RETRA Flash – Field Review

Alex Mustard · Issue 98, Sep/Oct 2017 · pp. 35–40

Products mentioned: Retra Flash, Retra LSD (Light Shaping Device), Retra uTrigger, INON Z240, Sea & Sea D1/D2, Wide Angle Diffuser, White Diffuser, Shark Diffuser, Protection Ring, Reduction Ring

The Retra Flash is big news. A brand new strobe and a new manufacturer joining the underwater strobe market are rare events. Most serious shooters already know Retra as the European company behind the widely used LSD (Light Shaping Device - their optical snoot) and other innovative accessories, such as the uTrigger underwater remote release. Yet, however you look at it, building a brand new underwater strobe is a big step up, especially because, given its specs, the strobe is likely to appeal to so many underwater photographers. The Retra Flash is clearly pitched as a straightforward performance upgrade for photographers currently shooting INON Z240, Sea & Sea D1/D2 type strobes. It is a similar size to both (my INON Z240 weighs 670g, the Retra weighs 722g on my kitchen scales), but has noticeably more welly (at 100W/s – PB: “they were more powerful and had a faster recycling time”), wit…