Focus light advice considering new options on market

Hello!

I am looking for a new focus light, and I was curious if any of you had any info about the new lights on the market. I had initially planned on getting a sola, but with some of the new options out there, I am wondering if my money would be better spent elsewhere. I do like the idea of a wide beam light, since I would like to shoot some limited video using the light as well. Anyway, here are the lights I have been looking at, along with links to the manufacturers page...

Sola Photo 1200 $699

http://www.lightandmotion.com/underwater/sola1200p.html

1200 lumens, 70 minutes on full power, nonswappable batteries, has spot and flood beam, built in red light

This is tried and true, but I wish it had replaceable batteries so I could swap them out after a few dives rather than having to recharge.

Fix Neo 2000 Dx $749

http://www.fisheye-jp.com/english/products/light/fe_neo/index.html

Light has removable batteries, digital readout of minutes of light remaining at any given power level, 100% variable output level, beam about 100 degrees, 60 min run time at 2000 lumens, available flip filter adapter to change color temp of light and switch to red, light is pretty blue, spare batteries are available but expensive (but not as much as RGBlue)

I really like the techy feel of the fix neo, and although it's not really needed, I do like the LCD saying "you have x minutes of light remaining." Replacement batteries are available, too, but they are also expensive - just not quite as expensive as the RGBlue. The color temp of this light looks very blue-white, which may or may not matter that much. I do like the clip on flip adapter for the red or warmer light filters

RGBlue System01 $750

http://www.rgblue.jp/en/products/system01/

high CRI light with natural light color, single plane light emission to eliminate "multi-shadow effect," 100 degree beam, up to 2200 lumens (1-100% power adjustable), replaceable batteries (expensive!), only 35 minutes burn time at full power, but 50 minutes at 1800 lumens, can use a condenser to have 60 degree beam, or attach a red light filter for red

I really like the shadow control and natural light appearance of the RGBlue, but I am concerned about the abysmal battery life - though I understand the reason for the low battery life, and might be willing to accept it. Of course, replacement batteries are painfully expensive.

i-Torch Video Pro6 $599

http://www.itorch.ca/i-torch-video-pro6.html

Light has 2400 lumens, runs on removable 36250 li-ion batteries (much cheaper to keep spares on hand!), 60 minute burn time on full, has built in white/red/UV LEDs, 3 levels of white, 2 levels red, 1 level UV, 120 degree beam angle, color indicator of remaining battery life on switch

This is a lot cheaper, but it lacks the 1-100% adjustable light level (which I like, in theory - my prior lights never had this feature). I don't really know anything about i-Torch as a brand. I like the cheap replaceable batteries. I like the red and UV light being built in!

FIT 2400 LED WSR (White/Spot/Red) $420

http://www.fun-in.com.tw/oc/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=1696 (not the manufacturer link - couldn't find this one)

http://www.fun-in.com.tw/share/documents/fit/UwP73_FIT_LED2400.pdf (review at UWP mag)

most wallet friendly! 2400 lumens, 120 degree flood or 15 degree spot, red and white lights built in - can run both at same time to adjust color temp, 60 minutes burn time on full, uses cheap replaceable batteries, battery life indicator on switch

or

FIT 2400 UV version $600

http://www.fun-in.com.tw/oc/index.php?route=product/product&path=95_30_199&product_id=1689

essentially the same as the WSR above, except it can do white, red, purple, and UV light - not sure if it still has a spot mode or not, 2400 White / 200 Red / 6W Purple / 10W UV

Seems to be very similar to the i-Torch as far as advantages - multiple light sources in 1 body, with cheap user replaceable batteries. The UV version of the FIT seems like a good comparison to the i-Torch

So...any thoughts on these lights from you guys? I am somewhat leaning towards the i-Torch or the FIT lights, since they have cheap replaceable batteries, and they are cheaper overall than the Sola, Fix, or RGBlue. That said, each of the more expensive lights have some good things going for them, too. Please help!

I like the look of the i-Torch, the purple feature would be fun. Red light, reasonable burn time and replaceable battery.

Cheers,

Jim.

I use the sola photo 1200, a charge lasts me over a full day of diving (3 to 4 dives). I hardly ever use it at full power, low power is more then adequate for my setup. Have used it as a primary light on night dives exceeding 2 hours, no problem with it running out of juice.

Elmer

iTorch has another model out, very similiar to the Pro6, called the "Fish-Lite" V24 for $499. 2400 lumens. Has 3 levels of white and red light, no UV. Push button on the end. No power indicator. Comes with a "YS" adaptor, can be swtiched to an optional ball mount.

Seems very wide and even, bluer light than the Fix NEO. By our eyes it looks more like 2000+ lumens, not 2400. 50 mins of high power, then switches to 60% power. Comes with 2 batteries and a seperate charger.

