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Tom's Guide
06-06-2025
- Tom's Guide
I just tested the Rotolight Ultimate Vlogging Kit — and it's all you need to elevate on-the-go content creation
The Rotolight Ultimate Vlogging Kit is, as its name suggests, one of the best ring lights for content creation on the go. It's extremely easy to set up and use, and the mini tripod-grip makes it comfortable to hold. The included RL48-B ring light boasts accurate color reproduction and makes images appear true to life. The kit is also very cheap, retailing for just under $30 if you buy from Amazon. It's important to note, though, that the light's color temperature is fixed at a cool 5600K unless you use one of the included filters — which can be quite frustrating and time consuming to install. For the complete breakdown, read my full Rotolight Ultimate Vlogging Kit review. Specs Rotolight Ultimate Vlogging Kit Price $109 / £79 (Rotolight); $29 / £24 (Amazon) Dimensions 5.24 x 0.78 inches Weight (with tripod) 20.98oz Light source Rotolight RL48-B ring light Number of LEDs 48 Beam angle 140° Maximum illumination 242Lx/1m Accessories 1x phone adjustable mount, 1x twin accessory bar, 1x Rotolight mini tripod, 4x filters CRI (color rendering index) 95+ Color temperature 5600K (fixed); 4100K/3200K (with filters) The Rotolight Ultimate Vlogging Kit retails for $109 / £79 if bought directly from Rotolight. Amazon offers a better deal, though, as the kit can be bought for $29 / £24, which of course is the far better deal. Regardless of where you choose to buy it from, the Ultimate Vlogging Kit will include an RL48-B ring light, a cell phone adjustable mount, a twin accessory bar, a mini tripod, and a set of four filters. The Rotolight Ultimate Vlogging Kit is only slightly more expensive than the Neewer Basics BR60 5" ring light ($21), and cheaper than the Neewer Basics 7" ($35). Rotolight's offering is simple and no-frills, and its color temperature is fixed at 5600K (unless you use the included filters), so you may want to consider either of the Neewer lights which, for some, may offer better value for money. The Rotolight Ultimate Vlogging Kit sports a minimalist, no-frills design. The RL48-B ring light doesn't look too flashy, and it houses 48 LED bulbs encased in a translucent cover, and a round red Rotolight logo sits in the center. As I mentioned above, this kit has everything you need to elevate your content. Setup is straightforward, and it took me just under five minutes from unboxing to being ready to shoot. You need to screw the twin accessory bar onto the tripod, and then screw in the RL48-B ring light and the included smartphone mount on either side of the bar. It looks like a seesaw, to be honest! But the 140° ball head keeps the seesaw-esque structure stable. I tilted it at various angles and the bar did not move even when I shook, which is great for those shooting video while walking or even running. The included mini tripod's legs fold and make it comfortable to hold with one hand too. The smartphone mount extends enough to fit phones of most sizes. I had no issues clasping it around my Google Pixel 7 Pro and my coworkers' iPhone 16 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S24 FE. Without a smartphone, the Ultimate Vlogging Kit weighs 20.98oz, and with my Pixel mounted, the kit weighs 23.62oz — still comfortable to hold with one hand. I really appreciate the Ultimate Vlogging Kit's versatility. If you want to use the RL48-B with one of the best mirrorless cameras, you can pop the black ring and branding out and put the light around an accessory, such as a shotgun mic like the Joby Wavo Pro ($109). The 3/8" thread also means that you can attach a camera instead of the mount, so the Ultimate Vlogging Kit isn't just for smartphone shooters. However, there's no cold shoe mount, which means you can't attach a microphone's receiver (RX) unit to the kit, which isn't great news for smartphone vloggers. On a mirrorless camera, at least, you can use the camera's hot shoe mount to hold a mic RX. The Rotolight Ultimate Vlogging Kit is extremely straightforward to use thanks to a very simple control scheme. There's only one button on the RL48-B ring light, and that's the power button. I can't put it in any simpler terms: you