A CRI of 90 or higher is best. Ring lights with a CRI of 90 or above are considered excellent, whereas those with a CRI between 80 and 90 are thought of as good, according to Westinghouse Lighting.

A CMOS sensor is an electronic chip that converts photons to electrons for digital processing. The chip is based on complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology, which is widely used for many of today's integrated circuits. CMOS itself is a type of metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET), a common type of field-effect transistor that can act as an electrical switch or amplifier.

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CMOS sensors are generally easier to build than CCD sensors. Manufacturers can take advantage of the same processes and infrastructure used to build other types of chips, making it possible to create CMOS sensors at a larger scale and lower cost. CCD sensors have more complex circuitry, which translates to a more complex manufacturing process. As a result, CCD sensors are more expensive to build, limiting their use in low-cost consumer devices.

10-inch lights aren’t great for most uses. These smallest lights had stands that raised the light only an inch off the desk, creating spooky, unflattering under-chin lighting. You could prop one of these lights up on a stack of large books or a box, but we think it’s worth paying a little more for a larger, brighter light that has a taller stand.

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Color temperature, measured in kelvins (K), greatly affects the aesthetics of your photo or video. The room you’re in, the clothes you’re wearing, and your skin tone can all look different depending on the light’s color and temperature.

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Having multiple brightness levels means you can adjust the lighting to any environment—whether it’s cloudy or sunny, morning or night, or you have few or many other light sources.

CRI is one measure of light quality; the higher the CRI (the closer to 100, the better), the more colors the light can render and the more precise the image is color-wise.

Improving the lighting when you are in front of the camera isn’t just about vanity: Having great lighting that helps you look your best breeds confidence.

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Find the right temperature for your skin tone. Wirecutter’s Rago said that warm light generally works best for most skin tones, but if it’s too warm, a person could look orange. Bluish light can make a pale person look lifeless.

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The process of manufacturing CMOS sensors is similar to the process used to build other types of CMOS chips, such as those used for microprocessors or memory modules. CMOS sensors can be built in the same high-volume wafer plants as the other chips, often leveraging similar methods.

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How far or close you put a ring light depends mostly on your comfort level and the size of the light. But I found that for video-call purposes, somewhere between 2 and 3 feet was most flattering.

We’ll be testing more ring lights soon with the goal of recommending specific picks. In the meantime, the current guide remains a reliable resource for finding great lighting options.

For example, the manufacturing process commonly incorporates photolithography, a production method that uses light to transfer a circuit's pattern to a thin photosensitive layer covering the silicon substrate. This pattern is then transferred to the substrate through a multiphase etching process.

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Look for lights that can adjust brightness in 1% increments. With some ring lights, you can adjust the brightness from 0 to 100% in 10% increments (10% brightness, 20% brightness, and so on), but we prefer models that let you fine-tune the brightness to the nth degree. Some ring light descriptions will specify this; it might be called “stepless adjustment.”

Wirecutter’s Rozette Rago and Michael Hession, our head of photography and video, helped me determine the most important features to look for in a ring light.

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Some larger models have a built-in USB port for phone charging. A few lights we tested that are 14 inches or larger had a USB port for charging your phone while it’s attached to the ring light. That’s convenient for long shoots.

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You can certainly find other lighting setups that produce better portrait or video lighting—such as this two-light kit Goodrich recommends, which includes lighting umbrellas, several light stands, and a number of photo bulbs. But they’re more expensive and more complicated to set up and break down.

You should be able to bend the light and raise it up or down to get the most flattering light for whatever you’re shooting. People who wear glasses, for example, might need to raise the light and adjust it at a steeper angle to avoid glare and reflections.

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Many of the latest ring light models also have a Wi-Fi remote to power the light and adjust the color temperature or brightness.

More flexibility is always better. Bonus points go to ring lights—such as the Yesker 14-inch—that include a flexible gooseneck mount for your phone; this is great for getting the angle of your phone just right too.

A professional video producer shows how you can tweak the lighting you have in your home office to elevate your video-call look.

