Inon z330 vs retra pro

On 8/9/2020 at 12:41 PM, deliamaria said:

Does anyone have insights into the reliability of the inon z330 or the retra pro strobes?

I'm interested in all good, bad, and dispelling information about these two strobes or any other strobes I should consider.

Delia

I was considering buying the retra strobes when they first came out, and then they stopped producing and I and many others had a lot of uncertainty.   During that time I went ahead and got a couple of Z330s.  Retra began producing the new strobes and by all accounts, people are liking them and they seem reliable, although I just read something on another thread about some possible defect in a strobe.

If I were buying today I would still have some concerns about future repairs/upgrades/parts with any new or semi-new company, but not sure that would stop me. 

If you have not done so, you might want to read this:

https://wetpixel.com/articles/strobe-tests-inon-z330-retra-flash-and-symbiosis-ss2/P1

I like the Z330. Iit is more powerful than the 240 was and the rounded lens/diffuser does a nice job of giving a wide beam without the need to use an additional diffuser and thus reduce light.  I believe that the power of the Z330 and the retra is similar.

I have used Inons of one model or another for several years and never had a problem with them and with just modest o-ring caution they seem pretty safe from flooding.  The current 330 is the same case design as they have used successfully for years, so there is no reason to think there would be a problem.  I am not sure, but I may have read somewhere that Inon has done something to further isolate the electronics from the battery box in the event of a flood.

Battery life is good.

I think either is a solid choice and the light color can be easily modified on the Inon with no loss of power, so I would not worry much about color temp. 

Either brand should work for you; with the Retra is offering some new tech and features and build while Inon has improved on a flash that has proven itself over many years. 

Hope this helps.

On 8/31/2020 at 5:42 PM, Draq said:

although I just read something on another thread about some possible defect in a strobe.

Hi, where have you read this?

--

In 2021 it will be 10 years since the Retra UWT company was founded and throughout this time we have always serviced and repaired all of our products regardless of age. If you have our product and write us an email to have it repaired or serviced we always do it, promptly, without exception.

There were some indications about potential reliability issues in this thread and from knowing exactly how our flashguns perform in the field and the defects, I can say that any doubts regarding the reliability of the new Retra Flash Prime/PRO are largely unfounded. The new flashguns are a continuation of the Original model and naturally we have taken all the experience into improving the new models and advancing the technology. I think that we are currently producing some of the most reliable flashguns on the market.

9 hours ago, Oskar@RetraUWT said:

Hi, where have you read this?

--

In 2021 it will be 10 years since the Retra UWT company was founded and throughout this time we have always serviced and repaired all of our products regardless of age. If you have our product and write us an email to have it repaired or serviced we always do it, promptly, without exception.

There were some indications about potential reliability issues in this thread and from knowing exactly how our flashguns perform in the field and the defects, I can say that any doubts regarding the reliability of the new Retra Flash Prime/PRO are largely unfounded. The new flashguns are a continuation of the Original model and naturally we have taken all the experience into improving the new models and advancing the technology. I think that we are currently producing some of the most reliable flashguns on the market.

 

It was this thread:

View archived post in: Regular patterned marks/scratches on Retra LSD top glass

But apparently this is some sort of post-sale damage or problem and not a manufacturing defect.  Please note that I did not speak poorly of your company or product and mentioned that I would consider purchasing your strobes if I was buying.    I do enjoy TTL on macro and close focus shots though and I understand TTL is not quite "there" yet.  Hopefully that will get sorted soon.

This post was about marks on a Retra LSD - not a strobe. The marks were nothing to do with manufacturing but looked like they may have been caused by grains of sand.

View archived post in: Regular patterned marks/scratches on Retra LSD top glass

I see that now.  Sorry if I confused or alarmed anyone.  I had paid little attention to it but I was left with some fragment of memory about about fungus or scratches on a Retra product and then mentioned it when trying to provide some information in this thread.  When when Oskar asked, I linked to the thread without reading it, so really mucked it up. I would edit my original post if I could, to remove the confusing misinformation.

I have had a little time with the Retra Pros.  I was used mainly  to the inon z240s and S2000.

I cannot comment on the Z330s but here are some initial comments on the Retras:

1) beautiful even light with excellent color grade.

2) works well in TTL so far.

3) cannot work in manual with my OMD EM5 and Pana GX9.  It does not synch over 37.5%.  But it works in the advanced SMART SL mode after easy calibration.   This is very strange and do not understand why it cannot work well in manual mode.  I had no problems on this with Inons or Sea&Sea and other strobes.

4) batteries get drained super fast (!!!) and you can only use Eneloop Pros if you need to take them for 2 dives.  Even old eneloops that work well with the Z240s cannot charge well the Retras.

