Video lights that would work for photos?

[Seanothon]

I'm putting together my first set of UW gear. I just got a housing for my Panasonic GH2 with the primary purpose being video. I am wondering if there are any video lights that would work well for photo or if they just aren't going to be bright enough and worry about strobes later on down the road.

I appreciate the advice.

 

[the_dragon_no1]

If on the low-cost side, i recomend Archon d32vr!

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk now Free

 

[matdiver]

Another GH2 user - welcome to the club! I also mainly do video. I have a single flood reflector Kowalski Maxum 1250. As it's halogen, the colour rendering is 100%, but there's no denying that LEDs are lighter, if you don't mind the slightly cooler/bluish look (probably something you could sort out in photoshop anyway). Depending on the kind of conditions in which you dive, you can get great colourful results just by manual white balancing, provided you have a good red filter. MWB doesn't annoy the marine life either.
Check out the videos in my signature for more info.
Matt

PS - which housing do you have - 10Bar or Nauticam?

 

[Seanothon]

Another GH2 user - welcome to the club! I also mainly do video. I have a single flood reflector Kowalski Maxum 1250. As it's halogen, the colour rendering is 100%, but there's no denying that LEDs are lighter, if you don't mind the slightly cooler/bluish look (probably something you could sort out in photoshop anyway). Depending on the kind of conditions in which you dive, you can get great colourful results just by manual white balancing, provided you have a good red filter. MWB doesn't annoy the marine life either.
Check out the videos in my signature for more info.
Matt

PS - which housing do you have - 10Bar or Nauticam?

Thanks! I like the videos. I have the 10bar housing. What red filter do you use? I am finding my options for the 10bar port very limited.

 

[drbill]

Personally I don't see video lights being good for still imaging... nowhere near the instantaneous light output and I would imagine the shutter speed on the camera would be slow enough that motion would not be stopped, causing blurry images. At least that's the case when I take stills with my video camera.

 

[matdiver]

Hey Seanothon,
I'm using the Panasonic power zoom 14-42, and it's just right for what I do. I put it behind a flat port, with the Aditech/Mangrove filter (I think it's just a re-brand of UrPro glass). You can see the filter here:
Shop - MANGROVE - Aditech | Underwater video and photo online store
scroll down to CF-M67. I found it MUCH better than the magic filter, on my camera at least.

I hadn't thought about what DrBill said, you know, the shutter speed. A video light is never going to be as bright as a flash, which is only "on" for a miniscule fraction of a second. However if you're within a metre or so of your subject, or further away when light is low (and you don't have to compete against ambient), I would have thought you could get decent photos with a shutter of 80. For web and e-mail I just do frame grabs from a 720/50p timeline. Actually OK for a 15x10cm print too, but not A4 because the resolution is way too low. Although my torch has a wide flood beam, it's not wide enough for some lens configurations. I tried it with a Sony 0.7 WA converter screwed onto the front of the PZ 14-42, behind the 10 Bar dome, and there was a hot spot of illumination.
Before making an expensive mistake, maybe try a really cheap option for the first trip? There is a lot to figure out with a camera like the GH2, and 10 Bar's controls aren't always the easiest to manipulate.
Matt

 

[Seanothon]

Yeah, I assumed as much with the video light. I will probably just try a cheap option and see what develops (pun intended).

Hey Seanothon,
I'm using the Panasonic power zoom 14-42, and it's just right for what I do. I put it behind a flat port, with the Aditech/Mangrove filter (I think it's just a re-brand of UrPro glass). You can see the filter here:
Shop - MANGROVE - Aditech | Underwater video and photo online store
scroll down to CF-M67. I found it MUCH better than the magic filter, on my camera at least.

I was thinking the Mangrove looked like the best. I have the wide angle port, though. Any experience with the Mangrove CF-D127 filter? The only thing that concerns me is the fact that it doesn't slide over the entire front of the port. I wondered if it might cause any strange refraction / reflection if the light hit both the port lens and the filter in a certain way.

What camera tray do you use / recommend?

 

[matdiver]

Any experience with the Mangrove CF-D127 filter? The only thing that concerns me is the fact that it doesn't slide over the entire front of the port. I wondered if it might cause any strange refraction / reflection if the light hit both the port lens and the filter in a certain way.

What camera tray do you use / recommend?

Yep, I've got the D127 as well. Your concerns are entirely justified - it does cover the whole of the port, but reflection is exactly what happens when you're shallower than about 7m or so, depending on the angle of the sunlight. This is because there is a distance of a few cm between the front of the port and the filter due to the curve of the dome. It worked fine at 15m+, but it's just not worth the hassle due to the problems at shallower depths. Which lens do you have? Is there any chance of putting a filter on inside the housing, i.e. directly on the front of the lens?
For the tray I'm using Aditech's Mangrove SA-BJX2. You can see it on the site. It's absolutely fine. I also have a single ULCS arm that I use to attach my Kowalski.
Matt

 

[ScubaBob92651]

I have a similar setup and I have a pair of Sola 4000s. Like you, I primarily use the GH2 for video however I have gotten some decent pics using ambient light as well as with the Solas. IMO, the GH2 (and all large sensor DSLR/M43 cameras) need a lot (strobe) of light to get great pics. However, with a little practice and discrimination of subjects you can get some decent pics using video lights only. Here's a link to the pics I've taken in local (SoCal) waters since I started shooting with my GH2 in a Nauticam housing. I originally shot at full (16MP) resolution, but have recently switched to 8MP pics to be able to take advantage of ETC when needed:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10201571178054213&type=1&l=c7fecd877f
Most shots utilizing the Solas for lighting are shot at power level 3-5 (1000-2000 lumens).

 

[Seanothon]

Yep, I've got the D127 as well. Your concerns are entirely justified - it does cover the whole of the port, but reflection is exactly what happens when you're shallower than about 7m or so, depending on the angle of the sunlight. This is because there is a distance of a few cm between the front of the port and the filter due to the curve of the dome. It worked fine at 15m+, but it's just not worth the hassle due to the problems at shallower depths. Which lens do you have? Is there any chance of putting a filter on inside the housing, i.e. directly on the front of the lens?
For the tray I'm using Aditech's Mangrove SA-BJX2. You can see it on the site. It's absolutely fine. I also have a single ULCS arm that I use to attach my Kowalski.
Matt

Hmm... Do you really need the filter on that shallow? I plan on using this setup for filming OW dives at a dive resort so I need the ability to take the filter on and off for topside coverage.

The lenses I intend to use are the Oly 9-18, Panny 14-42 and 25 1.4.

I can't seem to find another filter for that port that would not let light in-between the port and filter. Any suggestions?

I have a similar setup and I have a pair of Sola 4000s. Like you, I primarily use the GH2 for video however I have gotten some decent pics using ambient light as well as with the Solas. IMO, the GH2 (and all large sensor DSLR/M43 cameras) need a lot (strobe) of light to get great pics. However, with a little practice and discrimination of subjects you can get some decent pics using video lights only. Here's a link to the pics I've taken in local (SoCal) waters since I started shooting with my GH2 in a Nauticam housing. I originally shot at full (16MP) resolution, but have recently switched to 8MP pics to be able to take advantage of ETC when needed:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10201571178054213&type=1&l=c7fecd877f
Most shots utilizing the Solas for lighting are shot at power level 3-5 (1000-2000 lumens).

I like the shots and videos! Guess I'll just have to experiment.

Maybe both of you can chime in on this; How do you handle the short battery life? I assume you have to switch the battery in-between dives and just be very careful?