![]() ![]() still work with both Pro and Prime models. Retra stuck with the same housing dimensions (130mm L x 102.5mm W) as used in the original Retra flash gun so that all the original accessories – LSD, diffusers and reduction rings, etc. Other than the difference in flash output, other aspects of the Prime and Pro are identical. ![]() The controls for mode and power placement are not only simple in their layout but also easy to manipulate even with thick gloves. While the feel is certainly very solid, the secondary purpose to using aluminum is that a metal housing serves as a heat sink to reduce the chances of overheating. Each housing is milled on a CNC machine from a solid block of aluminum and given a flat silver tone with a satin finish. The first take away for both the Retra Prime and Pro is the high quality. In addition, what I saved on the price for the Primes versus the Pros (at the time I purchased them) is enough to buy a set of Retra Supercharger Extended Battery Holders when they become available, which will effectively double my battery capacity. For me, what mattered more was recycle time and the greater number of flashes obtained from the same four AA batteries. I felt I didn’t need the additional power the Pros provide as I found with my former Z-330s that I very seldom shot any above ¾ power. For more detail on this subject see the comparison on Retra’s website Here. The Prime is rated to provide 200 flashes at full power with four fully charged Eneloop Pro 2450 mAh AA batteries, while the Pro delivers 150 full-power flashes. The tradeoff for that extra power is a smaller number of flashes per charge. Aperture on my Nikonos R-UW 13mm fisheye lens at f/6.7, Retra Prime strobe power setting in manual at slightly less than half power. For this exposure camera settings on my D850 were at 1/125 sec. Shooting at a depth of 145 feet can get tricky when trying to get a proper balance between frontal strobe lighting and background ambient light levels. The Prime has a max output of 100-Watt seconds (Ws) at full power with a recycle time of 2 seconds, whereas the Pro is 50% brighter at 150 Ws with a Recycle time of 3 seconds. You may ask why the Prime and not the Pro version? The primary difference between the Prime and Pro is flash output. ![]() When used with a diffuser and losing more than half a stop in the process, the improvement was only nominal. What I didn’t like about the Z-330s, although their Guide Number of 33 is very close to the same brightness of the Retra Primes at full power, is that the Z-330’s dual flash tube configuration yielded very noticeable hotspots whenever I shot wide-angle without a diffuser in place. For a full year before receiving my first two Retra Primes I had been shooting with Inon’s newer Z-330 model strobes, which gave me with a good baseline to draw on, as the Z-330’s provide coverage of 110 degrees and color temperatures of 5500° K without the benefit of a diffuser. Since last May, I have been working almost exclusively with a pair of Retra’s new Prime model flash guns. My Nikon D850 system with two Retra Prime underwater strobes setup for some blackwater macro photography. Retra touts this feature as a world-first for underwater flashes, delivering a color temperature in the 4900° Kelvin range and a more even and wider coverage natively to 130 degrees without a diffuser. The standout feature of these new flash systems is a complete departure from the more conventional straight flash tube design to that of a fully unbroken circular flash tube with an LED modeling light in the center. In the second installment “New Strobes Part 2 – Compact, But Mighty”, I talked a bit about Retra’s new Prime and Pro model underwater flash systems. A surprisingly worthy tool for wide angle photographers in its ability to provide a beam spread of 130 degrees without the need of an add on diffuser.īack in April 2020, I put together a three-part roundup of new strobes for Scuba Diver’s Destinations magazine’s website. An in-depth, hands on review detailing what Retra UWT’s new Prime underwater flash system. ![]()
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