5) a bit bigger than the Inon Z330s.  Knobs ok but could be better shaped.  I like the ones on the Z330s better.

6) There is VERY little official documentation and support is prompt but cryptic...

Waiting to understand them a little better and thinking to buy the Turtle or other TTL capable synch to use the unique and very interesting HSS mode.

Andrea

Seems very odd that it won't work in manual.  What does it does not synch over 37.5% mean?  How are you triggering in manual?

It means the camera is emitting a TTL signal with pre-flashes instead of a single flash pulse - thats' why it works in Smart SL mode. In Smart SL mode the Retra Flash will automatically detect the pre-flashes and ignore them, so the photographers will be able to adjust with manual power settings.

The reason that it does not work above 37,5% power in ON mode is because the camera is emitting two flashes for a single exposure. After you get above a certain power level it will not be able to give any more power for two consecutive flashes. It's a very clear symptom that you should switch to Smart SL or change the camera settings if they allow setting for manual exposure.

The complete user manual for our flashguns is available from our App called "Retra UWT", ready to download for free on Google Play and the App store. In the app you will find the google translate option to read the user manual in your native language.

From the app you will also be able to access advanced user settings and other important information regarding your flashguns as well as making mandatory firmware updates when they become available.

Please note that the user manuals and advanced user setting of the flashgun are always available inside our app without any internet connection. Even if you are somewhere far away on a boat you can still get all the information without having to access the internet. The connection with the flashgun is made via bluetooth which also does not require any internet connection.

On 9/9/2020 at 11:02 AM, Oskar@RetraUWT said:

It means the camera is emitting a TTL signal with pre-flashes instead of a single flash pulse - thats' why it works in Smart SL mode. In Smart SL mode the Retra Flash will automatically detect the pre-flashes and ignore them, so the photographers will be able to adjust with manual power settings.

The reason that it does not work above 37,5% power in ON mode is because the camera is emitting two flashes for a single exposure. After you get above a certain power level it will not be able to give any more power for two consecutive flashes. It's a very clear symptom that you should switch to Smart SL or change the camera settings if they allow setting for manual exposure.

The complete user manual for our flashguns is available from our App called "Retra UWT", ready to download for free on Google Play and the App store. In the app you will find the google translate option to read the user manual in your native language.

From the app you will also be able to access advanced user settings and other important information regarding your flashguns as well as making mandatory firmware updates when they become available.

Please note that the user manuals and advanced user setting of the flashgun are always available inside our app without any internet connection. Even if you are somewhere far away on a boat you can still get all the information without having to access the internet. The connection with the flashgun is made via bluetooth which also does not require any internet connection.

Thank you Oskar!  Useful information since I was really trying to understand what was going on since my other strobes worked ok in manual.

This is the type of info that could be also made available on the technical manual.  I learnt about the app as I bought the strobos but in my humble opinion (!) more in depth explanations and technical data would be useful.  For example the fact that the U1 and U2 both cannot be stored with separate modes (for now) should be written in a separate note section in the app manual itself.  Other useful info could be weight in water and out of the water,  number of shots available with eneloop pro at 50% strobe power,  ...

Anyway just some thoughts...  sorry for being a pest.    

One question:  would a Turtle smart trigger synch would work in manual with Retra HSS? Does the camera have to support an HSS flash mode or manual mode is enough?  

Hi, thank you for the feedback.

We update the user manual as we get more feedback from photographers reading it or as we add new features. The weight of the flashguns (in water) is already indicated in the "basic information" section of the user manual. We will consider adding more practical tech-spec in there for easier access. Currently the long tech-spec are listed on our website.

U1 and U2 can be set independently of one another and all advanced features can be set to each position individually. There is currently a bug in the firmware that resets the U2 position when the flashgun is turned off - it defaults U2 position to "Smart SL" mode.  U1 position works normally and saves the setting that was assigned in the app. We will release a firmware update to amend this bug and improve on other things in the coming weeks.

I know that TRT have support for HSS and that it works with our flashguns but I don't know the details and which cameras are compatible. Better ask TRT directly about compatibility.

Hi, thank you for the feedback.
We update the user manual as we get more feedback from photographers reading it or as we add new features. The weight of the flashguns (in water) is already indicated in the "basic information" section of the user manual. We will consider adding more practical tech-spec in there for easier access.

Thank you for letting us know, there is in fact an error. This information was not updated in the public user manual. We will amend it shortly. Meanwhile please find attached a screenshot of the information. 

I just want to add that complete technical specifications are available on our website at the bottom of this page: https://www.retra-uwt.com/pages/retra-flash

Here you will also find information about the battery life at half power, dimensions, weight, etc.