A strobe, also known as an underwater flash, is an essential piece of equipment if you want to take your underwater photography to the next level. Underwater strobes are responsible for creating ample artificial light to reduce backscatter (reflection for particles in the water) and illuminate colors underwater. Pictures taken the built in camera flash tend to be monotonous and boring. So how do you find the best underwater strobe for you?
One of our big goals here at The Adventure Junkies is to make your life easier when it comes to gear shopping. In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to choose a strobe for underwater photography and show you our selection of the best underwater strobes.
Want to learn more about getting your underwater photography kit set up? Check out our guides on dive cameras and lens for underwater photography to get you started.
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO FIND THE BEST UNDERWATER STROBE
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UNDERWATER STROBE 101
5 THINGS TO CONSIDER TO FIND THE BEST STROBE FOR UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY
1. STROBE POWER
The strength of the light flashed on a strobe is indicated by the Guide Number (often noted as GN). Higher guide numbers mean stronger strobes. When it comes to underwater photography, the more light, the better.
A guide number is represented by the strobes power at a distance of 1 meter away from the subject at ISO 100. The guide number has no relation to the size, weight or shape of the strobe.
Concentrated light beams will have a higher guide number compared to diffused light beams. It’s important to note that using an add-on diffuser on your strobe will reduce the guide number.
2. STROBE COVERAGE ANGLE
The angle of coverage is the spread of light created by the flash. Typically this ranges from 80-120 degrees in a circular form. If you plan to add a diffuser on top of your strobe, the angle of coverage will increase.
For shooting wide-angle photography, you are going to want a larger angle of coverage. For macro shots, an angle coverage of 90 degrees or less will be sufficient. If you’re into macro photography, we recommend checking out our post on the best macro diving sites in the world!
3. RECYCLE RATE
The recycle rate of a strobe is defined by the time it takes a strobe to regenerate for a second shot. This is an extremely important feature and must be taken into great consideration when purchasing a strobe!
Imagine being on a dive in Belize and having a dolphin swim face to face with you for a brief second – you are going to want a fast recycle to get a few properly lit photos. The faster the recycle rate, the better. A recycle rate of 1 second is considered fast compared to a 3 second recycle rate which is slow. This is measured assuming you have fired the flash using its full power. Strobes fired at a lower rate will recycle faster.
4. SIZE AND WEIGHT
The less size and weight the better. A dive camera housing is big and bulky enough, you are going to want an ergonomic, lightweight strobe to accompany your housing, especially if you will be using two strobes.
5. FLASHES PER BATTERY
The more flashes you get out of a single charge, the better. Flashes per battery vary between 100 – 300 flashes, with 100 being low. We recommend opting for something with over 200 flashes. It is important to use the recommended batteries for your specific strobe model as this will allow you to get the most out of the flash.
Photo by http://ift.tt/2fX5Yzn
STROBES FOR UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY REVIEWS
THE TOP 10 BEST STROBES FOR UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY IN 2016
SEA & SEA YS-01
Check out the latest price on:
Amazon | LeisurePro
BEST FOR: Excellent for both macro and wide-angle photography with DSLR, mirrorless or compact cameras
GUIDE NUMBER: 20
ANGLE OF COVERAGE: 100 x 100 degrees
RECYCLE RATE: 2.5 seconds
PROS: Strong and affordable with a built in target light
CONS: Larger than its main competitor the Inon S2000
SEA & SEA YS-D2
Check out the latest price on:
Amazon | LeisurePro
BEST FOR: Excellent for both macro and wide-angle photography with DSLR, mirrorless or compact cameras
GUIDE NUMBER: 32
ANGLE OF COVERAGE: 80 x 80 degrees
RECYCLE RATE: 1.5 seconds seconds
PROS: Audible confirmation beep with the strobe is ready to fire again and comes with two different diffusers to increase angle coverage
CONS: A little bit heavier than it’s previous model the YS-D1
SEA & SEA YS-03
Check out the latest price on:
LeisurePro
BEST FOR: Great for both macro and wide angle, for DSLR or compact users.
GUIDE NUMBER: 20
ANGLE OF COVERAGE: 100 x 100 degrees
RECYCLE RATE: 3.1 seconds
PROS: Very affordable strobe and comes with a tray, flex arm and fiber optic cable
CONS: No manual settings and no built in target light
INON Z-240
Check out the latest price on:
Amazon
BEST FOR: Great for both macro and wide angle, for DSLR or compact users.
GUIDE NUMBER: 24
ANGLE OF COVERAGE: 100 x 100 degrees
RECYCLE RATE: 1.6 seconds
PROS: Built-in focus light and a great circular beam
CONS: Heavy and bulky and mounts must be bought separately
INON S2000
Check out the latest price on:
Amazon | LeisurePro
BEST FOR: Compact camera users
GUIDE NUMBER: 20
ANGLE OF COVERAGE: 110 x 110 degrees with diffuser
RECYCLE RATE: 1.5 seconds
PROS: Ultra compact and very powerful lightweight strobe
CONS: Small and confusing controls and you need a special connector
SEA LIFE SEA DRAGON
Check out the latest price on:
Amazon | LeisurePro
BEST FOR: Compact camera users
GUIDE NUMBER: 20
ANGLE OF COVERAGE: 120 x 120 degrees
RECYCLE RATE: 5 seconds
PROS: Great compact and convenient set up for compact camera users. Very affordable.
CONS: Very slow recycle rate
IKELITE DS-161
Check out the latest price on:
Amazon
BEST FOR: DSLR wide angle photography
GUIDE NUMBER: 24
ANGLE OF COVERAGE: 90 x 90 degrees
RECYCLE RATE: 1.4 seconds or less
PROS: Extremely fast recycle rate with a very strong output
CONS: Expensive, heavy and bulky. It also has a very specific battery with no alternatives
IKELITE DS-51
Check out the latest price on:
Amazon | LeisurePro
BEST FOR: Use with compact cameras
GUIDE NUMBER: 28
ANGLE OF COVERAGE: 70 x 70 degrees
RECYCLE RATE: 3.5 seconds
PROS: Very affordable and easy maintenance
CONS: No modeling / focus light
OLYMPUS UFL-3
Check out the latest price on:
Amazon
BEST FOR: Best used with an Olympus camera. If not using an Olympus, better opt for the YS-01
GUIDE NUMBER: 22
ANGLE OF COVERAGE: 78 degrees
RECYCLE RATE: 2 seconds
PROS: Amazingly compact and very light
CONS: Basically the same strobe as the YS-01 but more expensive
INON D-2000
Check out the latest price on:
Amazon
BEST FOR: DSLR camera users
GUIDE NUMBER: 20
ANGLE OF COVERAGE: 100 x 100 degrees
RECYCLE RATE: 1.8 seconds
PROS: Two flash bulbs create an even circular beam
CONS: Need to buy mounts separately
Now We’d Love to Hear From You! What Do You Think Is The Best Underwater Strobe?
Disclosure: The Adventure Junkies is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, we will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost for you. We also use other programs like REI, LeisurePro and others to keep our site independent. You can read more about how do we review here.
The post The 10 Best Underwater Strobes for Photography appeared first on The Adventure Junkies.
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