I'm hoping for a bit of help with some new kit. I am looking for a couple of good video lights, but need to run them for several hours at a time rather than just 40mins - 1 hour of a standard dive. This will be my first foray into underwater video since the 1990s when I had a light system with a separate battery pack which was great, although I cannot for the life of my remember the name.
I'll be filming on a Sony A7 iv or maybe v if it ever materialises in shallow water. If anyone has any experience of different makes and models used for long durations I'd really appreciate some help in my research.
Thank you
Two options come to mind. One is to oversize the lights and/or get multiple lights (four or six rather than two) and run them on lower power. Another is to use canister lights made for cave divers - those typically last 5 hours or more.
Note that huge battery packs may pose problems while traveling; it is forbidden to carry a Li-Ion battery pack with more than 99Wh capacity on an airplane, and any Li-Ion batteries must be carried in the passenger cabin - you cannot check them in with luggage.
I was about to suggest basically the same thing as @Barmaglot - oversized lights run at minimum power. With any of the lights that I have used, minimum power will give you the time that you need. That is basically what I do on night dives, run my video lights continuously as my main lights, and just turn them up as needed.
Please define "long duration"
Unless you are running your video camera all the time, why would you need lights that will last longer than a dive? I have a Gates setup with a Single 10,000 lumen video light. I only use it when the camera is on. I have plenty of power left after two long dives. I make four dives a day and swap batteries over the longer lunch break. Brands are mox nix, Lumens and battery life is key for me.
