13 Best LED Lights For Film Production in 2023 [Portable Options]

As you are looking for LED lights for the film production, you must be someone who’s already in the business, or maybe you are just starting off.

Either way, you have come to the right place.

This article is all about finding the best LED lights for small to medium scale film productions.

If you’re just starting off, you might be thinking if the room lights or maybe some regular external lights can do the trick.

Well, if you pair a great camera with bad lighting, it will produce bad footage.

Room lights or regular external lights are considered bad because most of the time they’re just not enough and they also give you less control over how you want to light up.

So, if you are going for that crispy professional-looking footage for your movies, documentaries, short films, or anything else, you need good external lighting and these professional lighting solutions can provide exactly that.

Now choosing good LED lights for cameras can be really hard.

If you end up getting the wrong one or once in case you are looking for more, you may end up with too dim lights that aren’t really capable of lighting properly at all or you may spend too much money or way too bright of a solution that you don’t actually need.

To clear out all the confusion and to make sure that you don’t end up buying the wrong LED lights for your film production work, I’ve selected the best of the best, thirteen of them actually, and listed them below.

Now, I did cut out some of the super-expensive lights, but the prices still vary in a wide range.

Best LED Lights for Film Production in 2023

To make the selection process fair and more efficient, I took a bunch of big-scale LED lights, and after a thorough evaluation and a tight elimination process, I’ve selected the top thirteen LED lights for video production.

Regardless of if you’re looking for a small or a medium to large scale production, there should be something for everyone.

1. Best Overall: GVM 2 Pack LED Video Lighting Kit

The GVM 2 Pack LED kit would suit professionals as well as beginners.

It has 480 LEDs at 20 inches of distance so you can expect the best brightness.

It can light the subject for 90 minutes on battery.

The lights are thin and portable.

They come with barn doors that are adjustable.

It also comes with a bag for ease of carrying.

You can put it on the stand and adjust the angle in the up and down direction.

Moreover, it has a digital display on the backside of the screen.

It is very bright with 15000 lumens of brightness.

The brightness can be changed in a range of 10 to 100%.

The range of light is from 2300k to 6800k.

This is something that is extra when most of the lights stop at 5200k of temperature.

More color options are available because of this.

The addition of an extra temperature range is vital as it would give you a unique color that other lights would not.

Of course, you can change it in the post-production process through apps like Premier Pro but that would not be as perfect as doing it on set.

The LED kit has an option of app control that can control not only the brightness but also the color.

This will allow you to control the lights from a distance.

You can also take self-portraits and take your own shots with this feature.

It is weighed at 16.37 pounds and comes with a one year warranty.

If you have to start but want a long term solution, this is a great option.

Hence, this GVM kit is a great option for professional filmmakers as well as beginners.

2. Best Single Light: Neewer Dimmable Bi-Color LED with U Bracket

The Neewer Dimmable Bi-Color LED is supremely bright light for filmmaking.

It is suitable for both photography and videography.

These perform at 70hz of frequency which means that you would not have any problem while film shooting.

Videos record at a frequency of 60hz so a higher frequency would not intervene in the video and you would see brisk free shots.

The light is a panel of 10.4 inches in length and 10 inches in height.

It can have a big set-up with controls behind it.

the LED is attached to the stand and it can rotate 360 degrees.

It is slim and sleek to use.

The sleekness will make sure that it fits in bags and you are able to carry it to the location of the shot.

The product comes with 240 white and 240 yellow LEDs that can be adjusted to a temperature range from 3200-5600k.

The controls are given at the back of the panel.

It has a brightness of 3360 lumens.

This is bright enough to light you from a distance of 15 feet with ease.

Hence, it is a good option for distant lighting.

This model also comes with a diffuser that can soften the light and give you the perfect soft portraits that you always wanted.

It also works on a battery that has to be purchased separately.

They have low power consumption.

They are a lightweight option at 3.49 pounds.

It comes with a standard one year warranty.

