I know what you’re probably thinking: “How can a ring light be worth the price of a video game?” Well, dear reader, allow me to explain with this very brief Logitech Litra Glow review.
Logitech Litra Glow review: price and availability
Yes, the Litra Glow is $60, and I know that’s a lot of money for a ring light, even with a discount from a Logitech promo code, given that some popular ring lights come at half that price or less. And those ring lights often come with accessories such as a tripod. The Litra Glow just has a mount. Yet, it’s still more than worth it. Here’s how I know.
Logitech Litra Glow review: Design
The Litra Glow is designed for customization to your situation, but if you’re anything like me you won’t need any of that help. The Litra Glow’s integrated monitor mount (which Logitech has a patent pending on), allows you to easily adjust height, rotation and tilt. But I just placed it on the top of my monitor and it worked. This is a much better situation than my current ring light, which involves clumsily hanging it on the arm of my monitor, or keeping it far away from me, on a hook on my wall. On the back, you’ve got your buttons for manual lighting controls: a power button in the middle and brightness and light temperature controls on the sides. You might find those lighting controls oddly placed, considering you’ll rarely have visibility to that side. Fortunately, Logitech has a much better way to control lighting.
Logitech Litra Glow review: Lighting
As I tested the Litra Glow out, pitting it against that no-name ring light I own, I found that both got similar results when it came to actually lighting me during normal daytime (I sit near a window whose shade I pulled down for these tests) conditions. I’m confident that the Litra Glow will enable quality results for you, though, as it comes with a wide range of lighting options (which I’ll get to in the software section below). In darker conditions, I found the Litra Glow’s lighting better at helping me shoot more evenly lit photos. Logitech boasts that its Litra Glow provides a “wide, soft light that flatters the subject,” and maybe I’m easy to light but I found this area where the Litra Glow’s advantage was subtle, with less over-powering light. I should note that I tested it with the Logitech StreamCam, my defacto streaming cam, which makes its own color adjustments. Throughout the weeks I’ve had a Litra Glow light, I’ve been testing it in the background, plugged in and turned on throughout my work day. And this has shown me one place where the Litra Glow is worth every penny: the light emitted from Logitech’s proprietary frameless diffuser is just easier on my eyes, while still keeping me well lit. No matter how many hours I’ve had it blasting light in my face for, I’m yet to have a headache from it. And that’s what’s impressive. Of course, your mileage may vary. It didn’t take me any time at all (practically under an hour) to get at least a minor headache from the no-name (literally, there’s no brand name written on it) cheapo ring light I’ve been given for work from home. I often kept that ring light on that aforementioned wall hook to keep it away from me so I would be less prone to headaches.
Logitech Litra Glow review: Software and hardware integration
I’ve never used the Logitech G Hub software before, but I have to say the Litra Glow makes a huge case not just for getting to know this utility, but for investing in a Logitech G-Series mouse and keyboard as well. In G Hub (which works on PCs and Macs), you’ve got full control over the brightness and warmth, with sliders for each that give you pretty granular control. The G Hub also has six color and brightness presets, with my favorite (for myself) being Soft Sunset (slightly warm and barely a notch above the dimmest setting). You can also create your own presets. Everyone has different lighting requirements, and Logitech looks to give you all the options to fit your specific skintone, ambient lighting and more. You may barely use the G Hub, though, if you have a G-series Logitech mouse or keyboard. In G Hub you can easily tag your G-buttons with the Litra Glow controls, giving you the ability to turn the light on and off with a single click, and change the lighting too. I tested this out with the Logitech G915 Lightspeed keyboard and Logitech G502 Lightspeed mouse and found it worked like a charm! In a world where companies are doing their best to offer special features to keep you in their ecosystems (Apple’s iMessage comes to mind), the Litra Glow makes a strong case for an all-Logitech setup. Your average ring light wishes it had these capabilities, and you only get a little remote control (or an awkwardly placed in-line remote) for these settings.
Logitech Litra Glow review: Verdict
Streamers who love and need the value that one of the best ring lights offers may not even know they need the Logitech Litra Glow. But from the ease of use when it comes to setting the Litra Glow up on my monitor, to the profoundly useful Logitech G Hub integrations with mice and keyboards, the Litra Glow is a light with more than one eureka moment. That said, at the end of the day, as I noted in this Logitech Litra Glow review, the light’s best feature is how I can use it for hours on end without a headache. Don’t get me wrong, its simple setup experience is a joy, but that’s not going to be enough to convince other streamers to invest in a better light. Oh, and you’ll like the way you look.
