Underwater videography requires lighting that can truly capture the depths and nuances of the ocean’s wonders. The Kraken Solar Flare Mini 15,000 is an innovative lighting solution that stands out in the crowded world of video lights. Offering a bright 15,000 lumens of output at a retail price of $799, this video light has quickly made a name for itself among both amateur and professional videographers. With its powerful performance and affordability, it is fast becoming a must-have for underwater cinematographers who seek the best quality for their budget. While it may not feature the extensive specifications of its more advanced counterpart, the Kraken Sports Hydra 15,000, the Solar Flare Mini 15,000 shines with its sheer power and impressive value.
Designed with versatility in mind, the Kraken Solar Flare Mini 15,000 adapts effortlessly to both shallow, sun-drenched waters and deeper, more challenging environments. This broad range of capability allows videographers to take it on different types of underwater shoots, whether they’re exploring the clear, bright waters of the Mediterranean or diving into the murkier, darker depths of the Pacific Northwest. The Solar Flare Mini 15,000’s design focuses on one core objective: providing powerful, consistent lighting to illuminate underwater subjects. Its streamlined simplicity is its strength, ensuring that it performs exceptionally well in a wide range of underwater conditions without being overly complicated. For videographers who prioritize sheer brightness and reliability, this light is the ideal solution.
Powerful Lighting with Impressive Flexibility
When it comes to underwater videography, one of the most important aspects of capturing stunning footage is the lighting. The Kraken Solar Flare Mini 15,000 excels in this department, offering an impressive 15,000 lumens of output. This substantial level of brightness ensures that even in bright, sunlit underwater environments, the light can effectively illuminate subjects and scenes. This makes the Solar Flare Mini 15,000 an excellent tool for capturing wide-angle shots, which are common in many underwater shooting scenarios. While having two lights in a setup can give videographers more control and creativity over their lighting, one Solar Flare Mini 15,000 is more than sufficient for most common underwater videography situations.
The 5600K color temperature of the light provides an ideal balance for underwater environments. With a slightly cooler white beam, it ensures that the colors captured underwater remain true to life. Whether you are filming vibrant marine life, expansive coral reefs, or shipwrecks, this light helps to maintain natural colors without making the scene appear artificially warm or giving it an unflattering yellowish tone. This feature is critical for underwater videographers who need to represent the true colors of the underwater world while keeping their footage as realistic as possible. It adds richness to the visual experience, ensuring that every hue of the ocean’s depths pops in the final shot.
A key advantage of the Kraken Solar Flare Mini 15,000 is its wide 120-degree beam angle. This broad light spread makes capturing expansive, wide-angle shots far easier, even in challenging underwater conditions. Wide-angle shots typically require careful control over lighting placement, and with such a wide beam, the light covers a substantial area. Even tricky fisheye shots, often requiring precise lighting arrangements, can be achieved with the Solar Flare Mini 15,000. However, while the wide beam angle offers significant benefits, it also comes with a challenge. To avoid scattering the light too much, it’s important to direct it carefully, especially when you need to focus on a specific subject. This can be particularly important when using the camera’s autofocus system, which needs to focus on the subject rather than the particulate matter in the water.
User-Friendly Design and Durable Build
The Kraken Solar Flare Mini 15,000 isn’t just about raw power; it’s also designed with ease of use and long-lasting durability in mind. The intuitive triple-button control system allows users to adjust the light’s settings with ease, making it simple for videographers to get the best performance out of the light. While the buttons are designed to be straightforward and accessible, those who need more streamlined control options underwater might find it beneficial to pair the light with a Kraken remote control. The option for remote control adds a layer of convenience, enabling videographers to adjust the settings quickly while maintaining focus on their shot.
In terms of durability, the Kraken Solar Flare Mini 15,000 doesn’t fall short. The robust anodized aluminum casing ensures that the light can withstand the tough conditions of underwater videography. Whether you are diving in warm, tropical waters or in colder, more challenging environments, the Solar Flare Mini 15,000 is built to last. It’s designed to be reliable and resistant to corrosion, ensuring that it can handle the rough and demanding conditions of regular underwater use. The sturdy construction means that you don’t have to worry about the light giving out prematurely or being damaged during your dive. It’s a solid, dependable tool that you can count on to work as hard as you do when shooting in challenging underwater environments.
