Lighting is the backbone of photography and videography. Without light, cameras would be nothing but a useless piece of hardware. In today’s world, the demand for extra lighting equipment has grown exponentially, and with that, there are a plethora of lighting kits available in the market.
When it comes to lighting kits for interviews, stop-motion photography, and general filmmaking, there are typically three types of lights used: fluorescent, incandescent, and LED. However, LED lights have gained more popularity because they are more stable and cost-effective.
In this post, we’ll explore some of the best lighting kits ideal for various filming scenarios. You’ll learn about the pros and cons of different lighting types and what features to look out for when choosing the perfect lighting kit for your needs. So, if you want to take your photography and videography to the next level, keep reading!
Key Takeaways
- The Lowel DV Creator 44 Kit with TO-83 Case is one of the best kits for interviews and documentary filmmakers, with 4 tungsten balanced lights, a soft box, barn doors, an umbrella, and a total output of 1650 watts.
- The Lowel Pro Pak, Pro-Light Kit with 250 watt Bulb, Lightstand & Stand is a small, lightweight light often used as a hair light.
- The Studio PRO Double 600 S-600D LED Photography Lighting Panel and Light Stand Kit offers two LED lights with stands that are easily adjustable for the right amount of light and height.
- The Westcott Flex 1′ x 1′ X-Bracket Mount Daylight Set has a flexible and compact design, and produces an astonishing amount of light. The kit does not include a stand, but offers a mounting bracket, soft box diffuser, and dimmer.
- The Aputure Amaran Studio LED Lighting Kit is a battery-powered LED lighting kit, preferable for outdoor interviews, with 3 LED lights, power adapters, batteries, chargers, and stands for the lights.
- The Neewer 2 pack dimmable bi-color 660 led light kit gives you maximum flexibility with the use of lighting, as you can easily control the color temperature and brightness along with the angle of light.
- The Neewer 3X CN-160 Dimmable LED Light Kit is an affordable option that includes 3 dimmable lights, attachable filters, light boxes, stands, 3 batteries, a charger, and a bag.
- The GVM 2-Pack Bi-Color LED Light Kit packs a pair of 480 LED lights, attachable light diffusers, 2 power adapters, and a carry bag. The stands are a little flimsy.
- The Ikan ID508 3-Point LED Studio Light Kit is a higher-end kit, preferable for professional studio works, offering 3 lights with power supplies and sturdy stands, along with 6 Sony “L” series batteries with separate chargers.
- The Aputure Amaran HR672KIT offers more than the typical expensive lighting kits but at a surprisingly low cost and with some amazing features and accessories.
- The Emart Tabletop Photography LED Lighting Kit is purely for a tabletop setup, giving you 2 15w led lamps, with adjustable stands, and 3 filters.
- The VILTROX VL-200 LED Kit is an inexpensive kit that comes with remote controls for adjusting brightness and color temperatures, with 3 bi-color lights, power cables, adapters, and stands.
Best Interview Lighting Kits for 2020
1. Lowel DV Creator 44 Kit with TO-83 Case
This is one of the best kits out there for interviews and documentary filmmakers. The kit constitutes of
- 4 tungsten balanced lights with gels to convert them to daylight.
- Soft box
- 3 sets of barn doors
- 1 umbrella for light diffusion
- 300w max Rifa-44 collapsible soft light
- 550w max focusable Omni light
- 250w focusable pro-light
- 750w max broad throw tota light
The total output of the kit reaches 1650 watts.
2. Lowel Pro Pak, Pro-Light Kit with 250 watt Bulb, Lightstand & Stand
It is a small, lightweight light often used as a hair light. The light produced by it is also good as it is used to create soft glowing outline of the subject and also to separate the subject from the background.
- Multi-use, halogen source.
- Focus range-5:1 with GCA lamp.
- Watts: 250 & 125 at 120v, 200 at 30v, 100 & 50 at 12v.
- Tilting: 160°, adjustable, constant-tension, one-handed, no-yoke tilting.
3. Studio PRO Double 600 S-600D LED Photography Lighting Panel and Light Stand Kit
This kit offers two LED Lights with stands. The lights as well as the stands are easily adjustable as to get the right amount of light and height. It comes at an affordable price.ICE ON ACHECK Studio PRO BOOM Arm Lighting Kit
The kit contains 3 lights: 1 used as a key light, 1 used as a fill light and 1 used as a hair light. The lighting head uses fluorescent bulbs of 5500k daylight. There are 3 stands and a boom arm for the lighting heads along with soft box. It weighs around 36 pounds.