It is a good option for its versatility.

However, the usage is inclined towards fully professional ones who are well acquainted with lights and adjusting temperatures.

3. Best Budget Lighting Kit for Video: RALENO LED Video Light

The Raleno LED is all about portability and lightweight.

It is small enough to fit in your bag or purse.

It can be charged via USB, so you can even use any out light like a power bank, car charging, laptop, or adapter.

You do not need to worry about having a dedicated power supply for it.

This video light works for around one and a half hours.

It can light up the subject up to 5 feet.

It is made for close shots, and it is made in order to protect the eyes from harsh light.

The light range can go from 3200 to 5600k temperature.

This can be adjusted from the back panel.

It also has an option to adjust the brightness.

It can be mounted on a 4k film camcorder or any mount with its compatible ¼ screw hole.

The eye protection feature makes it perfect for baby shoots.

It can be also used for live streaming religious ceremonies.

It has an acrylic light guide that softens the light and makes it perfect for portraits or videos.

The portability makes it worthy to be used outdoors also.

The RALENO LED is very light with just 11 ounces of weight.

It comes with a one-year warranty.

This is a very good setup option for live streaming and home use.

Note that it is focused on basic users who want to fill in light in dark places.

It is a worthy choice if you are all about making videos on a move with minimum hassle.

4. Best for Shooting From a Distance: Neewer 2 Pieces Bi-color 660 LED

The Neewer Bi-Color LED is a professional type light that needs to be put in the stand and at two places in the room.

It has a fairly large range of around 10 feet.

It has a battery life of around 90 minutes but you can also use a power cord and connect it directly to a power source.

The Neewer lights are dimmable and you can control the light brightness as per your use.

It also has a white diffuser to soften the light which ensures brilliant portraits and shots.

This reduces shadows and unevenness of light.

The softer the light is, the better the photo or the video would come.

The lights have 660 LEDs of which 330 are of yellow and 330 of white.

One can adjust the range of each color separately and have the desired output.

They can be adjusted at any angle with their movable head.

There are two lights so you can use one as a key light and one as a fill light.

This will ensure that your subject is lit from two sides.

There would be no shadows if you add a backlight to it.

If you do not, then there would be shadows but minimal.

The most important thing is the angle.

The lights have barn doors which are definitely a plus point.

The doors can be used to channelize light and focus on one part.

Barn doors would prove really helpful when an actor has a monologue or you want to focus on one particular subject.

It also has a built-in color temperature control system that allows you to adjust the temperature anywhere between 3200k to 5600k.

The weight of the lights is 14.7 pounds.

This 2-piece LED comes with a warranty of 1 year.

This bi-color LED is a decent option for people who would need intermediate types of lights that can be used for film stills and long shots.

It is a proper set of lighting and ideal for sets and locations.

5. Best with Remote Control: VILTROX LED Panel Light with Stand Kit

The VILTROX LED light panel is used for lighting a scene or a set.

The LEDs are quite bright and used for a range of 5-7 feet.

It can last up to 90 minutes on battery or you can attach it to a power supply through a cord.

The LED panel has a slim light and comes in a pack of two.

They have controls of temperature behind the screen.

It also has a digital screen for the display of the temperature.

It has an LCD display.

This helps you decide the best angle for the shot and give you an easy option to create a cheat book for shots.

The Viltrox LED has a range of 3200k to 5600k.

The brightness can be adjusted between 20 to 100 %.

It has 96 beads for white and 96 for yellow which is what is used to control the light temperature.

The ability to change the temperature is integral to any film as color of the light is what sets the tone of the scene.

A warmer light may be used for scenes that are romantic and happy while you may use a cold light to show sadness or apathy.

Thus it helps to add dimension to your film.

Moreover, the lights have a fantastic wireless capability and it comes with a remote control that can be used to control both the lights at the same time.

This whole setup eliminates the need for an extra spot boy.

You can adjust the lights and control it to give your scene a boost.