press it to turn on the light, you press it again to turn it off. There's no app or Bluetooth control, so the Ultimate Vlogging Kit is simplicity itself. It doesn't feature fancy function / advanced modes either, unlike the Rotolight Video Conferencing Kit ($149), which has specific modes for macro photography and cinematic effects, but it's also more expensive. The Rotolight Ultimate Vlogging Kit doesn't use any mains power and instead relies on three AA batteries. The RL48-B is compatible with rechargeable batteries too if the environmental impact of disposable ones is a concern. Rotolight says that a set of batteries should last you up to four hours — which is one hour more than the pricier NEO 2 ring light in the Rotolight Video Conferencing Kit ($339). In my testing, a set of batteries yielded just under three hours of juice, which is fantastic. If you're looking for a more substantial portable lighting solution, you'll want to go for a light that uses NP-F professional batteries, such as the Westcott 18-inch ring light ($189). The Rotolight Ultimate Vlogging Kit works as intended: it's bright enough to be used in most environments, both indoors and outdoors. In most probability, you'll be holding the tripod at an arm's length. In my testing, this proved more than adequate for lighting up my face. The RL48-B ring light has a CRI (color rendering index) of 95+. CRI is usually measured on a scale of 0-100, and it tells you how accurately a light source illuminates the subject. The higher the CRI, the more the subject appears true to the original color, and vice versa. 95+ is an excellent score. The photos in the gallery above demonstrate the RL48-B's color accuracy. The first photo was taken without the light on and the second with the light on. I like both but I prefer my face in the second photo, as that's what I see when I look in the mirror too. If I was a vlogger, this is what I'd like to see in a to-camera piece. One of the downsides of the RL48-B ring light is that it has a fixed color temperature of 5600K; there's no way to adjust it unless you use one of the four included filters. Two of these are for warmer color temperatures: 204 for 3200K and 205 for 4100K. There are two diffusion filters too: 184 for skin tone and 216 for white diffusion. Inserting the filters is a finicky process. You need to pop the translucent case off which takes quite a bit of strength. I thought it was a me problem but my coworkers struggled with it too. Once you have (frustratingly) taken off the cover, you need to place a filter over the LED lamps and pop the cover back into place. It's annoying, yes, but once you have the filter in place, it works well. In the gallery above, the first photo was shot with the 204 filter and the second with the 205 filter. I like cool shades so I really like the second photo, but the first shot has a lovely, even warmth to it too. Let's talk about the remaining two filters. The first photo above was shot with the 216 white diffusion filter and the second with the 184 skin tone filter. The white diffusion filter can be used to reduce harsh shadows and highlights to produce a softer image, as you can see above. I don't think there's a world of difference between the first shot and others in this review, but the filter's effect will vary depending on the environment you're shooting in — the same goes for the 184 filter too. Similar to the Rotolight Ultimate Vlogging Kit, the Ultimate Vlogging Kit doesn't feature any RGB which, for some, may limit its use in some scenarios. RGB lighting helps you color a background a specific color while using another light to light up your face. The Rotolight Ultimate Vlogging Kit offers excellent value for content creators seeking a simple yet effective lighting solution. The kit is highly portable and easy to set up and use, thanks to the sturdy and comfortable tripod. The included ring light is reliable and it illuminates subjects well. One of the downsides, though, is that the ring light's color temperature is fixed at a cool 5600K — and if you want to change that, you need to use the included filters which are frustrating (and time consuming) to insert. But for the price, it's difficult to fault the Rotolight Ultimate Vlogging Kit — it offers unbeatable value for money.
