This video light is different than most in that the battery is contained in a separate canister using a wet connector cable. Lamps cost $375, canister with wet connector, $525. You can power 2 lamps off 1 battery with a Y-cable.
Sartek Industries Product Details
I like this design because it keeps the batteries off the already heavy housing. I carry the canister on my waist belt. I already had the canister and battery from my halogen setup which has the same wet connector. Sartek also sells HID with the same connector so you could use an HID, LED or halogen light with the same canister.
The light has a very wide 120 degree beam without hotspots. Color temperature is 6000k, matching very well with daylight.
In comparison to my 50 watt halogen lights, the LEDs are not as powerful. However, for daytime shooting the LEDs work better because of the color temp. Both are limited to daytime tropical shooting distances of around 2-3 feet. I do plan on experimenting with making the beam narrower which should help. Interestingly, I found I could shoot daytime with the filter and camcorder set at auto white balance. Probably because the LED temp matches well with daylight.
Night time, I find the LED color too blue and end up doing a manual white balance on the camcorder. Even then, I prefer the warmth of halogen on night dives.
I don't have any footage on the internet from the LED's, but my Belize and Indonesia videos were shot with the halogens on the night dives and many macro shots. Take a look at those videos for an idea of what I am comparing the LED lights against.
Sartek Industries Product Details
I like this design because it keeps the batteries off the already heavy housing. I carry the canister on my waist belt. I already had the canister and battery from my halogen setup which has the same wet connector. Sartek also sells HID with the same connector so you could use an HID, LED or halogen light with the same canister.
The light has a very wide 120 degree beam without hotspots. Color temperature is 6000k, matching very well with daylight.
In comparison to my 50 watt halogen lights, the LEDs are not as powerful. However, for daytime shooting the LEDs work better because of the color temp. Both are limited to daytime tropical shooting distances of around 2-3 feet. I do plan on experimenting with making the beam narrower which should help. Interestingly, I found I could shoot daytime with the filter and camcorder set at auto white balance. Probably because the LED temp matches well with daylight.
Night time, I find the LED color too blue and end up doing a manual white balance on the camcorder. Even then, I prefer the warmth of halogen on night dives.
I don't have any footage on the internet from the LED's, but my Belize and Indonesia videos were shot with the halogens on the night dives and many macro shots. Take a look at those videos for an idea of what I am comparing the LED lights against.