The effect can be customized to fade-in lights when you are showing a morning scene or showing the actor to just have woken up.

You can adjust the angle for a full 360-degree and have the perfect angle with it.

The weight of the kit is 10.23 pounds and comes with a one year warranty.

It is a fantastic option for a location or set shoots considering the unique wireless control system.

This can be a brilliant option considering its features and the ability to put a versatile shoot for whatever requirement you might have.

6. Best Mountable LED Light: Neewer 90W LED Video Light

If you need a mounting setup for close to medium distance shots, and you also need wireless control to maintain your lighting from a distance, the 90W Desk Mount LED Video Light pair is exactly what you require.

It is excellent for sitting shorts where the light needs to be closer to the subject.

The lights do come with a metal C-clamp stand which means, mounting them is extremely easy.

The clamp is extendable, so even if you are mounting it on a thicker desk, it should fit.

The 18-inch panel comes with a dimension of 14.8”(W) x 10.5”(H) and is around 1” thick.

The lights can be mounted on any surface wide and thick enough. 

The monitoring display, controls, and battery slot are in the back.

You’ll need two Sony NP-F batteries to power these up or you can plug it into the AC adapter in case you have a power source nearby.

You can also control the lights wirelessly using the provided 2.4GHz remote.

Each light is rated at 45W making it 90W in total. 

When it comes to the actual lighting, Neewer is giving a good number of controls.

The White balance has a range of 3200K-5600K, dimming controls ranging 1%-100%, and a 4 group/40 channel control using the remote.

They also support 97+ Color Rendering Index (CRI), so the colors turn out really accurate.

There is even a built-in diffuser in each panel to make sure the lighting is soft and the video is properly exposed.

The 288 LEDs in each panel, can do up to 4800 lux from a distance of 0.5 meters and about 1400 lux from 1 meter.

These values can be achieved by setting the white balance to around 4400K.

The light setup weighs around 2.58 lbs, so make sure whatever you’re mounting the lights on, won’t bend or break at that weight.

To sum things up, if you need to mount your lights somewhere instead of using a regular stand, and you need all the control options, the Neewer 90W C-clamp stand kit is a great choice.

7. Best for Handheld Shots: YONGNUO YN360 II LED Video Light

The Yongnuo YN360 LED is designed to be held in hand so there are no mounts or attachments on it.

t is lightly weighted so as to make long handheld hours pleasurable.

The light is versatile as it can be used by the photographer in the image to create experimental shots.

It has a range of 3200 to 5600k light temperature.

There are dedicated buttons to change the intensity of light, color, and battery capacity.

The advantage of this light is that it can be moved during the scene to create a dramatic effect.

You must have seen music videos where the light is moving from one part of the subject to another.

This will create a very unique effect that would otherwise be very difficult to achieve with fixed lights.

This video light also has a built-in fine or coarse light button for diffusing the light.

The changing of colors can be done wirelessly through an application on a phone too.

It also has a LED screen for display.

The display will ensure that you can shoot all the scenes in the continuity of the same light.

Continuity is what makes a good film stand out from the average ones.

The light tone, brightness, and angle of the scene can be written down to replicate on the next shot and you would have no problems with continuity.

The LED light comes with both battery and power attached options.

With a built-in battery of 5200 mAh, it lasts upto 2 hours at full intensity.

It can run at 2480 lumens for a close range of 4 feet.

The product is weighed 2.6 pounds.

It comes with a one-year warranty.

It can be coupled well with the camera used for recording music videos where you not only want to light the subject but also use the light as a source in the image itself.

8. Best for News Studio: LimoStudio Photography Photo Studio

The LimoStudio Photography LED is a light that is a single LED bulb.

It runs on a power source so there is no limited time duration for it.

It is bright enough to light for 6 to 7 feet but you would need to use both together.

The design is similar to that of professional photography studio lights.

It is a bulb that has to be attached to the stands.

