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Photography News | Issue 69 | photographynews.co.uk
Profoto A1
Upon its launch, the A1 basically revolutionised the use of small lights on location and in the studio. With the size and weight of a speedlight, but much more power and control, accompanied by a beautiful quality of light from its unique round flash emitter, the A1 gives allows light shaping excellence pretty much anywhere. And it’s simple to use, too. It’s also a highly versatile light. Unlike regular speedlights. where light shaping usually involves a range of haphazard and ill-fitting accessories, the A1 has a range of magnetically attached and stackable shapers, including a dome diffuser, bounce card, wide lens, gel kit and soft bounce. Even ‘naked’, the spread of light can be adjusted from narrow to wide with a simple twist of the head. No more menu-driven zoom settings, just a natural, tactile way to control the light. The A1 can be mounted like a speedlight, but if you
Specs
Power 76Ws across nine f/stops
Recycle time 0.05-1.2 seconds Modelling light Yes, LED Wireless Yes, up to 300m HSS/TTL Yes, up to 100m Measurements (wxlxh) 11x7.5x16.5cm Weight 560g Contact profoto.com
use it with a Profoto AirTTL remote, you get full wireless control with metering – so it can be used on or off camera, and with manual or automatic power. The A1 also provides high-speed sync, recycles at full power in a sprightly 1.2 seconds and works flawlessly with all other Profoto lights.
was. He started thinking, and the winning shot was just at that moment, mid-thought. We had to end the shoot two frames after this and I think he went with steak!"
Canon EOS 5DS. And that experience has won it a place in his travelling gear. “That was the great thing about that first job with the A1,” he summarises, “I realised, the speed of the unit and the power was good enough to make the grade for me professionally. It was quick enough to keep upwith rapid firing. I can also see why the A1 would be a bit of a game changer for photographers shooting weddings, events
or anything else where fast rechargeandpower arevital." And what about the A1’s new big brother, the A1X? It has a higher power battery, with more flashes per charge from the same size of unit. “The A1 has become my go- to flash for on-camera work, but I’m still using the full range of smaller monoblocs (the B10 and B10+, as well as the B1 and B1X), because I’m usually overpowering all the ambient light, so I tend to use
as much power as I can get,” explains Barnes. “The A1X will definitely fit in with that, and I’m contemplating using one as a hard, on-axis fill light, especially as it can keep up with the larger lights when it comes to recycling. It all fits in with Profoto’s Air system, too. Ultimately, I know if I have to travel incredibly lightlyand theB10is too large to take, the A1 will give me a great option,” he concludes.
Increased creativity and flexibility
Despite usually using off- cameraflashesforhisportrait work, the A1 definitely gave Barnes the power and speed he needed to get the shot while mounted on his
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