Lighting with Intova Sport HD SP1

[drsharath]

Hi,
This is my first post here. Needless to say, I have started diving only recently (about a year, 21 dives). I am going on a trip to Sipadan, Malaysian Borneo next month and would like to start underwater photography as a hobby.

I currently have an Intova Sport HD SP1 with a Red Filter and a Macro Lens, all from Intova.

I read up a bit on the subject and I feel that having a light is very important. I don't have a lot of money to spend & so after a lot of searching and reading reviews, I have settled on the Tovatec SL1 Sea Land 800 Lumen Flashlight. It has a strobe function too. Could you please answer the following questions/doubts I have?

1. How does a strobe function work on a flashlight like this? Does it keep triggering until I switch it off? Or does it just go off once? Can I use this for Macro photography?

2. It is rated at 800 lumens at has a beam of 8 degrees. Is it possible to shoot video with this light.

I don't intend to be a professional underwater photographer. I just want my pictures to be more vivid than the greenish-blue hue I got on my previous pictures/video.

Thank You so much for your time.

 

[Hickdive]

This is where diving terminology and photography terminology clash to create confusion.

In photography a strobe is basically a flash synchronised with the camera to emit a single burst of light to illuminate a still photograph.

In diving a strobe is a continuously flashing light used to indicate a position, such as an ascent line, or to keep pairs together, or or to assist in locating a lost diver on the surface.

The item you link to is a flashlight with the latter function not a photographic strobe.

For video you ideally want a video light but an ordinary dive light can suffice if the colour is white enough and diffuse enough not to create a washed out hotspot in the picture.

LED lights usually produce a sufficiently white light but are often tightly focused.

 

[drsharath]

Oh!! :shocked2: That was a very stupid question to ask then. Sorry about that and thank you.

 

[Hickdive]

Oh!! :shocked2: That was a very stupid question to ask then. Sorry about that and thank you.

No, no. It's those pesky photographers who insist on calling a flash a strobe and confusing everybody.

 

[Scubatude]

Not a stupid question at all, and the answer given was spot on! A beam of 8 degrees is very tight and will create a "hot spot". I sell and carry the complete Intova line. The HD is a great little camera, but does require light. Right now there is not an Intova I would recommend (in February there will be..and it's awesome!). Right now though, if you are looking for value, I would suggest the i-Torch Video Pro5

I also carry the complete line of iTorch products and I would be happy to help you with that.

 

[drsharath]

Thank you again Hickdive.

Scubatude, I'll definitely go through the products on the page you linked to and get back to you. Thanks.

 

[Hickdive]

Here's a video I shot with an Intova Sport HD and a 2200 lumen LED dive light.

Depth is 120 feet, visibility is about 10 feet (typical for the Clyde) and, as usual, it is as black as the inside of a cow.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=195809783940420&video_source=pages_fin ch_main_video

If I can do this in lousy conditions with lousy lighting and a lousy operator I'm sure it will be much better for you.

 

[3D diver]

For video you need a wide angle light, or better yet, two. (I use 4.)

1000 lumen LED lights with the LED located close to the front of the light---instead of a flashlight style reflector---are best, IMHO.

I like the new DRIS Impact lights with the video head, but do not know about availability in your location. You might check them out as a video light example.

Impact Stubby Dive Light - Dive Right in Scuba

If you're a DIY'er, some folks have been able to modify their LED flashlights for video use by removing the reflector and moving the LED as close to the front of the light as possible.

You can also diffuse the light by painting the reflector white or putting white plastic in front of the light, but will lose a lot of effective intensity in the process.

 

[Twoblues]

Peruse the Intovatec Galaxy video light