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Underwater Strobe Manual Mode
(set by underwater strobe dial switch):
Set underwater strobe dial switch to M or FULL mode without pre-flashes. Adjust strobe light intensity by the
dial switch on the strobe body.
Shooting in this mode, it is strongly recommended to set TTL-Converter also to M mode (by camera menu “WL”
command), to exclude Pre-flashes in system (for strobe energy saving).
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TTL-Converter Hardwire Manual Mode
(set by onboard switch to “0” position):
Set TTL-Converter onboard rotary switch to “0” position.
Set underwater strobe to M (or FULL) mode without pre-flashes by dial switch on the strobe body. Adjust
strobe light intensity by the dial switch on the strobe body.
Setting TTL-Converter rotary switch to “0” position can be done only before closing the case, while the housing is open.
This is a hardwired Manual mode.
In this mode TTL-Converter emits single pulse of fixed maximum duration, without Pre-flashes.
This mode is recommended for any creative shooting, for example using long length fiber optical cables (up to 40m
length is supported), or for usage with TTL incompatible underwater strobes, low sensitivity strobes, or for any other
difficult situations.
High Speed Synchronization (HSS) with Retra Pro strobe
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New Generation Retra Pro strobe supports High Speed Sync (HSS).
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HSS shutter speeds are available for flash usage in range 1/320
…
.1/8000 with Sony A7-A9 cameras.
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Pay attention, that Retra HSS in Manual type HSS, but not TTL. In HSS strobe mode Retra flash intensity can be adjusted
by the strobe knob, only manually.
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For shooting with Retra HSS, use the following settings:
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Only once: Assign “HSS” function to U1 or U2 switch position on the strobe body, using “Retra-UWT” application via
I-Phone or I-Pad bluetooth connection.
Ø
Set Retra Pro strobe switch to U1 or U2 position (according the assigned position for HSS mode)
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Set Manual flash mode for the system by camera menu (using “WL” command).
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Use camera at any shutter high speeds (1/320
…
1/8000). Test shooting with HSS flash. Adjust necessary flash
intensity by the strobe knob.
Shutter High Speeds availability for shooting with ambient light
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Classic underwater strobes produce a mono-flash, they cannot work in HSS range speeds (excluding Retra Pro), camera
automatically limits sync speed 1/250 for them, usually until HotShoe plug is connected. But new TTL-Converter firmware
allows shutter high speeds usage for shooting underwater with ambient sunlight, without flash. User does not need to
reopen the housing to disconnect the HotShoe plug.
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Shutter high speeds for shooting are available in Manual mode of the system (use “WL” command) in range 1/320
…
.1/8000 for Sony A7-A9 cameras. All models uw strobes (excluding Retra Pro) in this case don’t produce a flash,
automatically.
Continuous (Serial) Shooting using underwater strobes
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TTL-Converter supports Continuous shooting in all modes, including TTL and M modes. But the main role in this case plays
underwater strobes specific (read below).
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Compact size underwater strobes like Z-240, Z-330, S-2000, YS-D1, YS-D2 etc. have a weak charger inside, which cannot
charge the strobe quick enough between series of TTL doubled flashes (pre-flash + main flash each time). Sometimes for
the next shot the energy is not enough to keep an accurate Pre-flash / Main flash duration. That is why, compact size
underwater strobes are not recommended for Continuous (Serial) Shooting in TTL mode. The only 1
st
shot will have normal
lighting in TTL, next shots can have some different lighting or none at all. The effect depends on specific strobe’s
capabilities, camera Aperture/ISO and other settings.
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Large size underwater strobes, like YS-250, DS-161, DS-160 etc. have more powerful charger inside and large main
capacitor. Those strobes work some better in Continuous (Serial) Shooting TTL mode. The user can make more shots with
acceptable lighting. However the best lighting accuracy will be on only the first 1-3 shots in series, the others may have
different lighting. The effect depends on specific strobe’s capabilities, camera Aperture/ISO and other settings.
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In normal usage, all underwater strobes support accurate TTL lighting only in “Single Shot” camera mode. Underwater
strobe must be fully charged before each TTL flash, to maintain accurate TTL lighting. Usually, charge time of modern
underwater strobes is about 2 seconds for 50% of energy (but 6-8 seconds for 100% energy).
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For Continuous (Serial) Shooting with underwater strobes, it is strongly recommended to use
Manual mode
and set
minimum strobe intensities.
This way it is possible to get serial shots with acceptable lighting accuracy due to reduced
recycle times.
