Featuring Logan Wood
The Ikelite DS232 hybrid strobe combines a high-power wide angle flash with a bright video light for the ultimate convenience when shooting underwater. Logan Wood breaks down how the DS232 has performed on his past few trips, focusing on shooting macro, filming near the surface in bright sunlight, and at deeper depths.
If you're more of a reader scroll down to read the video transcript.
Filming Macro Video
The first thing I wanted to know was, is 2500 lumens really enough for filming macro? Since you're already so close to the subject that amount of light, or 5000 lumens if you're using two strobes, is plenty of light to bring back color and detail since you're really only filming around a small area near the subject.
Gobies in Yap, Micronesia filmed with the DS232 video light. © Logan Wood
Switching Between Photo and Video
My next question was how seamless is it to go from photo to video? That's where the design of the strobe really shines.
I'll usually have two strobes on my system and when I'm shooting macro, I'll have one that's positioned above and pointing down at my subject and that one's turned on to the video light. The second one is turned off but still positioned to the side facing the subject. Now, as I'm taking photos, I use the video light mode as a focus light and I can just pull the trigger and the strobe turns from the video light into a normal photography strobe. Then when I'm ready to start filming the subject, all I have to do is turn that second strobe to the video mode and it's already pointed at the subject and I can start rolling on video. Most of the time I hardly have to adjust my strobes.
Dual strobe setup for macro hybrid shooting. Seamlessly switch from photo to video and back again with the DS232 strobes.
Filming Near the Surface
Now this setup was working out great, but left me wondering what about subjects that aren't strictly macro?
This brought me to a beautiful lake in Raja Ampat filled with jellyfish. Now, this was a bit of a bucket list shoot for me, and I really only had one chance at it, so I was racking my brain on what lens to bring and how to light it. Should I bring my big video lights or should I bring the DS232s so I can take photos and videos?
I ended up going with the DS232s and shot the jellyfish around 35mm. The jellyfish were about 5 to 6 inches (12.7 - 15.2 cm) from my dome, and that seemed to be the sweet spot for the built in video light to just add a touch of fill and reflection to the bell while not overpowering the subject, since most of the light was provided by the sun.
The DS232 Strobes were the perfect asset for shooting both photo and video during this bucket-list dive in Raja Ampat. © Logan Wood
Filming at Deeper Depths
And finally, how does it perform deeper down?
This Cuttlefish was shot at about 60 feet (18 meters) and at that depth all the color is just gone so the strobes and the video light are doing all the heavy lifting. So I had to pull them in really close to make the most of both of the video lights at about 5000 lumens flight. Fortunately, it worked out well here too.
Still shot of a cuttlefish captured right before switching to video. I was able to bring back the reds of the Cuttlefish, capture some high quality stills, and then roll straight into video. © Logan Wood
The DS232 TTL Underwater Strobe with Video Light # 40232 can be adapted to work on a wide variety of housings and are available on our website or at Ikelite dealers worldwide. If you have any questions, please shoot us an email to ikelite@ikelite.com.
Additional Viewing
Ikelite DS232 Strobe Features // The ULTIMATE Strobe with Video Light All-In-One [VIDEO]
DS232 Strobe + Video Light Hybrid Flash Underwater in the Philippines [VIDEO]
Why You Need Strobes Underwater
Strobes vs Video Lights for Underwater Photography [VIDEO]
What's in My Camera Case | Diving in Raja Ampat, Indonesia [VIDEO]
Logan Wood is a published photographer, cinematographer, and Producer at Ikelite. Stemming from a great appreciation for the outdoors and living an active lifestyle, his work focuses on capturing and sharing the natural world through the latest technologies. When not in the studio, Logan can be found cruising on his bike, going to concerts, and researching where to go next. You can see more of his work at loganwood.net and on Instagram @jlowood