Versatility and Application in Diverse Shooting Conditions
One of the standout features of the Kraken Solar Flare Mini 15,000 is its versatility. This light is designed to adapt to different underwater shooting conditions, making it a reliable companion for a wide range of underwater videography projects. From shallow, bright waters where the sun can still penetrate to the deeper, darker corners of the ocean, this light can handle it all. It’s perfect for capturing stunning footage in tropical reefs, shipwrecks, and underwater landscapes that require an extra boost of brightness to bring the scene to life.
The 120-degree beam angle makes it particularly useful for capturing wide-angle shots in varying depths. Whether you are filming a school of fish darting through the water or an expansive coral reef, the Solar Flare Mini 15,000 ensures that the lighting covers a wide area, giving you the flexibility to create dynamic shots. The light’s 15,000-lumen output provides plenty of power to reach subjects even in deeper, murkier waters, while still maintaining a consistent and natural color temperature. This makes it an invaluable tool for capturing high-quality footage in environments where lighting conditions can change quickly.
Additionally, the Solar Flare Mini 15,000 is an excellent tool for videographers who prioritize compactness and portability. Despite its high power output, the light is designed to be compact and lightweight enough to fit easily into a dive bag. This makes it an ideal choice for videographers who need a high-performance light but want to keep their gear setup as simple and portable as possible. It’s a great solution for those who may be traveling to different locations, diving in remote areas, or working with limited space for their equipment.
Affordable Yet Powerful
At its retail price of $799, the Kraken Solar Flare Mini 15,000 offers exceptional value for the money. In comparison to other high-power underwater lights on the market, this video light offers an impressive combination of power, performance, and affordability. For videographers who are looking for a reliable and powerful lighting solution but don’t want to break the bank, the Solar Flare Mini 15,000 is an excellent choice. It provides all the benefits of high-lumen output, broad beam coverage, and true-to-life color temperature, without the hefty price tag that often accompanies professional-grade lighting equipment.
With its impressive performance and price point, the Kraken Solar Flare Mini 15,000 is fast becoming the go-to lighting choice for underwater videographers who want the best results in a wide range of shooting conditions. Whether you're filming in crystal-clear waters or murky depths, this light has the power and flexibility to deliver stunning footage. Its simplicity, ease of use, and durability make it a reliable addition to any videographer’s toolkit, and its affordability ensures that top-tier underwater lighting is accessible to a broader audience of filmmakers.
The Kraken Solar Flare Mini 15,000 is an extraordinary piece of equipment that stands out in the competitive world of underwater lighting. Combining power, versatility, and durability, this light offers an unbeatable performance-to-price ratio. It’s ideal for both novice and professional underwater videographers, offering the perfect balance of high-quality lighting and practicality. Whether you're capturing expansive wide-angle shots or focusing on vibrant marine life, the Kraken Solar Flare Mini 15,000 will help you create stunning underwater footage that truly stands out.
Burn Time: A Critical Feature for Extended Filming
When selecting an underwater light, one of the most important factors to consider is its burn time, especially for videographers who rely on consistent and long-lasting light to capture high-quality footage. The Kraken Solar Flare Mini 15,000 offers a commendable burn time of one hour at full power. This ensures that divers and filmmakers can capture the perfect shot without the constant worry of the light running out of power halfway through their dive.
One hour of continuous lighting at full power is a significant advantage for videographers who need stable and reliable illumination to film underwater scenes. With 15,000 lumens of output, the light intensity provided by the Kraken Solar Flare Mini 15,000 is powerful enough to cut through the depths, enabling crystal-clear video recording. The extended burn time is especially useful when filming at deeper depths where natural light is minimal, or when the dive takes place in murky waters where extra lighting is necessary to maintain visibility.
However, while the one-hour burn time is sufficient for many diving and filming scenarios, it might not always be enough for those who need continuous light over multiple dives within a single day. In these cases, divers might find themselves needing to plan their dives more carefully to avoid running out of light when they need it most. The Kraken Solar Flare Mini 15,000 is designed to deliver excellent output for short to medium-length dives, but if you're someone who expects to be filming continuously during multiple dives, you will want to consider supplementary power sources.
