(Part 2) Best photographic lighting umbrellas according to redditors
We found 310 Reddit comments discussing the best photographic lighting umbrellas. We ranked the 85 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 21-40. You can also go back to the previous section.
![Fovitec - 1x Photography & Video Lighting Kit - [Continuous Light][Cast Iron][Collapsible][45W CFL Bulbs][Translucent Reflector Umbrella]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41kSWXVmtBL.jpg)
Products!
-Electric Palette: "Jilted" and "Urban" in crease and lower lash line, "Fringe" on lid
-"Half Baked" from the Naked Palette in the inner corners
-Ardell Lashes: 120 Demi
-Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade in Auburn
-Loreal True Match in W1 Porcelain
-MAC Pro Longwear Concealer in NC15
-NYX Blush in "Terra Cotta"
-The Balm's Mary-Lou Manizer
-MAC Creme Cup with NYX Butter Gloss in "Eclair" on top
*ALSO for anyone who's interested, the lighting I use is something like [this guy right here] (http://www.amazon.com/Studiohut-KIT2CS-Photography-Continuous-Lighting/dp/B000GX484U/ref=sr_1_5?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1405011183&sr=1-5&keywords=umbrella+light)
One of the cool things about lighting is that you can create light with a variety of different things, so you can really play to your budget really well. As others have recommended, if she's serious about learning to light, tell her to check out Strobist, read his tutorials, buy his DVDs, the like. She'll learn a ton and David Hobby is a great writer. His blog is awesome, too.
As for a basic setup, she'll need some sort of light source, a diffuser (or light modifier or some sort), and some way of triggering that light if it's a strobe. That's the very basic setup. Fortunately for her, she can do this for $10, $20, $50, $100, or $1000. Whatever she (you) are willing to spend on it.
If she's trying to do it on the cheap, she can grab a lamp from Ikea (match the type of the bulb with the type of lighting the food will be in. If she's in a kitchen with flurorescent lighting, get a fluroescent lamp), a work light in a clamp, etc, some paper (try tracing paper or wax paper as it's more translucent), and some tape. Stretch the paper out so that it covers a nice area, tape it up to some boxes or something so it stands, and shine the light through it so it's nice and evenly lit. The only thing that affects the "softness" of light is the size of the light source, so the paper is useful for spreading out the focus of the bulb in your lamp and giving you a nice big source. Be creative, move the lamps around, try layering on the paper or removing the paper. Just play with it and see what works. She'll probably need a tripod and a slower shutter speed though, since these lights aren't incredibly bright. Here's another idea using the same equipment for inspiration.
Moving up in the budget, she can start to explore the world of flash photography, and start playing with strobes. These cheap YongNuo Flashes (and there are other models that are great, too) are surprisingly good, reliable, and cheap! I own a few and use them all the time. They come with stands, but she could tape them up around for better angles. Just one of these off camera, or angled properly can make her photoghraphy stunning. Start by placing them off to the side, aimed at the food, and triggering them with the on-camera flash and the strobes set to "optical slave" mode. Tell her to turn down the on-camera flash power to very low as to not give the food a bland look, and just use it to trigger the off-camera flash. Exposure here gets a little more tricky, without going on a huge rant (I could if you want, just let me know), but she should be able to figure it out. Start on low power, and dial it in more and more until she gets the look she's going for. Then, start experimenting and playing more! Use that same paper as before for a quick and dirty diffuser, or, if you want even bigger, softer, light for free, crank the power and shoot it onto the ceiling. The reflection will give her a great, even light source that compliments nearly everything nicely. Play with the built-in diffuser too, bouncing off different things, etc. Shoot, see what works, have fun, and learn. There's a lot to learn, and she'll learn best by just throwing things at the wall and seeing what sticks. Just make sure she's having fun and not stressing too much! If she needs more help, just throw me a question, google around, or post to this forum. Someone will be able to help.
From there, she can keep expanding upwards. More flashes, umbrellas, light stands (make sure she has all the necessary hot-shoe adapters, or umbrella mounts she might need), snoots, grid spots, and other sort of modifiers she might want to get the look she's going for. Worth noting that most things here can be made with some creativity and some crafty DIY work.
Oh, I'd also urge she get a set (or two) of gels for her lights, mainly the CTO (colour temperature orange) and CTG (colour temperature blue) so she can match the colour of her lights to whatever the ambient light is.
