Getting started in photography or video production can feel overwhelming, especially when you realize how crucial lighting is to getting a good shot. I remember struggling with inconsistent, flat lighting from household lamps, which really limited the quality of my photos and videos. It was clear that without a dedicated lighting setup, my work would always look amateurish. Solving this problem wasn’t just about making things look pretty; it was about achieving clarity, setting the right mood, and ensuring my subjects popped, whether they were people or products. Ignoring this would mean sacrificing professional-looking results and potentially hindering my creative projects.
A proper photography lighting setup is essential for anyone serious about visual content creation, as it eliminates the dependency on unreliable natural light and common household fixtures. It provides the necessary control to shape light, manage shadows, and achieve the desired look, whether you’re shooting portraits, products, interviews, or streaming live. The ideal customer for an entry-level or mid-range kit is typically a beginner photographer, a videographer just starting out, a content creator, or someone needing reliable lighting for product photography for online sales. These individuals need a system that’s relatively easy to set up, versatile, and affordable, allowing them to improve their image quality significantly without a massive investment.
On the other hand, a seasoned professional working in a high-demand studio environment might find such a kit limiting. Professionals often require more powerful, durable, and precisely controllable lighting, like strobes with advanced modifiers, or higher-end continuous LED panels with excellent colour accuracy. Someone needing extreme portability for frequent outdoor shoots might also look for battery-powered or more compact solutions. Before diving in, potential buyers should consider their available space (both for shooting and storage), budget, the type of subjects they’ll be shooting (which dictates the required power and light quality), how often they’ll need to set up and tear down, and the specific components included in a kit – do you need backdrops? Softboxes or umbrellas? How many lights? Understanding these needs will guide you to the right choice.
- The Kit Includes: (4) 7ft/200cm Light Stands, (2) Single Head Light Holders, (4) 24W 5700K LED Bulbs (total equivalent to 800W regular incandescent bulbs), (2) 33"/84cm Umbrellas, (2) 24” x 24"/60cm...
- The 79" (7ft ) / 200cm Light Stands are stable and capable of heavy duty work. Designed with 3-section telescopic legs and single action locks for quick height adjustment. Includes 2 Single Head Light...
- The 33" / 84cm White Translucent Umbrellas can soften and broaden the light output of any studio light or flash source. The kit comes with four 24W 5700K LED Bulbs, each equivalent to a 200W regular...
Introducing the NEEWER Studio Kit
The NEEWER Photography Lighting kit with Backdrops, 8.5x10ft Backdrop Stands, UL Certified 5700K 800W Equivalent 24W LED Umbrella Softbox Continuous Lighting is designed to be a comprehensive, all-in-one solution for getting started with studio-style lighting and background setups. It promises to provide beginners and hobbyists with the essential tools to create more professional-looking photos and videos right out of the box. When you purchase this photography lighting kit, you get a substantial package including four light stands, two single head light holders, four 24W 5700K LED bulbs (marketed as equivalent to 800W incandescent), two umbrellas, two softboxes, three polyester backdrops (black, white, and green), backdrop clamps, a large background support system, and two carry bags.
Compared to high-end professional setups that can cost thousands, the NEEWER kit positions itself as an incredibly accessible entry point into the world of controlled lighting and backdrops. It provides the core components needed for various shooting scenarios at a fraction of the price. This specific kit, with its inclusion of both umbrellas and softboxes alongside backdrops and stands, is particularly well-suited for beginners, small content creators, and those doing product photography or simple portraits in limited spaces. It’s likely not the choice for large commercial studios or photographers demanding absolute peak light output and build quality.
Pros:
* Very comprehensive kit for the price point.
* Includes both softboxes and umbrellas for different light modification needs.
* Adjustable background stand fits various spaces.
* LED bulbs are energy efficient and have a suitable colour temperature for photography.
* Comes with carry bags for storage and transport.
* Relatively easy to set up for beginners.
Cons:
* Build quality is lightweight, reflecting the budget price.
* Backdrops can be thin and require steaming/ironing.
* Potential for damaged or missing parts upon arrival (based on user feedback).
