Despite the fact that many divers use natural lighting in shallow waters, about 15 feet underwater the quality of lighting provided by the sun starts diminishing rapidly. You therefore need to invest in a good strobe dive light in order for still pictures to be taken underwater.
There a number of factors you need to consider when choosing between the top underwater photography dive lights.
- The power it offers in a flash at a range of one meter. This is called the guide number. It should be high so that you are able to illuminate your objects efficiently and quickly..
- The coverage angle. This is the range that a strobe can cover in one flash in a circular form. This can also be increased by using a diffuser with the strobe light.
- The recycle rate. After a strobe provides strong lighting in one flash, it requires time to recoup its energy for another go. This is measured in seconds, the fewer the better.
- Size and weight of the strobe. It should be portable enough to maneuver in water without much hassle.
- Flashes the battery can offer before it dies out. The more, the better.
The Best Diving Strobe Lights on the Market
The Sea & Sea company is one of the best companies that manufacture photography dive lights, and it has been rated as so by various customers. There are the YS-01, YS-D2 and YS-03 strobes that have the most advantageous characteristics as compared to similarly-priced strobe lights on the market. Most of Sea & Sea strobe lights, including these three models, are high powered yet feature very short recycle rates. The second best company that you will find is Inon. Others featured companies to look at when choosing the top underwater photography lights are Sea Life, especially its Dragon line, the Ikelite, and Olympus UFL strobes.
