Underwater Debut Impressions of Retra Flash
In the world of underwater photography, lighting is crucial for capturing vibrant and detailed images. The Retra Flash Pro Max II, a strobe produced by Retra UWT, is gaining popularity among underwater photographers for its bright, wide, and soft lighting.
This strobe is equipped with a GN18 (absolute measurement on land) and a beam angle of 110o, providing a wide spread of light that illuminates subjects effectively. The Retra Flash Pro Max II is particularly noted for its very bright output with a wide beam angle and soft, progressively diffused light, making it well-suited for underwater photography where natural light is limited and harsh shadows are to be avoided.
The Retra Flash Pro Max II offers excellent build quality, designed for durability in harsh marine environments. It is compatible with fiber optic triggering systems for reliable flash synchronization, and it features adjustable power settings for controlling light intensity, though exact power levels or control specifics aren't detailed.
The strobe's soft light output reduces harsh illumination, preserving details and minimizing backscatter in underwater images. This feature is beneficial for wide-angle and macro photography, improving subject detail and natural colour restoration underwater. The Retra Flash Pro Max II's progressive lighting quality also aids in reducing traditional underwater lighting challenges like harsh hotspots and strong shadows.
The Retra Flash comes with a wide angle diffuser that comes standard with each strobe, and it has a bayonet style wide angle diffuser attachment on the front. The battery compartment is a screw-in/screw-off design, and it takes both electronic and fiber optic sync cables.
The Retra Flash offers nine power settings, easily selectable with a large, smooth dial, and it has a recycle time of 2 seconds at 100% with 4x eneloop pro batteries, and 1 second with 8x eneloop pro batteries. It also features a built-in battery indicator on the front, visible even with the wide angle diffusers in place.
The Retra Flash has a pilot light with multiple power settings, and the pilot light of 300 lumens has a burn time of 3 hours at 100% with 4x eneloop pro batteries, and 6 hours with 8x eneloop pro batteries.
In terms of performance, the Retra Flash delivers bright, wide, and soft lighting that enhances underwater photography by improving exposure and colour without harsh shadows, making it a popular choice among underwater photographers.
For those interested in testing the Retra Flash Pro Max II, a trip to Anilao, Philippines is scheduled for December. (One spot left on the trip!)
Compared to other leading strobes, the Retra Flash is a solid alternative, offering high-performance options for underwater photographers seeking bright yet soft lighting with a wide spread. However, direct comparisons to other brands/strobes like Fotocore GTM or AOI strobes were limited in the provided search results.
In summary, the Retra Flash Pro Max II strobe delivers bright, wide, and soft lighting that enhances underwater photography by improving exposure and colour without harsh shadows, making it a popular choice among underwater photographers.
- In underwater photography, the Retra Flash Pro Max II strobe, with its wide spread of light and soft, progressively diffused output, is gaining popularity for its ability to illuminate subjects effectively and avoid harsh shadows.
- The Retra Flash Pro Max II is designed for durability, featuring excellent build quality, and is compatible with fiber optic triggering systems for reliable flash synchronization.
- The strobe's soft light output reduces harsh illumination and preserves details, making it beneficial for both wide-angle and macro photography.
- The Retra Flash Pro Max II has a wide angle diffuser, a screw-in/screw-off battery compartment, and is compatible with both electronic and fiber optic sync cables.
- The strobe offers nine power settings and a recycle time of 2 seconds at 100% with 4x eneloop pro batteries, decreasing to 1 second with 8x eneloop pro batteries.
- The Retra Flash Pro Max II also features a built-in battery indicator, a pilot light with multiple power settings, and a pilot light of 300 lumens with a burn time of 3 hours at 100% with 4x eneloop pro batteries.
- For those interested in testing the Retra Flash Pro Max II, a guided trip to Anilao, Philippines is scheduled for December.
