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After last week’s teaser, lighting manufacturer Profoto has announced its new ‘small big’ product. The B10 is designed to be used as studio flash head but in a very small body, and has a powerful continuous light source for videographers as well. The 250Ws unit is fully wireless with a removable lithium ion battery and output control via the company’s AirTTL system.
The B10 can also be controlled via the Profoto smartphone app that allows users to adjust flash power as well as the continuous light’s brightness and color temperature. A new Creative Capture feature that lets users preview a scene through the smaertphone’s camera and adjust lights at the same time to achieve the desired effect. The picture can then be captured through the app so the results can be inspected to check exposure and light positioning. The app also offers users the means to download and update firmware as it becomes available.
The lithium ion battery that powers the B10 can be charged while in use, and will provide up to 75 minutes of full power continuous lighting
The continuous LED light has a maximum output of 2500 lm and can be dimmed between 10 and a 100%, with temperature changed between 3000-6500K. The lithium ion battery that powers the B10 can be charged while in use in the head, and will provide up to 75 minutes of full power continuous lighting or 400 full power flashes. It is said to charge in less than an hour and a half.
The B10 measures 11cm / 4.3in wide, is 17.5 / 6.9in long and 10cm / 3.9in high – and it weighs 1.5 kg / 3.3 lbs including the battery. The stand clamp can be removed to fit the light on a tripod, and there are 12 OCF small light modifiers to fit the head, as well as 120 from the full-size range.
The Profoto B10 is shipping now and costs £1175 / $ 1595. For more information see the Profoto website.
Press release
The power of small
Profoto B10
Size matters, it does. Because how much gear you have to carry matters. How much space you have to set up and work in matters. Being able to move fast, getting in, getting out and nailing the shot matters.
Something else matters too; knowing that the equipment you have will push you forward rather than hold you back – that you’ll be inspired to grow and to express yourself creatively. To be you, at your best.
That’s why when Profoto set out to create the Profoto B10, their brand new cordless off-camera flash, the company first considered size. Or rather, a lack of it. “We designed the B10 to be small,” said Göran Maren, Product Manager at Profoto. “Just a little bigger than a medium-sized zoom lens. That means you can fit it in your bag with the rest of your gear and because it’s cordless and lightweight, it’s easy to bring and set up anywhere. That said, this is in every way a Profoto light, so the power and quality of light is essential.”
And while the B10 is small, it’s small without compromise. The B10 gives you five times more light than a speedlight; it’s a light that has a natural and beautiful soft fall off.
But this is more than just a flash; it’s also a highly effective continuous light that you can use for both stills and video. And like all Profoto lights, it’s easy to use. A separate dial on the sleek B10 interface allows you to adjust both brightness and color temperature until it blends perfectly with the ambient light.
The continuous light is just one example of the extreme flexibility contained within the B10. The stand mount and the battery are prime examples. The stand mount can be swiftly removed. As a result, you can mount the B10 on any camera tripod. It is just as quick to replace the battery too, and you can charge it while you’re using it.
Göran Marén continues: “every part of the B10 has been designed to help the photographer to be more creative with light on location. We felt that the more flexibility we built in, the more an image creator can adapt to any issues or opportunities that a location might offer.”
Better still, the possibilities don’t end there since your creativity can run riot with an enormous range of Profoto light shaping tools that are as flexible as the B10. There are a dozen light shapers in Profoto’s compact and lightweight OCF series to start with, and if they’re not enough, there are 120 more light shaping tools in the full Profoto range.
Controlling the B10 off-camera is also easy. You can trigger and control the B10 wirelessly from any Profoto AirTTL remote or the Profoto A1. From up to 300metres/1000ft you can point and shoot with TTL or switch to manual control at any time. AirTTL Remotes are available for all major camera brands.
To further capture the imagination, Profoto has added smart connectivity in the form of a unique and innovative smartphone app. With the B10 connected to the Profoto app you always have the latest B10 updates available at your fingertips. The app also gives you an ingenious remote control that lets you view and control all B10 settings from your smartphone screen.
But the most exciting part of the app might be the unique smartphone camera that brings smartphone photography and the creative use of light closer together than ever before. Göran adds: “we wanted to inspire new ways of being creative with light, and to give photographers a glimpse into the future of photography.” Ultimately the B10 is a big light in a small package. And that means the possibilities are enormous.
The final words belong to Göran. “It’s what we like to call, ‘the power of small.’ It’s the power to be creative with light in so many more ways. It’s the ability to take all those incredible images that live in your imagination – and make them real.”
The Profoto B10 is light unleashed. Actually, it’s more than that – it’s you unleashed.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
