Feedback for photo/video setup--what would you do?

Hello--I am interested in how you would setup the following gear for shooting video and pics on the same dive.......do I need different arms? How should the video lights be positioned? I don't think both strobes are do-able....unsure.

Would love to hear how you would setup the gear that I have. Any comments welcome!

One way would be to ditch the locline arms in favor or rigid arms with triple clamps at the light end. Might be tough to adjust but then strobes and lights would always be positioned similarly to allow switching between stills and video.

I struggle with those types of arms, it seems they are too loose or too tight all the time but I see what you are saying. What do you think of the position of the video lights? I have one arm dedicated to one light, but I had to mount the other to the strobe arm. Are two of these lights overkill?

I don't know your specific video lights, but it is unlikely that two of them are "overkill". It's hard to have too much light for video and very hard to cover an entire frame evenly with one light

This is how I set up my rig for strobes/vid lights. Two 8" Ultralight arms on each side, mounting the vid light in the middle with triple clamps. Position straight, inward or outward depending on the vid lights beam angles and subject coverage in the frame, making sure that the lights are behind the port to minimize backscatter.

I agree with troporobo, those flexible arms are a hassle to work with. With the slightest currents or movement they are pushed all the way back making them hard to maintain a fixed position. Tried them once and never again.

https://s20.postimg.org/r407jmfjh/Strobes_Vid.jpg

So it best to have video lights down low and out to the sides? I have tried the rigid arms and Ill tell ya, I struggled with those so I went to the locline. Plus the cost!

That is one large setup you have there Triggerfish!

So it best to have video lights down low and out to the sides? I have tried the rigid arms and Ill tell ya, I struggled with those so I went to the locline. Plus the cost!

 

That is one large setup you have there Triggerfish!

Actually there isn't one correct position for any lights underwater whether strobes or video. One should constantly change their position depending on the subject distance and lens used, fisheye, wideangle, macro, standard zoom lens.

Generally, if you are using fisheye or wideangle lens, then pushing the lights outwards would provide more coverage and hence better results. For standard zoom lens or macro, lights better positioned straight or inward depending on how far the subject is.

Best thing to do is to adjust the lights position and cam exposure while you inspect the cam screen at the same time and shoot according to your mood and preference. Play with the lights position as much as you want until you find the satisfactory one to your liking for a particular scene/subject.

ok thanks for that.....do I need to worry about backscatter with video lights as well? Im thinking I prob do.....

ok thanks for that.....do I need to worry about backscatter with video lights as well? Im thinking I prob do.....

Certainly. To get around backscatter, position the lights backwards, i.e. let the lights level with your housing tray handles. You want to avoid having the lights emit intensely close to the camera port/field of view.

In addition, the idea of pushing the lights outwards, whether for wideangle shooting or other scenes, is to spread the lights beam and to have the soft spot of the light (the edge of the light cone) illuminate the subject instead of the hot spot (the center of the light) which reflects backscatter significantly.

Once again, these are general guidance and it all depends on your subject, distance and background. If let say you are shooting a subject with rocks or corals as background, backscatter will not be a serious issue as shooting the subject with a contrasting background color, the water for example.

Shoot, assess and adjust until you get it perfect is the way to go really.

Thanks so much! Very much appreciated!

Hi guys, I'm new on the forum, thanks for the answers Triggerfish. Are you strobes Sea and Sea? if they are, which model is it and how do like them?
just got a deal on 2 Ys-110a, but didn't had them wet.. and yours really look alike! thank you!

Hi guys, I'm new on the forum, thanks for the answers Triggerfish. Are you strobes Sea and Sea? if they are, which model is it and how do like them?

just got a deal on 2 Ys-110a, but didn't had them wet.. and yours really look alike! thank you!

Aqualife. This is an old photo and at that time I was using the Sea & Sea YS-110, an older version of the YS-110a strobes. Currently I'm using S&S YS-D1.

Frankly, all of S&S strobes are excellent. You can't go wrong with them. Reliable, powerful light and easy to service.