* Light output, while suitable for small subjects, might be insufficient for larger areas or groups compared to more powerful lights.
- 【Retractable Crossbar】The retractable design makes the crossbar more flexible in use. Users can adjust to the appropriate width as required to adapt to different sizes of background backdrop.
- Backdrop Support System: Comes with 2 backdrop stands, 4 crossbars, and other accessories to ensure a stable support for your backdrop. Ideal for photo studio, parties, weddings, and other events
- 【Equipped with Rich Accessories】This backdrop stand is equipped with 6 strong spring clips, which can securely attach backgrounds, background paper, blackout curtains, chroma key screens and other...
Delving into Features and Their Advantages
Having used the NEEWER Photography Lighting kit for a considerable period, I’ve gained a solid understanding of how its various components function and contribute to the overall workflow. It’s a kit that certainly gives you a lot for your money, providing almost everything needed to start creating content with controlled lighting and backgrounds.
The Lighting System
At the core of this studio lighting kit are the lights themselves and the stands that hold them. The kit includes four 7ft (200cm) light stands. These stands are made of aluminum and feature a 3-section telescopic design with single-action locks. While they are described as capable of heavy-duty work, it’s important to manage expectations – they are lightweight stands typical of budget kits. This means they are easy to move around and store, but you need to be mindful of stability, especially if you’re adding larger modifiers or shooting in windy conditions. They hold the light sources securely enough for standard indoor use, provided you balance them properly and perhaps use sandbags if placing heavy items or working in potentially unstable areas. The two single head light holders are straightforward, designed to attach directly to the stands and hold the light bulbs, with a built-in socket to also mount an umbrella. This dual functionality is handy, allowing you to choose between umbrellas or softboxes depending on the desired lighting effect using the same mount point.
The kit provides four 24W 5700K LED bulbs. NEEWER markets these as equivalent to 800W incandescent output, which is a common comparison method, but it’s important to understand that 24W LED isn’t as bright as 800W of modern studio lighting. However, for continuous light in a small to medium indoor space, 24W per bulb provides a decent amount of light, especially when four are used. The 5700K colour temperature is close to daylight, which is generally considered a good standard for photography as it provides neutral colours, making white balance easier. Having four bulbs is a significant advantage for an entry-level kit; you can use two for the main lights with modifiers and potentially two more for fill, hair lights, or background lighting, offering much more flexibility than a standard two-light setup. The UL certification mentioned implies a level of electrical safety compliance, which is reassuring.
Light Modifiers: Umbrellas and Softboxes
This kit wisely includes both umbrellas and softboxes, giving you options for how you want to shape your light. You get two 33″ (84cm) white translucent umbrellas and two 24″ x 24″ (60cm x 60cm) softboxes. Light modifiers are critical because raw light from a bulb is usually too harsh, creating sharp, unflattering shadows.
The white translucent umbrellas are incredibly easy to set up – you just slide the shaft through the light holder’s umbrella mount and pop it open like a regular umbrella. When you point the light bulb *through* the translucent umbrella towards your subject, the light is scattered in many directions, effectively making the light source much larger and softer. This results in a broad, diffused light that wraps around the subject, reducing harsh shadows and creating a softer, more even illumination. They are great for portraits or anytime you want a wide spread of soft light.
The 24″ x 24″ softboxes serve a similar purpose but function differently. The bulb is placed inside the softbox, and the light is bounced around the silver interior before passing through a diffusion panel at the front. Softboxes generally offer more directional control than umbrellas and contain the light more. The result is also soft, diffused light, but it can be slightly more controlled with a clearer fall-off. They are excellent for product photography, headshots, or situations where you want soft light but need to prevent it from spilling everywhere. The square shape also creates appealing square catchlights in the eyes. Having both options means you can experiment and choose the best tool for the specific look you’re trying to achieve, a significant benefit for learning and versatility within this NEEWER kit.
The Backdrop System
Beyond lighting, controlling the background is often the next step to professional-looking photos and videos. This photography studio kit includes a substantial 8.5ft x 10ft (2.6m x 3m) background support system and three 6ft x 9ft (1.8m x 2.8m) polyester backdrops in classic black, white, and green.
