Elgato Key Light - Professional 2800 lumens Studio Light with desk clamp for Streaming, Recording and Video Conferencing, Temperature and Brightness app-adjustable on Mac, PC, iOS, Android
Electronics > Camera & Photo > Lighting & Studio > Lighting > Continuous Output Lighting
About this item
- App-enabled: Adjust settings via your screen for accurate real-time feedback
- Ultra-bright and adjustable 2800 lumens and fully dimmable
- Versatile color temperature: 2900 – 7000 K produces cold through warm white
- Glare-free diffusion: Opal glass face ensures balanced lighting
- Box contents: 1 x Key Light, Power Supply, Steel Desk Mount, Quick Start Guide
Reviews
★★★★★
Verified Purchase
Excellent Build Quality and extremely easy to setup and use.
I was using daylight LED bulbs in lamps with some canvas to send the light one direction. It worked but it was a pain. I looked around for something better and came across the Elgato Key Light. The light looked like it would be perfect for what I needed which is high quality light for streaming on Twitch.
Most will think they're expensive but in my honest opinion they're expensive for a reason - they're extremely well built. They are made out of metal and thus far do not seem to get hot during operation. At full brightness they're almost blindingly bright and I'm actually running them at 3% and 6% brightness levels for streaming. That is the brightness that is set in the picture I'm including with this review.
The light they put out is diffuse and doesn't leave sharp shadows - they light very evenly. You can adjust the color spectrum from 2900K to 7000K. I don't know what the minimum lumens is but it's 2,500 at 100% which is an impressive amount of light.
They do come with vertical desk mounts that are very solidly built as well. The ball mount at the top is metal and they lock down securely and easily. In my picture you can see that I have the two side lights turned at 90 degrees.
They integrate with the Elgato Stream Deck which is awesome because at one touch of a button I can turn all 3 lights on and set the proper settings to get ready for streaming. I press another button and they all turn off. I've even created a folder with other buttons to control the lights individually - on/off, brightness, color, etc.
If you don't have a stream deck you can very easily control them from your task bar in Windows including turning them on and off as well as adjusting brightness and color. There is going to be an iOS app for controlling them as well but as of writing this review it is not yet available. When it does become available I'll update this review to comment on it.
Setup was easy. I did use my iPhone too set them up - I just connected to my 2.4 GHz network and then in the Wifi area of my phone there was an option to configure the Key Lights. I touched on the key light and touched 'configure' and it connected the light to the wifi.
You do *not* need to have wifi on your computer to use these so long as they can be reached over your network. You can configure them from the computer if your computer does have WiFi but I did use my iPhone and found the process simple enough. I do wish the documentation was a little clearer on the setup in iOS but it was simple enough that I figured it out.
They were expensive but I'm very happy with them. They are just what I needed to be able to light myself and my green screen evenly while streaming. The ability to change their color and brightness as I need, on the fly, is amazing.
★★★★★
Verified Purchase
This thing is Amazing - The Future of Filmmaking
Okay. I know I am late to the party, this thing has been out a few years. But I finally got one, and paired it with a streamdeck, and let me tell you - it's worth every penny.
First off - a bit about me so you get some context: I'm a professional VFX Supervisor on big streaming shows by trade. I do a lot of photography and do some youtube and twitch streaming for fun, as a hobby. But I spend my life dealing with lighting both on set and virtually in VFX. It's my passion.
So it comes down to what you need. You can absolutely NOT get this light and make a great looking setup using china balls from ikea or whatever. So this is def somewhat of a luxury expense. But... it's such a nice luxury and can do some trick things to make your stream look more sexy.
Pros:
-First off, I love all things about this being wi-fi. I know this could be a con if wi-fi goes down. But controlling a light from a phone app or deck or computer is great. If you are a one man band, imagine the time savings. I mean, sure, you can plop it on a computer desk, but you can also screw it on to any light stand and use it for a short film, etc. Get 3 of these and you can adjust a classic thee light setup while at your camera - huge.
-Size. I love that this thing is flat. It's not THAT light, but light enough I can travel with 2-3 of these things in one case easy.
