My insights are my own and primarily evolved from my laziness LOL.....
After years of hauling huge SLR systems around the world I sold it all and converted to a compact Canon G7X II in the Fantasea housing. I too dreamed of using a video light (fixed lighting) versus strobe(s) which I've used a pair of tiny Inon S2000 units for the last 4 years.
Last month on my Maldives trip I took a single Inon S2000 and video lights including a discontinued Fantasea Radiant 2500 and 1000 lumen models. I switched between the two but mostly used the single Inon S2000 mounted on a short left side arm or mounted directly on top of my Fantasea housing's cold shoe.
On a night dive with Mantas I shot using ONLY the Radiant 2500 light on the left and Radiant 1000 on the right and got some shots I was very happy with. On the Manta night dives the boat puts down multiple bright lights that attract plankton Mantas come in to feed on.
I was worried without a strobe I wouldn't get much but the shots I got using just a pair of not huge power video lights convinced me for night diving video lights might work sometimes especially with 1" sensor Canon and Sony compact models.
I had over an hour to tune in settings with a fast enough shutter speed to freeze the mantas swooping in plus a decent f-stop for depth of field of a large animal.
I also went with the idea of shooting more ambient light images some converted to B&W especially Silvertone style and was very happy with what I captured.
Those pics are for another time and I fully realize many divers don't care for B&W / Silvertone images of our colorful underwater world. That's fine too. The only person you have to make happy with your pictures is YOU
For the future I'll travel with a video light(s) and my single tiny Inon S2000 keeping my travel kit small. I only need 8 NiMH batteries and charger for the Inon S2000 strobe and 18650 Lion batteries for my video lights.
Not everyone's cup of tea but for this long time diver photography enthusiast it makes travel enjoyable while still allowing me to capture some memories with less hassle.
David Haas
Haas Photography Inc.