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Help choose lights for shark action please!

Started by Ivan ·

  • 4Posts
  • 4Replies

Read-only discussion

Help choose lights for shark action please!

4 posts
  1. Hello folks, please I am getting lost again here...can anyone with experience help me how to choose? I want to choose lights for the following:

    - shooting in tropical waters with mostly good to excellent visibilities (maldives/bahamas/red sea)

    - shooting of big stuff, mostly sharks, big schools of sharks, close up of sharks (for example great hammehead in biminii)

    - I do not intend of shooting macro

    what are the criteria i should most focus and give priority according to my needs? Lumen? beam angle? CRI?

     

    by looking around and with my very amateur knowledge i was kind of choosing between the below, which of these would be a good choice? or do you have a better suggestion?

     

    Venom 60

    https://www.uwphotographyguide.com/venom-60-review

    $599 $449

     

    Backscatter Macro Wide 4300 Underwater Video Light MW-4300

    https://www.backscatter.com/Backscatter-Macro-Wide-Underwater-Video-Light-MW-4300?_ga=2.241744779.849455061.1644703527-928136682.1644225472

    $499

     

    Light & Motion Sola Video Pro 3800 Underwater Video Light

    https://www.backscatter.com/Light-Motion-Sola-Video-Pro-3800-Underwater-Video-Light

    $499

     

    POWERPRO 25W 2 Potenze 3500 Lumen CRI 90

    https://www.diving-torches.com/powerpro-25watt-3200-lumen-cri-95-video-light.html?___store=english&___from_store=default

    $499

     

    FIX NEO PREMIUM 4030 DX II VIDEO LIGHT

    https://reefphoto.com/products/fix-neo-premium-4030-dx-ii

    $599

  2. All of the lights above are too weak even for close-up shots in tropical water. You need Lumens as there's no tomorrow!

    I think 10K lumen is the bare minimum and unfortunately double the budget required.

  3. Grazie Davide!

     

     

  4. Honestly, video lights are only effective out to about 1-2 meters at best, and getting sharks that close, especially if blasting them with thousands of lumens is not easy...

    I'd reconsider the whole endeavour. Why do you need video lights at all? It's not like you're shooting colourful reefs where you're using lights to reintroduce the natural color of the coral. Why not just shoot in ambient light? Sharks are mostly different shades of grey anyway.

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