Hopefully this helps. If you have any questions or need more help, just let me know. :)
Just a few more to add to the list:
18% grey card
Neewer TT560 flash
Neewer 43-inch 5-in-1 reflector
Tiffen Circular polarizer
7 ft. light stand
47" Speedlight Umbrella Softbox
Continuous lighting kit
New camera bag
[EDIT] Added more things to the list, as I think of things I'll continue to expand it.
I use one like this - umbrellas at 45 degrees between me & the camera on both sides. Mine didn't come with the 3rd light, but you can use that to light the background.
Hey there, I will try to kelp you a bit.
First of all, you will need the gear to be able to stream
If you will try to stream with a potato cam or using a slow internet connexion it would not be soo good for you. The Websites tend to promote girls who offer high-quality services.
But this aspect can be improved in time don't worry about it.
---
Depending on your personality I can make you some recommendations regarding websites. I can split websites in two categories based on the way the model makes money
FREE CHAT TO PRIVATE CHAT/SHOW ( models are paid in private show )
FREE SHOW FOR TOKENS ( tokens = tips = money )
Good luck and welcome
I use this light kit
It’s really great, someone had suggested it on here and I got it. I use three lights for bigger items and two light for smaller items. I personally think two lights are better than just one.
You are welcome! You aren't doing anything wrong mate, I think gaining huge amount of subscribers is mostly about exposure and people's preference. Your channel has many stuffs that can help people who are intermediate/pre-advanced level players but it doesn't have as much subscribers as it should have despite of having been on YouTube for a long time whereas I have seen a decent/mediocre at best player who doesn't upload tutorial stuffs as much as you do has more than 20K followers, as I have stated earlier it is about exposure and preference of the users.
I don't actively run any YouTube channel but what I've reckoned so far, I would suggest you to upload at least one cover of famous metal/hard rock song/solo in every two-three week/one month (assuming you will be learning it from the beginning but with your skill, it won't be too hard for you to master difficult songs/solos) alongside your licks/lesson videos, in this way your channel hopefully will get some exposure.
Collaboration works with other instrument players/guitarists on YouTube will also help I think, get a bit more exposure and then do some collaboration sessions with famous YouTube guitarists (e.g. Chris Zoupa or 331Erock) which should give you even more exposure.
I think people tend to watch videos that look decent, good looking and professional these days. My last advice would be investing a bit to make your videos look better. So upgrade to a decent camera which can film 1080p video that looks sharp (I heard some cameras that are mainly used for photography can also film decent quality video which aren't damn expensive as some video cameras), make sure there is enough lighting in the room where you will film your videos (perhaps you may want to get entry level softbox/umbrella lighting kit if your room lighting is not bright enough), a bit of video editing skill will be also helpful (you don't have to learn to use Adobe Premiere, software like Movie Studio 13 or if you want to spend more then Sony Vegas Pro should get your job done) and last but not least capture your audio with a decent mic via audio interface instead of using camera's mic.
Edit: Few sentences.
Edit 2: I think I should revise some of the advice I have given you in terms of making your videos look better.
Even with a camera that can film only 720p video, you will get very good result if your lighting setup is excellent, you can add filters in your video during edit if you want. So you don't have to change your camera for now but if you insist then assuming you will be filming yourself alone, I'd recommend you getting a video camera that has flip out screen, DSLR cameras can get you good results but not all of them come come with a flip out screen. You might want to take a look at Canon VIXIA HF R700.
Please don't mind because of my criticisms, you asked for some advice and I thought I could help with some tips, you are a good guitar player who uploads tutorial videos on YouTube and I want you to be known among users like some other YouTube guitarists such as Ben Eller, Carl Brown or Chris Zoupa who aren't just awesome players themselves but they also help other players out there.
>Good sound is important (I heard)
I see what you did there.
Your kit is a lot more fleshed out than mine right now. This summer I need to finally invest in some sort of actual audio solution instead of recording everything with my phone like I've been doing for way too long.
Also if you're referring to something like these they're just called umbrellas I'm pretty sure. I guess you could call them lighting umbrellas to sound more specific.
Unanswered question from the previous megathread
Author /u/Solnx - (Permalink)
I’m starting to get into lighting. The goal is for portrait work outdoors.
