2023 Video Light Comparison

July 18, 2023July 18, 2023 Brent Durand

Artificial light, like a video light, is the best way to bring vibrant color and contrast back into your underwater photos.

Underwater video lights can be used to shoot video or still photos, making them a versatile tool for those who want one or two versatile light sources. This is the new photographer on a limited budget, the video shooter who occasionally wants to shoot some still photos, and the macro still shooter who needs a focus light.

That’s a lot of applications for the video light, but it’s important to note that still photographers will generally choose a strobe instead of a video light. But if you fall into one of the categories above, one or two video lights is the best way to build your underwater camera rig.

We’ll break the lights down into two categories: Focus Lights (used by all macro photographers); and Video Lights (versatile for all applications).

Before we jump into the 2023 video light guide, let’s review a few of the essential features used in comparing the lights.

What are Lumens?

The lumen count of a video light is the power it produces. In simplest terms, the more lumens the light has, the brighter the light. There are other very important factors that relate, like the smoothness of the beam (lack of a hotspot), and the kelvin temperature of the light, but the general shooter doesn’t have to worry about these things with the quality of lights on the market now.

What is the difference between a Flood Beam and Narrow Beam Angle?

The beam angle of your light is how wide the beam is at a fixed distance. An average dive torch, for example, may have a narrow 60-degree spot beam. This is excellent for shining farther through the water, indicating where a subject is, and general dive applications.

Underwater video lights use a flood beam, generally between 100 and 130-degrees. This wide beam doesn’t travel nearly as far through the water, but it even lights the scene directly in front of the camera without producing a hotspot of intense light.

Video Light Batteries

Be sure to consider the type of battery in the video lights you’re comparing. Batteries are strong and reliable today, so the feature to look at is whether the battery is interchangeable.

When your light has interchangeable batteries and you’re planning a full day at the beach diving, you can purchase extra batteries and replace them in between dives as needed. But if you need to plug the entire light with built-in battery into the wall, you will need to give up the light in order to charge it, which becomes difficult if electricity is not readily available.

Lights vs Strobes; Why You Need Light Underwater

Lights vs Strobes; Why you NEED Lights Underwater

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Video Light Comparison 2023

There are many different lights available today. I’ve focused this guide on the brands I’ve spent many hours using and trust, with solid price to value and quality. These are the lights I recommend first.

I haven’t included some of the much more expensive lights, as those are geared more for the pro market. We’ll also skip over some of the more advanced specs, like CRI (Color Rendering Index), in order to focus on the most practical information for beginner and intermediates looking to invest in underwater lights.

Now, let’s compare the best underwater video lights for 2023!

Focus Lights:

Kraken Sports LTD 2500 – Light & Motion GoBe 1000 Wide

Light & Motion Sola Photo 1200 – Kraken Ring Light 3000

Video Lights:

Light & Motion Sola Video 2500 Flood – Kraken Hydra 2500 V2

Light & Motion Sola Video Pro 3800 – Backscatter Macro Wide 4300

SeaLife 5000+ w/ Color Boost – Kraken Hydra 6000 WRGBU

Underwater Focus Lights

Light & Motion GoBe 1000 Wide FC

Light and Motion GoBe 1000 Wide, Focus and Dive Light

The GoBe 1000 Wide FC light is extremely versatile. It works underwater down to 120 meters AND on land (most dive lights shouldn’t be used on land), has a 90-minute burn time on full power, power level indicator, and various mounting options.

The interchangeable GoBe light heads are very cool, allowing you to use different lumens, beam types, and even blue light or red light. One downside is that you can’t flip between white and red light, which is a really nice feature for a focus light.

$170 | Backscatter | Amazon

Kraken LTD 2500

This light is a simpler version of Kraken’s popular Hydra series. It packs a 2500 lumen white flood beam and 1500 lumen spot beam. This makes it perfect as a focus light, modest video light (or great macro video light) and as a regular dive light when using the spot beam. Small size makes it easy to carry mounted on your camera rig. Note that it does not have a red light, which is popular for subjects that are typically shy of white light, like crustaceans, cephalopods, and sea horses.

