Dive Academy
How many flashes out there can shoot at 20 fps at full power with no recycle time? And with high shutter speeds! I know of two brands and own them both. This flash has a superior build quality and consistent light quality in a small package. It is a medium power strobe so no you are not going to be matching the exposure of the sun on a bright day at high noon. If that is your primary purpose keep moving. However you can use it for Fill light at that time. If you shoot in the mid mornings and early evening this will work for you and indoors of course. The price is premium. When they are on sale the price seems fair. The ability to just use s USB power supply to run it is crazy amazing. I now own 5 of their lights so I guess I like them. Customer service is great. I am excited to see what innovations come next.
I've tried using this Bowens Mount adapter with my Glow EZ Lock Strip boxes (12x56) along with the Stella Pro Reflex S light and it would not hold the position of the light. I had to really tighten the thumb screw as tight as I could get it and my light still dropped down. Today, I tried using my 28" Glow EZ Lock Deep Parabolic softbox with this same Bowens mount adapter and it wouldn't even stay locked in place. It came coming off. I then tried my Aputure Lite Dome Mini II which is small softbox and it worked great! It did not easily come off and was locked in place. I've been trying to ask other photographers how they are using their Stella lights in Softboxes because I am not having much luck. Light and Motion suggested I set up the softbox only on a light stand using the Bowens mount adapter then set up my Clx10 or Stella Pro Reflex S on another stand and shoot through to the softbox. Just be forewarned that depending on the size of your softbox you want to use, it will most likely not hold its position and drop down or might not stay mounted and will easily detach itself from the softbox and nobody wants that to happen in the middle of a shoot. I asked L & M about their High Leverage Handle that they sell and they seem to think it would not have made a difference.
I first started using L&M lights a few years back because I dove in Monterey and all my dive friends recommended them. Great lights, easy to use, easy to charge, easy to travel with. I have the Sola Photo 1200, Sola Dive 1200 S/F, GoBe 800 spot, and various accessories, (I also use Kraken & SeaLife ) this is my travel go-to set. Last year the white light on my Sola Photo stopped working, only the red light turned on/off. Knowing my warranty already expired after 2 years, I posted on social media asking friends for help and tagged @lightandmotion. Their social media team actually got a team member, Brian, to reach out to me. I was able to ship my light in for repair for free. Brian was super helpful, took the initiative and followed up via email every step along the way, and even made sure I got my light back at the end. Totally felt like a valued customer, stress-free with the best customer service.
I’ve had the vis 180 for a little over 2 yrs and I use it during my bike commute ~2/wk regardless of weather. I’ve been pleased that the light strength and battery have maintained well over that time. However, the materials used to house the light have not fared very well. All the metal under the paint has corroded and the paint is falling away. I store my bike in a dry garage so it only gets wet when I commute in the rain. While 2yrs is pretty good I will likely try a different light in the future which will hopefully hold up to rain better.
