Neewer has produced a desktop lamp for streamers. It's a good alternative to what else is on the market, and not just for streamers.
I’m not a fan of ring lights. Firstly, anyone who knows a little bit about studio photography will realize that having an even spread of light across the face fired from the front doesn’t look that great. Far better results can be achieved by moving the light so it hits the face at any one of a multitude of different angles. So, mounting a camera in the middle of the ring won't give the best results. Secondly, and there is a degree of subjectivity here, I really dislike that doughnut-shaped catchlight. It looks weird.
An Alternative to a Ring Light
Neewer sent me their TL40 Desktop Streaming Light, and I have been testing it to see if I would prefer this to a ring light. With just one small flaw, it's impressed me.
Physical Description
The Neewer TL40 Desktop Streaming light has a single bar light. Measuring 40 cm (15.7”) long, that light is mounted on an extending stand with an adjustable height of 30-60 cm (11.8”-23.67”). The light can rotate by 360° and it’s on a tilting bracket with a 180° pitch range. It’s slightly more than 180° because there are two ¼” threads on the lamp, one on the base and another on the rear, that allow the lamp to be fitted.
The base and stand are constructed of metal and are sturdily built. It extends by loosening a thumbscrew at the back. A clip at the rear of the stand holds the USB-2 to USB-C power cable in place.
The lamp itself has a single translucent panel along the front, behind which are 96 LEDs.
The rear of the lamp has a power button, USB-C input, brightness control buttons, controls to adjust the white balance and other effects settings, plus an OLED display showing the current settings, Bluetooth connection, and so on.
The lamp’s various effects are controlled either through the controls on the back of the lamp, the smartphone app using Bluetooth, or the computer app if it is plugged into the USB port.
In use
Constructing the lamp was fast. Dismantling it and packing it away into the box was easy, too. The light is easily adjustable by loosening the thumbscrew to raise or lower the height. The head tilts on the hinge at the top and stays in position if the lamp is mounted horizontally; there is the perfect amount of friction, so it holds in position.
However, that is not true if the lamp is mounted in the vertical position. There is too much torque for the lamp to be tilted forward more than around 45° from the vertical position. Any more than that and the lamp's weight causes the hinge to turn, resulting in the lamp dropping to slightly less than horizontal.
The lamp also rotates firmly clockwise on its mount. Turning it clockwise is important, or else it unscrews and becomes loose; turning counterclockwise is how you dismount the lamp from the stand. Initially, that clockwise rotation seems to come to a stop with the head at an odd angle, but once the mounting screw is tight, you can continue to rotate the lamp. There is a fair amount of resistance, which might trick you into thinking you are overtightening the thread, which you aren’t.
Turned to its maximum, the light is bright. I used it with a webcam, and it illuminated my face with a pleasantly diffused light. I found it essential to place the angle of the lamp and camera so the light wasn’t reflected in my glasses. Nevertheless, it was possible to achieve pleasant effects, such as Rembrandt lighting.
Being able to change the light’s intensity and color using the app is useful. It can also color-match the ambient light, avoiding the horrible look of mixed white lights.
The light automatically alters its brightness depending on the power output of the USB port it’s plugged into. So, if you plug it into a USB-2 or USB-3 port, it will reduce the power consumption. Consequently, this affects the brightness of the light. That said, even when plugged into a USB-2 port, the light was more than bright enough. Using a 10 W phone adapter to power the lamp, the lamp is very bright.
Adjusting the brightness is possible in three different ways. Firstly, there are the two buttons on the rear of the lamp. With either long or short presses, you can change the amount of difference each press makes; a long press brightens or dims the light ten times that of a short press. There are also white balance control buttons that work similarly.
The second means of adjusting the light is when it is plugged into a USB port of a PC. The NEEWER Center app allows you to increase and decrease the brightness and white balance. You can also run the app and link it to the light using the NEEWER Bluetooth and wireless adapters. Third-party adapters don’t work.
Meanwhile, the tertiary method is using the phone app.
All three control methods give you access to a range of 12 special effects. These combine brightness and color with various flickering effects: Lightning, Paparazzi, Faulty Light Bulb, Explosion, Welding, CCT flash, CCT Pulse, Candlelight, TV Screen, Brightness Cycle, and Fireworks.
Using the phone or the PC app, it is possible to sample ambient light and other light sources and to set the color balance of the lamp.
What I Liked and What Could Be Improved Next Time
What I Liked
- Well-made, solid construction with IP20 weather-sealing.
- Bright.
- Versatile positioning of the lamp.
- Tall enough to mount behind and above my 24” screens.
- Good, even spread of light.
- Long USB cable.
- Ability to control using the apps that will link to other studio lights.
- Attaching the lamp to a tripod or a boom gives a lot of flexibility for positioning the lamp.
What Could Be Improved Next Time
- The hinged lamp mount would benefit from a friction adjustment, thus allowing the lamp to sit at any angle when its end attachment point is employed.
- If one could tilt the stand forward at the base and/or halfway up the column, that would add more lighting options. However, it is possible to mount the lamp on a tripod or boom, which would facilitate that. Alternatively, a spring-and-lever stand would work well, especially if it were coupled with a ball head.
- An RGB version of this light would give more lighting options.
- A version with an internal rechargeable battery would make the lamp even more versatile, although I was able to run it from the Neewer V-mount PS099E power supply I reviewed recently.
In Conclusion
When I first unboxed this lamp Neewer sent to me to test, I wondered whether it would be of real use. However, now that I am creating more videos from my work desk, I’ve found I’m using it a lot. For streaming, it works better for me than some of my video lights that are too big to mount on my desk.
The issue of the hinge needing to be tighter when mounting the lamp at the end was not a major one, as I am unlikely to want to mount the lamp at that angle. Nevertheless, a friction adjustment on that hinge would be useful.
It’s bright enough to illuminate objects for photographing on my desk, so I don’t need to get my flash out. Furthermore, it’s small enough to remain there and use as a desk lamp. That's a good thing, as darker days are approaching, and my work desk is not as well illuminated as it is in the summer. In short, it’s a splendid little light and a good option for those looking for a desk-mounted lamp for streaming and even desktop photography.
