Retra Flash

Manufacturer: Retra Type: strobe Year introduced: 2017 (began shipping September 22, 2017) Power: 100W/s Price: €699

Overview

The Retra Flash is a 100W/s underwater strobe that began shipping to pre-order customers on September 22, 2017, and was reviewed on Wetpixel on September 20, 2017 (^[1]). It was a significant product launch: a new manufacturer entering the underwater strobe market is rare, and Retra’s Flash was positioned as a direct performance upgrade over the dominant Inon Z-240 and Sea & Sea YS-D series strobes.

Retra, a European company, was already known in the underwater photography community for the LSD (Light Shaping Device), an optical snoot for creative lighting control, and the uTrigger underwater remote release. The Flash represented their step into primary strobe manufacturing.

At 100W/s, the Retra Flash had roughly one stop more power than the Inon Z-240 (which operated at approximately 60–70W/s effective output). It featured an aluminum body, dual triggering options (fiber-optic and electronic sync), and used standard AA batteries — a deliberate compatibility choice for photographers already running Inon/Sea & Sea ecosystems. The electronic sync socket was Sea & Sea compatible as standard, with Nikonos, S6, and Ikelite variants available.

The review by Alex Mustard was accompanied by a full disclosure section: Mustard had collaborated with Retra for several years, contributed ideas to the flash project since its earliest stages, and conducted field testing of pre-production and production units in the Red Sea, Cayman Islands, and Cuba (^[2]). Mustard stated explicitly that he received no payment and did not benefit from sales. He also distributed the strobes to six other photographers on his workshops — Valerie Reid, Horacio Martinez, Robert Smits, Peter Berndt, Josef Litt, and Nick More — whose images and observations were included in the review.

A preview of the strobe was published in February 2017 (^[3]), followed by full specifications in February 2017 (^[4]).

Notable accessories

Retra also manufactures the LSD (Light Shaping Device) snoot, which became popular for macro and creative lighting work before the Flash was released, establishing Retra’s reputation in the community prior to their strobe launch.

Reviews & Discussion

• ^[5] — First public preview with Alex Mustard’s early impressions. Article (editorial source).
• ^[6] — Complete spec sheet released. Article (editorial source).
• ^[7] — Comprehensive field review with full disclosure of Mustard’s collaborative relationship with Retra. Tested in Caribbean and Red Sea. Includes images and observations from six additional photographers. Article (editorial source).

Community Discussion

• RETRA Strobe Thread (707 replies) — The main community thread for Retra strobe owners and prospective buyers, covering real-world performance, comparisons with Inon and Sea & Sea strobes, and long-term reliability reports. (forum thread, topic 59574)
• Snoot aiming advice - Retra LSD (13 replies) — Practical tips for aiming the Retra LSD snoot on an Inon Z240 with tripod mount, including infrared aiming light techniques. (forum thread, topic 64210)
• Retra LSD Prime (4 replies) — Early user images and impressions of the LSD Prime snoot, with examples of background cleanup in macro shooting. (forum thread, topic 50249)
• Is it a dumb idea to buy a new manual only strobe? (3 replies) — Beginner-oriented discussion comparing the Retra Flash and Symbiosis SS-2 as manual-only options against TTL-capable alternatives. (forum thread, topic 59481)

References

• ^[8]
• ^[9]
• ^[10]