Wirecutter is the product recommendation service from The New York Times. Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top testing so you can make quick and confident buying decisions. Whether it’s finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we’ll help you get it right (the first time).

More steps between the coolest and warmest color temperature levels mean more flexibility in suiting your skin and environment.

These accessories make using a ring light easier, but they’re just extras. Prioritize the features above when choosing a ring light.

For anything else, a 14- or 16-inch ring light will do. These larger models should suffice if you want to keep the stand off of your desk or you plan on using the ring light while standing. The 14-inch ring lights we tested, including the Neewer 14-inch and Yesker 14-inch, were plenty bright in our testing. A 16-inch ring light, such as the Neewer 16-inch, would be brighter. But that extra luminance is really only useful if you’re going to position the light several feet away from you.

For example, Canon has developed a CMOS sensor that locates the photodiodes above the transistor layer, making light collection more efficient. The result is less image noise and better image quality. Such improvements are putting CMOS sensors on par with CCD and helping them make inroads into the higher-end digital camera market and in other areas.

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Wirecutter’s Melanie Pinola has spent years testing and reviewing various gear—including home-office essentials such as webcams, USB microphones, and office chairs—for Wirecutter and other sites including Lifehacker, PCWorld, Popular Mechanics, and Laptop Magazine.

Melanie Pinola is a writer focused on home-office gear. To find the best paper shredder, she has shredded enough junk mail to fill several bathtubs.

A ring light is a simple, cost-effective option that anyone can set up and use. It makes the most sense when you need just a bit more emphasis on yourself in a space without a lot of natural light and you don’t have the time or energy to invest in a pricier professional lighting setup.

In addition to a stand, most ring lights come with extras such as a carrying case for the light, a mount for your phone, and a Bluetooth remote to take a photo on your phone from a distance.

A ring light is exactly what its name suggests: a doughnut-shaped light, typically made of rows of LEDs. The halo shape diffuses light over a wide area, reducing shadows and washing away blemishes for a more-flattering appearance. The space in the middle of the light is a great place to mount a camera or phone because you get an even distribution of light around the lens.

One of the chip's most important features, outside of the photodiodes, is the analog-to-digital converter, which is built directly into the circuit. It reads the electron charges collected by the photodiodes and translates them into binary data that is then used to create the digital image. A CMOS sensor typically incorporates other functionalities as well, such as image processing, exposure control or temporary buffering.

CMOS sensors are often compared to charge-coupled device (CCD) sensors, especially when discussing digital cameras. CCD sensors have a similar structure to CMOS sensors, but they take a different approach to how they shift electrons off the sensor. These differences result in each type offering both advantages and disadvantages when compared.

Lighting plays an important role in the image quality of your videos and photos, second only to the quality of your camera. But you don’t have to invest in a complicated lighting rig to get better close-ups.

CMOS sensors are also faster than their CCD counterparts because CMOS chips can incorporate functionality directly into the chip. In addition to capturing photons, they can carry out other operations important to creating quality images. Because of this multifunction design, the electrical charges can be read more easily and quickly, resulting in faster readout times.

More color temperature settings is better. Most of the ring lights we considered had at least three color-temperature settings: cool, neutral, and warm. We preferred those that offered more color-temperature steps between the coolest and the warmest levels; this allows you to dial in the setting that looks best with your skin and environment.

Melanie Pinola covers home office, remote work, and productivity as a senior staff writer at Wirecutter. She has contributed to print and online publications such as The New York Times, Consumer Reports, Lifehacker, and PCWorld, specializing in tech, work, and lifestyle/family topics. She’s thrilled when those topics intersect—and when she gets to write about them in her PJs.

The photodiodes convert the captured photons into electrons, much like tiny solar cells. Each photodiode is surrounded by transistors that amplify the electron charges and transmit them across the chip via tiny wires in the circuitry. The transistors also reset the photodiodes so they're ready for the next image.

But going too big causes issues, too. On the flip side, the 18-inch models were overkill: They were so bright that they created washed-out images at all but the lowest brightness levels.