Tom's Guide
06-06-2025
- Tom's Guide
Rotolight Video Conferencing Kit review: Easy-to-use professional-grade lighting
The best ring lights aren't just for elevating your social media content — they can help you look professional on team calls too. The Rotolight Video Conferencing Kit, which includes the NEO 2 light panel, a tripod and a set of filters, is perfect for those who want to look like they mean business. The NEO 2 panel is bright and powerful, and boasts great color temperature variation. Setting up the Video Conferencing Kit is a piece of cake. Images taken using the light appear true to life, and I especially like how portable the kit is. However, if you want to use it on the go, you'll need six AA batteries, and the kit itself is quite expensive. For the complete breakdown, read my full Rotolight Video Conferencing Kit review. Specs Rotolight Video Conferencing Kit Price $339 / £249 Dimensions 5.7 x 1.96 inches (without tripod) Weight (light panel only) 12.48oz Light source Rotolight NEO 2 Number of LEDs Not specified Maximum illumination 2000Lx/1m Accessories 1x desktop light stand, 1x 360° ball head, 1x filter holder, 4x filters CRI (color rendering index) 96 Color temperature 3150-6300K The Rotolight Video Conferencing Kit is available for $339 / £249 directly from Rotolight. At the time of writing, the kit is down to just $149 / £129 which is a fantastic deal. The kit includes a NEO 2 light, a desktop light stand, a 360° ball head, and four filters/diffusers. It sounds like a lot of money, but if you want a lighting kit that gives you a professional look while being easy to use, it's worth the premium. The Westcott 18-inch Ring Light Bi-Color LED Kit ($189) is cheaper and geared towards professional photographers, but it comes with a really tall tripod that won't fit on a table and isn't as portable, unlike Rotolight's offering. The Rotolight Video Conferencing Kit is easy to set up and use, as assembling it took me just under five minutes. The NEO 2 light panel is dotted with several LED lamps and a round Rotolight logo graces the center. There are three tripod threads located around the NEO 2's frame, so not only can you mount the light panel onto a tripod, you can also attach the included smartphone mount to it, making it more versatile. For instance, say you're taking a team or client call on your phone. You can simply mount your smartphone onto NEO 2 and look professional in no time. The Rotolight Video Conferencing Kit also includes a 360° ball head which attaches to the tripod. This enables you to angle the light panel as needed even when it's stationery on your table. The tripod itself can be extended in five steps to give the light panel more height, offering some versatility. You can easily carry the Rotolight Video Conferencing Kit in your backpack or laptop bag when you're on the move too, thanks to its highly portable design. The kit weighs just under 14oz so the weight is negligible. Adding to the Rotolight Video Conferencing Kit's appeal is its straightforward control scheme. You don't need to be a light panel wizard or be well-versed in the art of lighting to figure out how the kit works. The back of the NEO 2 head houses two bright red buttons/dials: rotating the one on the right lets you adjust the color temperature (in 20K steps) while rotating the left adjusts the brightness (in 1% increments). Pressing both the dials together opens the advanced menu where you can access features such as FLSH (for macro or flash photography), FADE, SFX (for cinematic special effects), F-DIM (shows the brightness setting as an accurately calculated aperture), and more. Also located on the back is a 3.5mm flash sync socket for third-party flash synchronization, which adds extra functionality in case you're also a photographer who does video calls. This makes the Rotolight Video Conferencing Kit a good choice for photographers who want to use a multi-flash setup. It's important to note, though, that the Rotolight Video Conferencing Kit doesn't feature Bluetooth connectivity, there's no companion app or music sync either. There are two ways to use the Rotolight Video Conferencing Kit: you can either plug it into a wall socket via the supplied AC adapter, or use six AA batteries if you're on the move, and these will last you just under three hours. That's a lot of AA batteries. The good news is that the NEO 2 is compatible with rechargeable batteries, if environmental impact is a concern. If you want a ring light that lasts longer and can be used away from mains, the Westcott 18-inch Ring Light Bi-Color LED Kit uses an NP-F750 battery (and comes with an extra in the box), making it ideal for on-location shoots. But it figures that the NEO 2 doesn't