The Ring Light That Made Me an Influencer (of Nobody)
“I set up a full influencer ring light rig for Zoom calls. The Lume Cube clips to your laptop and does the same thing without converting your office into a photography studio. My colleagues don't need me broadcast in 16 million colors.”
Neewer 18-inch RGB Ring Light Kit with Stand
21,345 reviews
Pros
- +18 inches of pure, unflattering illumination
- +RGB colors — 16 million color options for your Zoom background
- +Comes with a 6-foot stand and phone holder
- +Dimmable from 1% to 100%
Cons
- -$90 for a circle of LEDs
- -The stand takes up half your office
- -RGB mode makes you look like you're on a spaceship
- -Your pupils become donut-shaped in every call
Lume Cube Video Conference Lighting Kit
8,921 reviews
Pros
- +Clips to your laptop — no stand eating your floor space
- +Adjustable brightness and color temperature
- +Compact enough to travel with
- +Actually designed for video calls, not TikToks
- +Doesn't give you donut-shaped eye reflections
Cons
- -Smaller light output than a full ring light
- -Only white light — no RGB disco mode
- -The clip can be wobbly on thin laptop lids
The Story
After the webcam and the microphone, I needed lighting. Every YouTube video about 'how to look good on camera' says lighting is the most important element. So I bought an 18-inch ring light with a 6-foot stand.
Let me paint you a picture: I'm in my Miami Beach apartment, at a desk in the corner, with a 6-foot ring light stand behind my monitor. The ring light is 18 inches in diameter. It's like having a small satellite dish aimed at my face. When I turn it on, I look fantastic. My skin is smooth, shadows are eliminated, I look like a news anchor.
The problem? The ring light reflections in my eyes. In every Zoom call, my eyes have donut-shaped highlights. Someone actually asked me if I was wearing special contact lenses. No, Margaret, I have a professional lighting rig for our 30-minute standup.
Also, the RGB feature. One time I accidentally set it to purple during a client call with Mobilization Funding. I looked like I was broadcasting from a nightclub. 'Glen, is everything okay?' Yes, everything is fine, I just look like I'm in a Prince music video.
The Lume Cube clips to your laptop. It provides soft, adjustable white light. No stand. No donut eyes. No accidental purple mode. It costs $30 and it's designed specifically for video calls — not for TikTok influencers with 2 million followers.
I am not a TikTok influencer with 2 million followers. I am a Salesforce developer who writes about Fannie Mae on Seeking Alpha. I did not need an influencer ring light.
The Lesson
Match your equipment to your actual use case. A $30 laptop clip light is designed for video calls. An $90 ring light is designed for content creation. Know which one you're doing.
Affiliate Disclosure: Links on this page go to Amazon and include an affiliate tag. If you buy something, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This is an honest comparison of products I've actually used. Product details, prices, ratings, and review counts are approximate and may be outdated. This page was created with AI assistance. Not professional product advice — just one guy's experience.
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Glen's Musings — AI, investing, and building things. Occasional. Free.
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