Published on February 5th, 2021 | by Bibhuranjan

Tonor TRL-20 Ring LED Light Review

There are a number of things just go awfully well with each other – Bread and Butter, Chips and Dips, governments and bureaucracy, etc. And while any one of these is perfectly capable of existing on its own, the complimentary add-on just makes in better in every regard. Why do I bring up? Because on its own cameras are perfectly capable of taking good images but what do you do when there is no light? How do you even take images without it?

Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit but the fact of the matter is that images are basically captured light and the lower the amount of available light, the lower quality the pictures come out. So the next time you visit a studio and get blinded by the diffused lighting, remember that it exists for a reason. But what about the average Joe? How can we take good images without spending a fortune? Because believe it or not, even a very basic set of studio lights can be extremely expensive.

Thankfully this brings us down to the product in question, which is the TONOR TRL-20, which is an inexpensive Ring LED Light Kit that you can buy from online portals like Amazon.

A Bit more about the TONOR TRL-20

The TRL-20 is a budget friendly Ring Light that comes in around $50, intended for anyone needing to illuminate their faces or immediate surroundings. It is fairly compact and you can even carry it with you, if you invest in a separate case. The Ring light consists of an insane 160 high-quality LED modules, rated at 10W and powered by USB.

These LED’s can be adjusted, depending on the shot or the immediate surroundings and you have 3 modes of luminance to choose from- Warm, Cold and Natural and each mode has 10 Levels of brightness adjustment. The color range starts at 2700K and goes up to 6500K. The LED’s used are themselves rated for 20,000 hours, but as usual electronics can be finicky. That’s why you have an extendable 4 years of warranty on the product, which is gained after registration on Tonor’s website.

The TRL-20 pack consists of the following accessories:

1. 12-Inch Ring Light Module

2. Power Adapter

3. Adjustable Metal Tripod Stand

4. Phone Mount Holder

5. Bluetooth Shutter Button

6. User Manuals

Why might you need it?

Believe it or not, there are a few very good reasons to invest the TONOR TRL-20 or other LED Illuminators. The chief among which is directly associated with most of the people working from home, who don’t usually have studio grade lighting for their makeshift offices or the living room to be more specific. The primary reason for which is that – Laptop Cameras are vastly inferior to smartphone cameras and most budget webcams too struggle to show a decent image without proper lighting. That is where an affordable LED light can shine (quite literally) and make your experience that much better.

Other than that, there are also a few other scenarios where it work wonders as well:

1. Streaming

This is one hobby that has taken the Internet by storm in recent times. There are actually a lot of people that depend on these streams for their income. However most of them might actually be working on fairly basic equipment and often with bad lighting conditions. So if you are among this crowd, then a ring light might work wonders for your stream, especially if you also get yourself a decent entry level Desk Mic for your audio.

2. Selfie Models

The internet is awash with want-to-be social media models that click as many selfies as there are stars in the Milky Way. And the reason why they click so many of them is because most of them would turn out sub-par, partly due to their subconscious telling them so and partly due to bad lighting. Also while most selfie cameras on Smartphones are good, the primary Achilles heel here is that, no manufacturer actually includes a front flash that can properly illuminate the face. So while photos turn out decent in good lighting, it takes a steep dive when the lighting gets worse. In such cases, a Ring LED Illuminator like the TONOR TRL-20 can actually give your low light selfies a pretty good boost. The Ring shape makes it ideal to place the smartphone in between the light module click pictures, so that there are no light flares or uneven lighting impeding the camera and the face is evenly lit.

3. Still Photography

Due to its Ring Shape, the TRL-20 makes an excellent addition when it comes working with darker environments with very focused lighting on one specific area. It is especially good if you are shooting pictures inside a darkened studio, to give that crisp and contrasty look.

Conclusion

The TRL-20 is by no means a replacement for dedicated studio quality lighting setups but it isn’t intended to be used like one. What it does represent is excellent value for money for people looking for an affordable lighting solution that doesn’t break the bank and does the job reliably. Its portable and you can easily run it off a Power Bank that has 10W or more PD output. Hope you like the product and give it a try.

Tags: LED light, Ring LED Light, Selfie Light, Tonor TRL-20

About the Author

Bibhuranjan Editorial Officer, technofaq.org I'm an avid tech enthusiast at heart. I like to mug up on new and exciting developments on science and tech and have a deep love for PC gaming. Other hobbies include writing blog posts, music and DIY projects.