utilize NP batteries as it's a tiny light, and AA batteries make more sense. On average, I spend three hours on team calls every week. Usually, I keep my camera turned off as many others do — but using the Rotolight Video Conferencing Kit has made me want to keep my camera on. I don't think my face has ever looked better on Google Meet and Zoom calls. To test the Rotolight Video Conferencing Kit, I used the tripod to place the NEO 2 next to my laptop, and I used it to light myself during team calls — and it lived up to my expectations. The NEO 2 has a CRI (color rendering index) of 96. Measured on a scale of 0-100, the CRI tells you how accurately a light lights up the subject. A higher CRI means that the light ensures that subjects appear true to their original color. Lower values indicate more color distortion, so you want the CRI to be as close to 100 as possible. This is where the NEO 2 excels. In comparison, the RL48-B in the Rotolight Ultimate Vlogging Kit ($109) has a CRI of 95. The NEO 2, however, is edged out by the cheaper Neewer Basics BR60 5-inch ($21), which has a CRI of 97, but it's a very minute difference. With the NEO 2 on, I found that I appeared more natural on camera — and I appeared as I do in the mirror, which is my true self. You can see the difference in the gallery above. The first photo was taken in natural lighting on my MacBook Air M2, and the second was taken with the NEO 2 turned on. I much prefer the look of the second photo. The lighting appears evenly spread across my face too (but this will, of course, depend on the light's positioning). In the second image, there isn't as much noise and grain as there is in the first one. The NEO 2 has a color temperature of 3150 to 6300K — lower values for warmer tones and higher values for cooler tones. I usually prefer cooler tones in my photography, so it comes down to personal preference. The RL48-B in the Rotolight Ultimate Vlogging Kit has a fixed color temperature of 5600K, unless you use the included filters. Also, the NEO 2 can go slightly warmer and cooler than the Westcott 18-inch Ring Light Bi-Color LED Kit too, which has a color temperature of 3200K to 5600K. The good news is that you can experiment with the NEO 2 to find the one best-suited for your skin tones or the environment you're in. The first photo in the gallery above was shot at 3150K and the second was shot at 6300K to show you the two extremes. Both images look great but the second image appears more true to life as, without any lighting, the wall is blue in color. As I mentioned earlier, a four-piece filter set is included in the Rotolight Video Conferencing Kit: 216 (Full Diffuser), 250 (Half Diffuser), 184 (Cosmetic Peach), and 279 (1/8 Magenta). Filters, basically, enable you to alter the color temperature even further. I found loading the filters easy to do too. All I had to do was place one of the filters on the light and lock the filter holder into place, and I was good to go. With the color temperature set to neutral (around 4500K), I took a few photos of myself with all four filters, as you can see in the gallery above. The first image was shot with the 216 Full Diffuser, the second with the 279 1/8 Magenta, the third with the 250 Half Diffuser, and the fourth with the 184 Cosmetic Peach filter. I don't think any of the filters make much difference, as you can see above. The one that works best is the 216 Full Diffuser which has slightly softened my face. The NEO 2 does have a small issue, though: it doesn't feature RGB lighting which may limit its use in professional photography. RGB is useful in panel lights for coloring a background blue, for example, while using another light to light up your face at 5500K. Not having RGB removes flexibility. The Rotolight Video Conferencing Kit is a premium lighting solution that delivers professional-quality illumination not just for video calls and virtual meetings, but also for content creation, thanks to its versatile and portable design. The included NEO 2 light panel is bright and powerful and boasts great color temperature variation. It makes images and videos appear true to life, and a straightforward control scheme ensures that nearly everyone can use the Video Conferencing Kit. You don't always need to be near a power socket as the NEO 2 can be powered by AA batteries… but you'll need six of them. The Video Conferencing Kit doesn't come cheap either, retailing for $339 / £249. And while the inclusion of four filters is appreciated, in my testing, they didn't add a world of difference to the photos. If you can afford it, or you need a lighting solution that makes you appear professional on camera, then the Rotolight Video Conferencing Kit should be right up your alley.