Charging Time: Faster Options Available
The Kraken Solar Flare Mini 15,000 is undeniably a powerful and efficient lighting option, offering excellent burn time for underwater videographers. Its long-lasting performance makes it a popular choice for extended dives, ensuring that it can provide the necessary light to capture stunning footage even during prolonged underwater explorations. However, as with many high-performance lights, there are trade-offs, and one of the key aspects that might raise concerns for some users is its recharge time.
With a full recharge time of approximately 7 hours, the Kraken Solar Flare Mini 15,000 falls on the slower end of the spectrum when compared to other lights in the market, such as the Sola Pro Video Light 15,000, which boasts a much faster recharge rate. For underwater videographers who are working with tight shooting schedules or have multiple dives lined up throughout the day, this extended downtime may become a limiting factor. Even though the light performs admirably during its burn time, a significant portion of time between dives could be consumed by recharging, leading to potential gaps in filming schedules.
This issue becomes particularly pertinent when shooting in environments where time is of the essence, and every moment counts. Imagine a scenario where you’re trying to capture specific underwater phenomena, and your light runs out of power in the middle of your dive. The longer the recharge time, the more you might miss valuable footage that could be critical for your project. In such cases, it’s crucial to plan your shooting schedule effectively, ensuring that you have ample time to recharge or swap out batteries, especially if you're working in a high-demand environment where every dive matters.
Fortunately, Kraken has engineered a clever solution to alleviate this concern: the removable battery design. This feature allows divers and videographers to bring spare batteries along, which can be easily swapped out between dives. By having backup batteries readily available, you can avoid the delays associated with waiting for a full recharge. Once a battery depletes, simply replace it with a fresh one, and you're good to go, without having to pause your filming process or miss any critical underwater moments.
The ability to replace the battery on the fly is an incredibly valuable feature for videographers who are often required to work under tight schedules. It eliminates the need for long waiting periods and provides peace of mind when you’re deep underwater, knowing you can continue your work uninterrupted. Whether you're capturing marine life, shooting for a documentary, or working on a commercial project, this level of flexibility ensures that you can maintain a consistent lighting setup throughout the day.
This removable battery solution is especially useful for professionals who are conducting multiple dives throughout the day. Divers can simply swap in a fresh battery and keep filming, even as the previous battery begins to recharge. This method also allows for more flexibility when traveling or working in remote locations where charging options might be limited. Instead of worrying about finding a power source for the light, you can carry several fully charged spare batteries, ensuring that you’ll have backup power no matter how long you’re out at sea or how many dives you need to make in a single day.
Though indeed, the Kraken Solar Flare Mini 15,000 may not be the fastest charger on the market, its removable battery system significantly enhances its usability for professionals. This system provides a seamless solution to overcome the issue of slow recharge times, allowing users to continue working without being hindered by extended periods of downtime. As long as you’re equipped with a couple of spare batteries, the slow recharge time becomes less of an issue, and the light’s overall performance remains exceptional.
Convenience of a Removable Battery for Uninterrupted Filming
One of the standout features of the Kraken Solar Flare Mini 15,000 is the removable battery system. This feature makes it far more convenient for users who need continuous power throughout their dive trips. Rather than having to wait hours for the light to recharge after each dive, divers can simply swap out the spent battery for a fully charged one, ensuring that they can continue filming without a break in the action. This system eliminates the need to worry about running out of power mid-dive, offering significant peace of mind for those on long or intensive filming sessions.
For divers who are deep into their filming and don’t want to miss out on any perfect moments, the removable battery provides a perfect solution. You can carry an extra battery or two, switch them out easily, and continue filming as long as you need. This adds a level of practicality that many underwater lights lack, making the Kraken Solar Flare Mini 15,000 an ideal choice for those who value reliability and convenience in their equipment.
Additionally, the Kraken Solar Flare Mini 15,000 uses a USB-C charger, which simplifies the charging process. USB-C charging is known for its fast data transfer and charging capabilities, making it easier to replenish the light’s power between uses. Even though the overall recharge time is about 7 hours, the use of USB-C ensures that the charging process is efficient when compared to older methods. This integration of modern charging technology means that users can quickly top off their batteries when not in use, maximizing the available charge for filming sessions.