-Color and dimming and brightness. As seen in other reviews, it does a nice job changing from something pretty close to actual kelvin color degrees. And it's plenty bright for its size. It is NOT as bright as my aperture light, but it's also not an aperture light that costs 700 dollars. and it runs cool and doesn't need a giant soft box to be useful.
-Diffusion. Speaking of softness. I was going to make a "OK" category, but I think I will keep it in Pros. It is cleverly soft for what it is. I don't think this magic diffusion panel makes the light as soft as a true soft box. You really need some distance from the light source to make it catch and bounce the light rays. I compared it to a soonwell LED light I have with a softbox on it that is about 6 inches away, and the soonwell is indeed softer.
However, going back to size, space and conviencence - it is about as soft as I have seen for this flat a profile. If I were in a pinch I could easily bounce this off a wall or some white card to really get soft. I also think I can print a few simple 3D components to make my own simple soft box, if I need it. For streaming it's plenty fine.
CONS -
-Wifi - I know it is also a pro for me, because it leads to such convenience. But you are reliant on having a wifi router for these things. for A V2 of this light, it would be nice to have some manual knobs on the back as a back up option.
-Streamdeck - I would almost say getting a stream deck or the stream deck phone app is essential for these. It's such a surprisingly pleasant way to control your lighting. Like a mini lightboard in your hand. The streamdeck can also control my phillips hue strip lighting on my desk and room, so I can make cool gaming presets at push of a button.
-Cost - They do cost more than a lot of knock offs you can get online. For me it is worth the money. And if you start digging in to "professional" light costs, like apertures and such, these are a steal. But if you are on a budget, you can sacrifice wifi convenience and get a pair of two similar style lights for like, under 200 dollars, with soft boxes. I got something like that for my wife and she loves them.
-Ball head. The ballhead on the stand is cheap plastic. I will probably switch them out for manfrotto ballheads one day, if they break, but they're def not meant for constant movement or adjustment.
Conclusion
For me, these make streaming life a ton better. So much space saved in my office and I can do some really nice lighting fast and cool. I'm giddy with all the possibilities. As filmmaker, I'm also really starting to see where teh future of lighting is going, especially for indie style work. On my big shows we often use titan tubes, which do similar things to this light but cost an astronomical amount. Now, with a portable router and a cheap streamdeck, I could make my own portable three light system for filming, or even constant light style photography. I could fit all of this in to one camera bag and maybe another bag for extension cables and modifiers and such. If I were going around shooting interviews and weddings, I could do some really cool tricks with these.
Anyway. I love em and that's what I got! lol
★★★★★
Verified Purchase
You get what you pay for!
I know what you're thinking... $200... for a light...
It's worth every penny.
Easy to set up. Crazy amount of control. Complete light coverage. And it just looks great in your setup.
The included stand let me throw this on my desk in a few minutes after reorganizing some wires. It's a high quality stand that does its job.
The Elgato Control software allows you to control the light directly from your desktop. This is super helpful when dialing in the perfect brightness/color temp when configuring your cam for OBS or XSplit (especially when you're trying to get the chroma key settings just right). Being able to control it from the Stream Deck is another great feature. As silly as it sounds, it just feels satisfying to press a button on your Stream Deck and have the lights turn on.
Right now I only have 1 light, and it lights me up perfectly. I use a nanoleaf to light the left side of me, and a small softbox light to properly light up my green screen. I'll probably end up grabbing another Key Light in a few months and put one on either side of me, but until then, 1 works just fine.
And finally... It just looks great on your setup IMO. Much better than large softboxes, that's for sure.
If you're a streamer/content creator and you're looking for some new lights, I can't reccommend this product highly enough.
Note: In my pic, the light is at the lowest possible setting. I typically use it at 15%. At 100%, you need sunglasses.
★★★★★
Verified Purchase
Best value for the price
So first off, I know these seem pricy. I understand. I thought so too until I started trying to recreate all the features of these. I had a whole list of materials to allow for mounting directly to my desk, getting them to the right height, being able to easily and accurately adjust the light settings, and so on. Final price ended up being just shy of the cost of these.
