Review on SeaLife SL650 Sea Dragon Mini 650F Flood UW Light: Perfect for Cold Shoe, GoPro, AquaPod - Includes YS Adapters and 2 CR123 Batteries by Scott Kulothungan

Bought this for a trip to Hawaii where we wanted to do some light relatively shallow diving. The hope was to give the GoPro a little more light and I wanted the wide angle to match that. Pros: * Sturdy - it's all aluminum with a nice strong cable and the lens feels solid. Good seals throughout and the switch feels premium with a heavy rubber cover. I expect this to last a long time. * Wide Angle - Provides wide angle light. A large, perfect circle of light is created over the water. There are no hotspots. Great general purpose flashlight and above water video light.* Brightness is somewhere between plus and minus. The light is amazingly bright above water and works well in clear water, but because it's so wide any sediment pretty much negates its usefulness. You can't point at your buddy because there's no space and you have to be very, very close to everything you want to light for the video. This also applies to a GoPro's wide-angle lens, but the light won't highlight your target if it's 10 feet away. - During a nighttime visit to Volcano National Park, some college girls tried to take a picture of themselves in front of the crater's glow and the flash didn't help. I had this light in my bag so I took it out and used it as a fill light on their faces and still managed to capture the background. So maybe this works for dating girls too? :) Cons: * The price is for a dive light, I don't think it's that outrageously expensive, but its wide angle light and minimal range makes it a pretty specialized tool. Therefore, it may be better to pay MORE for a more powerful flashlight which is more useful in more situations. * Throwing - like I said above, it doesn't glow very far underwater so I actually took a second, cheap plastic flashlight with me to aim and see deeper nooks and crannies. I will keep it in my bag and use it when camping or tenting. Hanging from a branch, you get perfect lighting even at a moderate height. If it's too bright, tie a napkin to it or hang a styrofoam cup from it as a diffuser. My only concern is whether the design will dissipate enough heat to protect a fully enclosed LED when out of water. but it just doesn't feel like it's worth the cost if you're expecting an all-around dive video light.