New L&M SOLA 600P

I am in need of a new focus light and had a chance to see the original Sola 600P in action recently. I liked the form factor and the built in red option, but I did notice that it was quite bright on the night dives. However, I do not know which power setting it was on.

I also read through this thread on it and a few of the people made comments on reliability and flooding issues. Most of the comments we relative to the original model that only had 1 red output level. It appears L&M heard customers feedback for the desire to have multiple red levels and made adjustments, but does any know if they addressed the apparent build quality issues?

Does anyone have any hands on experience with the new version? Do the 3 levels of red provide dim enough lighting to not spook critters whilst allowing your camera to focus? Is the lowest white level overpowering on night dives? I used to use my FIX 48LED on it lowest power setting and found that to be more then enough light for night dives.

I've been selling and using the latest version with good success. Haven't seen any issues.

The red light is great. I was diving in Maui recently and the "sea lice" were crowding everyone's lights making photography almost impossible. I switched to a dimmer red mode and it worked, no sea lice and the fish were pretty comfortable.

I do find you need to shoot above at least 100-125/sec in order not to see the red cast a bit.

Squid, Molokini Crater

Nikon D300s/Nauticam Housing, 60mm macro/ 2x YS-110a + Sola 600

Jack

I have found that even the lowest intensity red is fine with all my lenses, but balanced "twilight" shots are almost impossible as the Sola 600 is just too bright at slow shutter speeds (less than 1/60sec). So, macro is OK, but wide-angle in low light more difficult, unless the background is to be black.

Tim

I've been using 2 x 600s since Oct last year. I use them primarily as a video light source.

I use them 5/6 times a week, two dives a day. I switch them on and off constantly, they generally reach their low battery at the end of the two dives and then I charge them every day. I don't use the red setting.

I've found that the switch sticks randomly. This isn't a massive problem as I'm now used to sliding the switch with my fingers and pulling it back to the neutral position, before that I'd flick it, it would stick and then turn the light off.

I've found that the time it takes to turn the lights off is a bit annoying, it takes too long, especially when you have two!

One light has only ever failed to come on once, then I switched it off and a couple of minutes later switching it back on it worked fine (this is after hundreds of dives so I wouldn't even consider it.)

The connections are corroding ever so slightly (something I can clean up), but apart from that the units have little signs of use.

Under use one of the lights is starting to move from the fully charged, green, state to the orange state a lot quicker than the other one and when I plug it in to charge after the day's dives it goes straight to green. I've raised it with L&M who have said if I can try get it back to the supplier they'll replace it for me.

Overall, their form factor is incredible, the light (for video) is great, I rarely take it off the first setting. I used it a couple of times on a night dive and the red really does work. On a dive with plenty of worm action I had one on the white light and one on the red and there must have been 1/10th of the worms in front of the red light.

I wouldn't say that the fish were completely unaware of the red light, they scared slightly less with the red over the white, but they still knew about me.

For a focus light, the only thing I'd say, with mine, is that the red light doesn't have the coverage required for a focus point for WA, it significantly drops off after a couple of feet, but I couldn't see that being a problem really.

No fear of flooding, stick them in your pocket, ideal for traveling and also very bright!

I am in need of a new focus light and had a chance to see the original Sola 600P in action recently. I liked the form factor and the built in red option, but I did notice that it was quite bright on the night dives. However, I do not know which power setting it was on.

 

I also read through this thread on it and a few of the people made comments on reliability and flooding issues. Most of the comments we relative to the original model that only had 1 red output level. It appears L&M heard customers feedback for the desire to have multiple red levels and made adjustments, but does any know if they addressed the apparent build quality issues?

 

Does anyone have any hands on experience with the new version? Do the 3 levels of red provide dim enough lighting to not spook critters whilst allowing your camera to focus? Is the lowest white level overpowering on night dives? I used to use my FIX 48LED on it lowest power setting and found that to be more then enough light for night dives.

Thanks for adding the thread...I seem to be one of the unlucky ones that has an issue with the connection of the charger to the light itself.....It does not make proper contact. Bummer to find out that there is already a new model!!

Peter