On-camera and ring lights
Ring lights, pocket RGB fills and small on-camera panels for talking-head, tutorial or beauty setups that want an even, shadowless face.
How to choose a ring light or on-camera fill
Ring or pocket panel. A ring surrounds the lens and flattens shadows; a pocket panel sits in a cold shoe and can be angled off-axis to keep some modelling. Aputure's MC and MC Pro are the pocket standard and come in multi-light kits for a full small setup.
Output and distance. Small fixtures fall off fast. A pocket light is fill at a metre; it is not a key at three. Ulanzi's 100 W COB with condenser lens and the PL25 sit at the higher-output end of this shelf.
Battery runtime. Built-in batteries are stated in mAh and runtime at full power. A light that runs 50 minutes at 100 % is a 50-minute light.
Colour control. Bi-colour is enough for faces. RGB (Ulanzi C60 RGB, Aputure MC Pro) earns its place lighting the background or a product.
Ulanzi supplies 15 records, Aputure 5 and Godox 7. Godox ring lights — the LR series and Ring 48 — are enquire until dealer pricing lands.