underwater Photo Course :: (2) Equipment Guide :: Underwater Camera Housings :: Underwater Strobes :: underwater Strobe Coverage

The flash coverageThe area that a flash will illuminate is known as the angle of coverage should match the angle of coverageThe angle between rays of light entering a lens from the extreme corners of a scene. AKA angle of view (AOV) of your widest lens otherwise your shots end up lit very unevenly. This is probably the commonest mistake to ruin beginner's shots.

Most strobes cover either a standard or wide-angle lens. If you buy a strobe to match your widest lens then you will cover all eventualities, but you shouldn't be put off a buying a narrow beam strobe if the price is right. Coverage can always be increased by the use of a diffuserA device that increases the effective area of a lightsource i.e. makes it less pointlike. This is usually a piece of opal or translucent plastic that can be fitted to the front of a light source. to spread the light (at the expense of power output - another reason to over-buy on power).