In terms of capacity, the Kraken Solar Flare Mini 15,000 features a high-capacity battery that delivers impressive performance over extended periods. The longer-lasting battery ensures that divers don’t have to worry about diminished light output, even during long dives. The robust design and long-lasting power ensure that the light remains reliable throughout your underwater adventures, provided you have spare batteries to swap between dives.
Power Management: Maximizing Filming Time with Additional Power Sources
While the Kraken Solar Flare Mini 15,000 does offer substantial power and flexibility, planning for extended filming sessions requires some foresight. If you intend to use the light extensively during your dives, it’s wise to carry additional batteries or explore alternative power sources to prevent running out of power during crucial moments. The 7-hour recharge time means you will need to plan your filming schedule accordingly, and bringing along spare batteries will give you the peace of mind to film without interruptions.
The key takeaway here is that the Kraken Solar Flare Mini 15,000’s power capabilities are well-suited to short-to-medium filming sessions. For longer shoots, a little planning goes a long way. While the charge time is longer than some of its competitors, the convenience of removable batteries and a reliable power source ensures that the light remains a strong contender for underwater videography. By bringing along a spare battery or two, you can seamlessly continue filming between dives, making this light an excellent choice for dedicated divers and filmmakers.
Moreover, if you are traveling to remote locations or locations where charging options might be limited, it's highly recommended to invest in portable charging solutions, such as power banks or solar charging panels. These can be invaluable in ensuring that you never run out of power, no matter where your underwater adventures take you. With these additional power management strategies in place, you can maximize the Kraken Solar Flare Mini 15,000's potential and enjoy uninterrupted filming without any concerns about power loss.
The Kraken Solar Flare Mini 15,000 is an excellent underwater light that delivers on both burn time and convenience. While its charging time may be a bit lengthy for some, the ability to swap out the battery makes it an ideal choice for those who need continuous lighting without any hassle. By planning ahead with spare batteries or portable charging solutions, divers and filmmakers can ensure that their filming sessions go uninterrupted, providing optimal lighting and flexibility during every dive.
Robust Construction Designed for Underwater Durability
When it comes to underwater lighting, reliability and toughness are of the utmost importance, and the Kraken Solar Flare Mini 15,000 excels in both. Built to withstand the harshest underwater environments, this light features a rugged anodized aluminum housing. This robust construction ensures the light can endure the demanding conditions often found in professional underwater cinematography. Whether you’re diving in the warm, crystal-clear waters of the tropics or exploring the colder depths of the Pacific Northwest, the Solar Flare Mini 15,000 is engineered to take on the challenges of any dive. Its sturdy exterior offers unparalleled protection against impacts, saltwater corrosion, and temperature fluctuations, making it a durable and reliable tool for all types of underwater exploration.
Diving professionals and enthusiasts alike know that underwater equipment must be able to perform under pressure, both figuratively and literally. The Kraken Solar Flare Mini 15,000 meets this challenge head-on, offering a light that can handle the rigors of both active filming and recreational diving. Whether you’re capturing intricate underwater wildlife or shooting dramatic ocean landscapes, this light is designed to continue functioning optimally in challenging conditions. No matter how deep you dive, you can trust that the Solar Flare Mini 15,000 will be up to the task, providing you with dependable performance and clarity in even the most extreme conditions.
The durable design is more than just an aesthetic feature; it ensures the longevity of your lighting gear, saving you money and hassle in the long run. Since underwater gear is often exposed to harsh environmental factors such as saltwater and pressure, the materials used in construction play a crucial role in the gear’s overall durability. The anodized aluminum body offers protection against corrosion, ensuring that the Kraken Solar Flare Mini 15,000 will remain functional and looking like new, even after extensive use in challenging marine environments. This attention to durability makes it an excellent choice for both professionals and casual divers who are serious about their underwater gear.
