Light: Mako 890 vs HOG Morph 1000

[rsingleton]

I'm looking to get a fairly low cost light to use while diving with go Pro (particular at night and dim situations). I know it's not professional, but i'm not looking for that.

Can anyone provide their reviews on Mako 890 MAKO Underwater Photo/Video Light

vs the HOG Morph 1000 with video light head MORPH 1000 BACKUP LIGHT

The morph has smaller coverage (72 degrees vs 110). However morph has 110 more lumens and is double the cost.

Thanks

 

[havnmonkey]

I have the Mako and only use it to add a lil light in crevices and under ledges, haven't tried it in a wreck yet. In clear blue water (daytime) it is only noticeable in the video from about 2 feet from the subject. And starts to add some color back in as you get closer from there. At night I assume it will be more noticeable. The Mako is still not wide enough to cover the gopro's FOV so two lights is recommended.

i have worked with LEDs a lot and the mako is a Cree XM-L emitter, I assume the HOG is the same emitter as it is very popular. Although there are different versions of this emitter most flashlights only drive them to about 6-800 lumens... A tighter beam will appear brighter to the human eye.

So I would not worry over the claimed lumen rating, all production XM-L lights under $100 will be around 6-800 lumens.


Either light you choose, buy a quality pair of 18650 batteries and a quality charger.

 

[rsingleton]

THanks. I've actually use the Morph light and in a cavern and it was impressed by the wide angle from this little light. As I went home to go buy one, i came across the Mako at half the price. So before I pulled the trigger, i wanted to compare the two, since obviously one is half the price. I don't mind paying the price for the Morph if it is superior, but wasn't for sure.

 

[havnmonkey]

I forgot to mention, the Mako is an "Archon D11v" light... Which is one of the better Chinese lights that have come out in recent years. A google search will get u a few reviews.

I have no complaints so far. It's simple, bright enough, and inexpensive.

 

[commitch]

I just got back from a Caribbean dive trip where i used a pair of Mako 890's for the first time on night dives. I have ZERO experience with other video lights, but the pair seemed to work pretty well for what I wanted. If I was filming something 1.5-4 feet from the subject, the two lights lit up the field evenly with absolutely no hot spot. Using a pair helped minimize any shadows.

I mount my gopro on a monopod and needed the clamps, but the pistol grip configuration they sold that had the clamps wouldn't work on my monopod. At the time, they didn't sell the clamps separately, so I asked about buying them piece meal and they said if I ordered a pair of lights, they'd give me the clamps for free. They also gave me free batteries for each of them. They've since started selling the clamps separately. I made a bracket to hold the gopro and clamped lights on my monopod. Good customer service, good $/lumen price. I'm sure there are better lights to be had, but good enough for my needs at a very attractive price.

 

[kelemvor]

I use the core morph 1000 with two video heads for gopro video. It works pretty well. You have to be careful to aim the heads in order to light the whole frame from a gopro due to the wide angle of the video. I first tried doing it with one morph head and found that there would be a well lit circle, but the corners of the frame were dark. If I understand correctly, the difference in that "backup" is just a smaller battery.

If you set the gopro to a narrow FOV you might not have a problem lighting the whole frame.

With only an 80 minute runtime and non disposable batts you're going to want to order extra battery packs. The light will become less bright and more purple long before it goes out entirely.

Also, since I don't have the LCD backpack I can say that lighting the exact area lit by the heads can be a gamble. Sometimes I aim right, sometimes I don't. LCD Backpack should make this a lot easier.

 

[MAKO Spearguns]

I just got back from a Caribbean dive trip where i used a pair of Mako 890's for the first time on night dives. I have ZERO experience with other video lights, but the pair seemed to work pretty well for what I wanted. If I was filming something 1.5-4 feet from the subject, the two lights lit up the field evenly with absolutely no hot spot. Using a pair helped minimize any shadows.

I mount my gopro on a monopod and needed the clamps, but the pistol grip configuration they sold that had the clamps wouldn't work on my monopod. At the time, they didn't sell the clamps separately, so I asked about buying them piece meal and they said if I ordered a pair of lights, they'd give me the clamps for free. They also gave me free batteries for each of them. They've since started selling the clamps separately. I made a bracket to hold the gopro and clamped lights on my monopod. Good customer service, good $/lumen price. I'm sure there are better lights to be had, but good enough for my needs at a very attractive price.

Thanks for the positive feedback on the lights!

 

[commitch]

I should also add that I shoot in narrow mode. I find that for the type of video I'm wanting, wide angle doesn't shoot nearly as well (merely my opinion), so my field is probably easier to fill with light than those shooting wide angle.