A friend was kind enough to give me 2 yonguo speed lights and a trigger that he doesn’t use anymore. He told me to buy this:
Neewer 2 Pack 33"/84cm White Translucent Soft Umbrella for Photo and Video Studio Shooting
Camera Flash Speedlite Mount,ChromLives Professional Swivel Light Stand Light Bracket Umbrella Bracket Mount Shoe Holder E Type for Canon Nikon Pentax Olympus Nissin Metz and Other Speedlite Flashes
AmazonBasics Aluminum 7-Foot Light Stand with Case - 2-Pack
Can someone explain the difference between that and something like this?
He said to go as cheap as possible, but after you factor in the tax the amazon option is about ~$10 cheaper. My gut is telling me to go with the B&H because of the vast amount of positive reviews. What are your thoughts?
I'm looking at getting a bundle like this from Amazon since all the individual pieces separately are seemingly from all the same shops, but more expensive, and all the bundles look the same. I'm just re-starting out and my budget is less than $100, so I'm wondering if it's even worth it for those? I have a Nikon D3100 already, and the kit lens. But I do have people wanting studio type sessions (newborn/infant) and don't have good natural lighting in my own home. I much prefer shooting outdoors, but it's about to get cooler and I can't really put babies outside in that. Basically is it a good short term idea till I can afford better? And then what's a good "better" that I should save up for?
Did some research, here's I think my bargain basement lighting kit, and good reviews too.
There, you're good to go for wireless flash for ~$100, manual flash power, works with any camera that has a flash shoe.
If you can only spend $50, then just get the flash separately for $30 and the batteries. Then you can get the radio triggers, light stand, and umbrellas later when you have the money to spare.
Also, eventually, you may want to get a larger umbrella - I use an Impact 60" convertible umbrella. Big, beautiful, soft light. I have two of these; they have 4.5 stars on amazon, great umbrella. They are a little unwieldy though; 60" is a big umbrella to deal with.
I shot through this 43 inch umbrella with this holder screwed onto the plate in my regular camera tripod.
Put the popup flash on lowest power (1/64) and exposed camera normally and did trial and error with flash power (1/16 or 1/32 worked best).
Optical slave wasn't that reliable, but I think it's because it's in a wide open office with ugly fluorescent lighting (had to also flip a coin whether the fluorescent lights would be white instead of yellow which caused a bunch of retries). I did a lot of testing in my home and it was working great. Either way it's making me consider getting the wireless radio trigger.
When you do get another camera (or video), use both and you can edit them together pretty easily. I like having the video camera set wide, and the hand held for the POV/closeups, etc.
Get your gf involved. Ask what she wants to do. Let her hold the camera for different perspectives.
AND HAVE FUN!
Hey, I've been shooting some of the cassettes with /u/killallmusic above. Heres some tips. First, as others have said, OFF CAMERA FLASH IS ESSENTIAL. That goes for any product photography. By far, the best bang for you buck is the Yongnuo IV and the wireless trigger to make it sync here. They are fully manual so no TTL (which is a feature of more expensive flashes that auto set the flash output to the available light) but I'm a big fan of learning strobe photography with manual flashes. You'll get way better way faster and there are a MILLION places online to read flash tutorials to get you started and plenty of video guides to get these flashes synced with the controller. On top of that, another absolutely essential part is some sort of diffuser. Softboxes are most often recommended. I use the following with my shots. These are both very nice pieces of gear and you can definitely find cheaper options that will do just fine on eBay and Amazon. You can get away with 1 for sure but I usually end up using two sources, one for a key light and one for a fill to add texture back to the shadows. As for actually shooting cassettes, your biggest problem will be glare. Any light hitting at a 45 degree angle to your lens will cause a flare so just adjust your angle of the tape or flash until you get rid of the glare. Last tip, when it comes to light, the closer a source is, the softer the light will be. That might sound backwards but its true. So get that flash all up in its business as close as you can to the product. Check out the Strobist blog for an amazing flash primer course. Trial and error is the name of the game. You can see some examples at http://killallmusic.storenvy.com. The Coutoux and Jay Pray tapes were shot with the exact gear and method I listed above. Happy shooting!
For lighting, I use 2 Elinchrom monolight strobes. I also have a Nikon SB900 Speedlight, which I have used on occasion. (The last series in the fashion section was lit with it and the sun, exclusively.)
