The use of a video light for digital still photography

[Westwinds]

I will be using my Canon G3 digital camera in an Ikelite housing (production date: Late January 2003). My primary photo playground will be on the hundreds of shipwrecks that rest in the North American Great Lakes. The water here is cool, fresh and darker then the Caribbean.

I would like to know the pros and cons of using a video light for taking pictures in this environment. I would like to hear from anyone who has tried (successfully or not). My concern is the amount of light generated and whether it will restore the most of the color spectrum lost during deeper dives.

I currently own an Ikelite Pro Video Lite with a 20W and 100W bulb and am considering the purchase of an Ikelite DS-125 Strobe.

Thanks, Westwinds.

 

[Dee]

There has been discussions of using video lights with still cameras very recently. Search results for 'video lights' shown HERE will take you to most of them.

 

[notabob]

Hi Westwinds, welcome! I own a similar setup - G2 in an Ikelite. I had a much the same question: could I use video lights (or any other bright light, such as LED or HID) in place of a strobe? After doing a bit of research, I pretty much gave up on the idea. It seems that video lights tend not to produce the same temperature lighting as a strobe would, the intensity of light is much lower than a strobe can provide, and angle of coverage is typically smaller than a strobe. Some have used video lights nonetheless, but the results have been marginal. I've pretty much resigned to buying a strobe at this point. The DS-125 would be your (and mine, when I have the $$) best bet. It's a great strobe, from what I can tell - has a modeling light built in (can be used as a dive light on a night dive), very fast recycle times, and can be used either as TTL or manually set, depending on the sensor that you get with it.

-Roman.