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This kit has everything you need for portrait work, with an excellent dimmable light for both phones and full cameras. Read More

This more affordable ring light kit has all the basics and good light, but is missing a few comforts you get with more expensive kits. Read More

This high-quality light doesn’t have a full tripod, but for the price it’s a superb light that is fully dimmable and offers adjustable color temperature. Read More

This affordable, compact ring light works as advertised, but it lacks the high performance and build quality of more premium alternatives. Read More

This premium ring light kit has everything you’ll need to take professional-quality photos and videos on either a DSLR or smartphone. Read More

Whether you’re launching your own YouTube channel or just trying to improve your portrait photography, a ring light is a great way to get professional-looking results with minimal expense. Like the name suggests, a ring light is a ring of LED lights that let you position the camera in the center. Most are mounted to tripods (with your phone or camera in the middle), though some are mounted right to your camera’s lens.

The best ring lights work like good professional lights, letting you adjust brightness or color temperature to get the effect you’re looking for—especially the ring-shaped reflection in your subject’s eyes. They’re especially easy for beginners to use because they provide an even illumination around your subject (so there are no tricky shadows to work around), and they’re a constant light source, so you can easily see how your final shot will look.

Just a note that we’re also including macro flashes in this guide, since they’re commonly researched together. They’re similar to ring lights, but mounted to the end of your lens. They provide a similar effect, but they’re flashes (not constant lights) that only work on higher-end DSLRs. They’re mostly used for macro shots where the lens would block other sources of light, but they do provide a ring-like effect in portraits as well.

To find the best ring lights and macro flashes, we dove into thousands of user reviews, professional reviews, and called on our own collective experience using different types of professional light setups. These are the best that we’ve found so far.

The recommendations in this guide are based on thorough product and market research by our team of expert product reviewers. The picks are based on examining user reviews, product specifications, and, in some limited cases, our experience with the specific products named.

The Neewer Advanced 18-inch LED Ring kit has just about everything you could need if you’re just getting started with professional ring lighting for photos and video. It features adjustable color temperature, a fully dimmable light, and a very simple remote that lets you dial in settings. Reviewers love the bright, soft light and the look this ring light provides.

As a ring light kit, you’re not just getting a light; you’re getting everything you need. That includes the light, a tripod stand, remote control, cold shoe adapter (to mount to a camera), a rotating smartphone holder, and a carrying bag. That’s excellent for the price, making this one of the most appealing all-in-one lighting kits you can get.

May be more than you need

If you want a ring light kit that has everything you need but with fewer bells and whistles, the Neewer 18-inch SMD LED Ring Light kit will get you there. It has a simple stand, simple remote trigger, no carrying case, and few of the fancy bits you get with some other kits, but reviewers love the soft, high-quality light.

It’s fully dimmable, but you can’t adjust the color temperature of the LEDs themselves, which may be an issue if you’re using this along with other lights or are using a camera that can’t apply white balance effectively.

Elgato makes some of the most popular products for vloggers and streamers, so it’s no mystery why it’s also offering the most popular type of light setup too. Elgato’s 17-inch ring light offers a fully dimmable light, adjustable color temperature, the ability to change settings remotely with an app, and support for phones, full DSLRs, and everything in between.

Just about the only drawback here is the stand, which clamps to an existing surface like a table and requires a separate stand if you want it to be freestanding. That’s a minor drawback, though, and if you’re planning on specifically using it while streaming from a desk, it may actually be a benefit.

If you just want a simple ring light setup for your phone photos and videos, this compact 10-inch ring light will get the job done. It’s much less expensive than most of the premium competitors in the field, but it includes a full tripod stand, remote on/off trigger, and a clamp to hold your phone.

It’s definitely not the same type of premium light that you get with the competition, but if you just want the basic ring light look (at a basic ring light price), this is a good bet to get you started.

Small inner diameter may not work with all phones

Lume Cube makes some of the best lighting products on the market, and the 18-inch cordless ring light definitely seems like a winner. It’s another full kit that includes everything you need, from a carrying case, full tripod stand, and mounts for both cameras and phones. What sets it apart is the power source, which comes from rechargeable batteries.

That lets you set it up in places other lights can’t get to, since most other ring lights will require constant power from an outlet. Reviewers do mention that the batteries can pop out of place, but rig up some gaffer tape and keep some spares handy and you’ll be able to shoot awhile without worry.

May be more than you need

If you want a ring flash for macro photography, the Ploture is a lens-mounted ring light that will provide extra lighting for Canon and Nikon DSLRs, as well as several other major brands. It mounts (somewhat tenuously) to mounting rings (49mm through 72mm lenses supported), plugs into your camera’s hot shoe, and fires off as needed.

It’s not a continuous light, so it’s not useful for video, but it provides a nice ring light effect that’s excellent for portrait work and macro shots where conventional top-mounted flashes will get blocked.

Ring flash mounts to DSLR lenses

Works with Canon, Nikon and more

The Neewer Macro TTL Ring Flash Light is another DSLR Macro Ring light that provides a quick burst of light in front of your camera. It attaches to your lens mount and is designed to support Canon DSLRs from consumer Rebel models right up to the 5D series. It’s a flash, not a video light, so it’s just for still photography, but it will give you that “ring light” reflection in the eyes that has become so popular.

It mounts to your lens through the use of adapters, plugging into your hot shoe with a thick coiled cable. It’s definitely a cumbersome light, but reviewers were impressed with the quality of the light. And like other lens-mounted macro flashes, it provides that extra bit of light for subjects that might otherwise be blocked by your camera’s lens.

Ring flash mounts to DSLR lenses

TJ is the Executive Editor of Reviewed.com. He is a Massachusetts native and has covered electronics, cameras, TVs, smartphones, parenting, and more for Reviewed. He is from the self-styled "Cranberry Capitol of the World," which is, in fact, a real thing.

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