Lighting has always been a game of give and take. Either creatives sacrifice budget for amazing accuracy and output, or they deal with lackluster performance to save a buck. But that doesn't have to be the case. For a hundred bucks or two, here are three lighting options to get you lighting creatively. 

Godox has been an Aputure competitor for a while now. But even if its lights don't always meet the same standard as the competition, Godox is no slouch.

The SL series of fixtures provide solid output at a reasonable price. The color accuracy is pretty solid in a pinch, too. Here we have the SL-60, SL-100, and SL-200, which all offer a nice Bowens S-mount,  CRI of 93, TLCI of 95, and an R9 of 80. While your reds won't be as clean as pricier options, all three of these lights are a solid option for filmmakers.

There's also a heatsink and built-in fan to help regulate temperature, as well as a specialized temperature control function to protect the LED itself.

Sometimes the most accurate light in the age of LED isn't an LED at all. The Lowel Omni-Light runs hots, draws a lot of power, and comes with a halogen bulb, but provides 500W of near-perfect color accuracy.

This makes it a flexible key or backlight that can outperform LED lights which are much more expensive. At just over $100 on sale, the quality of light per dollar is near impossible to beat. Sure, it's a bit uncomfortable handling this aging technology, but there's a reason that films still use these lights. While affordable LED lights are quickly catching up in accuracy, OG bulbs are still king of color, at least for now. 

While this Quasar Science tube is technically not on sale, this brand-new addition to the Q-Lion lineup is an amazing solution for small spaces. This portable, battery-operated, bi-color LED tube light comes in 7", 12", and 24" and is incredibly useful for creating fill and accents in both still photography and film projects.

While it might not be the perfect tool for a key light, it'll definitely serve as a staple for set lighting technicians, camera teams, art departments, and independent online content creators alike. It is great for lighting everything from actors to craft services, especially when space is at a minimum.     

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