makar0n

1 hour ago, TimG said:

See! See the light you would I knew. 

Waiting for the Pro Max Retina XDR Thunderbolt Liquid model. And 1k stand as an accessory 🤣

1 hour ago, TimG said:

That’d be the Retra then, makar0n? 😝

7 minutes ago, Floris Bennema said:

 .. reasonably priced as well.

Let's add "travel and tight spaces friendly". Could also go with "power efficient".

And this wannabe Apple Pro Max naming....yikes xD

20 hours ago, Nemrod said:

(...)

 

Anyways, I am interested what is offered. The new product does not need to be as powerful as the big Retra or that chunky but strong Backscatter strobe. An increase in power, addition of HSS and maintain the current form factor, weight, buoyancy and reliability is enough. A GN of 33 to 40 is enough but for all but the most demanding FF shooters.

16 hours ago, Klaus said:

Totally agreed. There is a need for packable, light and sufficiently powered strobes for those who travel with maybe a pair of hiking boots or things like that in addition to the UW photography gear. 

Sure, 4x AA won‘t recycle very fast, but the longest recycling time is for the strobe that had to stay at home 😉

And for everyone else there‘s other brands that offer long-life Lithium-powered light sabers. It‘s good if we can still choose which compromises we want to make. And as far as I can tell the new Inon does not even „need“ to be stronger since the Z330 is not available any more? So there may be some ambitious marketing claims, but even if it is a down-to-earth Z330 remake it will have its niche in the reef.

The very exact thing. Not bothered about GN gazillion at all - would love a travel and tight places friendly strobe (and not the current crop of bricks) with modern features like HSS,  maybe even a circular tube for a nice beam. Support for Li-Ion batteries (maybe even interchangeable with AA) purely for a faster recycle rate. Absolutely no battery packs.  Well made, with a minimum 100m depth rating and reasonably priced as well.

But a man can dream...

12 hours ago, Adventurer said:

Friends told me which have seen the prototype on a trade show that INON is heading to be part of the beyond Guide Number 40 club with that strobe. In fact way beyond: aiming at the GN44 / GN45 region.

 

All this while maintaining the 4x Eneloop design and small size and weight of a Z330 body.

 

This would be very travel friendly and amazing advance in electronics efficiency. 😎 exiting times!

 

 

We had Z-240, then Z-330...Time for a Z-420 xD

4 hours ago, Jerry Diver said:

Based on the data sheets, the Retra Pro Max delivers over 500 shots at full power and 1.000 shots at half power when using the 8xAA Eneloop Pro setup. In comparison, the Inon Z330 provides only 280 shots at full power with its 4xAA Eneloop Pro setup, with no option to extend battery capacity. Additionally, the Z330 lacks a battery indicator, making it difficult to know when the batteries are running low, whereas the Retra Pro Max includes a battery indicator.

 

https://www.retra-uwt.com/pages/4th-generation-retra-flash-series

https://www.backscatter.com/ITEM_IMAGES/Z-330_spec_201712_En.pdf

Ach there is my favorite Retra fanboy! I really wish I had access to IP addresses of the users, wonder if yours wouldn't perhaps turn in to be Slovenian, that of a VPN, or traced to somebody business related. It's really cringy to watch those "praise Retra/Li-Ion (only when Retra announces battery pack), slam competitors/Li-Ion (before Retra announces battery pack)" posts with virtually nothing else. And I won't even say which industry person present on this website your writing style looks like.

But I digress, manufacturer specs can be anything they post on the website. Especially if one is very conservative and the other very optimistic. I will let you guess which one is which.

Meanwhile real-life feedback is people have to buy the 8 battery extension for Retra as near mandatory, and even then complain about having to constantly charge the batteries and travel with a stack of them ;]

Also, you are comparing quite an older strobe with latest model. Why not go against Z-220 if you are at it?

And the battery indicator changes everything of course. How could I possibly have done all those years diving without one, silly me. Yet never ran out of the battery juice. Must be nothing short of a miracle. After all, having to change batteries once every 2 days (and they usually won't be nowhere near empty by then neither ) its such an impossible task. Its not like this gives me 100% confidence I have juice vs looking at some imprecise (as I do not see any actual capacity) indicator that might change 5 minutes after I go under.

3 hours ago, CaolIla said:

Wouah  this will probably be the main problem

Powerfull and only 4 AA.....   this can be good together

I see with my 8 AA on the Retra is a "problem" 3 dive max some times only 2 that's mean with 4 AA --> 1 one dive ??? hummm ok if you make only 50 shoot each dive  but who make that  😉

Retra seems to have always had a notorious rep when it comes to battery life.

