My new favorite (little) LED light!
- Stockham Media
- Mar 24, 2014
- 2 min read
Hey everyone! I thought I’d start my first real post of with a new gem I’ve found with some help from google and CheesyCam.com. This LED light I just got, the W96 II, is actually a “copy” of the Z96 LED light that has become so popular with so many shooters. When buying my new lights I decided to go with a few of the W96 II’s and just get one Z96. I figured the copy would be as nice to use as the original, so I’ll use the original for my weddings and the others for projects where I need many portable LEDs. Well I was wrong. I am far more pleased with the quality of light coming from the copy, W96 II, than the Z96. I like the light stand ball mount better, and it even has a battery meter (that works so so, but is still cool!). I’ve found the Z96 to have a bit of a green tint to it, while the W96 II has a little more magenta, which I find to me more pleasing and accurate on camera. The best part about it is that the W96 II is $20 cheaper than the Z96, which was already affordable to begin with.
Here is the link to the light on Ebay: Buy W96 II LED Light – this link may die eventually since it’s to am Ebay item, but it’s there for now! It should be around $38.00ish.
These are the batteries I use with the lights. I definitely would pick up a couple of these over using AA batteries: Sony F550 Batteries for the W96 II LED Light – and the link for the same battery, but bigger!
Also, make sure you are buying the W96 II, rather than the W96. The version 1 W96 had some issues that had many customers returning their purchases, but the W96 version II is absolutely wonderful!

.png)
The article talks about my experience with the W96 II LED light and its performance compared to the Z96. violet background
Thanks for the detailed comparison—this kind of hands-on review is super helpful for creators looking to build a solid lighting setup on a budget! If you’re testing how these LED lights render skin tones or color accuracy across devices, you might want to visit white screen full screen using WhiteScreen.Vip. It’s a reliable browser-based lighting tool crafted for professionals who need pure, uniform background lighting. Whether you're evaluating tint shifts, checking shadows, or just need a clean surface for setup calibration, WhiteScreen.VIP offers adjustable brightness and precise color backgrounds—an essential addition to any DIY videographer or photographer’s toolkit.