The lighting setup comes with barn doors which can be used in the direction of the light.

It can also help in focusing on the light.

The bulbs give out a fixed color temperature output of 6500k but you can add filters on the setup.

It is designed for outdoor shoots and indoor shoots.

No need to buy separate lights if you go with this one. 

The one color option makes it a different type of light.

It is more suited for interviews and news production like scenes.

Of course, you can add the filters but that limits the scope too.

This photography light comes with a stand.

The stand has vents to ensure that the heat goes out.

The bulb is replaceable which means that you can even increase or decrease the intensity of light by changing the bulb.

But this is not very convenient and you would want the lights to have a built-in brightness control.

It is of course not a very good idea to change the bulbs every now and then.

The LimoStudio LED bulb is weighed at 8.73 pounds.

It comes with a one year warranty.

I personally feel it is a bit outdated considering how there are plenty of options available with built-in light temperature change control.

However, if simple white light is what you need with a detachable bulb, this can be it.

9. Best for Professionals: Fotodiox Pro FlapJack 1×1 LED

The Fotodiox Pro Flapjack is a panel light that can run on the battery as well as the power cord.

It can light a person upto 6 feet. It is one panel light instead of small LEDs.

This would be powerful but it may focus light on one area whereas the sides might be dimmer.

It is sleek and thin in design.

The LED panel comes with a bag where it can easily fit.

It is adjustable in the 180-degree range.

This would help you to change the light direction.

This Fotodiox light comes with a temperature range of 3200-5500k.

It also has brightness options from 10 to 100%.

Note that the kit comes with a battery included.

This is a good feature as most of the sellers do not include the battery with the light.

The battery capacity is around 90 minutes.

The lights are weighed 12.52 pounds.

The warranty is for 2 years.

It is a good option as it has portability as well as a power supply.

The lights are fairly bright for home usage such as interviews and youtube films.

10. Best Fill Lights: GSKAIWEN Photography Studio LED Lighting Kit

The GSKAIWEN LED kit is a strip light that runs on a power source.

It is bright enough to light the subject at a distance of 5 feet.

This is a versatile to be used for photography as well as videography.

The reliability of a power source ensures that you do not suddenly run out of power and you stick to your schedule.

It has a unique design because it is a strip light that can be moved in any way.

The LED kit can be put in any angle and the light can be focused on the subject. They don’t take up much space so that is a good option keeping in mind they would not appear in the video.

They have 120 LEDs in total.

It means that each light is 60 LEDs.

The brightness control from 1 to 100% is very useful for changing the light intensity and setting the mood.

This would ensure that the subject gets equal light from every part of the light.

It comes with a built-in soft light mask which helps the person to get the perfect lighting for portraits and videos.

The LED can also be used as a fill light.

It has the aluminum alloy shell to protect it and enhance heat dissipation.

Its color temperature is fixed at 5500k.

The light weighs 7.7 pounds.

It comes with a one year warranty and lifetime customer support.

This video light is a nice option for having fill lights.

However, it might not be a great option for using them as primary key lights.

11. Best for Video Recording: Godox SL-60W LED Video Light

The Godox SL-60W is a set of 2 pieces of light bulbs.

It is one bulb led with a power of 60W that is bright enough to give a brightness of upto 4100 Lumens for a distance of 1 meter.

The lights are designed in the traditional light setup which has a holder on a stand.

The bulb is fixed in it.

It can be covered with the provided softbox or gel filters that are to be bought separately.

The light is at the color temperature of 5600k.

It has a continuous output option that would ensure high-quality video recording.

This is a proper studio light that needs a power supply and does not work on a battery.

The eye protection mode makes the lights soft enough for the eyes.

Lights are often very bright that the eyes may pain or get strained due to the power of the light.

A high amount of brightness will also make the eyes close or blinded.

The feature will ensure that the eyes are protected from the brightness and it is not harsh to them.

This video LED has a remote control with which the lights can be controlled at a distance.

