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.

Rotolight Ultimate Vlogging Kit review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? An all-in-one mobile vlogging kit with a tripod and four filters
• Who is it for? For vloggers on a budget, especially those who travel or are on the move
• How much does it cost? The Rotolight Ultimate Vlogging Kit costs $109 / £79 on the brand’s online store, or you can buy it for $29 / £24 at Amazon
• What do we like? It’s lightweight and portable and the lighting is even, while images appear true to life
• What don’t we like? The fixed color temperature (without filters) and the process of inserting filters is frustrating

Rotolight Ultimate Vlogging Kit review: Specs

Rotolight Ultimate Vlogging Kit review: Price & availability

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.

Rotolight Ultimate Vlogging Kit review: Design

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.

Rotolight Ultimate Vlogging Kit review: Controls

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.

Rotolight Ultimate Vlogging Kit review: Power

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).

Rotolight Ultimate Vlogging Kit review: Performance

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.

Color rendering index

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.

Image 1 of 2

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.

Color temperature

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.

Image 1 of 2

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.

Image 1 of 2

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.

Rotolight Ultimate Vlogging Kit review: Verdict

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.