The 5 Best LED Video Lights for Indie Filmmakers (2026)
By Seb Pupino · Updated
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what I recommend.
If I could give one piece of advice to someone with a new camera, it would be this: spend your next £300 on light, not on a better camera. A well-lit scene on a modest camera beats a badly lit scene on a cinema camera every single time.
Modern LEDs have made this easier than ever. They run cool, they're quiet, many run on batteries, and you can control most of them from your phone.
Quick picks
- Best first key light: Amaran 200x S
- Best colour light: Amaran 150c
- Best budget key light: Godox SL60IIBi
- Best pocket light: Aputure MC Pro
- Best budget panel: Neewer 660 PRO II
1. Amaran 200x S: the key light to start with
Amaran is Aputure's more affordable range, and the 200x S is the light I'd buy first. It's a bi-colour COB light, so you can dial anything from warm tungsten to daylight. It takes Bowens-mount softboxes and is bright enough to work as the main light for interviews and small scenes.
- Great for: interviews, key light, small sets
- Watch out for: you'll need a softbox or diffusion; bare COB light is harsh
- Why it's here: the best brightness and colour quality for the money
2. Amaran 150c: when you want colour
Full RGB means you can create neon nights, police lights, sunset glows or a subtle coloured backlight that separates your subject from the background. It's also a perfectly good white light when you need one.
- Great for: music videos, genre films, coloured backlights
- Watch out for: less output than the 200x S in white light
- Why it's here: the most creative light on this list
3. Godox SL60IIBi: the budget workhorse
Godox has a reputation for good-value lighting, and the SL60IIBi is a solid, quiet, bi-colour light at a price that makes a three-light kit realistic.
- Great for: first kits, students, fill and backlight
- Watch out for: less punch than the Amaran in bigger spaces
- Why it's here: the cheapest Bowens-mount light I'd trust on a shoot
4. Aputure MC Pro: the light in your pocket
A tiny, battery-powered RGB light about the size of a phone. It's not a key light, but it's brilliant for a practical glow, a catchlight in the eyes, lighting a car interior, or hiding behind a lamp in shot.
- Great for: accent light, car scenes, hiding in the frame
- Watch out for: small output, so it's for detail rather than lighting a whole scene
- Why it's here: the light you'll use on every single shoot
5. Neewer 660 PRO II: the budget panel
LED panels give soft, even light without a softbox, which is handy in small rooms. The Neewer is affordable, adjustable and good enough for fill light, YouTube setups and backup.
- Great for: YouTube, fill light, small rooms
- Watch out for: colour accuracy isn't as good as Aputure or Amaran, so it's best as a fill rather than a key
- Why it's here: the cheapest way into soft light
The three-point setup in one minute
Key light: your main light, about 45 degrees to one side of your subject and slightly above eye level, through a softbox.
Fill: a softer, dimmer light on the other side (or just a white reflector) to lift the shadows.
Backlight: behind and above your subject, to separate them from the background. This is where a colour light shines.
My honest pick
Start with an Amaran 200x S and a softbox. Add an Aputure MC Pro for accents. You'll be amazed how much better your footage looks.
Lighting kits and bundles with softboxes and stands often work out cheaper than buying separately. Check today's options on Amazon.