So I bought two of these instead of trying to rig up a matching setup with multiple other pieces, and I am so glad I did. I had two of these unboxed, mounted, powered, and configured in less time than it would take to have set up one if I had gone the other route. I don't need to adjust them that often, but being able to from the taskbar is a very nice feature.
I am a Youtuber and Twitch streamer. I am not even close to being a full-time "professional" at these things, but I still consider myself to be a professional and expect myself to work in a professional way. If you are needing something cheaper because you are doing the same thing and just getting started, that's fine. Buy something cheaper. I did the same thing. But at this time in my efforts, I felt I needed some more professional-grade equipment and to me these are worth more than what I ended up paying.
UPDATE: If you are a Youtuber/streamer using a StreamDeck, then it is worth making sure you have the integration setup and then you can control these from the StreamDeck. You can change a lot of variables with these but for me, it was enough to just hit a button to cut off my room smart lights and turn these on so I'm ready to work.
★★★★★
Verified Purchase
Easy setup, amazing light range.
After years of messing with several different lighting configurations, I finally have one I'm happy with. These lights are easy to setup, and the ability to adjust the light while sitting in front of the camera is a MAJOR time saver. The range of light and wireless adjustment features make these worth the extra cost over cheaper hacks. Due to my monitor and studio configuration, I only use a portion of these lights. My green screens are lit by separate lights so I only need to light me. These lights could easily provide enough light for any room / configuration. Don't waste time on the rest, get the best.
★★★★★
Verified Purchase
Great value for wifi light, decent value as standalone light
If you want a kit that is high tech, this one is great. If you just want a light, there are other options.
I use this light to illuminate my face. My camera is 30" from my face. The key light is 50" diagonal.
Many reviews mention that the panel is overpriced for the specs. This may be true depending on what specs you are looking at. The primary specs I am looking at are
* Edge lit LED
* 97 CRI
* 2800 lumen
* Wifi controlled
* Kit with appropriate-height mount
For those specs, you can find everything besides wifi controlled and the mount at $100 for a standalone panel. If you don't care about the wifi or the mount, go compare to some other photographic LED panels. Don't compare to panels that have the same lumen output but 80 CRI; 80 CRI is garbage office lighting. 97 is close to what you'd get from a conventional incandescent light.
Including the mount, this is competitively priced. Do consider that this kit comes with a decent-quality 49" telescoping, desk-clamp mount. Other less-expensive kits comes with a smaller mount and/or a cheaper mount. You don't want a shorter mount if you are going to attach this to a desk and use it as a true "key" light. Some of the competitors I compared to before buying this light include less than half the height for the mount. That may work for a "fill" light, but would be very annoying as a key light and very difficult/impossible to get positioned correctly. If you already have an appropriate mount or plan to mount it to the wall rather than a desk, go compare to other LED panels.
Many people probably don't need the wifi. For the more technically-inclined, there are two main features to this wifi connectivity.
* Pair with Elgato Stream Deck
* Control via API
The first feature is rather simple and flawless: if you have a stream deck, this is a perfect accessory as you can set buttons to change the light settings directly. Accessing via web depends if you are technical enough to write something that will interface with the light. If you code, this is not difficult, I would say about as difficult as coding around a Phillips Hue if you've ever done that; there are libraries available to simplify it.
Even if you don't have a stream deck and don't want to mess with the API, ctrl-click on the taskbar icon in Windows turns the lights on and off which is fairly convenient compared to reaching up to turn the light on and off by hand.
I think it's a great value if you keep in mind all of the things being purchased with this kit. If there is something you don't need or want, other options may be better.
★★★★★
Verified Purchase
Lighting Made Easy
I purchased 2 Key Lights to replace an over-sized ring light and I have to say that I’m glad I did. Not only did I free up space on the side of my desk for an additional piece of furniture, I can also change the lighting to fit my preference from both Key Lights with my Elgato Stream Deck versus turning a nob on 1 ring light.
Setting up the Elgato Key Light is as simple as unboxing and figuring it out with no instructions needed really. It’s THAT easy. There is only one plug needed and that is the power cord for them to operate. The Key Lights free up USB slots and require a Wi-Fi connection in order to connect to your PC. We all need our USB slots, so this is welcome by me.
