Best underwater strobes

Using an external strobe allows you to capture stunning underwater photos with better colors, higher contrast, and less backscatter. You probably already own an underwater camera, and now you’re looking for the best underwater strobe. But… which one should you choose? At UWCameraStore.com, we help you find the best underwater strobe for your setup.

What Should You Consider?

To find the best underwater strobe for your needs, ask yourself the following questions:

  • Do you want automatic flash power adjustment? Or do you prefer to control it manually?
  • Do you need a focus light? A built-in focus light helps aim the strobe at your subject and is also useful for night dives. Helps your camera to focus faster and more accurately.
  • Battery type: Do you want a strobe with a rechargeable battery pack, or do you prefer one that runs on AA batteries? Rechargeable batteries are widely available and lightweight, while battery packs usually provide more power and faster recycle times.
  • What do you photograph the most?
    • If you mainly shoot macro and fish portraits, a smaller strobe will be sufficient.
    • If you also want to shoot wide-angle and fisheye photos, you’ll need a strobe with a wider beam angle and more power.

Which Is the Best Underwater Strobe for You?

For starters

For starters these entry-level strobes are great choices and perfect to combine with a compact camera (point-and-shoot camera):

  • AOI Q1 Strobe – Wallet-friendly, only manually adjustable (no automatic mode), 1800 flashes on 2x 18650 batteries, 700-lumen focus light, and ultra-compact.
  • INON S-220 S-TTL – Ultra-compact, powerful, and lightweight strobe, 4 x AA-batteries, a wide 150° x 110° flash angle (with diffuser), but no focus light. Perfect for traveling!
  • Sea&Sea YS-01 Solis – Fully automatic, optically triggered, 4 x AA-batteries, with LED-target light and lightweight.
  • AOI Q1RC Strobe – If you use an Olympus / OM System camera, like a Tough-series camera, this strobe supports the OM System RC protocol (perfect automatic control). 1500 flashes on 2x 18650 batteries, with focus light. For these cameras, this flash is absolutely the best underwater strobe!

For enthusiasts

For enthusiasts who want both automatic and manual control, these options are excellent:

  • AOI UIS-P1 Ultra InTeLi Strobe: *Top model, best choice *– The best underwater strobe for both advanced enthusiasts and pros. Compact innovative wide-angle strobe features a ring flash tube, COB light and supports both Sony TTL and OM System RC, manual exposure, and a 3000-lumen video light.
  • Backscatter MF-2 – Great for macro photography with snooting! Using the MF-2 with a snoot allows you to isolate your subject while keeping the background dark for an artistic effect.
  • Sea&Sea YS-D3 DUO – Powerful strobe for wide-angle and fisheye photography, running on 4 AA batteries.

For PRO underwater photographers

For Pro underwater photographers the best underwater strobes are:

  • AOI UIS-P1 Ultra InTeLi Strobe: *Top model, best choice* – The best underwater strobe for both advanced enthusiasts and pros. Compact innovative wide-angle strobe features a ring flash tube, COB light and supports both Sony TTL and OM System RC, manual exposure, and a 3000-lumen video light.
  • Backscatter Hybrid Flash HF-1 – A wide-angle strobe with all the great features of the MF-2 strobe, RC, HSS, and remote capabilities with a max guide number of 40 and a 5000-lumen video light.
  • If you combine with an Ikelite housing: the Ikelite DS160 Mark II and DS230 are excellent and powerful choices, offering highly accurate TTL control, making them perfect for those who want precise lighting control.

Best Hybrid Strobe for Photography & Video

If you can’t decide between photography and videography, the AOI UIS-P1 Ultra InTeLi Strobe is the best underwater strobe for you. It’s a wide-angle strobe and video light in one. If you use an Ikelite housing, consider the Ikelite DS232 with a built-in video light. This strobe allows full electrical triggering while offering video lighting functionality. But if you really want to focus on filming, a dedicated underwater video light is the best choice. A strobe is always the top choice for photography, while a video light is truly meant for filming.

Find your perfect strobe

Below, you'll find direct links to strobes in our webshop. We also offer many complete packages that include strobes and arms.
➡️ Check out all our strobes here and find the best option for your underwater photography setup.