Underwater Strobe Comparison 2020

April 25, 2020May 17, 2020 Brent Durand

Underwater strobes light up our world. They bring vivid color back into wide-angle and macro scenes, while also freezing motion to deliver crisp images of the subject. I’ve written this underwater strobe comparison in order to help you find the best strobes for your kit, whether upgrading or buying new.

The list and comparison below incorporates of some of the most popular underwater strobes on the market today. I’ve intentionally left off a few strobe models and brands, but that’s in an effort to keep this guide practical and helpful in your research and as a 2020 buyer’s guide.

I’ve compiled specs into a comparison chart below, but note that it uses manufacturers’ available info, which isn’t always apples to apples (welcome to underwater photography gear).

It’s an exciting time to be in the market for strobes as we have several new models and upgraded strobes mixing it up with the workhorses of the past few years.

What is the Best Underwater Strobe?

The best underwater strobe is the model that combines the power level (guide number), features and price for your photography goals. This strobe comparison evaluates the specs and subjective qualities of the best strobes on the market today.

Strobe Comparison Chart 2020

This includes new strobes previewed at the DEMA tradeshow!

Jump to:

Sea & Sea YS-03 Solis – Inon S2000 – Sea Dragon Flash

Sea & Sea YS-01 Solis – Ikelite DS51 – Backscatter Flash

Inon D200 – Kraken KR-S02 – Inon Z-330 – Sea & Sea YS-D2J

Sea & Sea YS-D3 Lightning – Retra Flash Prime – Ikelite DS161 – Ikelite New Strobe

Important Strobe Battery Info & Buyer’s Guide

Sea & Sea YS-03 Solis

This is a nice strobe if you’re on a lean budget or looking for a simple lighting solution, as it doesn’t offer manual strobe power control. My opinion is that strobes grow with you and if you really think you’ll get into underwater photography, try to spend the cash on the YS-D3 (which does offer manual control (featured below)). Note that the YS-03 Solis has received a redesign in 2020.

$349.95 | On Backscatter

Inon S2000

The Inon 2000 is a great entry level strobe that allows you to shoot TTL (automatic) or manual – perfect for easing your way into underwater photography. The strobe is light and compact, making is a great addition to a compact camera system.

$365 | On Backscatter

SeaLife Sea Dragon Universal Flash

The SeaLife flash comes with the Flex-Connect tray and handle, making it a quick solution for adding light to a compact camera and housing. Manual and TTL control, plus the quick assembly/disassembly of the arm system make it very simple to use. SeaLife also sells combo kits with dual flashes, a flash and light combo and more.

The flash is compatible with any camera using fiber optic cables.

$399.95 | On Amazon

Sea & Sea YS-01 Solis

This redesigned version of the popular YS-01 strobe features a wide, even 110 degree beam, ability to shoot in manual or automatic (DS TTL II), modeling light, and refreshed reliable circuitry. This is a fantastic first strobe option!

$449.95 | On Backscatter

Ikelite DS51

This is a great strobe for Ikelite shooters who want quality, light weight, compact size and the versatility to shoot in TTL or manual modes. There are six manual power settings, adjusted with a large dial that is easy to read and adjust.

$449.95 | On Backscatter

Backscatter Mini Flash MF-1 – NEW!

Backscatter Mini Flash 1 with Optical Snoot

Backscatter has developed their own strobe and snoot combo in response to the snooted macro photo craze. This compact flash combines the features found in many strobes and snoots into one small unit. It has a powerful LED focus beam, aperture cards to adjust the size and shape of the snooted light point, bright light even when shooting at f/32, and well-thought-out ergonomics for adjusting the light while concentrating on shooting.

The Backscatter flash is becoming very popular for those ready to invest in macro accessories. The guide number (strength) of 16 means it won’t replace any of the higher-end strobes for wide-angle shooters.

Price below is for the flash and snoot combo (batteries and charger not included, so you’ll have to spend more for those).

$499 | On Backscatter

Inon D200

Another great Inon strobe, the D200 boasts a much faster recycle time than the lower S2000 model. The strobe is slightly buoyant underwater, which means less float is needed to make your rig neutral. A rotating light shade helps control light while the phosphorescence back control panel is easy to operate during day or night.

