186 replies to this topic

[guyharrisonphoto]

Think I'll order the battery compartments and another LSD.

 

The improvements in the strobes look substantial.  Very glad I ordered on the "ground floor" but they look well worth the cost even at the current $699.00.  Also worth the extra month wait time.

 

Tom, I visited your website.  Amazing stuff.   Really, something unique and special.  Good work!.

[Oceanus]

I´m really looking forward to receiving my Retras.

 

It will be my first flashes with optical cable option. As far as I understand a flash trigger unit is the way around the limiting internal flash recycle time. Can anyone recommend a flash trigger unit for Nikon D800?

 

Christopher

[Alex_Mustard]

Giving them a workout this week. We'll try and get them in the water as much as possible. 

 

 

Alex

[guyharrisonphoto]

Alex let us know what you think.    Let us know if you think the beam limiter or the "shark warmer" or the "neutral" wide diffuser are worth the cost, as opposed to just using the included warm wide diffusers.  This is last chance to order some accessories at a discount (before July 21) so actual real world input would be valuable.

 

Already ordered the battery compartments.  Debating on a second LSD.  

[Alison Perkins]

I don't suppose they have the ability to be fired by push button on the strobe itself, rather than optical or electrical firing? This would be a very useful function in cave diving photography.

[guyharrisonphoto]

Doesn't look like it has a test-fire button.  Maybe Alex can let us know.

 

However, they have an off-camera trigger under development.

 

Just curious, how you sync the strobe with the camera shutter by manually pushing a on the strobe?  Would you use something like a lightning trigger on the camera so the camera fires when it "sees" the flash?  Or, you use a slow shutter and then fire the flash by hand?

 

I have not heard of this technique and am interested as to how it works for cave diving.

[Alison Perkins]

I would put the camera on a tripod, slow shutter speed and fire strobe by hand. That's how this was shot.

 

https://www.facebook...?type=3

 

I really want a test fire button! :-)

[jahjahwarrior]

You know, you could get a marker strobe, put it up to an optical trigger, cover it with some tape or neoprene, and use the marker strobe to trick the trigger into firing the main strobe.

I never thought about that before but in a low flow cave you could make that work!

[Alison Perkins]

What's a marker strobe?

[errbrr]

I don't suppose they have the ability to be fired by push button on the strobe itself, rather than optical or electrical firing? This would be a very useful function in cave diving photography.

They don't, I asked. 

 

Best solution to this I have found is the triggerfish that Hedwig made me with a piezo button in them. One of them stopped working after a couple of months but the other one is still good. Very handy for increasing the creative options.

 

Shooting in the dark is more fun than wrestling with tripods underwater 

[guyharrisonphoto]

Hi I was just checking back to see if Alex had any comments to share about his time with the strobes  . . .

[Alex_Mustard]

Yeah, I'll try and get some example images processed tomorrow. I processed the ones from the Nikon 8-15mm first.

 

Alex

[guyharrisonphoto]

Thanks Alex and I just want to say thank you for all the time you spend sharing this information.  I know it is a lot of effort and time on your part.

[Alex_Mustard]

A sample selection of images are processed now. I am just waiting for the OK from Retra to start sharing them. 

 

Alex

[Alex_Mustard]

Here are some shots taken with the Retra Strobes in the Red Sea. The strobes were still preproduction versions and I didn’t get as many dives with them as I would have like. But from what I saw, I was impressed. 

 

A pod of Indian Ocean bottlenose dolphins swimming over a coral reef, Sha’ab El Erg, Hurghada, Egypt.

“I shot these dolphins with the standard wide angle diffuser, which did a nice job. If I had had time to change, I might have used the shark diffuser!”

Shot with Nikon D5 and Nikonos 13mm. Subal ND5 housing. 2 x Retra flashes. 1/250^th @ f/13, ISO 500.

 

Three British WWII Norton 16H motorbikes with school of soldierfish, inside the wreck of the Thistlegorm, sunk by a German bomber in 1941.