In terms of modifiers, I tend to use one light with a small (10°) grid on it, and key with a large softlighter... which is basically an umbrella with a softbox "cover" stretched over it: http://www.amazon.com/Photek-Softlighter-II-Umbrella-Diffuser/dp/B0002HTK7A
I have a pretty minimal kit, which allows me to travel fast and light. (I don't think a single portrait on my site took longer than an hour to come in, find a spot, set up, shoot, and break everything back down.)
Financially, things are going OK. My wife is a freelancer too, and she's working. I've been doing some freelance assisting and digital tech'ing when I am not working on my book. For a while, I was the in-house shooter for a national sports chain. They offered me a full time position but I turned it down. It was pretty mind-numbing.
At the four month point, I can tell you that unless you are super connected, super gifted at marketing yourself, and super talented, you should probably have a source of supplemental income.
The market right now is pretty bad. One of the photographers that I tech for netted over $200k in 2008. In 2009, he netted less than $100k - all because of the economic downturn. Things seem to be getting better, but it's still slow.
So what I was also doing, is looking for reviews on it or something as close as possible, which I finally discovered on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Kshioe-6-6ftx9-8ft-Background-Continuous-Photography/dp/B074Z5SGBR/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_3?keywords=135W+Photography+Lighting+Kit+33%22+Umbrella+3*+Non-woven+Backdrop+Stand+Set&qid=1557772316&s=gateway&sr=8-3-fkmrnull
​
Different light temps, but essentially the same product, the reviews are pretty positive, though, you'll want to ensure you read them. Siting thin cloth and it being more of a beginner set. I was considering my own use of it and realized that combined with my ceiling fan, I may have difficulty utilizing it without it flapping about.
The EOS M itself. That's the name of the original M camera. :) It's the only one that has RAW support via the Magic Lantern firmware (follow Zeek's youtube channel for examples).
About lights, the basic kit on Amazon for $50 is good, I've shot a few music videos with a similar kit a few years back: https://www.amazon.com/MOUNTDOG-Photography-Umbrella-Professional-Continuous/dp/B07JK2PN1G/
well it's not really comparing the same thing (LEDs have many tiny "bulbs"), but the cheap ones that are a couple hundred or less don't have the best quality. They can work, though - check for CRI/TLCI of 90 or 95+.
I just suggested those bulbs because you said you already bought a light but I may have misread it. I assumed you bought something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Photography-Umbrella-Lighting-Continuous-Reflector/dp/B0745B6S87/ref=pd_day0_hl_421_2/136-3115700-3349502?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B0745B6S87&pd_rd_r=2bf64858-33f7-11e9-85c8-8db3782fc9c9&pd_rd_w=hfiRe&pd_rd_wg=SYVIp&pf_rd_p=ad07871c-e646-4161-82c7-5ed0d4c85b07&pf_rd_r=BAZRK8XSV9EQK7D4MNFR&psc=1&refRID=BAZRK8XSV9EQK7D4MNFR
If you, in fact, did buy something like the above, you can just replace those default bulbs with the ones I suggested. Yes umbrellas can be used, they are just a way of diffusing the light to make it softer (unless the umbrellas have a reflective silver surface inside, which, well, is used for reflecting light).
If you did buy an LED panel, check if the CRI or TLCI is at least 90 or higher. If not, I'd suggest returning and going the route I suggested. Possibly a little pricey but it will definitely be worth it. The LED panel if it's cheap will look terrible.
By the way, umbrellas and soft boxes basically work to do the same thing - diffuse the light. They are just different tools. For your purpose, I think umbrellas should suffice.
I’m new to lighting setups and need some advice on what to get. Currently I just have a dinky little ring light. I’m looking at Black Friday deals and saw this which seems like an awesome deal but also seems too good to be true. Am I missing something here? Does this seem like it would work well or is it actuallt a garbage setup and I’d be wasting my money?
The biggest problems most "amateur" porn have are:
The thing is that honestly cellphone cameras generally suck for taking video. The iPhone and Samsungs can get around this by massaging stuff in software, but tiny lenses and fixed focal lengths make it fairly obvious that it's cellphone cameras. The Mac camera isn't a lot better.