Jack

Thanks for the additional info, Jack! You know, I haven't seen much by way of reviews of any of the new lights, with the exception of the UWPMag review of the FIT 2400 LED. I've mulled this over a fair bit, and I am thinking I will place an order for the FIT 2400 UV version of the light. I don't need the spot beam of the WSR, but I do like the idea of the built in blue light for fluoro photography, and I like the built in red light too. It seems very similar on paper to the i-torch pro6, but the main difference that has me considering the FIT light is the difference between the switches. It looks like the i-torch has a single button that alternates modes and light intensity, whereas the FIT light has 2 separate buttons for these functions. One controls light intensity, one controls the mode. I think this would be easier to manage underwater with the controls managed this way. Good possibility I will order one of these lights this week, unless I hear a compelling reason soon why I should consider something else

We discussed the FIT 2400 here: http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=50759

We discussed the FIT 2400 here: http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=50759

Oh yeah, I saw this discussion too! Sorry I didn't mention that one!

Totdoc it really depends what your going to do with it. Are you just doing stills ora bit of video or alot of video.

I am currently running 2 I-torch video pro 4's and I am happy with the results for the cost. I like the simple design, the user replacable rechargable batteries, and the fact the give you a spare battery in the box. The only down side is that I am shooting alot of very wide videos and require 2-3 lights for coverage. the Video pro 4's are 1400 lumens and I think when shooting video your always after more lumens to light up an area. I felt very inadequate when an acquaintance of mine has a 32,000 lumen Wasp dive light on his video camera.

Regards Mark

I am doing mostly stills and a little bit of video. As it turns out, I just put in an order for the FIT 2400 UV version today. We shall see how it works out, but I have a good feeling about this light. 2400 lumens, cheap user replaceable chargeable batteries just like the i-torch, and it has white, red, blue, and UV lights built in! I like it that this will be a jack of all trades light. If I find myself shooting more video than I thought, I will add higher power dedicated video lights sometime down the road, but I think this will hold me over for some time

Check out these. I've been very satisfied with the 800 (now shown out of stock - brighter lights available soon). Well designed & fabricated with good battery life. The 800 was about $200.

http://www.laluzoptics.com/products.html

So I ended up getting a FIT 2400 UV video version. I can't wait to get this thing in the water!

The light is very bright, wide, and has very smooth light distribution. I only notice a central hot spot when very close to a wall, but this rapidly fades with a little distance. The controls are very easy to flip between different modes using the 2 buttons. I really like it that one button is dedicated to changing the intensity and the other is for changing modes. The purple and UV lights are really nice, too - testing it on some things around the house, it does a great job of making things glow nice and bright.

I did a quick comparison vs a pair of 1000 lumen flood lights on my go pro setup. They are not high end by a long shot, but this single light has a larger, brighter, and more uniform distribution of light than the pair of those lights ever did. I imagine this will work well for some casual video use. Overall, I'm very pleased with the purchase.

Oh, and the build quality appears to be very good, also. Nice solid little light.

Can someone please list which lights that switch off in response to a strobe pre-flash to avoid a hot spot?

Thanks,

Mark

Hi damselfish. I was looking at the FIT video light. I was wondering if you also use it as a focus light for stills and if so what setting. Thanks.

You might want to check out our Video/Focus Light Comparison Chart. It doesn't list everything in this very crowded (and constantly changing!) product field, but it's pretty comprehensive of the popular lights.

Jack

Hey TotDoc

I've just bought a Sola 800 Photo to replace my FixEye HD20 and used it for a week in the Red Sea as both a dive light and, with its, red capability, as a focussing light with a Nikon 105mm lens. It worked a charm. The fact it doesn't auto switch off with the strobes didn't seem a problem. I can't see any residual red cast.

The Sola and charger are very light weight which is great for transporting. As I have noted in other posts, my Sola set arrived with a charger that didn't work. The replacement is fine. Happy with it so far.

I'm in a similar position. I mostly shoot macro, but there's the occasional 'omg an eagle ray' shoot I'd like on video. Has anyone tried Ikelite Vega's (http://www.ikelite.com/lighting/2101-vega-video-light.html)? I'm currently shooting with a nauticam housing and Sony rx100II. I'd like to add some focus light capabilities as I found this the hardest thing to accomplish on getting it to focus. So this would sit on the hot shoe for the camera.

I bought Sola 800 from the sale at Dipndive some months ago. I've been using it in the Black Sea and it is a completely great choice for different purposes. It works like a charm without any issues.

Hi,

For focus light i used U1300WRL.

http://www.u-seas.es/focos-video/3-foco-u1300wrl.html

It has three modes (White Light / Red / Laser), and can adjust power.

And other light with more power is the model - U2300WSRUV.

Regards

I think you'll be happy. I have the FIT 1200. I use it as a primary for wreck, as a focus light I rarely have it on full power. I have never had it run out of power so the battery must last longer than 2 hours.