![Fovitec StudioPRO - 2x Daylight 600 LED Panel Bundle w/ Stands - [Continuous][Adjustable Lighting][V-Lock Compatible]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41vQ5smeuqL._SL160_.jpg)
- Contents: 2x daylight LED 600 light panel, 2x 7'6" stands
- 93 CRI: Daylight balanced, 5600K color temperature, deliver up to 6370 lux illumination at 1 meter
- Adjustable Lighting: Dial-adjustable, blanced panels can be equipped with filters for diffusion/color temperature changes
- For Video and Photography: Continious flicker-free LEDs make the light ideal for portraits and vlogs
- Safe and Energy-Efficient: Ultra-low heat output and energy usage
4. Westcott Flex 1′ x 1′ X-Bracket Mount Daylight Set
It sports a flexible and compact design. It also produces an astonishing amount of light. The kit does not include a stand, but offers a mounting bracket. It also has soft box diffuser and dimmer.
- Flexible and pliable 55w LED mat
- 5600K daylight-balanced output with a 95 CRI
- IP 64 Water-resistant design
- Silent and flicker-free operation
5. Aputure Amaran Studio LED Lighting Kit
It is a battery powered LED lighting kit, preferable for outdoor interviews. It packs 3 LED lights, power adapters for plugging into mains, batteries, chargers and stands for the lights. The lights are daylight balanced with built in filters.
6. Neewer 2 pack dimmable bi-color 660 led light kit
This kit gives you the maximum flexibility with the use of lighting. The kit comes with 4 barn door attachments, a pair of stands, 2 white filters, power cables, 4 batteries with individual chargers. The best part about this lighting is that you can easily control the color temperature and brightness along with the angle of light. The tools are highly durable as it is made from corrosion –resistant metal.
- Kit Includes: (2)bi-color 660 LED video light with U bracket and barndoor; (4)6600mah F970 replacement battery; (battery charger; (2)light stand; (2)us plug; (2)power adapter; (2)white filter; (carrying bag
- Professional lighting kit: LED Panel is composed of 660 pieces of LED bulbs, which equals the 40W outer power; 3-6.5 feet/92-200 centimeters adjustable sturdy light stand with solid locking capabilities, is made of corrosion-resistant metal, giving it exceptional strength for heavy duty work; perfect for portrait, product studio photography, YouTube, video outdoor shooting
- Dimmable Bi-color and high CRI features: color temperature with a range from 3200K to 5600K can be adjusted easily by two knobs on the back of the LED panel; Ultra High CRI 97+, which is a powerful color revealer, helps to restore and enrich the color Off object, providing you a natural and vivid shooting effect
- User-friendly design: locking knobs on two sides of panel use for tilt adjustment; attached Barn doors to light sources creates a beam spread of light; Equipped with two of batteries and batteries Chargers for long time using
- Ac/DC power options: power with AC adapter (included) or np-f970 Li-ion battery(included); with 4 batteries and chargers, you will never worry about power failure for outdoor shooting
7. Neewer 3X CN-160 Dimmable LED Light Kit
This kit offers everything you might need in an affordable price. It includes 3 dimmable lights, attachable filters, light boxes, stands, 3 batteries, a charger and a bag. The maximum power of the lights is around 9.6 watts. It can also be attached directly to most cameras, using the hot shoe adapter. The 2600mAh battery helps its lasts to some 90 minutes on a single charge. This is best suited for interviews and portraits.
- Kit Includes: (2)bi-color 660 LED video light with U bracket and barndoor; (4)6600mah F970 replacement battery; (battery charger; (2)light stand; (2)us plug; (2)power adapter; (2)white filter; (carrying bag
- Professional lighting kit: LED Panel is composed of 660 pieces of LED bulbs, which equals the 40W outer power; 3-6.5 feet/92-200 centimeters adjustable sturdy light stand with solid locking capabilities, is made of corrosion-resistant metal, giving it exceptional strength for heavy duty work; perfect for portrait, product studio photography, YouTube, video outdoor shooting
- Dimmable Bi-color and high CRI features: color temperature with a range from 3200K to 5600K can be adjusted easily by two knobs on the back of the LED panel; Ultra High CRI 97+, which is a powerful color revealer, helps to restore and enrich the color Off object, providing you a natural and vivid shooting effect
- User-friendly design: locking knobs on two sides of panel use for tilt adjustment; attached Barn doors to light sources creates a beam spread of light; Equipped with two of batteries and batteries Chargers for long time using
- Ac/DC power options: power with AC adapter (included) or np-f970 Li-ion battery(included); with 4 batteries and chargers, you will never worry about power failure for outdoor shooting
8. GVM 2-Pack Bi-Color LED Light Kit
The kit packs a pair of 480 LED lights, attachable light diffusers, 2 power adapters and a carry bag. The stands are to be found a little flimsy. Color temperatures and light intensity can be easily adjusted.