Simple and Efficient Control for Seamless Operation
Navigating underwater lighting setups can often be a complex and time-consuming task. Kraken, however, has made the Solar Flare Mini 15,000 easy to operate with a streamlined control system designed for simplicity. The light is equipped with three intuitive buttons that control the power levels and light modes, allowing users to make adjustments quickly and efficiently. With one button to control the power levels, another to toggle through the different light modes, and a third to turn the light on or off, the design simplifies the user experience significantly.
This control setup is an improvement over previous models, offering a more user-friendly experience for divers looking to focus on capturing their shots rather than fumbling with complex settings. Despite these advances, some divers may find that the three-button design still isn’t the fastest or most intuitive option when adjustments need to be made quickly. Underwater photography can be fast-paced, especially when working with dynamic scenes or rapidly changing conditions, so quick access to the necessary settings is crucial. Although the three-button system is easy to learn, it can sometimes feel a bit slow, especially when compared to more sophisticated controls.
For those who want to take their user experience to the next level, Kraken offers the option of using a remote control. This accessory enhances the lighting experience by offering a more efficient method of controlling the light’s settings. The remote control allows divers to make adjustments without needing to directly interact with the light, providing greater flexibility, especially in the middle of a dive. Whether you’re filming an elusive marine animal or adjusting settings on the fly, the remote ensures a more seamless operation, allowing divers to stay focused on their tasks while keeping the controls at their fingertips.
Considerations on Size, Weight, and Performance
While the Kraken Solar Flare Mini 15,000 impresses in terms of its durability and ease of use, it is important to acknowledge a few factors that may affect some divers' overall experience with the light. One such consideration is the size and weight of the unit. Weighing 1345 grams on land, or approximately 550 grams underwater, the Solar Flare Mini 15,000 is heavier than many typical underwater strobes. While its lightweight nature underwater reduces the burden on divers, the size and weight might still be cumbersome for those looking to minimize bulk and streamline their gear. For divers who need to conserve space or reduce weight on long dives, this extra size could feel noticeable, especially when using other equipment in tandem.
Despite its heft, the Kraken Solar Flare Mini 15,000 makes up for it with its remarkable performance and high output. The power and intensity of the light are unmatched, providing an excellent lighting solution for underwater videography. Whether you’re working in dimly lit caves or capturing colorful coral reefs, the powerful light output ensures that you’ll have the necessary visibility to create stunning footage. The light’s impressive lumen output and wide beam angle contribute to a lighting experience that is not only practical but also capable of creating cinematic effects that enhance your work.
For divers who prioritize performance and are willing to carry a bit of extra weight, the Solar Flare Mini 15,000 offers great value. The light’s durability, ease of use, and powerful output make it an investment that can pay off in the long run, particularly for those who need reliable, high-quality lighting for a variety of underwater shooting conditions. Whether used for professional cinematography or personal diving adventures, the Kraken Solar Flare Mini 15,000 delivers in terms of performance and ease of use, making it a trusted choice for those looking to enhance their underwater visual experience.
The combination of rugged build quality, simple controls, and powerful performance makes the Kraken Solar Flare Mini 15,000 a standout in the world of underwater lighting. Although it may not be the lightest option on the market, its durability and impressive output make it well worth considering for divers and underwater videographers who require a high-quality lighting solution. By offering a durable, easy-to-use, and powerful lighting option, Kraken has cemented the Solar Flare Mini 15,000 as a top choice for underwater cinematography enthusiasts and professionals alike.
Power and Performance of the Kraken Solar Flare Mini 15,000 Burst Mode
The Kraken Solar Flare Mini 15,000 is equipped with an extraordinary 18,000-lumen burst mode, making it a powerful tool for underwater photographers and videographers who demand versatility and intensity in their lighting setup. This impressive burst mode provides an additional boost of lighting power, ensuring that photographers can capture shots with optimal clarity, even in challenging conditions. While traditional strobes have long been favored for their ability to provide high-intensity, short bursts of light, the Kraken Solar Flare Mini’s burst mode provides the same power but with a more adaptable approach.
What makes the burst mode of the Kraken Solar Flare Mini 15,000 stand out is its capacity to support wide-angle shots, where lighting challenges can often be more difficult to overcome. When dealing with larger subjects or expansive underwater scenes, traditional continuous lighting sources may fall short. In these instances, the burst mode offers the additional illumination needed to bring out vibrant colors and fine details, making it an essential feature for both photographers and videographers who want to capture stunning underwater imagery.
