PROFOTO B10

Amazingly compact and lightweight, this is a real take-anywhere location flash kit, and it’s particularly well connected

The latest B10 kit has a pint-sized head that weighs in at just 1.5kg, complete with clip-on rechargeable Li-ion battery, avoiding the need for a separate power pack and cord.

The companion stand adaptor doubles as a handholding grip. Despite its small overall size, the flash head can deliver 400 full-power flashes from a fully charged battery, although the power rating of 250Ws is lower than in competing kits on test.

The Profoto Air Remote TTL trigger enables full use of TTL, HSS and Freeze flash modes. The last of these is similar to the ‘Action’ mode in the Elinchrom kit, delivering ultra-short duration flash for freezing action. The trigger itself is relatively expensive, at £349/$429, but there’s a wide range of dedicated options including Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm, Olympus and Sony. Catering to the smartphone generation, the flash head also features Bluetooth and you can download an iOS app for full, intuitive control over all aspects of the lighting setup for multiple B10 flash heads, as well as for applying system updates. The control panel of the flash head itself is smart, simple and easy to live with.

There’s a big ten-stop range in flash power available, with the usual 1/10th stop increments. As with the other kits on test, colour temperature remains impressively consistent through the whole range but, in Freeze mode, there’s a much more noticeable deviation than when using the Elinchrom in its competing Action mode. It’s particularly evident throughout the lowest third of the power range. However, the powerful LED modelling lamp has a generous maximum output, complete with an adjustable colour temperature range of 3,000K to 6,500K.

The B10 matched the Phottix Indra500 for maximum output in both regular and HSS modes when fitted with the optional OCF Magnum Reflector. Recycling speed is almost instantaneous until you really ramp up the output, slowing to a still nippy 1.9 seconds.

Left Small but perfectly formed The Profoto B10 packs a punch for such a small kit. Along with the 250W B10 AirTTL head and Li-ion battery, you get a battery charger, stand adaptor, carrying case and cables. Profoto’s RF trigger is pricey but very good, and the iPhone app is a smart addition. The kit is compatible with over 120 Profoto light-shaping tools, and a dual-head kit is also available