- 【Led Video Lighting Kit with App Control】 2019 upgrade video lighting kit, app control model, whose Color temperature is between 2300k-6800k and high brightness is between 10%-100%, has a new addition of digital display screen, accurately displaying the parameters.
- 【Adjustable Light Board 】The video lighting’s light is distributed and with an adjustable soft board, it’s very helpful for portrait and video.
- 【AC / DC Power Options:】 Wireless operation with AC adapter (supplied) or Sony NP-F550 NP-F970 Li-Ion battery (not included)
- 【Metal Shell and U-shaped Frame】 Featured with the durable Aluminum alloy shell, the video lights have excellent heat dissipation effect. With an adjustable U-shaped bracket ,the video light can be put on the light stand or on the ground.
- 【Support & Warranty】All GVM Led lights includes one year warranty service and 1 month free of replacement .
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9. Ikan ID508 3-Point LED Studio Light Kit
This is one of the higher end kits, most preferable for professional studio works. It offers 3 lights with power supplies and sturdy stands. It also contains 6 Sony “L” series batteries with separate chargers. The kit also includes a diffusion filter and orange filter for each light. The orange filter makes the switch from daylight to tungsten color temperature very simple. Each light is easily dimmable. The kit weighs around some 32 pounds.
- Color Temperature of 5600K (300K)
- (3) ID508-v2 Fixtures, Bags and Stands
- Includes Batteries and Chargers
- Energy Efficient and Lightweight
10. Aputure Amaran HR672KIT
This kit offers more than the typical expensive lighting kits but at a surprisingly low cost and that too with some amazing features and accessories. It has a 95+ score of color-rendering index. Each of the three 672 led lamps produces the same as a normal 400w incandescent bulb while being the same size as an IPAD.
11. Emart Tabletop Photography LED Lighting Kit
This kit as the name suggests is purely for a tabletop setup. It gives you 2 15w led lamps, with adjustable stands, 3 filters- (white, orange and blue).
- Portable photo table top studio lighting kit for photography lighting,shooting table top.
- [2 x ] 18" Table top light stand,adjust height(Min 12.8" ¨C Max 18"),Perfect to meet your requirements.
- [2 x ] 15W LED light bulb,5500K LED continuous lighting,Create a good shooting environment for you.lighting for video,images,collocation with all kinds of tabletop studio,Can also be used for makeup,reading books.
- The video light comes with a heat dissipation system to avoid damage to the bulb due to excessive temperature and extend the service life. The sturdy shell and tripod have a good quality guarantee.
- [2 x ] Adjustable light head with reflectors, 67" cable length,110V standard outlet,The tripod is stable enough that there will never be any breaks problems,the stable tripod can be adjusted to any height within as needed,short enough to stand on tabletop,tall enough to fit your height.
12. VILTROX VL-200 LED Kit
This is one of the inexpensive kits that come with remote controls for adjusting brightness and color temperatures. There are 3 bi-color lights, power cables, adapters and stands.
- Light Kits Include: (3) Bi-color LED Video Light, (3) Power Adapter, (3) Power Cable, (3) 26inches-75inches Adjustable Light Stand; (3) Hot Shoe Adapter; (1) Wireless Remote Control; (1) Carry bag. Note: No Battery Included.
- Bi-color Dimmable LED Video Light: 96pcs(3300K)/96pcs(5600K) SMD lamp beads make for the perfect lighting source. 3300K (Yellow )-5600K (White) Bi-color, brightness adjustment (20%-100% ) to suit multiple shooting situations. Max. Brightness: 2500LM. Power: 30W
- Wireless Remote Control: With FSK 2.4GHz wireless remote control system, great for adjusting parameters of led video light within 20 meters distance. 7 groups 19 channels groups control for professional use.
- The LCD Display Screen with brightness color temperature, CH and battery level to clearly view. Using universal 1/4" hot shoe adapter, securely mount on light stand(Included), any tripod, camera, camcorder or light bracket to achieve various lighting angles and heights.
- Advantage for Lighting Kit: LED video light kit provide professional light from different positions. Come with a durable carrying case, convenient to carry around or for storage.
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Conclusion
As you can see, there are numerous lighting kits available for photography and videography, each with their own unique set of features and advantages. When it comes to interviews and documentary filmmaking, the key is to choose a lighting kit that complements your subject and helps you achieve your desired look and feel. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or a beginner, investing in high-quality lighting equipment can make a significant difference in the overall quality of your work.
At the end of the day, the best lighting kit for your needs will depend on your individual preferences, budget, and specific project requirements. As you continue to explore the world of lighting, remember to experiment, stay curious, and don’t be afraid to try new things. With the right equipment and a little bit of creativity, the possibilities are endless. Happy shooting!