Which Godox light to buy for streaming: ML40Bi, ML40R, FL15Bi, LC500R and the EazyFlow softboxes
By Elan Harpaz · Published 2026-09-14
Godox makes a pocket COB, a full-colour version, a flashlight-shaped light for night walks, an RGB tube and two quick-fold softboxes. Which one is a key light, which is a background light, and which mount they need.
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| Component | Pick | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camera | Elgato Facecam MK.2 Premium Full HD face cam built for streaming, with a true 1080p60 sensor. Buy on Amazon | $99.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| Audio | MAONO PD200X XLR/USB Dynamic Mic The budget answer to the Shure MV7: dynamic, RGB, USB today and XLR when the interface arrives. Buy on Amazon | $72.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| Lighting | Godox ML40Bi Bi-Color LED Video Light The bi-colour ML40 for a key light that fits in a jacket pocket. Buy on Amazon | $89 | Buy on Amazon |
| Software | OBS Studio Free, open-source broadcast software. On a PC it is also your encoder, up to 4K with a decent GPU. Learn more | Free | Learn more |
The Godox light to buy for a streaming desk is the ML40Bi: a palm-sized bi-colour COB with a battery and USB-C power, bright enough to be the key light a metre from your face and small enough to go in a jacket for an IRL night. Buy the ML40R instead if you want colour on the background, the LC500R if the background is the whole point, and the FL15Bi only for a walking stream at night. The two EazyFlow softboxes are Bowens-mount modifiers for Godox's bigger studio COBs; they do not fit the ML40 without an adapter.
| Type | Power | Best for | Tracked price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ML40Bi | Bi-colour COB, pocket | Battery or USB-C | The key light to buy | About $89 |
| ML40R | RGB COB, pocket | Battery or USB-C | Key light that can also colour a wall | About $109 |
| FL15Bi | Bi-colour handheld | Battery | Night IRL, held or clipped | About $99 |
| LC500R | RGB tube | Battery or USB-C | Background and reveals | About $154 |
| EazyFlow Rect 40 | Softbox, Bowens | None | Soften a studio COB | About $49 |
| EazyFlow Octa 60 | Octabox, Bowens | None | Round catchlights from one light | About $59 |
Key light: ML40Bi or ML40R
Both are the same body: a 40 W class COB the size of a deck of cards, a built-in battery, USB-C power for the desk, app control and a small diffuser dome in the box. The Bi is bi-colour, 2800 to 6500 K, which is all a face needs. The R adds full RGB for $20 more, which is worth it only if the same light will sometimes point at the wall behind you. As a key light a metre away, on the dome, either one reads as a proper light on a webcam. Both are new listings with a handful of ratings; the ML series itself has a track record.
The key light for a desk or a jacket pocket. Bi-colour, battery plus USB-C, app control, diffuser in the box.
The same light with RGB, for the day you point it at the wall instead of your face.
Background: LC500R
The LC500R is a handheld RGB tube with barn doors and a diffuser. On a desk it lives behind you and paints the wall; on an IRL stream it is the light you hold up for a reveal. It has a hundred and fifty ratings and runs from battery or USB-C. It is not a key light; a tube spreads light too evenly to shape a face.
The background light. RGB tube, barn doors, diffuser, and a handle for holding it on camera.
Night IRL: FL15Bi
The FL15Bi is shaped like a flashlight and works like one: a bi-colour beam you hold or clip to a bag strap to light a face on a night walk. It is the only Godox here without a USB-C desk mode, so it stays in the IRL bag rather than on the desk.
A handheld bi-colour light for a walking stream after dark. Not a desk light.
The softboxes, and what they fit
EazyFlow softboxes fold open in seconds and mount on a Bowens ring, which is the mount on Godox's studio COBs (SL, SZ and Litemons series) and on most Aputure and Amaran lights. The ML40 uses Godox's small ML mount and needs the separate Bowens adapter to take one. If you own a Bowens COB, the Rect 40 turns a hard key into a soft one at a desk distance, and the Octa 60 gives round catchlights and a wider wrap from a single light.
A quick-fold 40 cm square softbox on a Bowens mount. The cheapest way to soften a studio COB.
A 60 cm octabox with a grid, for a single-light desk that wants round catchlights and less spill.
Frequently asked
Which Godox light is best for streaming?
The ML40Bi for a key light on a desk or in a bag: bi-colour, battery plus USB-C, app control, about $89. The ML40R is the same light with RGB for a background job as well.
Do the Godox EazyFlow softboxes fit the ML40?
Not directly. EazyFlow softboxes use a Bowens mount, which is on Godox's studio COBs and most Aputure lights. The ML40 needs Godox's separate Bowens adapter.
Is the Godox LC500R a key light?
No. It is an RGB tube for a background or a hand-held reveal. A tube spreads light too evenly to shape a face; use the ML40 for the key and the LC500R behind you.
Godox ML40Bi vs ML40R: which should I buy?
The Bi if the light only ever points at you. The R if it will sometimes colour the wall behind you. Same body, same battery, $20 apart.
About this guide. Written by Elan Harpaz. We do not lab-test hardware. Every quality verdict on this page is a planning budget computed from a published model, and every price is a tracked estimate rather than a live one. How the numbers are derived: methodology. How picks are chosen: editorial policy.
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