With a headshot / business portrait photo session in Manhattan with Yana, we spent most of the time outside, using the New York cityscape as an out of focus background. But then we also had access the library / lounge area of the apartment complex Yana lives in.
The outdoor session was mostly the ambient light outside, with some fill-flash from an off-camera flash. The B10 was more than powerful enough to work with the existing light like that.
Profoto B10 flash (B&H / Amazon)
Profoto OCF Beauty Dish Read more inside...
The Profoto A10 flash (Amazon / B&H)is an update on the already impressive Profoto A1 flash - it is powerful, and it recycles fast - just 1 second from a full power burst. The controls on the A1, and now the A10 are easy to use. The same for the menu system - everything is obvious. With this video review of the Profoto A10 flash, we are going to look at some of that features -- but also the way that you can now control the Profoto A10 via an app on your phone, using the bluetooth connection.
Another improvement that the A10 has over Read more inside...
Off-camera flash with the Profoto A1, A1x, A10 flashes
Profoto has a huge array of light modifiers which use their proprietary speed-ring and collar. The Profoto collar is especially easy to use in how the light modifiers fasten to the Profoto flashes. All fine .. except that until now, there was a big gap preventing you from using the Profoto A series flashes with those light modifiers. Profoto took the obvious next big step by adding the Profoto OCF adapter (B&H / Amazon) into the mix.
You can now use your Profoto A1 series flashes with any of those light Read more inside...
As promised in the First Look review, here is the proper video review of the Profoto B10 flash (B&H / Amazon) - putting this versatile flash through its paces during a photo shoot with a model in New York. Hopefully the video shows just how elegantly versatile the Profoto B10 is - it's a powerful little flash, and is also a powerful video light. The video light capability should excite any wedding photographer. During this photo shoot, we tried the flash as well as the video light aspect of it. I didn't run through the dry Read more inside...
Profoto B10 review: Comparing the power of the B10 vs B1 and B2
Something I mention in the review: Profoto B10 flash and want to highlight about the Profoto B10 flash (B&H / Amazon) - how its power compares to the Profoto B1 and B2. What specifically piqued my interest here, past the specs of 250Ws, was mention online that the B10 gives 2/3rd stops more light than the Profoto B2, even though they are rated for the same output: 250Ws. I must admit to being skeptical about this, so I decided to investigate further.
The summary is that, the Profoto B10 really Read more inside...
I first had a chance to play around with the new Profoto B10 flash (B&H / Amazon) during the promotional release event at the Alyeska resort in Alaska. What do I think of it?
Before we get there, I have to clarify that I’m not specifically a fan of Profoto just because of the brand name. I’m a fan of quality. I’m a fan of ease of use. That’s where I’m coming from - I love quality. I like Profoto for all these reasons, and I loooove this little flash.
250 Ws gives you a decent enough punch of light. It’s a stop less Read more inside...
Profoto has a very strong reputation in the industry for making gear that are reliable, easy to use, powerful, and, well ... looks really good. When Profoto entered the market a few years ago with the portable Profoto B1 flash (affiliate), and then the Profoto B2 flash (affiliate), it was inevitable then that at some point they would make a grand entrance with a speedlight style flash. With this review of the Profoto A1 flash (affiliate), I wanted to show more how I would use it, than just cover the specs of the flash.
I met up Read more inside...
Over the years I have used a variety of off-camera lights on location shoots and at weddings, and have worked my way up from Dynalite and Quantum flashes (and speedlights), to the Profoto B1. The Profoto B1 (affiliate) has made such a difference for me in the ease of use, the speed of setting up, and the sheer power of 500Ws of light. I love my B1 flash. For example, here is how I used the Profoto B1 flash at a wedding. Profoto has now released the Profoto B2 250Ws Air TTL Flash, and it comes as two options:
- Profoto B2 Read more inside...
High-speed flash sync (HSS) with the Profoto B1 flash
The already impressive Profoto B1 flash (B&H / Amazon) became even more awesome in Dec 2014 when high-speed flash sync (HSS) capability was added through a firmware update.
The photo above was taken at 1/2000 @ f/1.4 @ 100 ISO. I wanted that super-shallow depth-of-field, and I wanted the light to be more flattering than you'd get from a bare speedlight. In this case, I used a Profoto RFi 1'×3' softbox (affiliate), with the Profoto B1. (I kept both baffles on the softbox.)
The summary: it Read more inside...
Comparing power: Studio lights vs. speedlites / speed lights
Speedlights pack a huge amount of light for the size. Very portable, and loaded with sophisticated features, owning a speedlight is a must. A simple choice.
Studio lights and the larger portable flashes such as the Profoto B1 TTL flash (B&H / Amazon) , offer a lot more power than speedlights. Exactly how much more powerful, isn't all that easy to gauge. There's very little available as direct comparison. Even the specs aren't directly comparable. Speedlights' power is given as a Guide Number (GN), and studio Read more inside...
