RETRA Strobe Thread

Yes it is correct but the strobe design won’t be for changing voltage so the additional battery pack of the retra is most likely going in parallel or as back up not in series so the recycle performance is not changing

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Yes it is correct but the strobe design won’t be for changing voltage so the additional battery pack of the retra is most likely going in parallel or as back up not in series so the recycle performance is not changing

 

The original Retra Flash did have the recycle time halved with the optional extended battery compartment (8xAA vs 4xAA); why would they drop this feature from the new generation? The fast recycle time is the primary draw of the extended battery - I mean, how often do you need 200+ full-power flashes in a single dive?

 

The original Retra Flash did have the recycle time halved with the optional extended battery compartment (8xAA vs 4xAA); why would they drop this feature from the new generation? The fast recycle time is the primary draw of the extended battery - I mean, how often do you need 200+ full-power flashes in a single dive?

There is generally a limit to the current you can draw before you fry the cell and I think putting AA batteries in series is a bad idea as generally the design with the standard pack would already draw a high current

I was not aware the old retra was going in series but if I was them I would not repeat the same design and as far as I have read the new battery pack add on is not compatible

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Be that as it may, Oskar has explicitly stated, right here in this thread, that the optional battery pack will improve cycle time.

Whichever way you do it more batteries will always give more flashes. It is a fairly simple matter to design a different set of contacts for the custom battery pack, Metz used to do this with their hammerhead flashes so the Ni-Cd pack which was 7.2V fed a different circuit to the 6 x AA pack (9V) pack, The 4AA's could then feed one tapping on the transformer and the 8 AA in series could feed another. Then you could control the speed of charge separately and also get more flashes.

Whichever way you do it more batteries will always give more flashes. It is a fairly simple matter to design a different set of contacts for the custom battery pack, Metz used to do this with their hammerhead flashes so the Ni-Cd pack which was 7.2V fed a different circuit to the 6 x AA pack (9V) pack, The 4AA's could then feed one tapping on the transformer and the 8 AA in series could feed another. Then you could control the speed of charge separately and also get more flashes.

In any case we should wait and see what’s in the making

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The system I described is purely mechanical, just two different contacts. Metz had this system on their CT-45 flashes in 70's and 80's

Any updates on availablity

Hi

We post updates in the news section on our homepage.

Here is an excerpt from the latest update:

We expect the first packages will depart at the end of July / beginning of August. The currently pre-ordered flashguns can be expected for delivery throughout August and September.

Please note that our warning regarding the shipping date for pre-orders still stands: "Delivery times may change due to production delays or product improvements. If you are planning a diving trip with the new Retra Flash at the time of the estimated delivery date we strongly advise against pre-ordering! There is no guarantee you will receive the product on time. Your pre-order may be fully refunded at any time. Currency conversion changes will not be compensated in the event of a refund."

More updates will follow in the coming months as we edge ever closer to sending out the new products. Right now we are super busy with the pre-production runs.

Yeah, but that last post there is dated April 5th, nearly three months ago. I'm sure I'm not the only one with an open preorder who would appreciate some newer info

Incidentally, I'm going to the Philippines for three weeks of diving in October - having a pair of Retra Pros to take with me would be a nice bonus. Mind you, not having them wouldn't break my trip, as I have a pair of older strobes that I can take with me, but still, it'd be nice to have new toys to play with.

Yeah, but that last post there is dated April 5th, nearly three months ago. I'm sure I'm not the only one with an open preorder who would appreciate some newer info

 

Incidentally, I'm going to the Philippines for three weeks of diving in October - having a pair of Retra Pros to take with me would be a nice bonus. Mind you, not having them wouldn't break my trip, as I have a pair of older strobes that I can take with me, but still, it'd be nice to have new toys to play with.

Give the guys a break lol

If the schedule remains the same what are they supposed to do?

Also for macro you probably are better off with a pair of z240 or ysd1/2

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Yeah, but that last post there is dated April 5th, nearly three months ago. I'm sure I'm not the only one with an open preorder who would appreciate some newer info

 

Incidentally, I'm going to the Philippines for three weeks of diving in October - having a pair of Retra Pros to take with me would be a nice bonus. Mind you, not having them wouldn't break my trip, as I have a pair of older strobes that I can take with me, but still, it'd be nice to have new toys to play with.

I think we forget how lucky we are to have Oskar posting on this forum at all - other strobe manufacturers do not.

I pre-ordered the Retra Pro the first day it was available back in Nov. I'm super excited whenever its ready but also very aware that I agreed to an open-ended delivery.

I'm sure they'll post updates once they have a better idea. Happy for them to take the time to make sure its a solid product.

Thank you all for the support. I think that many manufacturers are following this forum and over at the housings section I have seen many of them also engaging on the different threads. Although there aren't as many interactions on flashgun topics. 

Today we have posted our final update on the new Retra Flash: https://www.retra-uwt.com/blogs/news

Please excuse me if I do not respond to all the questions or requests, right now we are completely immersed in the production process, but I will follow the thread and respond as much as possible. 

YAAAAAY!!!

Great update Oskar!

Can i ask a few things, which i believe will be of interest to others:
1/ what is the benefit of using the new bumpers instead of the cheaper neoprene covers?
2/ are the exisiting whide angle diffusers compatible & recommended to use with Retra Pro, or will there be new versions coming? Asking because the new flashs have wider angle and warmer light than first Retra
3/ is a leakage detector still part of the design?

Thanks and good luck for the last sprint, you have lots of underwater photographers backing you

Nicolas





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Diffusers spread the beam by reducing hotspots and thus ensuring a more even distribution of light. This is done at a loss in the overall light intensity but for the advantage of a more evenly spread light beam. The important part to consider when adding a diffuser is the change in color temperature and the softer transition of shadows.

Below are two images where the difference in color temperature and shadow gradient can be observed. It was made with the new Retra Flash with and without the WA diffuser.

On 8/1/2019 at 1:25 AM, Nicool said:

Great update Oskar!

Can i ask a few things, which i believe will be of interest to others:
1/ what is the benefit of using the new bumpers instead of the cheaper neoprene covers?
2/ are the exisiting whide angle diffusers compatible & recommended to use with Retra Pro, or will there be new versions coming? Asking because the new flashs have wider angle and warmer light than first Retra
3/ is a leakage detector still part of the design?

I can only guess at the first question: bumpers would be neutral/negative buoyancy, while the neoprene cover would be slightly positive. Bumpers would facilitate cooling of the flashes through direct contact between flash body and water.
it would be great if Oskar could confirm benefits of the bumpers vs. neoprene cover.

According to the Retra website, most accessories (diffusers, neoprene cover, reduction ring) are compatible for all versions of the flash.

The bumper and LSD  seem to have a different version between the Original and new retra flashes.

Leakage detector is still in the specs of the Retra Prime and Pro

Alain

Still on track for September/October shipping? If I have a Retra LSD fitted for YS-D2 what do I need to fit it for these?

On 8/15/2019 at 7:50 AM, Oskar@RetraUWT said:

Because neoprene is easily compressed it will not protect the edges of the flash in case they slam into rocks or a hard floor during rough seas. Bumpers were designed specifically to protect the edges of the Retra Flash in case there is a harder knock or blow on the edge of the flash.

 

We have made our stress tests with and without the Neoprene protector and found no difference with heating/cooling. This might be an issue with plastic flashguns but with our single block aluminium design there is no such problem.

 

Are  these still on track for September/October shipping? I am looking to replace 2 YS-D2 (non j)

On a related topic, if I have a Retra LSD fitted for YS-D2 what do I need to fit it for these?  How much is the adapter?