DIR Information Network >> Lighting System FAQ

What is the best light for video, film or photography?

Halcyon's video lighting systems can meet the needs of every diver, from the recreational reef seeker to the professional film maker. When selecting your Halcyon lighting product, you need to take into consideration the length of your dives, the environment you will be diving in, and any specific tasks that would require a particular quantitiy or quality of lighting.

HID and HMI lighting have had a revolutionary impact on underwater film and video illumination. HID lighting, in particular, allows for greatly extended burn times over equivalent intensity halogen lighting. This is true in both single and dual-lighthead configurations. Divers can easily power high intensity HID lights from a small hip-mounted canister battery or from camera mounted high intensity battery packs. HID lighting provides a much improved color temperature over halogen; this lighting is nearly identical to that of sunlight. With this improved lighting videographers are able to resolve the most amazing colors from reefs and marine life.

Our Apollo Video 4.5, using a single 18watt HID lighthead, provides an entry-level video/film lighting system that will burn brighter, longer, and whiter than similarly priced halogen systems. Dual 18 watt HID lightheads, available in both 9 and 13.5 amp canister configurations, are a serious step-up in performance. Our dual 18 watt HID systems are the workhorses of the Apollo lineup. The Apollo systems with 18 watt HID lights are the optimal choice for recreational and entry-level professional videographers and photographer. You'll find Apollo lights with dual 18s at use in the dark, cold waters of the Pacific Northwest and in the clear, deep reefs off the Bahama Bank.

The Apollo systems with our 50 watt HID are the preferred lights for serious amateurs or seasoned professionals. Halcyon's 50 watt HID lights have played a central role in the filming of a wide variety of underwater locations. Equally usefull for shooting digital video the expansive cave systems of Wakulla Springs and the rest of the Woodville Karst Plain to the High Definition footage captured by Japan's NHK public television, these lights have redefined under water videography. Professionals traveling to the Antarctica with National Geographic and avid video aficionados relay on Halcyon lighting to bring home their very best images. The Apollo Video 9 is available with a single 50; the Apollo Video 13.5 is available with dual 50 heads. HMI lighting is the choice of the film and video professional. It provides true studio lighting at depth. As Jarrod Jablonski noted:

When we first shot high definition video with HMI lighting in Wakulla Springs, I had no interest in even seeing the video because the water was so green. We were only diving to keep the dive team practiced in working with the new equipment. The producers from NHK insisted I see the video and I was amazed. What had been dark and limited visibility to our eyes was clear to the cameras. The HID and now our large HMI lights changed the whole scene. When coupled with the High Def camera it was truly amazing.

Famed Photographer Norbert Wu felt that Halcyon's 200 watt HMI lighting system system was in a league of its own:

Your 200W HMI light was great. It was on the same level of wattage as the 650W tungsten, PAR36, cable supplied lights that I use for my wide-angle shooting.

From Bob Talbot's IMAX filming to fascinating international projects by Wes Skiles and startling still imagery by a range of professionals, Halcyon is at the leading edge of unique lighting products.

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