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New Retra Maxi

fruehaufsteher2
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makar0n Marlin

makar0n

Posted
Posted (edited)
41 minutes ago, fruehaufsteher2 said:

Specs are out now, and I think it shows where Retra sees their future…

 

-Finally high capacity batteries (2160)

- straight flash tube

- Video Light 6000 lm

 

https://www.retra-uwt.com/products/retra-maxi


880.-$ with video light.

 

looks good. 

 

 

Interesting considering the crusade in the other topic from Retra affiliates against Li-Ion 😉

Specs do look interesting but the weight is quoted at 1150g...tad heavy travel wise, but seems almost neutral in the water, if I understand the buoyancy value correctly.

 

And let's not post those prices the same misleading way Retra been doing since beginning - they are based in EU as such by law have to publish prices with VAT included, at least to private customers. I won't even mention the fact that prices are in USD and not in EUR....And even in US, not every state is tax free.

Price now shows as 799 USD (guess intro, w/o video light), 879 (with video), 999 regular for both. Thats 966,76 USD including 167.79 VAT (as calculated by Retra checkout) and 1063.69 (including 184.59 VAT)

That represents about 21% VAT. So regular price will be about 1208 USD.

 

 

 

Edited by makar0n
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Dave_Hicks Dolphin

Dave_Hicks

Posted
Posted

The specs look really good. I am happy to see Retra stepping up to meet the growing list of viable competitors in the market, and take some steps to close the price gap. 

 

I look forward to watching the preview video. 

 

 

  • Like 2
fruehaufsteher2 Orca

fruehaufsteher2

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Ok, so: 

 

Straight Flash Tube with all the downsides. Better efficiency. Modern battery. Same reliability as the other Retras. 
 

I‘m happy to have Pro Max. The Maxi is large outside the water, inside 20g buoyant. 

Dave_Hicks Dolphin

Dave_Hicks

Posted
Posted
14 minutes ago, fruehaufsteher2 said:

Ok, so: 

 

Straight Flash Tube with all the downsides. Better efficiency. Modern battery. Same reliability as the other Retras. 
 

Seems a bit early to be to be making a statement on reliability.

Dave_Hicks Dolphin

Dave_Hicks

Posted
Posted (edited)
11 minutes ago, fruehaufsteher2 said:

Don’t you think they use the same circuits as in the other ones? 

No, not the same at all. This unit is using an entirely new power source (lithium ion), very different flash tubes, and a 6000 lumen video light. I am sure the circuitry is very different in many respects. 

 

Heat dissipation and power circuits are always the weak points in UW strobes and we've seen many units that had common failures in these areas. (S&S DS2, Backscatter MF1, Inon 240, etc) 

 

Only time in market will prove any new products to be reliable and even then anecdotal reports make it tough to get a true read on the story.

Edited by Dave_Hicks
Oskar - Retra UWT Moray Eel

Oskar - Retra UWT

Posted
Posted

The new Retra Maxi is 90% new in design and construction, yet the technology is well-proven and not new for us.

 

The Retra Warranty for the Maxi strobe offers 2.5 years of standard coverage, with the option to extend it to an industry-leading 5 years through the RetraCare+ package. No other manufacturer of underwater strobes provides such comprehensive coverage, ensuring unparalleled peace of mind.

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DreiFish Hammerhead

DreiFish

Posted
Posted

Hmm... on first glance, it seems to be a Retra version of the Backscatter HF-1....

 

Does it use one straight flash tube, or two? The claimed GN of 46 seems a bit high for a single flash tube strobe.

 

Any information on recycling times or Watt-seconds?

  • Like 1
CaolIla Hammerhead

CaolIla

Posted
Posted

Why did you change the tube from circular to a straight?
What I love in the "orginal" strobe is the light in the middle with a snoot it is perfect.

Dave_Hicks Dolphin

Dave_Hicks

Posted
Posted
5 minutes ago, CaolIla said:

Why did you change the tube from circular to a straight?
What I love in the "orginal" strobe is the light in the middle with a snoot it is perfect.

Still the case with the new strobe. Spotting light is centered.

Chris Ross Leviathan

Chris Ross

Posted
Posted

I see the new maxi output is quoted in GN, while the circular tube strobes have power listed in Ws.  I would be interested to know how the maxi compares to the output of the circular tube strobes. 

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Alex_Mustard Reef Shark

Alex_Mustard

Posted
Posted
12 hours ago, DreiFish said:

Hmm... on first glance, it seems to be a Retra version of the Backscatter HF-1....

 

Does it use one straight flash tube, or two? The claimed GN of 46 seems a bit high for a single flash tube strobe.

 

Any information on recycling times or Watt-seconds?

 

Retra sent me an email with the specs last week and I was reading it to a couple of the guys on my Red Sea workshop, who commented it seemed engineered to beat the HF-1 in each department. One of them then quipped that Retra should have called it the Backscatter Xterminator! 

