Which SOLA video lights do you recommend and why?

[flyingfishvideo]

I'm currently looking at replacing my old L&M Sunray 2000x video lights. L&M is offering me a decent discount... I'm looking for some advice on which model to choose. I like the feature of the 2100 S/F with both spot and flood or go for the 2500F at the same price. Anyone have some experience with these models? I've got about $700.00 USD for a budget and if I am happy with the light I will eventually buy a second one.

Cheers and thanks for your comments,

Flying Fish

 

[tbone1004]

I'd go 2500F because the spot doesn't do you any good and you need as many lumen as possible.
$700 US or $700 CAD? That is a huge difference right now....

Cave Adventurers - Underwater Light Dude 6000 Lumen Video Light - Marianna, Florida USA - Never Undersold!
I'd go with this, buy once, cry once.... With the new generation, you can stack the heads instead of having to have new batteries and the burn times are significantly better

 

[flyingfishvideo]

I read a user review of the 2100S/F that stated the S/F was nice to have at night when you do not necessarily want to flood the underwater world with light. Use the spot feature to navigate and search for subject matter, then flood the scene with light as needed.

Timing couldn't be worse with our Canadian dollar so low... I really shouldn't be spending more than $700 USD for a light.

 

[large_diver]

I just bought a pair of the Sola 2100s about 2 weeks ago and have taken them on a grand total of 4 dives thus far. Happy with them thus far. One selling point for me was definitely the spot/flood dual capability. Note that Backscatter has just lowered their price on them...they are now US$599 each....a "bargain" ;-)

Backscatter :: Underwater video :: video lights

 

[tbone1004]

Cave Adventurers - Backup Lights - Lights - Marianna, Florida USA - Never Undersold!

To be completely honest with you, I would never use sola's because they made a design choice that I don't like. Their battery life isn't that great, and once they're dead, they're dead, and take forever to recharge. When you are filming during the day, you need as much light as possible, no exceptions, 2000lumen is pushing it.

The 2100 is 2100 over 60*, the 2500 is 2500/90*. What is the video angle you're shooting at? The Gopro's for reference are around 80* in narrow, 115* in medium which is normal for UW stuff, and around 150* in wide. Because they are all widescreen the vertical FoV is what you need to worry about. Match the lights to Vertical and then double to get your horizontal. So, if I were you. I'd email or call Cave Adventurers, and see if you can get 2 of their video lights, and one of their spot lights *would recommend getting a sock with it for the spot*. It gets you a little less light than the solas, but you have rechargeable batteries that can be swapped, and the total cost should be about half of what a single sola will cost you. You really need 2 lights to keep the shadows down....

 

[Oceanshutter]

It really depends on what you plan on shooting. And what you are shooting with. If it is wide stuff, then the flood is better in most cases. However, the spot and flood combo gives you more creative ability, especially with macro subjects.

 

[DiverLaura]

This video was shot with 2 cameras, each with Dual SOLA4000's. they are awesomeness It really depends on what and where you are shooting. For basic all around I recommend the 3000 Flood (it would be the minimum i'd recommend) but really like the 4000's and as soon as I invoice for my last gig I'm ordering up a set of 8000's. Not necessarily because i need the light but because it makes your system more flexible. You have lots of light when you need it but have a number of levels to dial it down and have a light that lasts for a whole long day or short weekend of diving.

https://youtu.be/T3WUoK2IvBg

[video=youtube;T3WUoK2IvBg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3WUoK2IvBg&feature=youtu.be[/video]

 

[large_diver]

This video was shot with 2 cameras, each with Dual SOLA4000's. they are awesomeness It really depends on what and where you are shooting. I second the recommendation for the 3000 Flood (it would be the minimum i'd recommend) but really like the 4000's and as soon as I invoice for my last gig I'm ordering up a set of 8000's. Not necessarily because i need the light but because it makes your system more flexible. You have lots of light when you need it but have a number of levels to dial it down and have a light that lasts for a whole long day or short weekend of diving.

Laura - incredible macro footage, thanks for sharing that. Is that you with the pink fins?

 

[flyingfishvideo]

Thanks again for the comments. I used to have a second career working as an in house videographer for a dive company in Thailand. These days my primary career has taken over and I am not currently making sub aqua movies like I used to. When I was filming, the subject matter varied from scenic shots of the dive sites to closeup macro work when I had some time on my own... and everything in between, wrecks, caves, marine life and divers. I am new to video lights and never really used them much when I was working.

Just before I left my videographer career behind me, I purchased a couple Sunray 2000X lights which worked fine for a short while before I discovered the batteries were much less than 100% and the housing slightly leaked.

I may have some opportunities in the next few years to pick up a few short gigs with my camera and housing (Amphbico Dive Buddy II) and I'd like to have the right lights for my rig.

The cave light option is probably the best but here's my quandary. I sent my lights to Sola for repair but replacement batteries cost USD $150.00 each plus a $200 repair fee. That's $500.00 USD to just get my old lights back up and running. Sola has offered me 20% off a replacement purchase of my choice... so do I pay the $500 to get my old lights back or do I put that $500 bucks towards a new set of lights from Sola?

---------- Post added October 7th, 2015 at 03:04 PM ----------

Nice Nudis Laura! Holy kit batman Good work.

 

[tbone1004]

I'd look very hard at the UWLD-60V if you want some serious video lights.... or the 130V if you want a video light that no one else can think about touching.