To fit a torch on a arm to take pictures

[Hackric]

Has anyone here ever tried to use the excellent hartenberger maxi compact as a torch to take picture?
I mean: to fit it on an arm linked to a camera so that you can adjust the light easily on what you want to take the picture of?
My question may apply more generally to using a torch as a "strobe" (=put a torch on a arm) for photography

 

[gert7to3]

This is a good question which many other aspiring underwater photographers have asked, then later answered with the subsequent purchase of their first submersible strobe. I know, I have a UK "Light Cannon" a purchase which seemed like a good idea at the time, but didn't work as hoped.

However bright your torch may seem, it is not as bright as a xenon strobe. You simply cannot put sufficient light on a subject that will freeze motion and accommodate the small apertures necessary for good depth of field. That initial brightness is a further obstacle because marine fauna naturally shy away from bright lights. A strobe permits you to frame and focus with low illumination or ambient light, then properly illuminate with the power of a xenon spark.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Another problem is a dive light has very uneven illumination relative to a strobe and will degrade the picture severely.