenever I want which is beneficial for my blog and social media accounts.
If I have a spur of creativity in the evening I know I can easily prepare for and take photos for my blog and they will look good. My Neewer ring light has also given me the confidence to take photos without filters on and use these for my blog and linked social media accounts, which looks more professional“.
To find out more about Jenna checkout her Ramblings of Jenna Von blog.
Stacey Pritchard of Planthaya Limited explained to us…
“When running a business you wouldn’t think a ring light would be such an integral part, but I noticed when posting educational videos or images for social media, attending network meetings online or a zoom meeting with stockists or manufacturers the images were so dull and really looked unprofessional .
The ring light I bought has really upped my game for photo and video content, and I no longer look like I’m a dark dingy office when attending important online meetings“.
Stacey is the founder of Planthaya.
What is a Ring Light?
It’s a simple to use piece of lighting equipment that will enable you to have a consistent/uniform light that comes from the direction of the camera. Normally they are a circular LED or fluorescent bulb.
Surgeons and dentists were the first to use them, as having a clear light for the work they carry out is vital.
They can be used with a tablet or smartphone as well as a traditional camera or video recorder.
Some have coloured filter options and there are desk top ones and the type you’d normally have on a tripod.
What are the Advantages/Uses?
They can help to show clearer details on photos/videos. They will highlight your eyes when shooting portrait photos/selfies and the radial illumination conceals skin imperfections. This is a big plus for close-ups and is why hair and makeup beauty bloggers love them.
When you buy one and first switch it on, you’ll be amazed at how bright they are, but you soon realise that they do an amazing job and really work. If you go back a few years only professional photographers and film/tv crews would use lights that bright.
The light is uniform and unlike sunlight which will cast a shadow depending on its position, a ring light enables you to take images without relying on natural light.
This is why all the best eBay and Amazon sellers and owners of eCommerce websites buy them. It allows them to take their own professional looking product images.
Think about it, if two eBay sellers are selling the same item for the same price which one will sell the most? The one with a well-lit clear photo, or the one that looks like it was taken via candlelight in a dark dingy room?
Even if it is just for personal use a good ring light will improve the quality of your selfies so much I’m sure you’ll be pleased you bought one.
They can also be used to create a colour effect. Normally white but you can change them and put in a coloured effect, if that’s the particular look that you’re trying to achieve.
You can use a ring light just to apply your own makeup in normal day to day life but of course they’re very popular now with beauty bloggers and YouTube vloggers who want to be able to show great detail when they’re applying their makeup for one of their posts or videos.
Which one should you buy?
This depends on what you plan to use it for and to some degree what your budget is. Although I’m normally a great believer in the phrase “if you buy cheap, you buy twice”, when it comes to the Neewer range that isn’t so true.
We feel that they come out very well on price versus the competition and the quality is excellent. There really is no point spending more buying other brands unless you are going to spend considerably more.
When it comes to lighting equipment, it’s a bit like buying a car. What I mean is, some people buy two-seater sports cars, some buy family saloons or people carriers or off-road vehicles. They make that choice based on what they need the vehicle to do for them.
It’s the same with ring lights if you have a clear idea of what you’re going to use it for most of the time, then you should be able to buy a specialist ring light which best suits those needs.
If you are a general Blogger/content creator, with no real specialist subject, then you could buy a good all-round model that would cover most eventualities. It is good to opt for one with a dimmer switch so you can increase or decrease the amount of light it gives out to enable you to cover more eventualities. I will go into more detail on this when we get into the specifics of the Neewer range.
You just have to bear in mind that there are various sizes of ring light and also different power outputs. When I say power output, I am talking about the amount of light that they generate, and something called the colour rendering index.
If you are going to use it on a desk in a box bedroom then you don’t need to buy one big enough to shoot videos in a room the size of a football pitch.
Don’t worry if this sounds too technical to be honest once you read the specifications of the various different lights in the Neewer range, you’ll see an explanation of what they do and how most people use them, so you’ll be able to make a good decision based on that information.
Here at Chalk Kids we would say that if this is your first rodeo regarding buying lighting equipment you’d be better off buying one of the Neewer ring lights that comes with all the accessories that you will need. Things like the stand, camera attachment capability, plugs, leads etc.
If you’ve owned or currently own a ring light and you are just looking to upgrade, then obviously you may well have a lot of the accessories you’ll need so there is no point buying an “all in one ring light kit”.
The Neewer Ring Light Range
When doing this review I wanted to highlight the value of ring lights in general but have chosen the “Neewer Ring Light” range to concentrate on. The reason is because it is the one we, and many other bloggers use.
In this review I’m going to go through the highlights of the Neewer range. They have over thirty (30) different types to choose from so I’ve gone through them all and picked out three of the most popular options to go into detail on.
These three will cover the needs of virtually every standard lighting requirement.
You can though if you wish to do your own research, and view the entire range here via their Amazon store.
Neewer Store on Amazon
I should point out that some but not all of the links on this page are Amazon affiliate links. You can read our policy on that at the foot of this page.
Neewer Ring Light Review
Option One
A simple “Tabletop” option, perfect to use with a smartphone. These have different sizes starting at 6 inches, but I’d recommend the Neewer Table Top 10-inch option. It has a USB LED Ring Light ideal for your office desk (Zoom, video conference calls etc) and broadcasting. (YouTube etc)
If you want to do hair and makeup, reading, crafting or anything on a desk or table then this is a good one. It comes with a phone holder, has three different light modes. (white, yellow & white or yellow). Regarding the light it has ten different brightness settings.
Option Two
OK so now this is a big step up and is for more serious work.
Neewer Camera Photo Video Lighting Kit: 18-inch (48CMS) Output is from 55W 5500K Dimmable LED Ring Light. It has Bluetooth, a white and orange filter, Tripod, phone holder etc.
Option Three
Hello! Now we are talking, the Daddy of the range. In all honesty for most bloggers/content creators’ option one or two will more than meet your needs, but if you can afford it and wish to push the boat out then this is the top of the Neewer range.
Neewer 20-inch LED Ring Light Kit. It comes with a 44W dimmable ring light a 2M Pro Light Stand, with ball head, phone holder, Battery and a USB charging option.
Summary
If you are serious about taking the quality of the content you are creating up to the next level then buying a decent ring light is a must. Here at Chalk Kids, we feel that the Neewer range is a great entry level price/quality start.
You’ll get a big bang for your buck as they have extensive functionality to cover most eventualities for today’s online/social media world.
So, if you are after beautiful portrait illumination, professional looking video lighting, or you just want to impress your boss on your next Zoom meeting, then a “Neewer Ring Light” is just what you need.
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