 

The guide number scale makes the difference seem much larger than it is. I've tested (only on land) it against the HF-1 and it is marginally brighter centre frame. But you have to look to see it. And that is with both without diffusers, which is not how you are going to normally use them. 

 

But I also understand why Retra have made this - because quite simply some of their customers or potential customers have said that this is what they want. While others, like me, prefer the philosophy of the Pro Max for my photos. And I think it is great news that there is now a wide variety of quality products out there offering people the chance to choose what they think is right for them.

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TimG Leviathan

TimG

Posted
Posted
41 minutes ago, Alex_Mustard said:

 

 And I think it is great news that there is now a wide variety of quality products out there offering people the chance to choose what they think is right for them.


Totally agree, Alex. From my own experience of Retra over the last few years, really well engineered and designed products with excellent customer support. 

  • Like 2
DreiFish Hammerhead

DreiFish

Posted
Posted
8 hours ago, Alex_Mustard said:

 

Retra sent me an email with the specs last week and I was reading it to a couple of the guys on my Red Sea workshop, who commented it seemed engineered to beat the HF-1 in each department. One of them then quipped that Retra should have called it the Backscatter Xterminator! 

 

The guide number scale makes the difference seem much larger than it is. I've tested (only on land) it against the HF-1 and it is marginally brighter centre frame. But you have to look to see it. And that is with both without diffusers, which is not how you are going to normally use them. 

 

But I also understand why Retra have made this - because quite simply some of their customers or potential customers have said that this is what they want. While others, like me, prefer the philosophy of the Pro Max for my photos. And I think it is great news that there is now a wide variety of quality products out there offering people the chance to choose what they think is right for them.

 

Indeed, seems Retra pushed the flash tubes (I imagine they're the same as used in the YS-D3 and Backscatter HF-1) just slightly further, and put a slightly brighter, slightly better CRI video light on there. Still, can't complain about the end result -- if you're in the market for the Backscatter HF-1s, you should also seriously consider the Retra Maxi, since price is very similar and Retra arguably has a better range of accessories atm and build quality.

 

What I especially like is the even higher battery capacity (550 full power flashes vs. 375 on the HF-1); the even faster recycling times (claimed 50fps vs 30fps -- though how that translates in practice to more practical 1-10fps shooting speeds remains to be seen), and, most importantly, same weight and similar size with better boyancy characteristics (only -20g negative). Plus, better controls.

 

If cross-shopping, I guess it comes down to how interesting/important the Backscatter HF-1s ambient light filters are to you and which strobe has a better TTL implementation -- though those are really niche features for most. Excited to try them..

  • Like 1
Tom Kline Blue Tang

Tom Kline

Posted
Posted

Happy Thanksgiving all!!! I am still trying to find out if the Maxi is compatible with the E-Opto converter preferably the model for gen 3&4 Retras (the converter screws directly on the underwater strobe). The person answering queries on the Retra site was not sure.

The ability to use wired synch cable sets the Retras apart (among other attributes) from the recent competition. Here is a shot of one of my setups from 2024 where one can see the converter: https://www.salmonography.com/Salmonid-Topic/Family-ties/i-Cw48NgF/A

RomiK Hammerhead

RomiK

Posted
Posted

Ha ha so funny!🤣 I asked for it on this forum and PM to retra - neutrally buoyant can with videolight good enough for macro and glove friendly controls - and three weeks later Retra delivers! 🤣 👏 Not that I would think they built it on my order but still 🤣

 

Well done @Oskar - Retra UWT ! 👏  I am from the camp really appreciating characteristics of undiffused light produced by circular tubes so it was a bit sad to see departure from those but one can always dream that the next MaxPro is going to have that. Once again well done! 👏👏

  • Like 4
Tom Kline Blue Tang

Tom Kline

Posted
Posted

A quick followup to my post from yesterday. I heard back from Retra last night (Alaska time). The maxi IS compatible with the E-Opto converter also used for the gen 3&4 Retras. I showed my approval by pre-ordering.

Happy Black Friday.

Architeuthis Dolphin

Architeuthis

Posted
Posted (edited)

Wow, Retra reacted really fast to the Backscatter HF-1. If I would not have bought recently two HF-1s (at present, I like them a lot, since they do a great job) and serious reviews would show that the Retra Maxi performed as good as the specs suggests, I might have considered them instead...

Anyhow it is good that affordable and powerful strobes become now available, after Inon stopped production of the Z330...

 

I fear Retra may come out with a smart model with circular tubes and integrated Li+ batteries (instead of 8 NiMh batteries, 4 being in the supercharger extension) - this may be the point where I cannot hold myself back and will order some... :classic_laugh:

 

 

Wolfgang

Edited by Architeuthis
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