The 18,000-lumen burst mode is not only bright but also quick to activate, offering powerful, momentary illumination. Whether you’re aiming to capture dramatic, high-energy action shots or highlight large underwater landscapes, this burst mode delivers. It is especially beneficial in situations where subjects are moving quickly or where sudden bursts of light can reveal hidden details in the scene. Thanks to the burst mode's capability, photographers can make use of rapid lighting changes, helping them achieve the perfect shot with ease.
However, despite its remarkable power, the continuous output of the Kraken Solar Flare Mini 15,000, which stands at 15,000 lumens, may have some unintended consequences. In certain situations, the ongoing intensity of the light can startle or frighten off sensitive creatures nearby. For those looking to photograph more elusive or timid marine life, this could present a challenge. However, this aspect does not detract from the overall usefulness of the burst mode, as it serves its purpose well for photographers who need that added boost of light to capture clearer and more detailed shots in dynamic environments.
The Ideal Lighting Solution for Underwater Photography and Videography
Underwater photography and videography often require specialized lighting equipment to deal with the unique challenges posed by underwater environments. The Kraken Solar Flare Mini 15,000 delivers impressive performance in this regard, offering both powerful continuous lighting and a burst mode that rivals the capabilities of more traditional lighting setups. The light is designed to meet the needs of both photographers and videographers, ensuring that no matter the scenario, you can rely on consistent and dependable illumination.
While continuous lighting has long been a popular option for many underwater photographers, the need for occasional bursts of light cannot be understated. This is where the Kraken Solar Flare Mini’s burst mode truly shines. Its 18,000-lumen power offers a significant advantage when dealing with larger scenes or subjects that require extra illumination. Whether it’s a wide-angle shot of a coral reef or a group of large fish swimming through the ocean, the burst mode ensures that every detail is well-lit and captured with stunning clarity.
Moreover, the Kraken Solar Flare Mini 15,000’s burst mode is not only beneficial for wide-angle shots. Its utility extends to all types of underwater photography, especially in situations where natural lighting is insufficient or where traditional strobes might not offer the desired level of power. In such cases, the Kraken’s burst mode provides just the right amount of additional light to help photographers achieve the results they want. The burst mode also allows for more creative control, giving users the ability to experiment with lighting effects, dramatic contrasts, and bright accents in their shots.
The versatility of this lighting tool is enhanced by its combination of high-quality, consistent illumination and the capability to adjust the power for specific shooting conditions. For photographers focused on capturing fine details of marine life, the Kraken Solar Flare Mini 15,000’s burst mode helps to bring out the vibrancy and color of underwater subjects. For videographers, the burst mode’s high-intensity lighting ensures that each frame is captured with maximum clarity, making it a valuable tool in both video production and still photography.
Conclusion
In short, the Kraken Solar Flare Mini 15,000 stands out as an exceptional option for both underwater videographers and photographers. It strikes the perfect balance between continuous lighting and burst-mode power, delivering a solid 15,000 lumens of continuous light, complemented by an 18,000-lumen burst mode for those moments when additional intensity is needed. Whether you're shooting wide-angle landscapes or trying to capture the beauty of underwater creatures, this light offers the flexibility and power necessary to achieve high-quality results.
Despite its relatively compact size, the Kraken Solar Flare Mini 15,000 offers professional-grade performance. It’s designed with usability in mind, ensuring that users can quickly adapt to its functions and rely on it in challenging underwater conditions. The burst mode, in particular, elevates its capabilities, allowing for more dramatic shots that would otherwise be difficult to achieve with conventional lighting setups.
While the Kraken Solar Flare Mini 15,000 does come with a few considerations, such as its weight and charging time, these minor challenges are outweighed by the incredible performance it delivers. For underwater photographers and videographers seeking a versatile, high-performance lighting solution, the Kraken Solar Flare Mini 15,000 provides an excellent investment. Its combination of power, ease of use, and adaptability makes it an invaluable tool in any underwater creator's arsenal. Whether you're a professional or an enthusiast, this lighting solution will help you capture stunning, vibrant underwater imagery with unmatched clarity and precision.