AMBIENT WATER COLOUR LIGHT

The Importance of Matching Artificial Light to Ambient Water Colour

Why are blue filters (or ambient water colour lights) necessary for underwater video lights?

Underwater videographers face a unique challenge when using regular (5000-5600 Kelvin or daylight colour) video lights. 

As depth increases, images turn increasingly blue as water absorbs colors from the light spectrum, starting with red. To compensate, cameras often use white balance controls or red filters to restore natural colors. However, this can cause subjects illuminated by regular video lights to appear unnaturally red.

Blue filters on video lights offer a solution by matching the artificial light to the ambient underwater environment. These filters help balance the color between the bluish water and the daylight-mimicking video lights, creating a more harmonious scene. This is particularly important for wide-angle shots where both the subject and background are visible.

While blue filters effectively solve the color discrepancy, they significantly reduce light output, often by up to 80% of the original lumens. This trade-off between color accuracy and light intensity is a key consideration for underwater videographers.

It should be noted as well that blue filters are unnecessary when diving at night 

By using ambient water blue-filtered lights, videographers can achieve more natural-looking footage that requires less color correction in post-processing, ultimately resulting in more realistic underwater scenes.

 

SUBNOX SUB10KEF

The SUBNOX SUB10KEF video light requires NO blue filters and provides ambient water colour illumination approximately 2.5x brighter than using physical blue filters. 

The patented purpose-built COB design within the light head can switch between the following colours;

- 5600K daylight colour temperature

- Custom tuned ambient water blue mimicking water colour at a depth of 6-13 meters

- Custom tuned deeper ambient water blue for use between 13 and 20 meters.        

This allows the torch to be used at all depths and lighting conditions without having to attach add-on filters which rob the light of lumens.

Multiple Colour Options for Various Water Colour Conditions

Video light heads for the SUB10KEF are also available for bluish green and also green water use.