How powerful should my video lights be?

[JeffG]

They're 100w Halogens. What do you expect?

There is a limit to even dual 50W hid lights in water that has ambient light. I haven't measured it, but I would guesstimate it at ~10ft.

 

[SparticleBrane]

Certainly -- but 4-5 just seems a little low.

 

[JeffG]

Certainly -- but 4-5 just seems a little low.

for 10W hid video lights, that is about right.

 

[Teamcasa]

I use two fifty watt halogens (Nocturnal SL50's). In our SoCal waters, 3-4 feet is about all I can expect for good lighting. I can brighten a scene a little up to 8-9 feet.

Bottom line to me is get as much wattage as you can afford and desire to carry above and below.

 

[SparticleBrane]

for 10W hid video lights, that is about right.

There's a simple solution for that...

 

[benbda]

I use two fifty watt halogens (Nocturnal SL50's). In our SoCal waters, 3-4 feet is about all I can expect for good lighting. I can brighten a scene a little up to 8-9 feet.

Bottom line to me is get as much wattage as you can afford and desire to carry above and below.

Thanks Teamcasa but isn't the range of halogen roughly a third of HID for the same wattage?

 

[JeffG]

Thanks Teamcasa but isn't the range of halogen roughly a third of HID for the same wattage?

halogen is yesterdays technology.


LED may be the future.

 

[Teamcasa]

Thanks Teamcasa but isn't the range of halogen roughly a third of HID for the same wattage?

I'd say a my 50w halogens are equivalent to a 15w HID, but a third of the cost. HID, halogen all will give way to high intensity LED or other lamp technologies. That said, lights are all subject to the same significant limitation. Battery technologies. The major cost of any light system is the batteries. Once a battery that can produce 50AmpHrs for 60minutes at 100+Volts, and only weight 5lbs, then the lighting world will evolve rapidly.

 

[PerroneFord]

Sure, because you in a cave with GIN clear water, if you haven't kicked it up! In the ocean it is hardly the same! More particles in the water defuse the light much faster! Even at night the range is very restricted and color muted beyond 4ft! In a cave its pretty mono color and still all the color drops out by the end of the beam!

While I wouldn't agree that caves are all mono-color (some are) I do understand and agree with your explanation here. Thanks!

 

[benbda]

OK so this is opening a whole new line of questions - should I forget HID and look at LED - how do the prices and performances compare? does it really matter?