To SPOT or not TO SPOT…

Nicky
© Picture: Claus Neupart

Which light do you choose, if you are a kean underwater photo/videographer, but mostly dive wrecks and on dive sites with lots of holes? Commercial diver and Underwater photographer: Nicki Augustinus gave it some thought.

In his daily life, Nicki is working both in the military and as a commercial diver. But in his spare time most hours possible are spent under water. He lives in an area that has a huge amount of wrecks, both from WW2 but also even older and newer.
It is also an area, that has some really nice spots for doing macro photography. Only Nicki has that problem, that he does not really like that kind of photography – but mostly enjoy the large wrecks and taking his pictures there.

New lights

Recently he decided that they needed new lights for the video equipment at the company. And his search began for finding usable lights. It was in November at the “DIVERS NIGHT” that Nicki came up to me, at my little light-booth and had a look at some of the many new lights that has hit the marked.
Pretty fast, Nicki started to look at the Venom lights.
They had just come out and I only had the Venom 38 with me. As Nicki does not like macro photography – and do not care much about the option to use the build in Ultraviolet light for spotting fluorescence animals and plants, he was not certain. I told him, that the Venom35 would come out soon and together with the soft white video light and the red spot/night light – it had a spot function instead of the ultraviolet light of the Venom38 lamp.

Testing

So he decided to wait – and when I later had the new light in – both the Venom35 and also the even bigger Venom50, I lend him one of each and asked him to go test his needs himself.

At that time he was pretty sure, that they would go for the largest light: The 5000 lumen – Venom50. Also even if that model had the same functions as the Venom38 – White video light, Red spot light and Ultraviolet light. He assumed the need for a really powerful light was first priority!

Reality check

And that is why I was rather amused when he recently called me with the news, that they would go for a set of Venom35!

It had turned out, that due to the lack of visibility, they had not been able to really use the full power of the Venom50… and even if they could clearly see a difference on land between the two light beams, under water the difference had not been vitally significant.
But MORE IMPORTANT the SPOT light had proved to be really useful for them.
Having a spot light of more than 1000 lumen sitting right in front – at the camera – had given them a great tool for working, looking into holes and penetrating the dark water of the deep.
Besides – they had proven good for macro photography (even though this was not the idea)
Nicki had even testet the spot up against all the “real” dive lights he had, and except for one very large Canister light, the spot were far better on the Venom.

The Venom38 and Venom50 were returned and exchanged with a set of Venom35

Skærmbillede 2015-01-29 kl. 12.34.37