You can get really cheap digital video cameras off Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/product-reviews/B07WGLZP12) to start experimenting with, and if you find you like what you're doing you can upgrade.
Another thing is do you have anyone who could act as a camera man for ya'll?
Lastly, as I say down below--google "Congressman Katie Hill".
You're 18 years old, and you (probably) have a lot of life ahead of you. The choices you make now will shape who you are in the future. When I was your age I was a Marine who's goal in life was to finish my enlistment and become a highschool teacher. That lasted about 8 minutes after I got into college. I've done several things since then (Graphic Designer, Web Design etc.). Fortunately for me none of the stupid shit I did in college/highschool was uploaded to the internet.
You have to ask yourself, what is my future going to be like if I'm identified. I'm not saying don't do this--without women willing to do porn there wouldn't be any. But I'm saying you might want to consider the multi-decadal ramifications of your actions, and take precautions to make it difficult to identify you and your partner(s).
The link doesn't work. Here it the actual link for Amazon.
I’m starting to get into lighting. The goal is for portrait work outdoors.
A friend was kind enough to give me 2 yonguo speed lights and a trigger that he doesn’t use anymore. He told me to buy this:
Neewer 2 Pack 33"/84cm White Translucent Soft Umbrella for Photo and Video Studio Shooting
Camera Flash Speedlite Mount,ChromLives Professional Swivel Light Stand Light Bracket Umbrella Bracket Mount Shoe Holder E Type for Canon Nikon Pentax Olympus Nissin Metz and Other Speedlite Flashes
AmazonBasics Aluminum 7-Foot Light Stand with Case - 2-Pack
Can someone explain the difference between that and something like this?
He said to go as cheap as possible, but after you factor in the tax the amazon option is about ~$10 cheaper. My gut is telling me to go with the B&H because of the vast amount of positive reviews. What are your thoughts?
Just bought 2 off camera speedlites and the corresponding TX on /r/photomarket and I'm super excited to get cooking with that. Anybody have tips on a good 2 or 4 light stand/diffuser kit? I'm looking at this one on amazon in conjunction with a couple speedlite mounts. It seems sketchy to get all that stuff for only $150, but I'm a college student and anything that gets me by for the next 2 years will work fine.
2 reflective umbrella lights on taller stands to light my greenscreen, 1 white diffusion umbrella light on a smaller stand on a table behind my desk to light me.
I have this kit and added this
> mini/desktop light boxes or diffusers
Something like this?
https://www.amazon.com/Linco-Lincostore-Photography-Lighting-Seconds/dp/B01DILO2VK/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501445116&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=desk+size+softbox
The cheap video lighting kits are a bit under powered. They're useful for learning tools (mine came with 2 reflector umbrellas and 2 translucent umbrellas, but they're not 100% effective, and might end up bouncing light from around the room into your shot more than just from the surface of the umbrella. Additionally, one light behind one umbrella doesn't really overpower ambient window light the way I imagined it would. I was brand new to it so maybe they work well to fill in shadow, but i think a rig with multiple bulbs will be more effective at providing the controlled, directional light you may be looking for.
I ended up getting a pair of speedlight mounts to use them as off camera flash stands & modifiers which was fun; but since the umbrellas aren't huge, the height of the actual speed light is significantly off center so it's mainly the top half of the umbrella that's providing the most illumination. It's much better than a bare strobe, but I feel like it's not really using the full potential of the entire umbrella's surface to diffuse light. Something like this S-type bracket will hold a speedlight in the center of an octobox or another modifier, and that seems much more effective for strobe photography. It's not much more expensive, so it still pairs well with the light stands from the cheap video lighting kit as an upgrade.
Even as a not super effective intro kit, it's a decent baseline to get you shooting and practicing and figuring out what you'll need to find your shooting style. Kind of like how it's helpful to start with a kit lens before spending hundreds or thousands on a pro level camera/lens combo just to discover that I don't know shit about photography and expensive equipment is a budget overkill.
This is all in reference to part 3:
Two minor complaints about the commentary, and I've been guilty of it myself for sure, is that you kept going back to a sort of introduction as far as four minutes into the video. "We just woke up in a strange room" and variations of it were repeated a few times.
There are a few times where it seems like you're not sure what to say, so you basically narrate what you're doing/what the game told you do, but not much else. This can work for more animated people, but you're fairly calm so it's not terribly engaging in those moments. I didn't have any issues keeping with it, but I know several people with shorter attention spans that likely would have left the video around those points.
