NEEWER RL-18 Ring Light 18inch Kit: 55W 5600K Professional LED with Stand

Why it's worth it

The RL-18 is an 18-inch daylight ring light that ships with a 61-inch stand, a phone holder, a camera ball head, filters, and a bag. It's the size most creators land on eventually, and there's nothing else you need to buy before you start filming.

Eighteen inches is the size most creators should buy. Diameter sets how big the catchlight in your eyes looks, and B&H points out that audiences read a bigger, rounder catchlight as a signal of a more polished production. It also wraps enough light around your face and shoulders that you're not pinned to one spot. Smaller rings work, but you'll sit closer, and you'll notice every time you lean back.

The bundled parts are the reason this one's easy to recommend. You get a 61-inch aluminum stand, a cold-shoe ball head for a camera, a phone holder, a soft tube so you can angle the ring where you want it, white and orange filters, and a carrying bag. That stand height matters more than you'd guess — you need the ring at eye level whether you film sitting or standing.

From our review of 5 ring lights for content creators

What we like

• +Eighteen inches is the size most creators should buy
• +The bundled parts are the reason this one's easy to recommend
• +The output is honest daylight
• +Heat is the quiet win here

What to know

• –It's daylight only. There's no bi-color dial, so when you're mixing in warm lamp light, you're stuck clipping the orange filter…
• –It's also big, and it's tied to a wall outlet