THE RETRA FLASH

When we started the journey of making the Retra Flash, we had a single goal in mind:
Develop a true lighting tool for underwater photography.
We wanted the Retra Flash to be the most advanced underwater strobe on the market. That's why we gathered a group of engineers and professional underwater photographers and continuously implemented their feedback every step of the development process.
The end result is an underwater strobe that not only looks beautiful, but has all the functionality you need to create stunning underwater photographs with every press of the shutter button.

User interface made by photographers

We've spent hundreds of hours analysing photographers feedback from the field and tweaking our designs. The end result is a back panel you are immediately familiar with. The controls are large and tactile, for all types of hands or gloves.
The indicator light in the center of the strobe features a multi-color LED light that changes colour depending on the position of the mode button. This helps you recognize which mode you are in with a single glance.
The Retra Flash also features a guide or modelling light, with two levels of intensity, that helps you see where you are aiming your strobe. The Pilot Light can be turned on and off in M, TTL, HSS, and U modes.
Description of Modes
COLOR
DESCRIPTION
/
Turns OFF the Retra Flash
White (capacitors charging)
Green (100 - 75 %)
Yellow (75 - 50 %)
Red (50 - 25 %)
- Shows the level of battery charge in green, yellow and red color
- Pressing the PILOT-TEST button emits a flash at the selected power level
Magenta
- The Retra Flash can be triggered via built-in optical sensor
- Pressing the PILOT-TEST button turns on the Pilot Light
Cyan
- Through the lens mode
- Pressing the PILOT-TEST button turns on the Pilot Light
Orange
- High-speed synchronization mode
- Pressing the PILOT-TEST button turns on the Pilot Light
Violet
- Custom user mode allows modification of strobe light via Retra UWT App
- Pressing the PILOT-TEST button turns on the Pilot Light
/
The Retra Flash emits a morse code signal for help (SOS)

Leakage protection and detection systems

One huge problem that every underwater strobe is faced with is flooding of the strobe, which can have catastrophic consequences for your equipment. Our goal is to reach a 0% statistic in damage resulting from battery compartment flooding, that's why we tackled this problem from three sides.
We fitted the Retra Flash battery cap with double o-ring protection to greatly reduce the chance of any water coming into the battery compartment.
The Retra Flash is also the only underwater strobe that features a built-in leakage detection system that warns you if water gets into the battery compartment. If that happens the Retra Flash lets you know by emitting a beeping alarm, while the Indicator Light starts blinking red.
And if everyhing else fails and water does somehow get into the battery compartment, you can rest assured that your Retra Flash is safe, as the battery compartment is sealed from the rest of the electronics.

Imagine the perfect light source ...

The power of luminosity and quality of light are very important aspects in underwater photography. That's why we made no compromise when it came to light output and power, when designing the Retra Flash.
A fully circular flash tube, combined with a completely new reflector design, produces a high quality light output that no other underwater strobe its size can offer.
The Retra Flash provides softer and more evenly distributed illumination of the subject, delivering stunning results in a variety of conditions.
The Retra Flash also features a powerful central pilot light ideal for snooting. With a super powerful centrally positioned pilot light you will be able to find your light spot even in very bright conditions.
For more information on the quality of light, read the article by clicking the button below.
Retra UWT App and Smartphone Connectivity

Ready to download for free on Google Play and the App store.
We wanted to make an underwater strobe that allows its users to have as much control and information on the performance of their strobe as possible. That's why we made the Retra UWT Application (for Android & iOS) that can connect with your Retra Flash via bluetooth.
The Retra Flash is the first underwater strobe with smartphone connectivity - made for the 21st century.
The application allows you to check the status of your strobe, providing you with information like current version, number of flashes made, and battery charge levels. You can also customize the light output, set advanced features like HSS, Smart SL, Pilot Adjust and more.
The Retra Flash is also future-proof as you can download firmware updates from the Retra UWT App to keep your Retra Flash up to date.

