In yesterday's article on cave diving, there was some feedback about underwater lights, so today I'd like to write about that topic! I'm Totti, the Kei Nishikori of the diving world!
First, we will explain various things in the video, so please watch it and then read the article below to make it easier to understand!
Which underwater diving light should I buy?
The bottom line is, it depends on the purpose and your budget. I completely understand the feeling of being unsure before purchasing. Prices range from a few thousand yen to hundreds of thousands of yen, and there are also many factors to consider, such as the size of the light itself, the type of bulb, the brightness of the light, whether it has a built-in rechargeable battery or uses dry batteries. Some can use rechargeable batteries and some cannot.
With so many varieties, it's hard to choose.
However, if you know what kind of situations you want to use it in and have a certain budget in mind, you'll probably find the answer to which light you should buy after reading this article!
I will focus on the purpose of "underwater photography" and continue writing.
The best choice will vary greatly depending on the purpose, so this time I would like to focus on lights for underwater photography.
Underwater lights for photography have two main roles: to focus and as a light source in place of a flash. Below we will explain the two types of diving lights that fulfill these roles.
Broadly speaking, there are two types of underwater diving lights for photography!
One of the following two types of diving lights should fit your needs.
Underwater diving lights come in wide and spot illumination types.
The first thing you need to choose is wide or spot illumination.The spread of lightThe key point is that the photo above shows spot illumination, and the photo below shows wide illumination.
The degree of light spread (spread) is obvious at a glance! Both spot and wide beams have their own advantages, disadvantages, and appropriate uses, so please refer to the information below to help you decide which to choose.
The purpose of the spot illumination underwater light is to "assist focus in photographing living creatures."
Spot lighting in underwater photography is used as a light source to assist autofocus when photographing living creatures.
To put it simply, cameras automatically adjust their focus, but what does it automatically adjust to?It has a tendency to focus on things that stand out due to differences in contrast.
For example, autofocus is good at taking pictures of subjects like the one in the photo above. Obviously, you can take pictures of things that stand out without the assistance of a light, but
These types of subjects are the weakest point for autofocus. Autofocus does not work properly when the background of the animal is cluttered or the animal is in a dimly lit area. This results in a large number of out-of-focus photos.
In such cases, if you use spot lighting to shine a light on the subject, the camera will detect the "difference in contrast" and the autofocus will function correctly. You will be able to mass-produce beautiful, in-focus photos!
The wide-angle underwater light is used as a substitute for a strobe and as a focus assist for photographing living creatures.
In conclusion, we recommend a wide-beam underwater light! It can be used as a light source instead of a strobe, and can also be used as a focus assist for cave exploration and wildlife photography! It's convenient because it can serve multiple purposes with just one light.
Recently, LED lights have become mainstream, so bright lights can now be purchased at relatively low prices.
This photo is an example of using a flashlight as a light source instead of a strobe. You can take photos like this with a light. Of course, the light is weaker than a strobe, so if you don't set the camera correctly, the photo will be blurry.
The biggest problem with using light is the reflection of dust, but with a wide beam light you can minimize this. This is huge.
The strobe is fixed with an arm, so it's a pain to have to change the angle every time. What's more, you won't know if the angle is optimal until you take a photo. If you just take a bunch of random photos, you'll end up with a lot of rubbish!
If the angle of the light source is bad, dust will appear whitish in the image like this. This is a common example of a mistake.
With the wide-angle light, you can check the dust reflected in the image on the camera's LCD screen while shining the light, so you can take the photo at the optimal angle to avoid dust being reflected. This allows you to mass-produce clear, dust-free photos!!
You can see any dust reflected in the image even while looking at the camera's LCD screen, so take the photo at the angle that gives the clearest image! Take! Take!!!
Anyone can easily adjust the wide beam light, and since I realized this, I have started using a wide beam light for most of my photography.
Both photos were taken with a genuine wide-angle underwater light. The photos are so beautiful you wouldn't know they were taken with a flash!
The wide beam is also great for macro photography!!!
This can also be used as a substitute for a strobe. There are ways to focus that are difficult to achieve with spot light, but wide-angle light is also perfectly capable! If you set the focus to a fixed center, you can focus without difficulty. You can also take photos that produce colors using only the wide-angle light without using a strobe.
If you are unsure whether to buy a strobe or a flashlight, we highly recommend the wide beam flashlight!!
This is the best diving light for underwater photography!
There are so many different types of underwater lights for diving that it can be difficult to choose the right one. I've bought so many different types of lights and made so many mistakes (misselections!) (which ended up costing me a lot of money).
And now I have finally arrived at the ultimate light that allows me to take beautiful underwater photos and is "long-lasting"!
RGBLue System02 Premium Color Underwater LED Light
It was developed specifically for underwater photography, and the attention to detail is impressive. By emitting the same color light as sunlight, you can reproduce natural, pristine colors in your photos.
The example photos above and all the photos on this website were taken with this light. The great thing about this light is that
- It has been developed with a structure that will never submerge in water.
- High light output of up to 3000 lumens, light intensity can be adjusted in three stages
- Even with daily use as a cave diving guide, it can last for a week without needing to be charged.
- You can have it overhauled so you can use it for a long time.
- A variety of optional accessories are available, including spot lighting and color filters
- メイドインジャパン！
The finished photo also has a truly natural color, which greatly expands the options for people who want to take photos with care.
Being able to use it for a long time after overhauling is a great advantage, and the fact that there is no risk of it getting submerged in water is also revolutionary!!! It is expensive, but if you can use it for a long time, it can be said that it is very cost-effective.
It's flawless and I can proudly recommend it! However, it is quite expensive, so I recommend it only if you have the budget!
SecurityIng Wide 120 Degree Underwater Diving Light
RGBLue is a bit too expensive for you, so this light is perfect for you!
Made in China is all the rage these days! If you were to find a 1000 lumen light made in Japan, it would normally cost XNUMX yen, but this one, including the charger set, is only about XNUMX yen. As expected from China. But is it okay? You're probably thinking that. I thought the same thing.
When I saw this light that one of our staff members had purchased, I wondered if it was really OK (it's made in China), but it seemed to work really well, so I bought 10 of them for our shop's guides and rental lights, and only one was defective! (There was one!)
However, they will replace any defective products, so all 10 were great purchases.
- 1000 yen (including battery and charger) for XNUMX lumens is cheap!!
- Similarly, the cave diving guide has a battery life of one week.
- Double O-ring mechanism prevents submersion
- The purchase reviews are also decent
There is a slight color unevenness compared to the RGblue, but the light output is still 1000 lumens, so there is no problem! What's more, the light spread is wide enough that it will be useful in actual combat.
However, since it is made in China, I would only recommend it to those who think that if you get a good product, it will be a win!! Even if you get a bad product, you can just buy the light and it will only cost an additional 5,000 yen! Lol
If you want to use it in a more unique way, please feel free to ask me again! I'm always happy to give advice. Let's all go and take some beautiful photos!
See you tomorrow.