Inon is the exact opposite - while I do not have Z330s, my Z240's last hundreds of photos easily. In fact I no longer bother changing batteries (Eneloop Pro) every day, its usually every 2, sometimes even 3 days with an average of 2-3h in the water per day.

So I wouldn't worry there too much 😉

That said a Li-Ion option would certainly be a nice upgrade...

Specs certainly do look very interesting!

Would there be any chance for a model without the video light to appear one day? Basically fixated on the weight - at 1.2 kg per strobe it is not very travel friendly for those of us without business class tickets xD

Also, as this sounds like a battery pack device - does it use a proprietary charger? Can the batteries be assembled DYI route?

On 1/25/2025 at 9:28 AM, Whiskeyjack said:

Yep, I love Romblon! Just wish getting there wasn't quite so much of a pain...

It's not that bad in my opinion, personally I avoid the flight route though.  Last time I've checked, flights were at ridiculous morning times and then you land at Tablas, completely different island. Getting over to Romblon then takes quite a while, and involves a car and a boat usually.

Much better route was always the ferry - take one in the afternoon, have a good night sleep on the ferry (and get over the jetlag) and arrive right in the actual Romblon in the morning - have breakfast and jump straight into the water.

Well, ferry times have changed a bit now, so it starts in Batangas earlier and gets to Romblon earlier, but still preferred that than the flight. And no need to worry about baggage allowance for once.

1 hour ago, TimG said:

 

🤣 No sweat, Marcin. I spent a whole career doing pretty much that.  

While holding vodka martini in your hand I suspect. Shaken, not stirred.

22 hours ago, Scuba_Si said:

It's still AA powered and backwards compatible with some accessories.  So I think we can assume the same moulding as the Z330. Therefore likely the same control layout and tube configuration.  Torii-san is doing the rounds at the European shows with his bag so more photos will popup this week at BOOT.

@TimG BOOT mission goal is clear -  sneak in, infiltrate, report 🤣

On 1/12/2025 at 12:14 AM, Staggs said:

Just a fyi - I saw Takuya Torii mention in a Instagram post from yesterday that he will have the first visible prototype of the Z-XXX at the Paris show at I assume the Inon booth.

I had been waiting to see what they were coming up with, but I ended up pulling the trigger on a set of Retra Pro Max's.

https://www.instagram.com/inon_torii_san/  - his second post (as of right now) is where it's mentioned.  Sorry if this was posted somewhere else.

 

 

 

Wooohoo, finally! Still waiting patiently 🙂 

17 hours ago, ChipBPhoto said:

Defiantly sad news for all those impacted.  And yes, I agree it was their lack of innovation that is the real underlying issue which caused people, including me, to move away from them over the years.  

 

While I have 3 of their lights, their "deep sleep" and trying to revive a battery that sits for a period of time has been problematic, for me at least.  I was able to resuscitate 2 of the 3, but despite all efforts with CPR and the paddles (taping the charger to the contacts 5 times), it has passed on to the great light sanctuary in the sky.

 

Better start saving for a pair of Keldans!

...that may take a little while....  🤣🤣🤣

 

This and the shoddy quality of their circuit boards...it was not a matter of if, but when the light will fail. When they worked, indeed were quite nice, definitely liked the switch as could change the power level even with my nose should hands be full 😉

But inevitably one by one they would break and the issue was usually the circuit board. What was worse, the company was not exactly helping past the warranty period - absolute refusal for sending any spare parts, demanding that light be always sent to their authorized service center and of course bill from those being as high as a cost of a new light.

And not sure they could be called US manufacturer neither - I think all the parts were made in China and merely assembled in US.

Personally I am always removing the handles - apart from cleaning, housing wouldn't fit into the backpack otherwise ;]

Screws are going into a small zip-lock style bag, so no issue losing those. Also greased with lovely Lanocote (marine grade grease) from time to time - also useful for any other metal screwy parts like clamps etc.

20 hours ago, ChipBPhoto said:

 

My apologies if I am misunderstanding your comment, but the MFO, CMC, etc. are each stand alone lenses.  They do not stack. 

Still confused about this and somehow had the impression its the cure for short working range on diopters...

Seems that port charts have now been updated. No clue however how will it work with the likes of CMC as well...

452 Euro on Nauticam site:

https://www.nauticam.com/products/mid-range-focus-optimizer-1-mfo-1

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.

On 11/26/2024 at 6:29 AM, Fabian said:

What do you guys think about the pricing?Looking at the price: might be fair from a time saving perspective, but comparing it to star removal plug-ins for astrophotography, I feel it's a bit of overcharging.