Design your light without boundaries

The Retra Flash features a bayonet mount at the front of the strobe that enables a range of different accessories to be attached for a truly customizable light source. With the bayonet mount your Retra Flash can be transformed into a specialist lighting tool.
The selection of Diffusers change the color temperature, softness and color output of the light source. You can choose from: White, Soft, Wide angle, and Shark Diffusers.
The Reduction Ring narrows and focuses the light beam. It helps reduce backscatter for macro or low visibility photography. The Reduction Ring is also used as an attachment module for the Macro Rings and Reflector accessories.
The Macro and Super Macro Rings reduce the angle of light for "Macro" and "Super Macro" images. They are perfect for getting up close and personal with your subjects.
The Reflector boosts the light output by +1 F-stop (in water) and narrows the angle of light for more precise light control.
The Bumper Rings are attached to the front and the back of the Retra Flash to protect the edges against damage during rough seas.
The Protective Ring does not impact the size or quality of light. It's main task is to shield the dome from damage.
A testing regime worth noting

Over the course of development of the Retra Flash, we put our strobe through rigorous testing to ensure the materials and systems were up to the highest standards.
A combined total of more than 1,4 million test shots were made with prototype and pre-production units of the Retra Flash. We were looking for failure in every condition and pushing the material to its limits. The final result is a product that can withstand anything the photographer asks from it.
TECH-SPEC |
Retra Flash Pro X |
Retra Flash PRO |
Retra Flash Prime |
Original Retra Flash |
|
Energy:
|
150 Ws |
100 Ws
|
150 Ws
|
100 Ws
|
100 Ws
|
Light output and power: | >>> | >>> | see comparison | <<< | <<< |
Color temperature: |
~4900 K |
~4900 K |
~4900 K
|
~4900 K
|
~5400 K
|
Pilot light power & angle (7): |
500 lm (20º) |
300 lm (20º)
|
500 lm (20º) |
300 lm (20º) |
300 lm (60º) |
Pilot light burn time at full power (1): | ~1,5 hours | ~2,5 hours | ~1,5 hours | ~2,5 hours | ~2,5 hours |
Pilot light burn time at full power (2): | ~2,5 hours | ~4 hours | ~2,5 hours | ~4 hours | ~4 hours |
Recycle time to 80% power (1): | ~2,5 s | ~1,5 s | ~3 s | ~2 s | ~2 s |
Recycle time to 40% power (1): | ~1,3 s | ~0,8 s | ~1,5 s | ~1 s | ~1 s |
No. flash at full power (1): | 175+ | 235+ | 150+ | 200+ | 200+ |
No. flash at half power (1): | 350+ | 465+ | 300+ | 400+ | 400+ |
Recycle time to 80% power (2): | ~1,3 s | ~0,8 s | ~1,5 s | ~1 s | / |
Recycle time to 40% power (2): | ~0,7 s | ~0,4 s | ~0,7 s | ~0,5 s | / |
No. flash at full power (2): | 420+ | 480+ | 350+ | 400+ | / |
No. flash at half power (2): | 820+ | 1050+ | 700+ | 900+ | / |
Multi-level battery indicator: | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES |
HSS ready: |
YES |
YES |
YES
|
YES |
/ |
TTL version: | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
Power levels: | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 9 |
Bayonet mount type: |
A1 |
A1
|
A1 |
A1 |
A1 |
Electrical connector: | via Converter | via Converter | via Converter | via Converter | Built-in |
Optical connector (6): | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES |
Diameter x length (mm) | 102,5 x 130 | 102,5 x 130 | 102,5 x 130 | 102,5 x 130 | 102,5 x 130 |
Weight (3): | 865g | 825 g | 910 g | 870 g | 845 g |
Weight in water (3): |
~130 g | ~90 g | ~170g | ~130 g | ~130 g |
Weight with Supercharger (4): |
1.070 g |
1.030 g
|
1.150 g
|
1.110 g
|
/
|
Weight in water with Supercharger (4): |
~240 g | ~200 g | ~320 g | ~280 g | / |
Depth rating: | -100 m | -100 m | -100 m | -100 m | -100 m |
Bluetooth connectivity (5): | YES | YES | YES | YES | / |
Leakage detector (5) | YES | YES | YES | YES | / |
(1) with 4x AA eneloop pro
(2) with 8x AA eneloop pro
(3) including 4x AA eneloop pro and 1" Mounting ball
(4) including 8x AA eneloop pro and 1" Mounting ball
(5) patent pending technology
(6) compatible with Inon and Sea&Sea type plugs
(7) pilot light color temperature can vary +/- 500K
RETRA FLASH REVIEW
Check out this video review that showcases the Retra Flash PRO, Supercharger, Light-Shaping Device and accessories.