I had recently been looking for ways to improve the lighting of my stream and Youtube videos when I came across the MountDog Softbox Lighting Kit. I decided to purchase the lighting setup and give it a try. Below is my review of the product.

MountDog Softbox Lighting Kit: Key Takeaways

• Easy to assemble (Took less than 5 minutes to open and set up. 
• Very strong light.
• Has a large surface for plenty of light (20”x28”).
• Takes up a lot of space when set up.
• Very budget friendly.
• Better suited for taking pictures than for live streaming.

Those were my main takeaways having used the light for the week. It’s a quality light for a really really good price, but like I said I think it is more geared towards photographers than live streamers.

However, there are tons of live streamers who do use these types of soft box lights on their live streams and so it really just comes down to your setup.

If you want to see what the current price of the MountDog is on Amazon, you can go here.

But keep reading because I am going to cover some of the pros and cons of this light as well as whether or not this light would be worth it for you.  

Pros of the MountDog Softbox Lighting Kit

Here are some of the Pros of the MountDog Softbox Lighting Kit:

• Easy to set up
• Strong light
• Budget friendly
• Easy to use
• Easy to store

Easy to Set Up

Like I already touched on, this thing is extremely easy to set up. It took me roughly 5 minutes from the time I opened it to have the whole thing set up and ready to use.

As you may know, sometimes with lighting you have to assemble it a certain way and then you have to adjust the lighting to a color or temperature that you like. Sometimes it comes with a special app they want you to use. It can be a process!

But with the MountDog all I did was set up the stand, screw in the light bulb and then place the cover/diffuser over the front and it was ready to go. Super easy and I like that.

Strong Light

This didn’t come as much of a surprise. It is marketed as a studio light to be used for taking photos and so I figured the light would be strong enough for my needs and it is. Nothing to worry about in regards to how powerful the light is. 

Budget Friendly 

This light will be one of the most budget friendly lights that you will find for your streaming setup. I got my light for around $40 and the quality is just as good as some of the other lights that I have purchased for over $100. 

Since it is just a flat surface light and not a ring light you may have to purchase two, one for each side of your face, but even $80 for quality lighting is not bad at all. 

Easy to Use

This light is very easy to use. All it has is an on/off switch. This is nice because you don’t have to stress about things like brightness or color. You can just turn it on and go. 

Easy to Store

The tripod stand the light comes with is collapsible and the covers fold flat making this light very easy to store in a closet or other storage space. 

The only tricky thing to store may be the light bulb, but it is not super big and so you won’t have to worry too much about it. 

Cons of the MountDog Softbox Lighting Kit

This light is really good, but there are some things that I did not like about this light. 

Here are the cons of the MountDog Softbox Lighting Kit:

• Takes up a lot of space when set up
• Unable to customize lighting
• Lighting only covers one side
• No wi-fi capabilities

Takes Up a Lot of Space When Set Up

This light is not something you can just place on your desk. You will probably need to clear a small section in your room to place this light. 

The tripod base is wide and so it is best to be placed on the ground rather than a desk. 

If you have your own room to stream in this may not be as big of a deal, but for most streamers space is very limited and so having to dedicate space for a light stand can be a bit of a nuisance. 

However, I have seen it done. Like I said, a lot of streamers use lights similar to this because they are really good and inexpensive. 

Unable to Customize Lighting

For some streamers this could be a major deal breaker. Some streamers want the PERFECT lighting (brightness, temperature, color, etc.). Personally, I am not crazy about things like that, but if you are a streamer who is then you may want to consider other options.

The simplicity of this light is also what might be a turn off for some people. With this light there is just an off and on button. That’s it. So you are very limited as to what kind of customizations you can make to your lighting with this light. 

Lighting Only Covers One Side

Unlike a ring light, this kind of flat surface lighting will only cover one side of your face. That means you will either have to buy another light or use some natural lighting in order to cover both sides of your face. 

What I have seen some streamers do, and what I would recommend doing, is having one powerful, customizable light like the El Gato Key Light (click here to see it on Amazon) on one side and place a more budget friendly light like the Mount Dog on the other side.

This way both sides of your face are lit up and you aren’t breaking the bank in order to have quality lighting.  

No Wi-Fi Capabilities

This goes back to the light itself being so simple. Many lights these days such as the El Gato Key Light can be controlled with devices such as the El Gato Stream Deck (click here to see the stream deck on Amazon).

Lights that are controlled with the Stream Deck can be easily switched on and off and you can control how bright or dim you want the lights to be. It’s awesome, but you won’t get that with a light like the MountDog.

Again it is just a preference thing, but I prefer lights that I can control with my Stream Deck. 

Is The MountDog Softbox Lighting Kit Worth It?

When you consider the price, the MountDog Lighting setup is absolutely worth it. With the MountDog you are getting a great light at a great price.

However, like I said at the beginning, I think this light is geared more towards photographers than it is towards streamers. 

But if you want a simple lighting setup for your stream, and are not concerned about all the bells and whistles, I think that the MountDog (which you can view here on Amazon) is a great choice. 

If you want to see where the MountDog ranks on my list of the best lights for streaming then check out my article here.

As always, if you have any questions or just want to hang with me, stop by my Twitch channel here and say what’s up!

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