It also has a large LCD display to show the controls.

The lights have an adjustable brightness that ranges from 1 to 100%.

Godox SL-60W weighs an incredible 22 pounds and comes with a one-year warranty.

It is suited for studios and fixed sets that require good LED lights for video recording.

It is not recommended for people who are on the move and would want a portable light kit.

12. Best for Indoor Shots:Dracast DRSPPLLK3x500BNS S Series

The Dracast S Series is the best 3 point lighting kit for videos and photography.

It has 480 LEDs.

It runs on a power source so one can run it as per the need.

The lights are nice and foldable enough to fit in a bag that they provide.

They come with barn doors that help to channelize and focus the light.

There is also a diffuser provided to soften the light.

The LED is thin and can be fitted in the bag easily.

The lights have a color temperature range of 3200k to 5600k.

The brightness can also be adjusted from 1 to 100%.

The presence of three lights makes sure that you can use one as the main light source, one as a fill light, and one as a backlight for the best results.

It also comes with an infrared remote control that can control all three lights at once.

There are controls on the back and the company has a dedicated website page to educate you about lights.

However, the infrared remote would work only when you are in the straight line of the receiver.

So you might want to think twice before going for this one for the remote control feature.

The lights weigh at 18 pounds.

They are a bit heavy and would need a power source which makes it an indoor-only light.

It comes with a one year warranty.

They are a good choice for indoor shoots where you need continuous output.

13. Cheapest Option: Emart 60 LED Portable Photography Lighting Kit

This is a bright lighting kit that is sufficient for lighting about 6 to 7 feet.

It is bright and can work perfectly for YouTube videos.

They are small but power-packed.

It does get a bit hot but that should not affect the materials or the lights.

The Emart 60 LED is a small and portable camera light at a width of 5.5 inches and a height of 3.7 inches.

The kit comes with a stand with metal legs.

It has the ability to move up and down to change the angle.

This is the light that you can carry with you wherever you go without adding much weight to your luggage.

It is suited for shooting scenes that are shot in the evening and morning when there is ample light perfect for shooting but you want to fill in the shadows.

The LEDs are bright enough with an output of 1400 Lumens.

The light has 60 LEDs in each of the lamps.

The temperature of light is around 5500k.

More number of LEDs would ensure that the light falls evenly on the subject.

The light kit comes with a cord and a stand with which you can adjust the height and angle.

The lights can be used for any type of lighting ranging from photoshoots to video shoots.

It comes with orange, white, blue, and red color gel filters which can be mixed and you can create your own light to shoot your video.

The LED has a weight of 1.75 pounds.

It comes with a warranty of one year.

Overall, this is the best LED light kit for people who are into producing short videos and taking good photos.

It is not recommended for long film shots as the lights are not made for long hours shooting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Verdict

Good lighting is all about placement, capabilities of the LEDs, popper diffusion, etc., so if you get the proper lighting rig for the production of your film, you will get amazing-looking video footage.

As you’ve made it to the end, I hope you already know which LED lighting kit(s) would be the best for you.

However, if you’re still confused or wish to double-check, have a look at the list below:

• If you want a mountable solution, get the Neewer 90W LED Video Light.
• In case you want a handheld lighting solution, get the Yongnuo YN360 II LED light.
• If you need a professional 3-lighting setup get the Dracast DRSPPLLK3x500BNS.
• For those who need a single big-scale light with the diffuser included, the Fotodiox Pro FlapJack should be an excellent choice.
• In case you need a White/Yellow lighting kit, the Neewer 160 LED Studio Photography Lighting Kit will do the job really well.
• If you’re on an under $50 budget and you need a single panel solution, the RALENO Led Video Light is a great option. 

That should clear up any doubts you might have.

In case you still want something else, feel free to pick from the other options in the article, not mentioned above.

If you want to check out some new cameras and lenses, there is a boatload of articles exploring a huge variety of those, on the website.

So, maybe consider checking those out next.