Is 3300 lux bright enough for video?

For a face at one to two metres in a room with the curtains closed, comfortably. Against daylight through a window, no. Output falls with the square of distance, so a light that is bright at one metre is a quarter as bright at two, and that arithmetic is what surprises people about panel lights.

What does CRI 96+ mean and does it matter?

The colour rendering index describes how faithfully a light reproduces colours compared to a reference source. Below about CRI 90, skin tones go strange in ways that are difficult to correct in the grade. 96+ is high enough that you can light a face and not think about it, which is exactly what you want from a light.

Do these lights need batteries?

Not indoors, since the AC adapters are included. For location work they take NP-F550 through NP-F970 packs, which are not included. Two lights running on battery for a full shoot is a real cost, so use our battery runtime calculator to size it rather than guessing.

Bi-color or RGB: which should I buy first?

Bi-color, if your job is lighting people. RGB is for backgrounds, effects and matching an unusual practical. Buying RGB first is a common and expensive detour when what you needed was two clean white sources. Our bi-color versus RGB LED light comparison explains where the line sits.

Do I need a softbox with these panels?

The included diffusers do most of the softening a small panel is capable of. A true softbox with a Bowens mount belongs on a COB light, not on a flat panel. If you want genuinely soft light, moving the panel closer to the subject does more than any modifier will.

NEEWER 660 Bi-Color LED Kit Review: Two Lights and Stands for Under $200

Short answer

Two 40W bi-color panels with barn doors, diffusers and stands, which is a complete two-light interview setup in one box for less than the price of one branded panel. Buy it if you shoot interviews or talking-head video indoors and currently have nothing. Skip it if you shoot outdoors in daylight, where 3300 lux at one metre disappears entirely and you need a COB light or a reflector.

Best complete starter kit

NEEWER 660 Bi-Color LED Video Light and Stand Kit, 2 lights

~$196

Two 40W bi-color LED panels with 330 warm and 330 cool LEDs each, CRI 96+, barn doors, diffusers, stands and both AC and NP-F battery power.

Check price on Amazon

Specifications

Lights	Two panels, 330 warm and 330 cool LEDs each
Power	40W per light
Output	Up to 3300 lux at 1 metre
Colour temperature	3200K to 5600K, adjustable
Colour accuracy	CRI 96+
Body	Rugged aluminium, passively cooled with no fan
Power options	AC adapter, or NP-F550 to NP-F970 batteries, not included
Stands	Aluminium, extending from 26 to 75 inches
In the box	2 lights, 2 diffusers, 2 barn doors, 2 stands, 2 adapters and cables

Specifications above come from NEEWER's published specifications. Treat pricing as approximate, since Amazon pricing moves.

What it does well

It is a complete setup. Two lights, two stands, barn doors and diffusers means you can light an interview the day it arrives, which is not true of buying one good light.
CRI 96+ is high enough that skin tones do not need rescuing in the grade, which is the specification that separates usable panels from cheap ones.
Passive cooling with no fan, so the lights are silent, which matters far more than people expect when you are recording dialogue two feet away.
Bi-color adjustment lets you match window light or tungsten practicals without gels.
Battery power over NP-F, so the same batteries that run a field monitor also run the lights.

Where it falls short

3300 lux at one metre is a modest output. It is plenty for a face at close range in a controlled room and it is nothing against a bright window, so this is an indoor kit and should be treated as one.
Panel lights are broad, flat sources that are difficult to control precisely. Barn doors help; they do not turn a panel into a spotlight, and shaping is where a COB light with a modifier wins.
Batteries are not included, and NP-F packs to run two lights are a meaningful additional cost. Our battery runtime calculator will tell you what capacity a shoot actually needs.
The included stands are light. They are fine indoors with no wind and they are not what you clamp a heavy modifier to, which is what a C-stand is for.
Bi-color panels sit at a fixed white balance point at any given moment, so mixed-temperature rooms still need thought rather than a knob.

What owners report

Owner reports are consistent that this kit is excellent value and consistently note the same limitation: output. People lighting a face in a room are satisfied; people trying to overpower a window are not. The silent, fanless operation comes up often as an unexpected benefit for anyone recording audio.

The other recurring theme is the stands, which several owners replace before the lights. That is a fair criticism and a cheap fix, and it does not change the value of the kit as a whole.

Who it suits

Interview, podcast and talking-head shooters lighting indoors.
Anyone who owns no lighting at all and wants a working setup rather than one good piece.
Small studio and desk setups where silence matters.

Who should skip it

Outdoor shooters, where a reflector does more for nothing. Our reflector versus second light comparison makes that case.
Anyone who needs hard, shapeable light for dramatic work, who should look at a COB light and a modifier.
Colour effect and background work, which needs RGB rather than bi-color.

Alternatives worth considering

RGB Alternative

NEEWER 660 PRO RGB LED Video Light with app control and barn doors

~$90

50W, CRI 97+, full RGB and app control from a phone. If you want coloured backgrounds and effects as well as white light, one of these does more than two bi-color panels, and our bi-color versus RGB comparison covers which you actually need.

Check price on Amazon

Different Shape

NEEWER TL60 RGB Tube Light, 20W

~$133

A tube is a long, soft source that can sit in frame as a practical, which a panel cannot do gracefully. For background separation and colour in shot, a tube earns its place alongside panels rather than replacing them.

Check price on Amazon

Buy This With It

K&F CONCEPT Heavy Duty C Stand, 10.8ft, with holding arm

~$98

The stands in the kit are the weak link. One stainless steel C stand rated to 20kg, with a boom arm, lets you put a light where a light stand cannot reach and hold a flag or a modifier safely.

Check price on Amazon

Keep reading

This review draws on published specifications, manufacturer figures and the consensus of verified owner reviews. We have not tested this product ourselves, and we say so rather than implying otherwise. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Common questions

Is 3300 lux bright enough for video?: For a face at one to two metres in a room with the curtains closed, comfortably. Against daylight through a window, no. Output falls with the square of distance, so a light that is bright at one metre is a quarter as bright at two, and that arithmetic is what surprises people about panel lights.
What does CRI 96+ mean and does it matter?: The colour rendering index describes how faithfully a light reproduces colours compared to a reference source. Below about CRI 90, skin tones go strange in ways that are difficult to correct in the grade. 96+ is high enough that you can light a face and not think about it, which is exactly what you want from a light.
Do these lights need batteries?: Not indoors, since the AC adapters are included. For location work they take NP-F550 through NP-F970 packs, which are not included. Two lights running on battery for a full shoot is a real cost, so use our battery runtime calculator to size it rather than guessing.
Bi-color or RGB: which should I buy first?: Bi-color, if your job is lighting people. RGB is for backgrounds, effects and matching an unusual practical. Buying RGB first is a common and expensive detour when what you needed was two clean white sources. Our bi-color versus RGB LED light comparison explains where the line sits.
Do I need a softbox with these panels?: The included diffusers do most of the softening a small panel is capable of. A true softbox with a Bowens mount belongs on a COB light, not on a flat panel. If you want genuinely soft light, moving the panel closer to the subject does more than any modifier will.

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