Smaller, USB-powered lights are great for mobile use. Ring lights that are 12 inches or smaller can be powered via USB, whereas the larger ring lights use an AC/DC adapter because they need to draw more power. So if you want a ring light that you can use outdoors—tethered to a laptop or USB power bank, without an outlet nearby—a ring light that’s 12 inches or smaller is ideal.

At the same time, the CCD architecture also offers several benefits over CMOS. CCD sensors have long been known for producing less noise, achieving greater light sensitivity and delivering higher image quality. That said, advances in CMOS technology have greatly improved CMOS sensors, and the distinction in quality between the two types is no longer as clear-cut as it once was.

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The CMOS architecture also reduces the amount of power needed to capture an image. In contrast to CMOS sensors, CCD sensors must actively use power to gather light because the cells are not surrounded by transistors, causing them to be less power-efficient.

We still recommend these models if you can find them in stock. But if you can’t track them down, here are some tips that will help you choose a suitable replacement among a sea of similar-looking lights.

For desktop use, a 12-inch model is best. If you plan on using a ring light propped up on your desk—not on a tall stand on the floor—look for a moderately sized model, like the Godox LR120 12-inch LED Ring Light. These have stands designed for desktop use and cost less than larger models.

Without it, you can look grainy, out of focus, or even shadowy—like an anonymous witness in a true-crime show. A ring light is a simple tool whose diffuse glow can bring you out of the dark and make you look more professional.

A CMOS sensor contains an array of minuscule cells (photodiodes) that capture photons at their various wavelengths and intensity when the light strikes the chip's surface. A lens is often used to focus the light before it reaches the sensor, as is the case of digital cameras. The CMOS sensor is typically covered by a mosaic array of red, blue and green filters that the chip uses for color detection.

In addition to the sensor itself, a single CMOS chip can incorporate other functions, which eliminates the need to offload those functions to another device. This can help improve read-out times and reduce power consumption, compared to other types of image sensors.

Expect to pay between $50 and $100 for a good ring light that has all of the features we mention above. Paying any more than that is likely throwing money away.

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It’s also worth considering the height range of the ring light’s stand. The greater the range, the more versatile it will be to accommodate all kinds of situations.

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CMOS sensors are used to capture images in digital cameras, digital video cameras and digital CCTV cameras. They can also be found in devices, such as scanners, barcode readers and astronomical telescopes. In addition, they're used for robotic vision, optical character recognition (OCR), satellite photography and radar imaging enhancement, especially for meteorology. CMOS sensors are also found in internet of things (IoT) devices. These sensors enable IoT devices to respond to image input from the physical environment.

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Whether you work from home or you need to nail a job interview via Skype, these are Wirecutter’s tips for looking and sounding like a pro on video calls.

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After researching and testing more than a dozen ring lights, we’ve learned that it’s a fast-moving category with lots of brands that may be here today but gone tomorrow. Many of the best ring lights we’ve tested are either now discontinued or have recurring stock issues. This includes the Neewer 14-inch LED Ring Light (RL-14), Neewer 16-inch LED Ring Light (RL-16), Yesker 14-inch Ring Light, and Godox LR120 12-inch LED Ring Light.

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You might not find the CRI rating in the product description, but that doesn’t mean the ring light has a low CRI. Contact the manufacturer and ask for the number. If they don’t get back to you—or, worse, they don’t have a website—move on to the next ring light you’re considering.

“It’s really empowering,” said content creator and educator Gia Goodrich, “because you know that even if you’re showing up without makeup, you feel insecure, or you’re in your PJs, you can at least light yourself in a way that makes you feel good.”

The bigger the ring light, the better the light output and quality. We looked at 10-, 12-, 14-, 16-, and 18-inch models suited for sitting at a desk or standing.

Our tests showed that a Bluetooth speakerphone won’t necessarily produce better results than a smartphone. But we found a few models worth checking out.

More expensive doesn’t mean better quality. While researching this guide, we saw a Wescott 18-inch Ring Light that cost nearly $200 despite having only two color temperatures (cool and warm). Some ring lights cost twice as much as similar-size lights without adding more features or benefits.