Best Underwater Camera Gear in 2020 & 2021

Best Underwater Gear from Sea & Sea, Kraken Sports, Light & Motion, and SeaLife
By Nirupam Nigam

There's no doubt that the pandemic is starting to take its toll on the underwater photo and camera industry as a whole. From broken supply chains, to layoffs, and a lack of trade shows, it's been a tough year. Despite these difficulties, many of the top underwater photo and video manufacturers continue to work hard to innovate the artform we love. Although DEMA was online this year, we were able to sit down with many top innovators and talk about the best products currently on the market, so that you, the consumer, can remain informed from the comfort and safety of your home. 

 

This page will be updated as we record more videos with manufacturers to go over their product lines and new products. Be sure to check out Bluewater's Holiday Specials where many of these products are featured. 

 


 

Sea & Sea: The YS-D3 Strobe After Seven Months of Shooting

 

 

We sat down with Andy at Sea & Sea to discuss why the amazing new YS-D3 lightning replaces older models in Sea & Sea's strobe line up. Andy and our staff are in agreement - the Sea & Sea YS-D3 is our new favorite underwater strobe from Sea & Sea!

The Sea & Sea YS-D3 is capable of quite burst flashes with NO RECYLCE TIME below 1/4 power and .6 seconds of recycle time at 1/2. We discussed the wide range of accessories that are proprietary to the YS-D3 and shared our images that we have captured in the last 7 months. 

Click Here Order a Sea & Sea YS-D3

The YS-D3 is being sold with packages on discount for Bluewater Photo's Holiday Specials:

 

Table of Contents:

0:00 - Intro

02:44 - Body & Build

05:50 - Guide Numbers & Recycle Times

10:30 - Beam Quality

15:07 - Diffuser

16:29 - Recommended Batteries and Battery Life

19:35 - Traveling with the YS-D3

21:30 - YS-D3 Accessories

32:47 - Flash Modes

38:22 - Pricing

40:17 - Andy's sample photos and experience with the YS-D3

52:24 - Nirupam's sample photos and experience with the YS-D3

 


 

 

Best Kraken Sports Underwater Video Lights & Universal Smartphone Housing

 

 

 

We sat down with Doug at Kraken Sports to find out about the best lights Kraken has to offer as well as their universal smart phone housing. Learn about the Kraken 1500+, 2500 macro, 3500s+, 5000S+, and Solar Flare Mini 12,000 video lights. We think the Kraken KRH04 Universal Smartphone Housing is one of the best ways to get started taking photos underwater.

The Universal Smartphone Housing is on sale with an exclusive special at Bluewater Photo. Have questions? Drop a comment or send us an email at sales@bluewaterphotostore.com.

Kraken products are on sale at Bluewater Photo!

Table of Contents

0:00 - Intro

01:19 - Kraken Universal Smartphone Housing

04:22 - Smartphone housing w/ flex arm

05:00 - Smartphone housing w/ dual handles

06:21 - Smarphone Housing App

07:41 - KRH04 vs KRH03

09:44 - Kraken Hydra 1500+ Video Light

15:23 - Kraken 2500 Macro

22:41 - Kraken 3500s+/5000s+

27:39 - Kraken Solar Flare Mini 12,000

33:22 - Kraken Carbon Fiber Float Arms

34:55 - Kraken Hydra 1000FE

35:53 - Final Questions

 


 

Best Light & Motion Underwater Video Lights

 

 

 

We sat down with Anne de Souza from Light & Motion to talk about the top underwater video lights available to divers in 2020 and 2021 from the Sola line. We discussed the features in our favorite lights including the Sola 2500 flood, Sola 2500 spot/flood, Sola Video Pro 3800 FC, and the new and improved Sola 15,000.

Light & Motion video lights are on sale now at Bluewater Photo!

Drop a comment or email us at sales@bluewaterphotostore.com if you have any questions!

 

Table of Contents

0:00 - Intro

4:33 - Sola 2500 Spot/Flood

06:17 - Sola 1200 Photo

07:25 - Operating Sola Lights

08:11 - Sola Video 2500 Flood

11:10 - Sola Video Pro 3800 FC

13:54 - USB-C Charger

15:22 - Sola Video Pro 15,000

26:27 - Sola Aquaterra Kit for Video Pro 15,000

28:14 - Holiday Specials

 


 

 

New SeaLife SportDiver iPhone Housing and SeaLife Micro 3.0!

 

 

We sat down with Sven from SeaLife to discuss two exciting new pieces of equipment from SeaLife - a top maker of underwater cameras. The SportDiver iPhone housing is perfect for taking underwater photos with an any iPhone (7 and up) down to 40m (130 ft). The SeaLife Micro 3.0 is SeaLife's newest compact camera with excellent 4K video and 16 megapixel images. Both of these products are perfect for anyone wishing to jump into underwater photography. 

Order a SportDiver iPhone Housing

Order a SeaLife Micro 3.0

Check out the SeaLife Micro 3.0 Review

Contact us at sales@bluewaterphotostore.com or drop a comment if you have a question!

 

Table of Contents

0:00 - Intro

0:43 - SeaLife SportDiver Housing

05:29 - SeaLife Micro 3.0

10:52 - SeaLife 32" Gear Keeper

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nirupam Nigam is the Editor-in-Chief of the Underwater Photography Guide and the President of Bluewater Photo - the world's top underwater photo & video retailer. While growing up in Los Angeles he fell in love with the ocean and pursued underwater photography in the local Channel Islands. After receiving degrees in Aquatic and Fisheries Science and General Biology, as well as a minor in Arctic Studies, Nirupam worked as a fisheries observer on vessels in the Bering Sea and North Pacific. Since then, Nirupam has been a full time underwater photographer and photo gear head. Check out more of his photography at www.photosfromthesea.com!

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