$225 | Backscatter | Mozaik

Light & Motion Sola Photo 1200

The Light & Motion Sola series are classic macro focus lights. The 1200 focuses on delivering what you need at the highest quality in an affordable package. Built in Monterey, California, the Sola 1200 has white and red beams and lasts 70 minutes on full power. Note that the light is factory sealed, so while that virtually eliminates chance of flooding, the entire light must be plugged in to charge.

The top switch is extremely easy to flick on and off with a finger push, instead of needing to grab the entire light to depress a switch.

$299 | Backscatter | Mozaik | Amazon

Kraken Ring Light 3000

The Kraken ring light makes macro photos easy. The light produces an even, diffused lighting from all sides of the subject, eliminating harsh shadows. There’s also no need for light positioning since you simply bring your camera lens close to the subject for a well-lit image. The light power is 1,800 lumens with an optional burst (triggered via fiber optic cable) of 3,000 lumens.

$349 | Backscatter | Mozaik Camera

Underwater Video Lights

Light & Motion Sola Video 2500 Flood

Light and Motion Sola Video 2500 Flood Video Light for Beginners

The Sola Video 2500 Flood is the base model of their newest generation of lights. This light features a 2500 white 60-degree beam, plus Light & Motion’s standard switch and battery power indicator. The batter lasts 40 minutes on full power, lower than lights at slightly higher price points.

You can’t go wrong here if looking for a high quality video light at a low price.

COMPARE: The similar Sola Video 2500 S/F (spot AND flood beam) is priced a bit higher with longer battery life and ability to use both flood and spot beams, but if you’re using the light simply for underwater video, and are on a budget, I’d rather have the extra 500 lumens than the extra spot beam. I’ve searched the popular retailers for the 2500 SF and each has slightly different versions with different price points, so I haven’t included direct links.

$300 | Backscatter | Mozaik

Kraken Hydra 2500 V2

The Hydra 2500 V2 video light is a great lightweight option that does a nice job with underwater video, underwater photography, and as a macro focus light. The 2500 lumen wide flood beam light also has a 1000 lumen spot beam (great for regular diving when you want the beam to travel far in the water instead of wide) and a burst mode triggered by your strobe. There is white light, red, blue, green and UV.

$300 | Ba ckscatte r | Mozaik

Light & Motion Sola Video Pro 3800

Light and Motion Sola Video Pro 3800 Video Light

The Sola Video Pro 3800 is a solid light. 3800 lumens, wide 110-degree flood beam, 50 minute run time on high power, effortless on/off switch, and innovative dome port for gentle light fall off all make this light ready all sorts of underwater filming. The light weight is also nice. Note that the built-in battery will last one or maybe two dives max, so if you’re on the boat all day with no electricity you’ll need a second pair of lights.

$499 | Backscatter | $449 Mozaik (USB-C version) | Amazon

Backscatter Macro Wide 4300

I use the MW4300s and love them (see my Camera Bag).

The Backscatter Macro Wide 4300 is a versatile light for those who want one light that does it all. Shoot wide-angle video at 4300 lumens, 1300 lumens in a special macro video mode, or use it in red mode as a focus light around shy nocturnal marine life. The light is compatible with Backscatter’s color filter system and the Backscatter Optical Snoot (OS-1) for creative macro video. The dual NL2150HP batteries are replaceable, which allows you to purchase multiple sets and keep shooting all day before recharging.

$499 | Backscatter | Mozaik

SeaLife Sea Dragon 5000+ with Color Boost

The SeaLife Sea Dragon 5000+ brings a unique feature to underwater lighting. The proprietary Color Boost(TM) feature adds red light to two of the white light modes in order to warm the color temperature of the light output. Modes include 6000 lumen mode that runs for 2 minutes before reverting to 5000 lumens to save power, a 6000 lumen with Color Boost (4000K Color temp.), 5000 lumens white light, 5000 lumens + color boost (3700 color temp), 3000 lumen, 1500 lumen, and Red-only “Stealth” mode.

$599 with tray and grip | Amazon

Kraken Hydra 6000 WRGBU

The Kraken Sports Hydra 6000 WRGBU is the latest in a line of very successful lights, delivering high lumens for a great value. The Hydra 6000 features three control buttons for simplified operation, a 6000 lumen burst mode when using a fiber optic cable, and new USB-C charging. Choose between white light, red, UV, blue and RGB for versatile creative options.

$750 Backscatter | $699 Mozaik

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