Forgive me for this possible dumb question...

[MXGratefulDiver]

"It is better to keep your mouth closed and appear to be a fool, than to open it and remove all doubt." - Mark Twain

... which applies more to people offering opinions on things they know nothing about than it does someone who's asking a question. I would never consider the latter to appear to be a fool ... quite the opposite, in fact ... they're smart enough to ask rather than assume they know the answer already ...

I'm in agreement with Peter ... there are no dumb questions ... although there are plenty of dumb answers ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[eelnoraa]

If you think some of the canister torches are expensive, wait until you see the price of dedicated photography/video lights and strobes....

Or a drysuit, and DPV, and the proper training. And the on going cost, helium, logistic to get to a dive site

In the grant scheme, a $1000 light isn't that big of the deal in the world of tech diving. It is a lot worse if you have to abort a dive due to unreliable equipment after all the preparing, gas filling, getting to the site.

---------- Post added May 14th, 2015 at 05:59 PM ----------

thanks for both your inputs. So there is this other light I was looking at by Blue Reef. No idea who this brand is (probably some Chinese company) Anyways if you go here Lights at LeisurePro you can see the model I am talking about. It is the 2000 lumen one that is 189 dollars onsale. only two reviews. Only one setting (super bright) and short burn time 2hrs or so but it appears it may do the trick for these ultra dark dives and taking a couple video/pics. ...?

So most light manufacture over rate their light output. They go with data sheet of the LED, not necessary true measurement. Looking at this blue reef spec, two 26650 in series, it still gives total of 4000mAh at 7.4V. 3 hour runtime means the draw from battery is about 1300mA. Efficiency of the driver is probably on 80% range, so total current going into the LED is probably 1000mA. Now look at data sheet for Cool White XML-L2 U2 bin, it produces about 400lumen. Together, the light output is about 1000-1200 lumen, not 2000. To get 2000LM for 3 hour, you need a much bigger battery

Having that said, you really don't need a super bright light for very dark dive. In fact, you need the brightest light for a day time dive. One big light usage for tech diver is signaling. To get effective signal in bright situation require a lot more light.

since you just started, my recommendation is NOT to invest in such an expansive light. Instead get something decent, something you can use as a backup light when you move to tech dive. A good option is those DRIS 1000 3C, DGX600. Plenty bright for recreation dive. Very decent run time. Inexpansive, reliable, great support from the sellers.

 

[Peter69_56]

"It is better to keep your mouth closed and appear to be a fool, than to open it and remove all doubt." - Mark Twain

If your comment is simply a bit of fun at my expense, yes I do see the fun in the conflict of quotes, however if your comment is made in all seriousness I would suggest the following;

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I believe that quote is only valid in relation to making comment, not on asking questions. Are we to now belittle people here to a point where, with no knowledge on a subject they do not ask for help in fear of being belittled and ridiculed? I would hope not.

This forum is all about helping others enjoy what we all enjoy and that's diving. Doing it in a safe manner and enjoying the fun. I know when I first started I was very inexperienced and needed all the advice and help I could. Whilst today I am further down the path of diving, I still require advice and assistance from those more experienced than me. Having been given support and advice from others here, I believe it is incumbent of me to give back to a forum that has helped me become a better diver.

I would again state "There is no dumb question except the one you never ask" and as NWgratefuldiver so succinctly put it "although there are plenty of dumb answers" (think about that one). We should encourage people to ask so they gain knowledge, or do we wish to run the old adage, "Knowledge is Power", thus if you retain the knowledge and prevent others from having it, you remain in power?

We should never stoop to attacking anyone for asking questions. Something which may be crystal clear to us, might be a total fog to someone else, for any one of a number of reasons not their fault. Our intent here should be to clear the fog for them so they have a more enjoyable and safe time diving. It should not be a peeing contest. That can be done at the pub where it rightly belongs.

Those are my thoughts anyway!

 

[kwinter]

Yes, it was said in jest to poke fun at your comment. Just an interesting juxtaposition, worthy of Mark Twain or Will Rodgers. As a teacher, I am well aware of the value of questions.


iPhone. iTypo. iApologize.

 

[Peter69_56]

Yes, it was said in jest to poke fun at your comment. Just an interesting juxtaposition, worthy of Mark Twain or Will Rodgers. As a teacher, I am well aware of the value of questions.


iPhone. iTypo. iApologize.