Haven't tried it yet (probably next weekend), and still need to figure out how to implement it in my workflow. I use capture one to edit and organize my pictures, only export lower resolution pictures to my NAS to have them available on my phone. I only open photoshop for object removal/serious work on backscatter removal for pictures I want to have in high res for printing/selling... if that would be a capture one plug-in... 

its the usual:

-piece of string - 1 Euro

-the same piece of string but labeled "diving" - 5 Euro

-the same piece of string labeled "diving and camera" - 50 Euro

And the plugin falls into the last category.

I wish they offered support for other software, including open source Dark Table, rather than just the Adobe "let me force you into never ending subscriptions" Photoshop. But one can dream 🤣

On 10/20/2024 at 7:19 PM, Onokai said:

One of my 200mm carbon  Nauticam arms failed (beyond warrenty -2 years) and am asking about if any are better quality ones made by others? Has anyone tried Inons ?I'm only looking at float lightweight in 50x200mm size

Email Nauticam regardless, they do have pretty good customer service. Had a couple flooded years back (the older generations, think now its 3rd or 4th one) and they did exchange for latest and greatest without any issues, and if my memory serves me correct, the second time I was out of warranty as well.

There is quite a few topics on Scubaboard - Aggressor fleet is a bit controversial. Seems the individual boats operate on franchise basis under as single brand, and when anything smelly hits the fan, parent company washes their hands off anything.

There are certainly lots of positive stories out there, but also quite a few total wrecks (latest one in Komodo, where boat stayed in port whole week, and refused any refunds). Seems as long as it goes well, all guests are happy, but if anything goes bad, then you are on your own.

Might be worth combing the accidents section, that fleet seems a bit fire prone.

Also this might be of interest, also few recent guest reports towards the end:

https://scubaboard.com/community/threads/belize-aggressor-iv-mooring-breaks.639886/

19 hours ago, Davide DB said:

On a side note: I thought the quote was from "The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!" movie with Leslie Nilsen or a similar absurd comic movie. Then I discovered that the original line is much much older. 

 

Sorry for hijacking the thread 😇

And this is exactly why I come here, all this water photo thing is totally secondary 🤣

42 minutes ago, Davide DB said:

 

Hey, is that a dome in your pants or are you just happy to see me? [cit.] 🤣

 

I knew I should have not edited the post and left the original text -  "...and asked me to take it out" .

9 hours ago, bghazzal said:

We got some nice light multipocket vests at a store selling outdoor working clothes in Japan (workman), and usually wear those under a standard hoodie and/or rainjacket depending on how strong the airconditioning is in the airport.(...)

Hmm now that is an idea! I was eyeing that Ayegear thing as well, but indeed this looks like it is going to sag...and once it is apparent you are carrying something they might ask you to take it out. I did have that experience once, when tried to hide a small-ish laptop bag under poncho style wind cover thing. Check in person noticed the bump and asked to see whats there then proceeded to weight it.  So maybe vest under and some thick jumper to cover the bumps (which would be hopefully smaller) will work better indeed. Then build the housing, including WWL and camera inside and do that as "personal item" hanging over the shoulder 😉

I have also taken to carry a dive thigh pocket over trousers - so far no issues and a nice big extra pocket fitting lots of stuff.

Unfortunately, at least in Europe, airlines are going nuts - 7-8kg is the new norm. Och sure you can pack it into the checked in baggage, but neither the airline nor insurance will take any responsibility for it. If it goes missing its your problem.

7 hours ago, Isaac Szabo said:

 

Sure, I'll send you a PM.

 

I'm not sure what you have available in the EU. Here in the US I order Overture PETG from Amazon (or Polymaker PETG, which is identical). 

Thank you very much!

Will have a look at those filaments, both seem available over here.

9 hours ago, Chris Ross said:

I'm in a similar position, the Z-240s are working well for me, but a little more power would be great for pelagics etc.  The cost to upgrade is the cost os a trip more or less.  There's a lot to be said for buying better water.  The new INONs if they appear maybe interesting??

I am keeping fingers crossed for October....😉

On 6/25/2024 at 10:00 PM, Isaac Szabo said:

 

(...)

 

That said, if you happen to see a good deal on a used Prusa MK3 or MK3S, that’s the printer that I have developed a waterproof print profile for and could probably share it. The Bambu Lab printers are certainly newer/nicer, but you might have to do quite a bit of experimenting to find good waterproof settings. I have a Bambu Lab A1 too but haven’t developed a waterproof profile for it yet.

 

(...)

Hmm can I take you up on that MK33 profile? As it happens I have a buddy with the very same printer 😉

btw any recommended PETG filaments that can be EU sourced, sans the Phrozen stuff ?