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jonnybravo0311
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@dumpsterDiver wow... at about $300 for the complete setup including dual 890 lumen lights, that price is well under any rig I've seen to date. Thanks for providing the link!
Poles, Trays, Straps, Lights?
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dumpsterDiver
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Thanks @dumpsterDiver ! I was looking for similar products, but this kit seems to do a good job, especially with the stand/sandspike option and at an affordable price.
Will keep looking around a bit before clicking the "buy" button
Do you have any feedback about the quality of the lights provided with the kit? Battery life, light temperature, adjustable power?
The lights are really great. Zero problems and they use a screw on cap to turn on and off- so no switch to fail. They are wide angle and have a smooth light output with no hot spots or rings. I have been using cheap 18650 rechargeable batteries and get around an hour of use. they have only one setting I think: on.
This is a recent video i took at night using the tray and light system, however i have no view screen on the back of my camera and I screwed up and had the camera angle too low for some of the video. if I had a view screen on the camera, it would assist me in moving the light arms to optimize the light coverage. I have the GP 4 on medium wide setting, so it sees a lot - more than you might think. I think the failure to fully light the entire field of view was more an error of failure to move the flex arms to get the right light coverage, rather than the lights themselves.
Over all I think it is a very functional system. Unless you want to spend $800 for lights for a $400 camera...
As other commenters have indicated, there is no shortage of inexpensive tray options. My GoPro rig uses a very cheap tray from Foxpic with dual Intova arms that I picked up on Amazon for around $50.
When it comes to lights, I would advise you to not skimp. Buy a pair of lights with the highest output that you can afford. I think you will find that anything under 800-1000 lumens will be a disappointment. The sidekicks are cute but will be of little benefit. A lot of commenters have reported good results with Archon lights, so you may wish to check them out.
I started with a pair of Gobe 700 lumen video lights, for which I paid around $300. In crystal clear Caribbean water, they are only effective within a range of two feet. While this was great for starting out, it quickly became clear that I would need more output.
I subsequently upgraded to a pair of Bigblue 2600 lumen video lights. I got these on sale for about $450. These are much more effective but will not light up wide angle shots beyond 3-4 feet. For my budget, they do the job. I will eventually move up to something in the 4-5000 lumen range, knowing that this will be a $1000-1500 investment.
When it comes to lights, I would advise you to not skimp. Buy a pair of lights with the highest output that you can afford. I think you will find that anything under 800-1000 lumens will be a disappointment. The sidekicks are cute but will be of little benefit. A lot of commenters have reported good results with Archon lights, so you may wish to check them out.
I started with a pair of Gobe 700 lumen video lights, for which I paid around $300. In crystal clear Caribbean water, they are only effective within a range of two feet. While this was great for starting out, it quickly became clear that I would need more output.
I subsequently upgraded to a pair of Bigblue 2600 lumen video lights. I got these on sale for about $450. These are much more effective but will not light up wide angle shots beyond 3-4 feet. For my budget, they do the job. I will eventually move up to something in the 4-5000 lumen range, knowing that this will be a $1000-1500 investment.
Rustydiver
Contributor
I came up with this DIY pole. Will see how it works?
Last edited:
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jonnybravo0311
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@Rustydiver unfortunately the image isn't showing up for me.
@EvilOtter I've been looking at different lighting options. Right now I have no dedicated video lights, only a handheld flashlight (Ocean Quest 800). I like that Mako rig that was pointed out earlier... pair of ~900 Lumen lights and rig for about $300...
@EvilOtter I've been looking at different lighting options. Right now I have no dedicated video lights, only a handheld flashlight (Ocean Quest 800). I like that Mako rig that was pointed out earlier... pair of ~900 Lumen lights and rig for about $300...
Rustydiver
Contributor
Should work now.
Hatul
Contributor
I've used a tray and a pole to mount my GoPro and my favorite is a UKPro pole with the ZGear light mount
Camera Pole Light Mount
One hand grabs the light mount and the other the pole (like a submachine gun) and the system is stable with the advantages of the pole, namely you can extend it without spooking the wildlife.
Camera Pole Light Mount
One hand grabs the light mount and the other the pole (like a submachine gun) and the system is stable with the advantages of the pole, namely you can extend it without spooking the wildlife.
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