While you see a $200 price tag, it’s worth the asking price considering 1 Key Light could light your entire room without a problem. I chose 2 because of my camera set up and picking the way my lighting is set around it.
All in all, this is what Elgato does best. They make our lives easier as content creators or anyone looking to use lights for a set up. Hands down an amazing product!
★★★★★
Verified Purchase
Exactly what I was looking for
This thing is expensive but in my opinion, worth every penny. I am an avid gaming streamer on Mixer and work from home with teams and partners across the U.S. and internationally. This thing always puts me in the right light, whether it is for fun or work. Very adjustable with good diffusion. Brightness and warmth adjustments let you get the look you want. I'm using it with the Elgato Stream Deck mobile app, which is great (will probably buy a Stream Deck later). I did have an issue with the mount, which is really well built and adjustable. The top collar of one of my mounts separated and had to be returned, but I still really like the mount and the light.
★★★★★
Verified Purchase
Great light for Zoom! Teams! and WebEx
I am not a blogger but I got this for all those meetings where you have to look professional. Love this lamp. It was a bit hard to get installed because it does not work on the latest wifi - and so I had to install an old access point just for this. Once I had the AP up and running, the Elgato SW found the lamp, and we were in business. I am a bit concerned about the internet security of the app, since I think it is broadcasting so you can find it.
Other than the install wifi issue, everything else went fine. Love the light. The stand is rock solid, adjustable in height, and you could probably put 10 other things on it as well. Like your web cam, second monitor, etc.
Would buy again but please fix the wifi.
★★★★★
Verified Purchase
Updated: Software Opens from System Tray
Original Review: Great lights, but you can only control them with software. And repeatedly the software does not open. Using Windows 10. Too bad because I thought I had found the perfect light-very bright, wonderful diffusion, and very compact.
Update after three weeks: The Elgato help desk was very responsive and we found if I open the Control Center using the icon in the system tray, the software opens reliably. If I use the icon I put on the taskbar, it opens only sometimes. So now the lights are usable. I am very happy with the quality of the light for Zoom calls and video creation.
Final Update: Bumped to five start because love the lights, the customer service was super responsive, and the software now works every time if I access it from the system tray rather than an icon pinned to the task bar.
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Question & Answer
Question :
Does the Led light set come with 1 or 2 lights?
Answer :
This is a key light, not a set, it'd come with 1.
Question :
Does it come with the stand? or is it just the light?
Answer :
Comes with the pole mount, the power supply for the light, the light itself and the quick start guide.
Question :
How dim will this light go? For some applications, I don't want it to be too bright.
Answer :
Very dim, you won’t have a problem finding the perfect balance.
Question :
Is the wifi connectivity reliable? I have had problems ...
Answer :
During initial setup yes, so I linked mine to my network , unplugged and then replugged in . Otherwise connection has been perfect
Question :
Does anyone know the diameter size of the thickest(bottom) of the light stand? Trying to add a clamp to the pole for a camera.
Answer :
The diameter of the pole itself at it's biggest point is roughly ~1 inch. In my personal home setup, I too use a threaded camera clamp to hold onto the pole under the light and it works well.
Hope this helps!
- CorsairLobo
Question :
does it have usb-c power? Or battery option?
Answer :
Neither. Too much power draw. You must use the outlet provided.
Question :
does the more expensive key light (not the air) come with a table top mount for resting on the ground?
Answer :
Unfortunately, none of the Elgato lights have or come with stands for them to rest on the ground. If you need further assistance, please reach out via support on the Elgato website and we'll happily assist you.
Question :
Would you recommend the elgato key light or the falcon eyes s0-28td for product photography? thanks.
Answer :
I’m not familiar with the Falcon. But I can tell you I got this KeyLight for its intended use and it is so very bright I thought, I want to put one of these on all my workbenches. I have another workbench with an overhead mounted DSLR, and would definately like to have two of these on either side of my bench under the camera.
Question :
What if your desk is built into the wall? how would you mount the light? using gopro 7 black w/camlink 4k
Answer :
You may have to find a tripod to mount the keylight on itself and not use our included mounting stick.
Question :
2800 Lumens over the 1st metre? or 0.5m?
Answer :
yes. .5m
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