Atlantic Diver: Unboxing the Knog Qudos action video light

As an amateur underwater videographer, i have to deal with the loss of colours when i do my shootings. The deeper i go, the more blueish/greenish my recording becomes – more water to absorve the energy from the lightwaves, making less available lightwave spectrum. There are ways to compensate this, with filters, using the cameras white balance, or lights.

When i dive, i usually take my gopro 3 silver with me, for some casual shooting of whatever i can see down the water column. I like to keep things simple, and i don´t need professional level filmings, just some decent and neat ones.

Depending on the water turbidity and available sunlight, the gopro fairs relatively well up to around 5-8 meters, with even the possibility of some colour correction in post-production ( i use the gopro studio ). But the small size of the sensor on this type of cameras becomes the limiting factor for capturing light – the sensor just doesn´t have enough size to capture the lightwaves in low light situations, independently the sensor quality and technology. I used a polar pro red filter with the gopro, and the colour in the filmings improved dramacticly – well, at least until i reached 10-15 meters. Unfortunately i broke the filter when i dove in the caribbean sea a while back, so i searched for other solutions.

Enter rhe Knog Qudos. What the heck is a knog, you might ask? Knog is an Australian company, founded in 2003, wich specializes in video lights and bicycle acessories. Qudos is an small form-factor, multi-purpose action video light designed for divers, or nocturnal surfers / riders. It can be fitted to action cameras compatible with gopro mounts, or the coldshoe of dslr´s.

Here are the specifications :

OUTPUT : 70 – 400 lumens
DIMENSIONS : 31x70x40mm
WEIGHT : 150 gr
MATERIALS : die cast + CNC machined aluminium heat sink and and optical grade lens;
LEDS: 3 XB-D CREE LEDS.
BATTERY SPEC: 3-7V 1000mAh 3.7Wh. Replaceable USB Rechargeable Lithium Polymer battery.
CHARGE TIME: 5-6 Hours
CONSTANT CURRENT DRIVE TECHNOLOGY: prevents video flicker;
WATERPROOF : up to 40 meters.

Ligh Modes	Beam angle	Lumens (High/low modes)	Runtime
Action Sports	Wide	High : 400	70 minutes
Action Sports	Wide	Low : 225	1 hour and 30 minutes
Target Spot	Near	High : 175	1 hour and 50 minutes
Target Spot	Near	Low : 100	2 hours and 40 minutes
Ambient	Ultra wide	High : 270	1 hour and 10 minutes
Ambient	Ultra wide	Low : 70	4 hours and 30 minutes

Pricing : can range from 80 to 100 euros.

So let´s get this bad boy out of it´s cage.

First, the packaging : it comes with a metal sheet case, cool, but too thin, it kinks real easy. The case has a lid that´s on the back. Very nice, with a premium look to it.

The acessories included inside : action Camera Mount Bracket and Hardware, Cold Shoe/Tripod Adaptor (for use with DSLR cameras), USB Recharge Cable, two silicone anti-vibration pads, two stickers, a quick reference card, and a spare o-ring.

The 3 Leds : all three are one when in action sport mode; only the bottom one in target mode; and the top two in ambient mode.

Opening the plastic backdoor gives acess to the battery. The door is not very tough, but the locking mechanism is tight, and won´t open accidently. Below the locking mechanism there are 4 led lights, The first 3 from the left indicate what is the current light mode selecter. Each light mode has 2 colours to indicate high ( green ) and low ( blue ). The forth led is the battery charge level.

Unlocking the backdoor.

The battery is removable, and charged via usb or charger. It has indicator light on the battery, so you now when it´s fully charged..

This is the setup i´ll be testing the light : a SP pole and the qudos. Simple, and portable. I made a small modification so the camera won´t scratch the side of the light, and also keep it in place - i cut the small silicone anti-vibration in half, and put it between the two.