Focus Light and Color

[cfelliot]

I just got a BossK FF 3x5 LED focus light for my G9 setup. This is a pretty bright focus light at high power and I wonder how much this will scare fish with the bright white color. I think the lower power will be more than sufficient in most cases.

I've considered adding a gel film to warm up the color a bit. The focus assist light on the G9 is bright green. Does anyone have any info on color and its affect on a camera's ability to auto-focus???

Chuck

[CUunderH2O]

I have the weaker version of that focus light (1 x5W), and while it works very well, I find it scares away the creatures. I was also considering adding some sort of red filter onto the front. Some manufacturers have red filters available for their focus lights.

On most dives I used a weaker light to find my subjects, and then I turned this light on when I wanted to get a shot. In most cases I was able to get a few shots before the creature went back into hiding, but for some creatures such as brittle stars, it's too bright. OTOH, some creatures weren't scared of it at all (octopus).