The full minute of outro was a bit long without anything happening/captivating commentary.
The end card itself, though has clear navigation and certainly doesn't take away from anything. I like it.
Humor is a bit dry, but that's not really a complaint as I happen to like dry humor.
Audio and video quality are really good, though you might want to consider finding a way to soften the overhead light source so it creates less of a focused glare (soft boxes are cheap and easy to make.) I recently purchased this set of lighting from Amazon for a really good price, but it does take a bit of room to set it up. Not much, but a little more than some people have.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FG5FQ5S?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00
I might do so in the near future but in terms of gear am I set to start?
And for mounting umbrellas, would I need something like this first?
Thanks for chiming in!
Honestly, I think you’ll be unhappy going cheap in the beginning. You’ll probably want to upgrade later on, so you might want to save some extra money for better equipment. But if that’s not an option right now, I totally understand!
You really can’t go wrong with the Yongnuo flashes. Check those out to see which one fits your needs and is in your price range. These triggers are pretty decent. You’ll want a nice bracket for your umbrella and flash. These stands are also fairly decent.
Here are a pair of cheap stands with umbrellas and swivels. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005BHNCO8?psc=1
To upgrade to a second light you just have to buy one more 560III
Something like this: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B005BHNCO8?psc=1
With some generic flash units triggered wirelessly.
you can get started with one flash/strobe + reflector and stand or softbox and stand. you don't need a backdrop right away, you can just use any solid color wall.
flash vs strobe. strobes are more powerful and faster cycling but require ac power or battery packs. flashes are more portable.
for a backdrop you can just use these two. it's a bit cheaper.
https://www.amazon.com/LimoStudio-Adjustable-Background-Backdrop-AGG1112/dp/B00E6GRHBO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1494795437&sr=8-3&keywords=Backdrop
https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Collapsible-Background-Photography-Television/dp/B00SR28X9S/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1494795437&sr=8-6&keywords=Backdrop
for the lights, you can just buy stands and softboxes or flash reflectors seperately. i wouldn't recommend that kit. start with one softbox or one flash reflector and stand. then add more as you need.
stands
https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Photography-Relfectors-Softboxes-Backgrounds/dp/B00K69A0QY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1494795534&sr=8-2&keywords=softbox+stand
softboxes, multiple sizes available.
https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-centimeters-Octagonal-Speedlight-Photography/dp/B00PIM3I6I/ref=sr_1_4?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1494795485&sr=1-4&keywords=softbox
flash reflector
https://www.amazon.com/LimoStudio-Double-Reflector-Umbrella-AGG127/dp/B005AKF4F6/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1494795671&sr=8-7&keywords=flash+umbrella
The AD600 should be plenty enough. If you were doing this later in golden hour I'd say even 2 bare speedlites would be enough, but again I don't think power output is your only issue here; it's gonna be recycle times as you shoot rapidly to try and get a good frame of all 15 people. Speedlites, especially at full-power just can't compete in recycle time to strobes.
If it were me out there I'd be taking something like this and using it as a shoot-through to get a wider spread. If you have an assistant to hold your stand/umbrella that'd be ideal, but if not definitely grab a sandbag or two to weigh it down as it will certainly be windy out on the beach.
If you want to do it all through a computer, a good quality webcam like a Logitech C920. You can then use any DirectShow compatible software to record the video straight onto your PC, such as Windows Movie maker, VLC, etc. Combine it with a set of CFLs to light you up, and you'll get pretty decent quality video assuming that you've already got an audio recording setup.
If you don't have a good quality audio recording setup, another solution that would be really easy to work with would be the Sony HDR-MV1. It doesn't have wifi, but you can just sync the stuff off it using a regular USB cable; and since the audio and video would be synchronised out of the camera it will save you time when you're editing.
As far as lighting, depending on your budget and if you plan to green screen, you can get anything from a regular lamp from walmart or you can get a cheap but good studio lighting kit. Up to you.
If you're gonna use a green screen you want at least two sources of light, one from each side to eliminate shadows. This is the same kit that I use and it has been a phenomenal setup.
If you don't need a green screen and either don't mind some shadows or can mount the light straight on, then you can get a single studio light as well.