UK HID Light Canon as photography light source?

[92630Diver]

I'm new to underwater photography, having just purchased a wp-dc40 housing for my Canon Powershot S70. I've read numerous threads on strobes and lighting, on photography tips, image enhancement with Photoshop CS and other applications, etc.

I know that proper lighting can and will make a significant difference with the images that I hope to take. My question is this, would the Underwater Kinetics HID Light Canon make for an acceptable light source for underwater digital photography?

I saw this setup online and it looks like it would work to me! Am I trying to streamline my kit too much? It just seems that this would kill a few birds with one stone. I wouldn't have to carry the camera with strobe and a standard lighting source separately. The HID light includes a diffuser, and there's an available filter kit for night diving that stimulates fluorescence. I would imagine that the later will lend toward some interesting photos.

With this one setup I could shoot photos or just use the light to see into the nooks and crannies. Any opinions?

 

[maractwin]

One of my dive buddies uses a light cannon. One problem with using it as a photography light is that it takes a while to turn on. It fades up to full brightness over about a minute. So you'd have to leave it on the whole dive, meaning you will use more battery.

At night, they are really, really bright. The person with the light cannon gets swarmed by all the tiny swimming creatures as this light drowns out all of the regular lights. I prefer to be a few feet away, rather than in the middle of all that light.

-Mark