“I used the mini-beam restrictors to avoid spraying light around too widely in the silty Thistlegorm and produce clean results.”

Shot with Nikon D5 and Nikonos 13mm. Subal ND5 housing. 2 x Retra flashes. 1/6^th @ f/13, ISO 800.

 

A British WWII Albion BY5 bridging vehicle inside the hold of the Thistlegorm. This scene is too large to photograph in a single frame, so this is a mini-panorama of two frames. Thistlegorm Wreck, Sha’ab Ali, Egypt.

“The wide angle diffuser produced plenty of coverage to illuminated this large subject evenly so that two frames could be automatically joined together.”

Shot with Nikon D5 and Nikonos 13mm. Subal ND5 housing. 2 x Retra flashes. 0.3 sec @ f/13, ISO 800.

 

Alex

[Alex_Mustard]

Anthias dart out from a coral head, Yolanda Reef, Ras Mohammed National Park, Sinai, Egypt.

“The wide angle diffuser produced soft, even warm illumination over this busy scene.”

Shot with Nikon D5 and Nikonos 13mm. Subal ND5 housing. 2 x Retra flashes. 1/125^th @ f/14, ISO 320.

 

A school of batfish swimming in open water, Shark Reef, Ras Mohammed National Park, Sinai, Egypt.

“The Shark Diffuser helps light reach more distance subjects, such as this school of batfish”

Shot with Nikon D5 and Nikonos 13mm. Subal ND5 housing. 2 x Retra flashes. 1/200^th @ f/13, ISO 320.

 

Anthias and soft corals on the wall of Shark Reef, Ras Mohammed National Park, Sinai, Egypt.

“The wide angle diffuser produced a pleasing quality of light on this bustling reef scene, with fish and corals.”

Shot with Nikon D5 and Nikonos 13mm. Subal ND5 housing. 2 x Retra flashes. 1/125^th @ f/18, ISO 320.

[Alex_Mustard]

A jetty over a coral reef at sunset, Ras Umm Sid, Sinai, Egypt. 

“The power and coverage was impressive for shooting Sunset Split shots that are a real challenge for lighting because you must illuminated the whole underwater scene evenly and entirely otherwise it is black.”

Shot with Nikon D5 and Nikon 8-15mm @ 8mm. Subal ND5 housing. Zen 230 dome. 2 x Retra strobe. 1/250^th @ f/22, ISO 800.

 

Mae Dorricott dives down beneath the afternoon sun near the Temple, Sharm El Sheikh, Sinai, Egypt.

“The warm, soft light from the standard wide angle diffuser brings out pleasing skin tones on people.”

Shot with Nikon D5 and Nikon 8-15mm @ 8mm. Subal ND5 housing. Zen 230 dome. 2 x Retra flashes. 1/125^th @ f/14, ISO 800.

 

Anthias team over a coral head, Yolanda Reef, Ras Mohammed National Park, Sinai, Egypt.

“The wide angle diffuser produced soft, even warm illumination over reef scenes.”

Shot with Nikon D5 and Nikonos 13mm. Subal ND5 housing. 2 x Retra flashes. 1/200^th @ f/14, ISO 500.

[guyharrisonphoto]

Looks like beautiful light from these.

 

Retra just posted a beam shot comparison between these, the YS-D2 and the Inon 240.  All without diffusers or modifiers.  It is quite an amazing comparison.  Check it out.

[E_viking]

Judging the Beam comparison at Retra's site they look good.

The Picture from Alex Looks really interesting ( , but they always do).

 

I am looking Forward to test them in a few weeks.

Contemplating the extra  Battery Compartements as well.

 

Just hoping that the Quality will be as high as they are aiming for.

 

/Erik

 

 

 

 

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[Alex_Mustard]

Having used the extra battery compartment - it is super secure. It doesn't look like it in pictures - but in reality it is very, very strong.

 

Alex