The background support system consists of two upright stands and horizontal crossbars. It’s adjustable in both height and width, which is a huge plus, allowing you to set it up in different sized rooms or adjust the width based on how wide your shot needs to be. The maximum dimensions are quite generous, large enough for full-body shots of individuals or small groups. This adjustability is crucial for users working in varied or limited spaces. Setting up the stands and connecting the crossbars is straightforward.
The three included polyester backdrops provide immediate options for different looks. White is versatile for high-key or clean looks, black for low-key or dramatic shots, and green for chroma keying (green screen) in video work. Polyester fabric is generally chosen for its affordability and ability to be folded, but it does come with drawbacks. As some users have noted, these backdrops can be thin, sometimes requiring something behind them (especially the black) to prevent light bleed or seeing through. They also tend to arrive with significant creases from packaging, which require steaming or ironing to smooth out for a professional finish. While not professional-grade seamless paper or thick muslin, they are perfectly functional for getting started and learning. The included six backdrop clamps are simple but essential for attaching the fabric to the crossbar securely and pulling it taut to minimize wrinkles.
Portability and Storage
For users who don’t have a dedicated studio space and need to pack away their gear, or who need to transport it to different locations, the inclusion of carry bags is a major convenience. The NEEWER Photography Lighting kit comes with two separate carry bags: one for the background support system and one for the continuous lighting kit (stands, lights, modifiers). This division makes the bags more manageable to carry, although when fully packed, they can still be a bit heavy. The bags are basic nylon, offering protection against dust and minor bumps, and keeping all the various poles, stands, and fabrics organized in one place. Being able to pack everything down and stash it in a closet is invaluable for anyone using a living room or bedroom as a temporary studio.
Ease of Assembly
A recurring theme in user feedback, and something I experienced myself, is how surprisingly easy the NEEWER Photography Lighting kit is to assemble. While instructions are included, many users find they can put everything together just by looking at the components and understanding how they fit – the stands extend, the light holders screw on, the bulbs twist in, the umbrellas poke through, and the softboxes attach to the holders. The background stand simply involves connecting poles and adjusting height. This ease of setup is a huge benefit for beginners who might be intimidated by complex equipment. You can get the basic setup running in well under 30 minutes, which is great for quick shoots or spontaneous creative sessions.
What Others Are Saying: User Experiences
After sifting through various online comments, it’s clear that many users feel the NEEWER Photography Lighting kit offers significant value for its price, particularly for those new to studio setups. People frequently praise how easy it is to assemble and appreciate that such a comprehensive package fits into the included carry bags, making it convenient for storage or moving. The broadness of the included components – stands, lights, modifiers, and backdrops – is often highlighted as a major plus for beginners needing a complete solution. However, feedback also points to some quality control issues; a number of users reported receiving the kit with certain parts, such as backdrop clamps, light bulbs, or stand components, broken or damaged upon arrival, leading to frustration. The included fabric backdrops were also mentioned as being on the thinner side and prone to wrinkles or even slight discolouration, requiring effort to make them presentable. Despite these potential drawbacks regarding durability and backdrop quality, the general sentiment is that for someone starting out on a budget, this studio lighting kit provides a functional foundation to start practising and improving their lighting and background skills.
Final Thoughts
Poor lighting and distracting backgrounds can severely undermine the quality of your photographic and video work, making even well-composed shots look amateurish. Solving this problem is crucial for anyone aiming for professional-looking results, whether for creative projects, online content, or product listings. The NEEWER Photography Lighting kit presents a compelling solution for beginners and hobbyists tackling this challenge. It’s a great fit because it’s incredibly comprehensive, providing almost everything you need in one package at an accessible price point. It offers versatile light modification options with both umbrellas and softboxes, and the adjustable background system adds significant flexibility. If you’re ready to take your photos and videos to the next level without breaking the bank, this kit is certainly worth considering. Click here to check it out and see if it’s the right fit for your creative needs.
Last update on 2025-06-14 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API