$499 | On Backscatter

Kraken KR-S02 – NEW!

The Kraken KR-S02 strobe is small and compact with a guide number of 24, color temp of 5000K and 90-degree beam angle. The strobe uses a rechargeable 14.8V Li-ion battery pack (4x 18650 batteries wrapped to single cell). A digital read out screen on the back shows the current strobe power level and estimated number of flashes remaining – very cool for those times you know you’re low on battery but not sure just how low.

Kraken products always have a great value to price ratio, and combined with the integrated video light, will be a great option for photo and video shooters.

$599 | On Backscatter

Inon Z-330

Inon released the Z-330 strobe follow up to the Z240 in 2018. This strobe really upped Inon’s game vs. Sea & Sea’s wildly popular YS-D1. You can read Adam Hanlon’s review on Wetpixel.

Note that Inon also makes the S-2000 strobe ($365), which is a more affordable option than the Z-330. It has a guide number of 20, whereas the Z-330 is 33.

$650 | On Backscatter

Sea & Sea YS-D2J

The YS-D2J is the workhorse of many serious underwater photographers and my first strobe recommendation. I use the older YS-D2 model, but these rock. Enough said. Use the 100 degree diffuser set instead of the 120 degree.

$689.95 | On Backscatter | On Amazon

Sea & Sea YS-D3 Lightning – NEW!

Sea & Sea has announced the YS-D3 Lightning strobe, the latest in a line of extremely popular strobes. The YS-D3 Lighting features a redesigned flash tube lens for wide-more even light distribution, lighting-fast recycle time at half power for shooting fast action, improved control ergonomics and a complete internal overhaul designed to be more modular (easy to fix in case the user floods the battery compartment).

This strobe is sure to find its way into the camera bag of many underwater photographers. Due to the price, I’ll probably look towards the Z-330 when the time comes to upgrade my D1 and D2 combo, but we never know until that day. I’ll post a YS-D3 strobe review once I get hands on experience and feedback from pros who are already using the strobe. See all my photo gear.

Price $849.95 | Retailer coming soon!

Retra Flash Prime – NEW!

Retra hit the scene a couple years ago with their LSD (light shaping device), helping spark a second wave of macro snoot photography. They released the Retra Flash, and for 2020 have upgraded it to become the Retra Flash Prime. A Pro version of this flash will soon be available as well, although I would look more towards the Prime version. It goes without saying that this strobe plus the Retra LSD is an elegant combo.

$949 | On Backscatter

Ikelite DS161

A solid strobe with a reputation for quick recycle time. These strobes have a quick 1.5s recycle time, making them popular with wide-angle action photographers. The extremely accurate TTL (automatic) mode also ensures you bring home the shot. Aquatica housings have an option for built-in Ikelite strobe compatibility to take advantage of the TTL exposure.

$949 | On Backscatter | On Amazon

Ikelite NEW Strobe – Name TBD

This new strobe is reported to pack more power and wider beam angle into a more compact unit. The strobe will use the same NiMh rechargeable batter as the current DS161, making the upgrade easy for Ikelite strobe shooters. Stay tuned for updates once this hits the market in early 2020.

Price TBA | I’ll link to the product once available in mid-2020.

Important Strobe Battery Info

Underwater strobes today are designed for high performance, creating bright light and firing rapid bursts in succession. You’ll get the most from your strobes by using high performance rechargeable batteries – so much in fact that most manufacturers specifically recommend the batteries below.

Note that if you shoot an Ikelite, Kraken or Backscatter strobe you’ll use their proprietary batteries, so this doesn’t really apply to you. It’s important to mention, however, that the Backscatter strobe requires a specific high-quality 18650 battery, so be sure to follow their recommendations.

Best Underwater Strobe Batteries

Panasonic Eneloop batteries are widely regarded as the best rechargeable AA batteries for your underwater strobes. The regular Eneloop batteries are the most popular, however you’ll get the fastest recycle times with the Pro version.

Note also that the batteries do wear out over time, so it’s a good idea to recycle them and replace with new ones every couple years or couple hundred photo dives.

I’ve listed a great 3rd party battery charger below, which I use for all the AA batteries and AAA used in my TTL-Converter. It soft charges 8 batteries at a time (all independently) and is very affordable compared to alternatives.