1000 vs 1800 lumen video light

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

UFOrb

Contributor
Messages
545
Reaction score
274
Location
Brighton, UK
# of dives
50 - 99
Hi, I'm sure this kind of topic has been covered before but I'm basically hoping for some feedback on an entry-level video light set up, using the cold shoe of my Canon housing (for G7X MkII).

After some research I recently bought a Fantasea Radiant 1000x video & dive light which is small and light-weight with adjustable light settings, including a red light. Max output is 1000lm (hence the name) and it came with 2x 18650 Li-ion batteries (60min burn time @ max) - 120 degree beam. I realise I'm not going to light up a reef but the idea (whilst keeping costs down to an acceptable level) is to bring out colours for close up / macro (as well as under ledges / in caves etc.) video clips and as a focus light for stills.

I've since become aware of BigBlue Black Molly II for a little more ££ :facepalm: : 1800lm with various light settings, including both cool white & warm white - also 120 degree beam. A little larger than the Radiant but still compact & light-weight. 2 hours burn time on max power (1x 26650 battery included) so saves changing battery between dives (assuming only 2 dives per day).

My question is; how much difference would the extra 800lm make? Should I go through the hassle & some expense of returning the Radiant in favour of the Black Molly?

I should add that (so far) I stick to tropical waters as a rec. holiday diver.

Thanks in advance for any input!
 
Last edited:
I would be surprised if you would see any difference. Big Blue doesn't use constant output drivers, so while the 1000 lumen of the Fantasea is probably a touch optimistic, the 1800 lumen of the big blue is not going to happen, 1500 if you're lucky, and after about half an hour it will drop to probably 800 or so. Better off saving the money and getting a second of your Fantaseas if you're happy with it to help eliminate shadows.
 
I would be surprised if you would see any difference. Big Blue doesn't use constant output drivers, so while the 1000 lumen of the Fantasea is probably a touch optimistic, the 1800 lumen of the big blue is not going to happen, 1500 if you're lucky, and after about half an hour it will drop to probably 800 or so. Better off saving the money and getting a second of your Fantaseas if you're happy with it to help eliminate shadows.

Thanks tbone, that's good to hear. I figured I'll be adding to / upgrading the set up before each trip. Will see how things pan out this next trip in May ...
 
I would be surprised if you would see any difference. Big Blue doesn't use constant output drivers, so while the 1000 lumen of the Fantasea is probably a touch optimistic, the 1800 lumen of the big blue is not going to happen, 1500 if you're lucky, and after about half an hour it will drop to probably 800 or so. Better off saving the money and getting a second of your Fantaseas if you're happy with it to help eliminate shadows.

What kind of drivers do Big Blue use ? Do they use the same driver for all their lights ?
 
What kind of drivers do Big Blue use ? Do they use the same driver for all their lights ?

I'm not sure which drivers they are using, but I would imagine it is the same style across the board. We Test Lights tested several different types of lights from them and they all exhibited the same burn characteristics. The DGX600 does the same. For things like cave backup lights, this could be considered a feature because it will maximize the burn time of the light. For things like video lights, it is not desirable because you can't get consistency through the duration of the burn
 
I'm not sure which drivers they are using, but I would imagine it is the same style across the board. We Test Lights tested several different types of lights from them and they all exhibited the same burn characteristics. The DGX600 does the same. For things like cave backup lights, this could be considered a feature because it will maximize the burn time of the light. For things like video lights, it is not desirable because you can't get consistency through the duration of the burn

I have the Big Blue VL7500 video lights. Have not noticed the light output drop like you describe. Going from full output to 50% in half an hour is a lot and I would notice something like that.
 
We Test Lights | VL15000P Test and Review

it's big brother took an hour to drop to half, but it still did. It's a slow enough drop that you honestly probably wouldn't notice unless you had a before and after picture.

High power video lights questions

see post #23. Barney is a professional UW videographer who denied that it existed before he tested it....
Interesting and definitely good info.

The chart you linked shows the light output around 12600 lumens at 2 minutes then steadily dropping to 8100 after 60 minutes which is the mfr listed burn time. Roughly a steady drop to 65% output over the listed burn time.

You are right, I probably would not notice that. I am still very happy with my lights for the price. The light output for the money is still better than the competition.

On night dives I have them low setting while diving around, turning them up only when recording. Will do the same on day dives now.
 
Last edited:
@ronscuba yeah, so this is all on high. The problem I have with them, is the blatantly false advertising. Advertising 15k lumen and getting 12.6k is fine. No issue. Lumen testers are very expensive and it is probably putting out 15k behind the glass, or close to it. My issue is they imply you get 15k for 60 minutes. The problem is, you are getting an average of 10k on that particular light, which is worlds better than some of the other BB tests they have done at 60% of their claimed lumens and is at least a linear degradation, but it's still not consistent. For proper high quality video? That's real bad
 
@ronscuba yeah, so this is all on high. The problem I have with them, is the blatantly false advertising. Advertising 15k lumen and getting 12.6k is fine. No issue. Lumen testers are very expensive and it is probably putting out 15k behind the glass, or close to it. My issue is they imply you get 15k for 60 minutes. The problem is, you are getting an average of 10k on that particular light, which is worlds better than some of the other BB tests they have done at 60% of their claimed lumens and is at least a linear degradation, but it's still not consistent. For proper high quality video? That's real bad

I would not call it blatant false advertising. Almost every light mfr uses the individual LED element lumen rating when they list their lights. Like you say, a separate lumen test on the finished product must be very expensive.

As far as lights for video, that is what I bought the Big Blue 7500 for and am happy with them. Consistent lumen output is important, but we are talking about a slow linear drop off. Shooting video UW is generally recording on/off many times during a single dive. No good UW videographer is recording a continuous 60 minute video clip. Most of my raw clips are 20-40 seconds that get trimmed to 7-15 seconds in editing. So while the lab test lumen drop off is not perfect, it does not negatively impact my video footage.

Lab tests are great, but big differences in lab test results do not always mean big differences in real world uses. Lab performance, real world performance, price. It is nice to have a choice.

One thing for sure. Evolution in technology and competition is great for us consumers. It is forcing mfrs. to improve their products and lower their pricing because of the internet and discussions like this.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

Back
Top Bottom