Video conference lighting question

[A-Polly]

Hello and happy Springtime to all! :oldfogette: This is a question especially for those who have any knowledge of lights and Zooming and such. I hope to buy some sort of personal conference lighting for my son for his upcoming 31st birthday. However, I have no experience whatsoever with this sort of thing, and would appreciate any opinions or guidance on what to look for, or what to avoid. Here are three that I've been looking at on Amazon:

This one has a clip and can be attached directly to a laptop screen or phone:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08MF86W4V/?co...75KFOAHJQO&colid=TR0USKLXH6N7&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it


This one comes with a small tripod stand:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08GHFC2Y7/?co...8U9CG521Z0&colid=TR0USKLXH6N7&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it


Is there something better about a ring light instead?
https://www.amazon.com/Conference-Lighti...UYH2U72LBY&dchild=1&keywords=video+conference+lighting&qid=1617493020&s=electronics&sprefix=video+co%2Celectronics%2C169&sr=1-5


There are constant ads on YouTube for this "Lume Cube" brand, but I'm not seriously considering it because it costs quite a bit more. Unless there are qualities that make it worth almost twice the money? I don't particularly like the idea of a suction cup attachment, but then again, I've never used anything like these things. https://www.amazon.com/Conference-Lighti...ZYWVIHZ9M7&dchild=1&keywords=video+conference+lighting+lume+cube&qid=1617494757&s=electronics&sprefix=video+conference+lighting+lume%2Celectronics%2C157&sr=1-1

Thanks so much for your time, and for any advice! miley-signs001:

[Sarcany]

I'm an amateur, but I've helped a few people set up their video conference-spaces.

Lights should go behind the camera. They should provide some method for mounting the camera (or phone) in front. Good ring lights usually have a camera-mount in the center.

People like ring lights because the light is evenly distributed and as a result you can probably get a good image without lighting from multiple sides. But the ideal is usually a light pointing straight at the face and two pointing in from the sides.

Without knowledge of his workspace, I don't know that I could make a good recommendation on a specific light or light-set.

...The ring light that you linked to looks like it would block the camera on a MacBook Pro.

[space-time]

pRON aHOLIC posted a detailed guide a few months ago.

[Sarcany]

space-time wrote:
pRON aHOLIC posted a detailed guide a few months ago.

pRICE cUBE... How could I forget?!!

https://forums.macresource.com/read.php?...sg-2530747

[Speedy]

I used pRICE’s advice to set up lighting for my teacher-wife to use when teaching her classes using Zoom. She has four 330w equivalent LED lights set up behind her 27” iMac. She has flat white painted walls in her office. The lights reflect off the walls (and the back of the iMac to the walls) for nice, diffuse lighting that brightens and lights her very nicely. She cannot see the lights directly, only their reflection off the walls and ceiling, therefore they are not annoying or distracting. I did have to use some cardboard along the back bottom edge of her iMac to block direct reflections off her desktop from the lighting.

[pRICE cUBE]

A-Polly wrote:
Hello and happy Springtime to all! :oldfogette: This is a question especially for those who have any knowledge of lights and Zooming and such. I hope to buy some sort of personal conference lighting for my son for his upcoming 31st birthday. However, I have no experience whatsoever with this sort of thing, and would appreciate any opinions or guidance on what to look for, or what to avoid. Here are three that I've been looking at on Amazon:

This one has a clip and can be attached directly to a laptop screen or phone:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08MF86W4V/?co...75KFOAHJQO&colid=TR0USKLXH6N7&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it


This one comes with a small tripod stand:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08GHFC2Y7/?co...8U9CG521Z0&colid=TR0USKLXH6N7&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it


Is there something better about a ring light instead?
https://www.amazon.com/Conference-Lighti...UYH2U72LBY&dchild=1&keywords=video+conference+lighting&qid=1617493020&s=electronics&sprefix=video+co%2Celectronics%2C169&sr=1-5


There are constant ads on YouTube for this "Lume Cube" brand, but I'm not seriously considering it because it costs quite a bit more. Unless there are qualities that make it worth almost twice the money? I don't particularly like the idea of a suction cup attachment, but then again, I've never used anything like these things. https://www.amazon.com/Conference-Lighti...ZYWVIHZ9M7&dchild=1&keywords=video+conference+lighting+lume+cube&qid=1617494757&s=electronics&sprefix=video+conference+lighting+lume%2Celectronics%2C157&sr=1-1

Thanks so much for your time, and for any advice! miley-signs001:

Can you describe more of his situation in front of the camera so a more customized setup can be suggested?

[A-Polly]

Thank you all.

Since I was hoping for a surprise gift, I haven't been asking my son any targeted questions. What I've seen him do is sit at a desk in front of his MacBook Pro, using the camera on the computer, to join meetings with his team at the company he's working for right now. He's at home in Florida for another week or two, then will head back to California (Bay area), where he works at a table in an apartment. Thus, I think something quite portable would be best for him at this point. His field is all "gig economy" and he doesn't know if he'll still be with the same firm when/if the actual offices open up again, nor does he know how much longer he'll be able to stay in the same subleased apartment.

I had seen the previous post from pRICEcUBE but didn't follow all the links inside — sorry! The posts that followed made the whole process look a little more involved than my head was ready for... :oldfogette: I was hoping for something that might illuminate his face a little when he's in a meeting and not next to a sunlit window. Maybe that's not worthwhile, I don't know.

Thanks again!

[Speedy]

A-Polly wrote:
Thank you all.

Since I was hoping for a surprise gift, I haven't been asking my son any targeted questions. What I've seen him do is sit at a desk in front of his MacBook Pro, using the camera on the computer, to join meetings with his team at the company he's working for right now. He's at home in Florida for another week or two, then will head back to California (Bay area), where he works at a table in an apartment. Thus, I think something quite portable would be best for him at this point. His field is all "gig economy" and he doesn't know if he'll still be with the same firm when/if the actual offices open up again, nor does he know how much longer he'll be able to stay in the same subleased apartment.

I had seen the previous post from pRICEcUBE but didn't follow all the links inside — sorry! The posts that followed made the whole process look a little more involved than my head was ready for... :oldfogette: I was hoping for something that might illuminate his face a little when he's in a meeting and not next to a sunlit window. Maybe that's not worthwhile, I don't know.

Thanks again!

This is what I bought:

Power strip x 2 with widely spaced outlets in order to fit the bulbs:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07T58...00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Sockets x 4 for bulbs:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002DN2OEM?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_dt_b_product_details

Bulbs x 4:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B081NV...01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The bulbs are out of stock but I paid $39.99 for a four pack.

[A-Polly]

Thank you for the description and links, Speedy. It seems much simpler than I was imagining!