Is a tube light bright enough to use as a key?

For a face at very close range in a dark room, marginally. As a general key light, no. 20 watts spread along 26 inches makes a soft, low-intensity source, which is exactly what you want behind a subject and exactly what you do not want lighting one.

What are pixel sections and do they matter?

The tube is divided into eight segments whose colour and brightness can be set independently, so you can run a gradient or a chase along its length. In practice the useful application is a subtle gradient that makes the tube look like an environment rather than a lamp, and the effects are best used at a fraction of their maximum intensity.

How long does the battery last?

It depends heavily on brightness and colour, since saturated colours and full output draw far more than a dim warm white. Treat the quoted figure as a best case and, for a shoot that matters, plan around our battery runtime calculator or keep it on USB power.

Tube light or panel light: which should I buy?

Panel, if you have neither, because your first job is lighting a face. Tube, once you have a key and fill and your problem is that the background is flat and the frame has nothing in it. They solve different problems, which our tube light versus panel light comparison sets out in full.

Do I need RGB or is bi-color enough?

For interviews, documentaries and anything where the goal is a natural-looking person, bi-color is enough and usually better, because RGB fixtures trade some white light quality for colour range. RGB is for backgrounds, effects and matching an unusual practical. Our bi-color versus RGB LED light comparison draws the line clearly.

NEEWER TL60 Tube Light Review: RGB in a Shape You Can Put in Shot

Short answer

A 26-inch, 20W RGB tube with eight independently controllable pixel sections, app control and a built-in battery, which is a shape that panels cannot copy: it can sit in frame as a practical. Buy it for backgrounds, colour separation and in-shot light sources. Skip it if you need a key light, because 20 watts spread over 26 inches is a soft accent, not an exposure.

Best in-frame light

NEEWER TL60 RGB Tube Light, 20W Full Color RGBWW LED Wand

~$133

A 26-inch, 20W RGBWW tube light with 36000 colours in HSI mode, eight independently controllable pixel sections, seven pixel effects, eighteen scene effects and app control.

Check price on Amazon

Specifications

Power	20W
Dimensions	1.7 by 26 inches (42 by 665mm)
Weight	29oz (820g)
Colour	RGBWW, 36000 colours via hue, saturation and intensity
Pixel control	8 independently controllable sections
Effects	7 pixel effects, 18 scene effects
Control	Physical buttons or the NEEWER app
Power source	Built-in rechargeable battery

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

What it does well

A tube is the only common LED shape that looks natural in frame. A panel in shot reads as a light; a tube reads as a practical, a strip light or a neon sign.
Eight independently controllable pixel sections allow a gradient along the length, which is what makes a tube look like an environment rather than a lamp.
Battery powered and 820 grams, so it can be taped, clamped or hand-held anywhere without a cable run.
App control means colour changes without walking into shot, which matters when the tube is behind a subject.
36000 colours in HSI is enough to match an existing practical, a screen glow or a street sign rather than approximating it.

Where it falls short

20 watts over 26 inches is a low output per unit area. As an accent, a background wash or a practical, it is right; as a key light on a face it is not, and no amount of colour capability changes that.
RGB colour comes at the cost of white light quality compared to a dedicated bi-color panel of similar money, which is the trade at the heart of our bi-color versus RGB comparison.
Battery-powered tubes at full output run down quickly, and there is a real difference between the runtime quoted at low brightness and what you get in a saturated colour at full.
A tube needs mounting hardware to be useful in most positions, and clamps, magic arms and grip are not in the box.
Pixel effects are fun and are also the fastest way to make a shot look like a product demo. Use them sparingly.

What owners report

Owner reports on this class of tube are consistently enthusiastic about versatility and consistently realistic about output. Nobody buys one as a key light twice. The app control and pixel sections come up repeatedly as the features that get used rather than admired.

The other recurring theme is that owners end up buying a second one. Tubes work in pairs, one for background separation and one as a practical in frame, which is worth knowing before you decide the price is the whole price.

Who it suits

Anyone doing background separation and colour on a small set.
Music video and product shooters where a light in frame is part of the look.
Creators who want colour without a full RGB panel setup.

Who should skip it

Anyone whose next light should be a key. Two bi-color panels do that job better for less money.
Documentary and interview shooters who need clean white light and speed.
Buyers expecting a tube to replace a panel. Our tube light versus panel light comparison explains why they are complements, not substitutes.

Alternatives worth considering

More Output

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

~$90

50W, CRI 97+, RGB and app control in a panel form. More light for less money, at the cost of the shape that lets a tube sit in frame. If output is your problem rather than shape, buy this instead.

Check price on Amazon

Buy This First

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

~$196

If you do not yet own a key and a fill, buy them before you buy colour. Two bi-color panels with stands and barn doors will improve your images far more than a tube will, and the tube then adds something the panels cannot do.

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 a tube light bright enough to use as a key?: For a face at very close range in a dark room, marginally. As a general key light, no. 20 watts spread along 26 inches makes a soft, low-intensity source, which is exactly what you want behind a subject and exactly what you do not want lighting one.
What are pixel sections and do they matter?: The tube is divided into eight segments whose colour and brightness can be set independently, so you can run a gradient or a chase along its length. In practice the useful application is a subtle gradient that makes the tube look like an environment rather than a lamp, and the effects are best used at a fraction of their maximum intensity.
How long does the battery last?: It depends heavily on brightness and colour, since saturated colours and full output draw far more than a dim warm white. Treat the quoted figure as a best case and, for a shoot that matters, plan around our battery runtime calculator or keep it on USB power.
Tube light or panel light: which should I buy?: Panel, if you have neither, because your first job is lighting a face. Tube, once you have a key and fill and your problem is that the background is flat and the frame has nothing in it. They solve different problems, which our tube light versus panel light comparison sets out in full.
Do I need RGB or is bi-color enough?: For interviews, documentaries and anything where the goal is a natural-looking person, bi-color is enough and usually better, because RGB fixtures trade some white light quality for colour range. RGB is for backgrounds, effects and matching an unusual practical. Our bi-color versus RGB LED light comparison draws the line clearly.

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