The deeper you go, the more colour disappears. Reds and oranges vanish first, followed by yellows, leaving everything looking flat and blue no matter how good your camera is.
A strobe brings all of that back, restoring true colour, sharpening edges, and freezing motion in a way ambient light simply cannot. Even the smallest, most affordable macro strobe is a step up from shooting with none at all, especially when you are just starting out.
Strobes are also far more useful for photos than video lights or torches.
Because a strobe only fires for a fraction of a second, at the brightness you want, you are free to use whatever aperture, shutter speed, or ISO you want to get the style of shot you are after. Continuous lights force you to adjust your settings around getting a correct exposure, often meaning a slower shutter speed or a higher ISO than you would otherwise choose, which limits your creative options.
If you are buying two strobes, we recommend choosing the same make and model. Strobes with different colour temperatures can throw off your white balance and result in uneven lighting or mismatched colours across the frame.
If you have any questions about which strobe suits your camera and setup, get in touch using the form at the bottom of this page.
We recommend these strobes because we personally use and trust them – and we want you to be happy with what you buy, too!
We offer two online courses to help you get the most out of your camera and lighting setup underwater.
TG Underwater Photography Made Easy is built specifically for TG-6 and TG-7 owners who want consistent, confident results instead of hit-or-miss shots.
The Confident Underwater Photographer is for compact, mirrorless, or DSLR shooters who want to properly understand their camera, lenses, and lighting, strobes included. Buttons to both are just above.
Your ideal first strobe if you are ready to move past built-in flash and start lighting your macro shots properly. The AOI Q1RC is compact enough to slot onto almost any housing setup, but it does not skimp on the features that actually matter underwater.
With RC TTL, the strobe communicates directly with compatible Olympus and OM System cameras, including the TG-6 and TG-7, so exposure is calculated automatically instead of you guessing power settings dive after dive. Rated to 60m and built with a sealed, separate battery compartment, it is designed to handle real dive conditions without putting your electronics at risk if a seal ever fails.
This is our recommended strobe for macro underwater photography. If you are shooting the TG or another compact camera, one Q1RC is enough to get you beautifully lit macro shots. If you are shooting Micro Four Thirds, crop sensor, or full frame, you will get better, more even lighting running two.
We only recommend lighting gear we have tested ourselves, and the Q1RC is a strobe we point beginner and improving photographers toward again and again because it removes so much of the guesswork.
THE FINER DETAILS:
Your ideal strobe once you are ready to move beyond your camera’s own flash and start getting serious about your macro underwater photography. The Backscatter Mini Flash 3 is a compact, macro-focused strobe built to give photographers real exposure control, whether you are shooting Olympus/OM System or Sony.
It supports full TTL exposure for Olympus/OM System cameras, and for Sony shooters, it uses the Backscatter Smart Control System to deliver native Sony TTL, including a dedicated Smart Control Macro mode tailored specifically for close-up work. Add high-speed sync and a 1000-lumen built-in focus light, and you have a strobe that handles exposure reliably. Rated to 100m and built in an aluminium body, it is made to hold up to serious, repeated use rather than the occasional dive.
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Your ideal strobe if you want serious lighting power in a genuinely compact body. The Marelux Apollo Y delivers a Guide Number of 22 with a 0.6 second recycle time at full power, giving you fast, consistent lighting whether you are shooting macro critters or close-range wide angle scenes.
With TTL, Olympus RC, and HSS support, it is built for photographers who want flexibility without added bulk.
Please note that this is a rugged, solid strobe and can add a bit of extra weight whilst travelling.
THE FINER DETAILS:
The Apollo S delivers a Guide Number of 36 with a 0.9 second full-power recycle time.
With TTL, RC TTL, HSS, and MTL modes, it adapts to however you like to shoot, and its 110° beam (expanding to 140° with the diffuser) means you are not fighting uneven coverage across your frame.
Its size is comparative to the Sea & Sea strobes listed below. It is solid and somewhat heavier than them on land and can add a bit of extra weight for traveling.
Underwater, it weighs just 150g, so it stays out of the way and does not tire your arm out over a long dive.
THE FINER DETAILS:
Your ideal strobe that handles both macro and wide angle. The Sea & Sea YS-D3 DUO is a full-power strobe with a Guide Number of 33, giving you enough output for reef scenes and wreck shots, while still being precise enough for close-up macro work.
With DS-TTL, RC mode for Olympus and OM System cameras (including the TG-6 and TG-7), and full manual control, you get flexibility to shoot however you prefer. Rated to 100m and powered by widely available AA batteries, it is a strobe that is as practical to travel with as it is to dive with.
We recommend the YS-D3 DUO to photographers who are ready to commit to one serious strobe platform rather than outgrowing a smaller travel unit within a year or two.
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Your ideal strobe if you are shooting seriously enough to want pro-level output and full exposure control, without compromises. The Sea & Sea YS-D130R delivers 130Ws from a circular flash tube, giving you smooth, even light across the frame with none of the harsh hotspots you get from smaller strobes.
With DS-TTL, RC mode for OM System cameras, full manual control, and High-Speed Sync, this strobe adapts to however you want to shoot, including firing above your camera’s normal sync speed when you need a shallow depth of field in bright, shallow water.
Rated to 100m, this Pro Package comes with the Li-ion battery and dual USB charger included, it is ready to dive with straight out of the box.
We stock the strobes we would use ourselves on a serious rig, and the YS-D130R is the one we point photographers toward once they are ready to commit to pro-level lighting.
THE FINER DETAILS:
