Jerry Diver

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

It looks like this strobe uses a proprietary battery pack with a proprietary charger. The lamp and reflector closely resemble those in the recent AOI strobe, and given the similarities, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s coming from the same Chinese factory. As for the claimed 10,000-lumen, 95 CRI video light, that either has to be a typo or just another exaggerated spec in the ongoing spec-sheet wars. If the price is competitive, this could be a serious contender against the AOI strobe. null

We should hold housing manufacturers accountable for this issue. Companies like Nauticam have made millions producing housings, yet they don’t invest a small fraction of that into developing a proper trigger board, something that would cost just a few dollars in electronics. Instead, we’re left relying on third-party solutions like Turtle or UW Technics, both of which come with their own limitations, including mounting challenges inside the housing. @Edward Lai Nauticam and others should develop a dedicated trigger for each camera housing rather than forcing users to seek aftermarket solutions for a $5000+ housing. A proper trigger board should be included in the price!

Hi Oscar, Just to confirm, does the Prime+ use the same monoblock housing design as the Pro Max, but with an LED indicator instead of the display? Are there any other differences? Also, about the 0.4 f-stop difference, this is just slightly less than one click of strobe power, right? So if I use the Pro Max at one click below full power, that would be equivalent to the full power of the Prime+? Thanks!

Olympus RC TTL has nothing to do with the precision of your TTL exposure! RC stands for Remote Control and is simply Olympus’ branding of what Canon offers as E-TTL and Nikon as I-TTL. Its purpose is to allow control over strobe settings via the camera menu. The actual TTL protocol operates with the same precision as a “slave TTL” system used by most underwater strobes, which measures the duration of the light pulses emitted by the camera.

I see your point. Reliability, battery life, power, and sync speed are all very important. However, light quality, like even light spread and consistent color, can still make a real difference, especially for those who need those finer details to be just right. Filters help a fair bit, but they can’t absolutely compensate for uneven or inconsistent base light. Many photographers who have switched strobes find that better light quality means spending less time on adjustments in Lightroom or during the shoot itself. All this talk of ‘quality of light’ may seem subjective, but it often reflects subtle yet meaningful differences that improve workflow and results.

You may find some examples by scrolling through this thread, although it’s not as straightforward as a simple ‘sponge ad’ comparison. Photography is a subtle art, and several photographers here have switched from one strobe to another. They reported that achieving a good shot was easier with strobes that offered higher light quality, mainly due to a more even light spread and consistent color temperature.

I believe this is because, over the past decade, there has been a significant shift towards using LED triggers with fibre optic cables, with very few photographers still using electric cables. As a result, the sample size of people using electric cables is now too small to accurately assess their reliability.

It seems like some folks bought a 2nd Gen Retra strobe back in 2018 at a bargain price and had to wait over a year to get it cause of a pre-order campaign that got delayed several times. Now, they're resentful that six years later, with all the global crises in between, the new 4th Gen models cost too much. Then there are folks who never bought a Retra Flash, and they're comparing strobes just based on price. It's clear that price is a big deal for them. Naturally, they're upset they can't get a high-quality product cheap and argue that all the unique features of Retra strobes are pointless and don't justify the price. Finally, you have the few folks who actually own and use the latest generation Retra Flash (having tried different brands before), and most of them seem mighty pleased with their strobes. Well, ain't that something!

Just look at HSS: the Backscatter HF strobe claims to have it but offers only one power level in HSS mode, while Retra offers 13. Beyond this: Only Retra offers leakage detection inside their strobe (saved countless of users from having a dead strobe). Only Retra provides simple firmware upgrades via phone and diagnostics in case of issues. Only Retra offers a wide variety of light-modifying accessories, not just different versions of the same diffusers. Only Retra provides a 2.5-year worldwide warranty on their strobes and highly responsive customer support. I could go on about the user interface, design, light quality, and more. The differences are clear and significant, especially once you delve into the details. However, if you are on a budget, these might not be as critical for you. From what I’m reading, the discussion is still focused on price differences and making pointless comparisons. Someone compared Ikelite and Retra earlier, but these two brands couldn’t be more different. Ikelite makes strobes that fit well with their equipment and don't even offer native fiber optic ports for starters. In any case, if price is your main concern, there are plenty of affordable options available. Choose what fits your budget.

Complaints about prices and comparisons of strobes based solely on their pricing are really pointless. The 6-year-old 2018 strobe is nowhere near the quality and performance of today's versions, hence the higher price for the latest models. Additionally, we've experienced significant global inflation over the last four years. Strobes that previously cost $500-600 are now in the $900 range. This trend is evident across other products as well; for example, trigger boards that used to cost $250 now sell for $650. The UW photo market is so small that producing large quantities is not feasible. This ongoing issue in our hobby leads to two problems: higher prices and lower quality. The limited user base prevents achieving the critical mass needed for true industrialization. Consequently, these products are often hand-built, making them more prone to human errors during assembly and development. In recent years, we've seen a significant influx of Chinese strobes from brands like Supe, Marelux, and Backscatter. These are great options for those on a budget. However, a detailed comparison reveals clear differences in quality and features between these and established brands like Seacam, Ikelite, and Retra.

In the previous post, you mentioned that the Seacam 160D is 300g heavier than the Retra with a battery pack. I replied that two of those strobes would be 600g heavier, which is a significant amount of weight and added bulk. For those 600g I could take a MF2+snoot and have a great package for wide angle and snooting. The Seacam's have a constant diameter, while the Retra's can be disassembled into substantially smaller units by removing the very slim but long battery pack. Additionally, the Seacam costs $2500, and their battery pack, which is no more powerful than 8xAA batteries, costs $385. USB-C chargers/cables are lightweight and versatile, they charge most laptops and phones, making them perfect for travel. They barely add any bulk, which is crucial when you need to travel light because of airline restrictions. Also if one of your proprietary chargers starts acting up it's much more difficult to replace, especially on a trip.

Yeah, I do mind a lot that two strobes will be 600g heavier than the Retra's with power packs, have less than half the autonomy of the Retra's, and also require a proprietary (heavy) charger to bring along. However, an extension that's only on a small part of the strobe body and not the whole circumference is no bother at all—quite the opposite, actually.

Retra strobe with the battery pack is the same length as a Backscatter miniflash, see below screenshot from their video of the new battery pack where the guy compares it in length. With the battery pack are nowhere near the weight(!) or bulk of larger strobes from Ikelite, Seacam, etc. The protruding battery pack is a very nice handle to position the strobe and a welcome addition in length IMHO. I didn't like that hey shortened the length with the new Booster.

I've gotten at least three emails from Retra for each of their product launches. Show me another underwater strobe where I can choose either 4xAA, 8xAA or a proprietary battery pack... I feel like we should start a whole different topic where we just complain about high prices for just about anything in underwater photography. I have some ideas for starters. Fiber optic cables that probably cost $10 in material, now available at $95: null And what about those trigger boards that cost $20 in electronics, yours for just $695: null