Nightrider HID Pro 20 & Vector 2 Video Lights - A Question :

[B.Goodwill]

Hi There :

I am looking at the possibility of purchasing one of the following two light systems for my Gates PC105 underwater camera housing. The first is :

NiteRider™ Vector 2
Key Features

• Dual 20w halogen light heads – 40w combined
• 13.2v, 4 Amp-hour NiMH battery pack
• 55 minute burn time
• 60° beam angle
• Fast 3.5 hr international smart charger
• Optional battery mounts for Gates and other housings
• Lifetime manufacturers warranty
• Flexible system -- reconfigure for hands free dive lights

I figure this system retails around the US$850 mark.

The second option is a :

NiteRider™ HID Pro 20
Key Features

• Dual 10w HID light heads – 20w combined – equivalent to 80w halogen
• 4 Amp-hour NiMH battery pack
• Extended 1.9 hr burn time
• Big 90° beam angle
• Daylight-balanced 6000°K color temperature
• Fast 3.5 hr international smart charger
• Optional battery mounts for Gates and other housings
• Lifetime manufacturers warranty
• Flexible system -- reconfigure for hands free dive lights

 

[B.Goodwill]

Apoligies, i posted prematurely by mistake.

The second option (HID Pro 20) retails for around US$1300 as far as i am aware.

I want to buy lights for my camera, but don't really want to have to "re-mortgage" the house so to speak in order to do so. At the same time i don't see the point in buying rubbish, and then having to shell out again at a later date to purchase what i should have bought in the first place. At the moment i live in the Caymans so lighting is not a huge deal, but when i move back to Scotland it is low vis and low light diving, so i will need decent lighting.

What are your opinions with regards to which lights to buy out of the two, would you bite the bullet and shell out extra for the HID lights, or would you say the Vector 2 lights would suffice (bearing in mind i am not looking to produce national Geographic quality films.) In Jim Church's Essential Guide to Underwater Video he says you should have lights with a minimum of 100 watts total power, which as far as i can figure (though i am probably wrong,) neither of the aforementioned lights meet. Or alternitavely are there any other make os lights for Gates housings you would reccomend? I know Greenforce and Underwater Kinetics both fit Gates housings, but i figure after purchasing say for example two underwater Kinetics lights, the price would probably not be too much different from purchasing the Vector 2 system. Any opinions?

Cheers - Bob

 

[jcclink]

A couple of years ago I switched from 2-50w halogens to 2-10w NiteRider HIDs. HIDs produce daylight temperature light which is very pleasing. I get 60 min on a fully charged battery. I prefer the HIDs over the halogens. The down side is the amount of light produced when diving in tropical waters. Neither system (halogen or HID) really provided enough light. This past year I added a third HID to my system, using the one battery for 3 light heads. Still have about 40 min burn time on battery. The extra light definitely helps, but I'm still restricted to shooting closeups out to about 2-3ft unless I'm deep or its pretty dark. Bottom line - you never seem to have enough light for video. I use my WAL alot so I can get closer where the lights are more effective. I think 100w equivalent is the very minimum you should consider. NiteRider has a new light head with 2-10w HIDs which is switchable. You can turn on one or both of the lamps in the head. Two of these would give you 40w HID. Not sure of cost. Light is money - how bright do you want to be??

 

[jonnythan]

Seems like dual 18w lights like the Sartek would be better than 4 10w lights.. but the 18w lights are much more expensive. Sartek's are $2000 without the battery.

 

[B.Goodwill]

Guys,

Thanks for the advice, from my reasearch thus far, and from what you have said, i think what brand i choose to buy is becoming more of a cost issue than anything else, i can't believe how much a couple of lights cost!

I think my best option might be the Underwater Kinetics HID torches. The advantages seem to be that they are HID, that with two of the torches mounted on my Gates housing i would get an equivalant of 160 watts halogen, with rechargable batteries i would get two hours burn time, you can use them as regular torches when not videoing, and they seem fairly cheap for what you get. I am in the process of getting a quote, but i fugure it will be in the $500 mark (for two torches,) significantly cheaper than the Nightrider set-ups.

Has anyone got any experience of these torches as video lights, posotive or negative?

Many Thanks - Bob

 

[Dan Yuchnovicz]

The UK website says that the Pro 100 HID is 10 w (25 w equivalent) with 450 lum out put. It seems as bright as my 100 w halogen lite though so I'm not sure how to compare the two.

I used a Pro100 with two diffusers on a night dive. I then compared that video with the 100 w halogen. I preferred the halogen because the video appeared more saturated and pleasing to me. The HIDs are 6000k and are close to a daylight balance. The halogen is a lower, 3400K and appears redder. The lower temp seems to make the video appear "warmer" to me. Just my preference.

In the case of the halogen I found that it was best for my camera white balance to set up the camera in a dark rooma dn illuminate a white card with the video light. I then aimed the camera at the card, filling the frame and placed the white balance on hold. Some times the auto WB would loose lock and turn very red. I use this on a Sony PC 110 and 330.
Dan