richijota

I haven’t been able to get my hands on the Ace Pro 2 myself, although I do know several dive buddies who own one. So I can only really speak from personal experience with the action cameras I’ve actually used for diving, the GoPro Hero 12 and the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro. Between those two, I’d definitely pick the Osmo Action, for several reasons: larger sensor (same size of Ace Pro) and consequently better performance in low light, better color rendition (subjective, of course), deeper depth rating without a housing (20 m), very good price, especially when on sale (at least when I got mine), and excellent battery life. In my opinion, it’s clearly ahead of the GoPro 12, which is pretty similar compared with the GoPro 13. That said, there are plenty of videos out there directly comparing footage from all these cameras. I’d recommend watching some of them so you can see real-world results side by side. Here’s one I particularly liked: Regarding housings, there is a deep-dive housing for the Ace Pro 2 rated to 200 m, made by Isotta, although it’s not exactly cheap. As for compatibility with AOI lenses, I’m not entirely sure, but I think a one-degree difference in FOV shouldn’t cause major issues (that’s just my assumption). In terms of battery life, both the Ace Pro 2 and the Osmo Action are a step ahead of the GoPro. My personal recommendation: at the moment, I think both the Osmo and the Insta are a notch above the GoPro. So unless you specifically rely on the GoPro ecosystem/accessories, I’d go for one of those instead. Given the purpose you mentioned, especially BTS material and mounting it on your main housing, I’d suggest also looking into a completely different concept: the Insta360 4X/5X. For BTS, social media, and basically showing a third-person perspective of how you shoot photos or video with your main, I think it’s a really interesting option. The video I linked above also covers it and shows some creative use cases.

I’ve been trying to gather more firsthand information about the UIS-P1 strobes. I spoke with my trusted store, and they basically told me that, as a point of reference, the circular flash tubes in these strobes are very similar to those used in the Kraken and Scubalamp models. According to them, in terms of build quality and light output, all three are quite comparable. This matches what Alex Mustard mentioned in the other thread you referred to, where he said that the Kraken KS160s and SUPE D-Pro are also very similar in terms of light quality and power. So overall, these three lithium-powered circular strobes seem to be in the same league—both in terms of performance and price. In my case, the stronger LED light and the RC TTL compatibility in the AOIs make the difference. @Chris Ross As for power needs, I mostly shoot general wide-angle and close-focus wide-angle. I don’t often get to shoot large animals—only on specific trips—and I’m not particularly into underwater landscape photography. So having more powerful strobes is more of a “just in case” thing, which I guess many of us can relate to 😅. Based on the detailed review by Andrew and the comparisons to the Kraken and SUPE D-Pro, I’ve decided to go with the AOIs. I’ve already asked for a quote, and the pair comes in at 550 euros less than the HF-1s. For me, that price difference isn’t enough to justify the downgrade in maximum light power output compared with the HF-1s. I’m hoping to have them by the end of August, and I’ll be happy to answer any specific questions for others who might be in a similar situation.

Thank you all for your responses! I had already read Andrew’s review, as well as his talk about the strobe with Alex Mustard on his show, very informative for sure. However, I was looking for comments from people who have actually bought them and spend some time with them in the water. I’m planning to buy my first pair of strobes, and these fit my budget. I’m already shooting with an AOI housing for my OM-1, so I think it could be a good combination overall. Compared to the HF-1, here in Spain the price difference at my trusted retailer is around 300–350 EUR for the pair. So basically, they fit my budget, the info provided by Andrew matches what I’m looking for, and I’ve had good experiences with AOI products. I was just hoping to hear from people who actually own them, to help finalize my decision, since I haven’t met any users or dive buddies who have had their hands on them.

Hi everyone, Just bringing this thread back to ask if anyone has had the chance to try this strobe in person. I'm in the process of choosing a new pair of strobes and I'm torn between these and the Backscatter HF-1. The AOI UIS strobes are really appealing to me, but I haven’t found much first-hand feedback from actual users yet. Has anyone had the chance to get their hands on them??

My name is Ricardo, and I am an amateur OM-1 shooter in AOI housing. Trying to continue learning UW photography and enjoying underwater adventures. I have been reading the forum since I started learning underwater photography (1 year ago), but I haven’t taken part in it yet — but I think it’s time!!