A smaller app-controlled panel for a key or fill light.
Typical price
$130 to $160
Why we pick it
- Typical price
- $130 to $160
- Works with
A mid-size desk panel with app control, sized to sit on either side of a rip camera without crowding a narrow desk. Two of them light a card mat from both sides at about 45 degrees, which keeps a bright reflection off holo foil. Pick the full-size panel instead if it's your only light and you also want your face lit across a wide table.
Our approved alternative for the same job: Two LED video panels with stands
The guide
Each step in the order you'll need it.
Narrow desks and matched pairs
You stream from a narrow desk or want two matched lights on either side of a rip camera. The Air MK.2 is a mid-size panel that leaves room for a monitor, a mat and a stack of toploaders.
Whatnot card sellers and TikTok Shop beauty sellers who go live several times a week run a pair as key and fill. As the only light for a wide table, the full-size panel covers more.
Kit for this step
2,100 lumens over USB-C PD
Elgato lists up to 2,100 lumens and a color range of 2,900 to 7,000 K. Power comes over USB-C: a computer's port gives about 400 lumens, and full output needs a USB-C PD adapter of 30 W or more.
You control it from the app, from touch controls on the panel or from a Stream Deck. A grid on the front focuses the light into a tighter area and keeps it off the wall behind you.
Kit for this step
Two panels at 45 degrees to the mat
Set one on each side of the mat at roughly 45 degrees, angled down from above lens height. Light from both sides fills shadows on sealed boxes and keeps the hot spot on holo foil away from the camera.
Run the side facing you a little brighter than the other, with both on one color temperature. Give each a 30 W or higher USB-C PD charger, since a laptop port leaves them dim.
Full-size Key Light, Mini or plain LED panels
The Elgato Key Light is brighter and bigger, so choose it if one light has to cover you and a wide table. The Elgato Key Light Mini runs on battery for shows away from an outlet.
Two LED video panels with stands cost less than one Air MK.2 and do a similar side-light job, without the app. A pocket LED video light makes a cheap fill beside it.
Outlets and adapters for a pair
Count your outlets before you buy two. Each panel wants its own USB-C PD adapter for full brightness, so a desk with a camera, a computer and two lights needs a power strip with enough spots.
At $130 to $160 each, a pair costs about the same as one full-size panel plus a cheap fill. A narrow desk suits the pair; a wide one suits the single panel.
Kit for this step
Common mistakes
Each one costs you money or reviews, and each has a fix.
- A laptop's USB-C port leaves it dim. Use a 30 W or higher USB-C PD adapter.
- Raise both lights and angle them down; level with the lens, they bounce glare off slabs.
- Set both panels to the same color temperature in the app, or the two sides clash.
- Use the focus grid to keep light on the mat instead of the wall behind you.
- As the only light for a wide table it falls short, and the full-size panel covers more.
Setups that use it
Complete kits this product is part of.
Guides that use it
Step-by-step help where this product does a job.
Questions
Straight answers to what sellers ask about this.
Is the Air MK.2 bright enough on its own?
For a face on a small desk, yes, with a 30 W or higher adapter. For a wide table or a dark room, pair it with a second light.
Does it need Wi-Fi?
It has touch controls on the panel. The app and a Stream Deck give you more control.
Can I run it from a power bank?
A USB-C PD power bank can run it at reduced output. Compare the bank's wattage with what the light needs.
Should I buy one or two?
Two give side light from both directions, which keeps glare off cards. One works as a face light.
Alternatives
Other picks for the same job, cheaper and pricier.
Pocket LED video light
Clips to a phone mount or sits on the desk to lift the shadow side of a card or a ring. It costs little as a first light and stays useful as fill once you add panels.
Typical price$15 to $30
See on AmazonTwo LED video panels with stands
Holo cards, foil boxes and glossy packaging bounce a ring light straight back into the camera. With two panels angled in from each side, the glare lands outside the frame.
Typical price$40 to $80
See on Amazon18-inch ring light with stand
Daylight in a spare room shifts through the day. Set the ring light once and your items look the same in the evening show as in your photos.
Typical price$45 to $75
See on AmazonTwo softbox lights with stands
Softboxes spread light over a big area, so a whole outfit or a rack of inventory gets even light with soft shadows. They take more floor space than panels and suit a spare room better than a desk.
Typical price$50 to $90
See on Amazon