That's ok I am sorry for not appreciating the poke in the ribs. I do appreciate intelligent humour, but I think I might have missed this one first time around (my fault not yours).

I actually have an adaptation of that for our work;

"Better to ask for help and have people assume you are a fool, than to fumble about on your own and remove all doubt"

 

[Germie]

When you start diving, and technical diving looks to be a dream for you, then start with buying a good backuplight or maybe 2. They have enough output for recreational diving, do not cost as much as a cable light and you can use them as backuplights if you start technical diving.
Buy no yoke regulators, but din. Etc.
The cable light is not the first thing you have to worry about when starting technical diving. There is no cheap technical diving.

 

[Bobby]

There has been some great advice to the OP so far. As a light manufacturer I would also suggest waiting until you need a high end light. Both light and battery technology are changing quickly. In a couple of years there will be more powerful and longer lasting options. For your needs there are small high output lights that will fit your needs better.

 

[Aotus]

I am a fairly new diver. I have only made ~40 dives but I can see myself going into Tech style diving as I progress so as I buy things I am kind of trying to buy them more towards the tech style.

I agree with what Bobby said, better to hold off on a primary canister light. In addition to it being more expensive than what you need right now, there's no point in carrying such a bulky light for recreational diving. In the mean time, you could look for a light that could be your primary rec light now, and serve as a backup later. I really like my BigBlue 1000NP backup light. It's about the same as the Hog morph light with the narrow beam. Some use these for primaries on cavern dives. They're very bright and tough. I like them better than the DRIS light because they're smaller, lighter, have a pushbutton switch and 3 brightness levels. Call Wayne at Amigos dive shop for the best price.

 

[dberry]

Assuming other posters have convinced you not to spend big bucks on a canister light (yet), I suggest you read this current SB thread about bright, but inexpensive dive flashlights on eBay:
http://2sb.us/504205

It's a long thread, but the bottom line is several divers are reporting excellent results with a $26 chinese light on eBay. There are many similar models, but the specific model linked in the original post has been bought by several SB folks and taken on dives to at least 100'. I'm not as experienced as some of the posters, but I did post a few pics of this 3 x LED light compared with 3 other hand-held lights I've picked up over the past year. The $26 light is MUCH brighter than the others (combination of 3x modern LEDs plus Li ion 26650 battery.) FWIW, it has 3 brightness settings, and 4 stobe settings, including SOS. There was no significant loss of brightness after 75min, which is plenty long enough for my recreational diving. I ended up buying 2 lights and 2 protected 26650 batteries from that specific seller, and a dual Li ion battery charger from another guy. Two lights, 2 batts = $66; charger (higher quality with voltage display) = $22. Total setup = $44 per light.

I'd be really curious what light (other than a cannister setup) would offer anything close to that performance for a similar price.

Buying inexpensive chinese stuff can be a crapshoot, but it's different when you can read feedback from SBers who have had their hands on exact same gear.

Good luck!
Don

 

[doctormike]

So anyways, this is what is truly my goal at the moment....to take some better video/photos.

Maybe I missed a relevant post upthread, but it seems to me that a lot of this discussion is missing the main point. It might be easier to think about "lights" as divided into different categories, as opposed to one type of gear that you can spend more or less on.


1) A recreational diver carries a light primarily for peering into dark spaces in reefs and wrecks during the day, or on a night dive. These are typically small, handheld units that project a fairly narrow beam, have burn times of an hour or two, and may cost less than $100 - especially with modern LED technology. If it fails or if you drop it, no big deal. Here is an example.


2) A diver doing wreck penetration or cave diving is much more dependent on their light, since they may need it to navigate to open water, and for longer dives a longer burn time is necessary. If it fails, it can be a big problem (although these divers carry backups). These are typically canister lights costing $600-$1400.


3) Technical divers, especially those diving in areas of limited visibility, also may require very bright lights with a narrow beam to punch through the murk, and may require long burn times. These diver use the light as their "voice" for rapid communication between team members. These are also canister lights.


It seems that the OP wants light for video or photos. While strobes that flash are better for photos, they require a lot more expertise and more expensive camera equipment. Video lights, two if possible, will give a much more even illumination of the foreground of a still image or video. These aren't cheap either, but not much is with underwater imaging.

Narrow beam lights (like 1-3 above) just aren't designed for imaging, and will always give inferior results. My own canister light, the Halcyon Focus, is actually an attempt at a hybrid, but even in wide angle mode it's not really great for video.