Alex](http://www.amustard.com) and Adam chat through a wide range of strobe accessories. Our goal as underwater photographers is to capture light, so anything we can do to improve or modify our flashs’ output can provide great benefits and significantly improve our images.
Retra is shipping their Retra Flash. Available in two versions, the Pro offers 150 Ws while the Prime has 100Ws. Both have circular flash tubes and a color temperature of 4900°K. Triggering is via fiber optic only, although Retra offers an external electro-optical converter.
A paper published in the Nature Scientific Reports Journal details the results of a scientific investigation into the effect that underwater flash photography has on its subjects. The research suggests that there seems to be little or no behavioural or biological impact on animals that are repeatedly exposed to flashes. The paper’s authors contrast this with the profound effect that occurs if animals are physically touched or manipulated.
Retra has announced that they are ceasing production of their Flash. The company cites problems with production times causing availability issues and so have decided to concentrate on refining their production process before releasing a new product in July or August 2018. All and any servicing requirements along with existing warranties will continue to honored.
Further to Alex Mustard’s preview of the new Retra Flash, the company has released details about it too. The new strobe offers electrical or optical triggering with the latter having S-TTL available. Crucially, Retra have attempted to provide a smooth even light source, emphasizing the quality of light that it produces.