Profoto
ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE Key light Combining professional flash and continuous lighting in a package no bigger than a camera lens, the Profoto B10X Plus is a vital piece in your toolkit
EDITOR’S CHOICE
› Price £1895 › Max power 500Ws › Energy range Ten f/stops (1.0-10) › Recycling time 0.05-2.2secs › Energy stability 0.2 f/stops › Power output (2m/ISO 100) 32.7 with OCF Magnum reflector 16.7 without reflector › Supported Air features Flash sync, remote control, TTL, HSS › Lamp type LED, 3250 lumens, 100-10% range, adjustable 3000-6500K (+/-500K) › Operating range Sync and remote control: 0.5-300m. HSS and TTL: 0.5-100m › Battery capacity Up to 200 full-power flashes › Dimensions (wxhxd) 11x10x23.5cm › Weight 1.9kg (including battery and lighting stand adapter) › Contact profoto.com/uk AT ITS LAUNCH, the Profoto B10 was a revolutionary location flash. In fact, it was difficult to see how it could be bettered. Trust Profoto to do exactly that with the B10X Plus! To use it is to experience creative lighting at its highest quality, but the most surprising thing is how simple that is. No wonder it’s been rewarded with an Editor’s Choice prize in the best portable flash category of the Photography News 2021 Awards.
Shooting on location is always demanding, with weather and available light uncontrollable. You could be faced with anything from unflattering ceiling lamps to harsh, unfiltered sun – but the B10X Plus has you covered. It combines portability, simplicity, power and rugged build to defeat almost any problem, letting you get on with your mission. The maximum 500Ws output is huge for such a small light, and gives you the power to easily fill full sun, or overpower it if needed. Effectively, it’s like having the output of ten speedlights in a single head. But, with a range of ten f/stops, there’s also great subtlety, letting you set up close to the subject, or shoot wide open and still illuminate them however you want. For fast shooting, recycling runs from 0.05-2.2secs, with 200 full-power flashes on a single charge – plenty for most shoots. You get 65 minutes of full-power continuous light with one charge. Extra rechargeable lithium- ion batteries are available, so you can keep going all day if needed. The B10X Plus isn’t just a flash – it’s also a highly capable LED, suited to situations where you can’t use flash, or need to shoot video with pro lighting. It has a top output of 3250 lumens, which can be tuned to match the light you’re in. Or give a contrasting look, thanks to adjustable 3000-6500K
“Profoto is the Rolls-Royce of creative lighting, and the B10XPlus gives photographers everything they need toproduce unbelievable images…” Will Cheung, editor, Photography News
output with 500K increments, to get the tone of your light spot on. With pro-level features like these, you might expect the B10X Plus to be complicated, but it’s the complete opposite. Options are deep, but the interface is simplicity itself, with a pair
of dials and test button to keep the rear streamlined – plus a screen that shows only what’s needed. Syncing in HSS or regular flash is second nature with the accompanying Profoto Air Remote TTL trigger – and power, LED strength and colour can be set using the free Profoto Control app. Or even shoot using your smartphone. Weighing only 1.9kg and measuring 11x10x23.5cm, these are portable heads, despite packing in the features – no bigger than a fast zoom lens. And just like the B10X Plus itself, Profoto’s range of over 120 light-shaping tools are easy to fit. Slide on the head and tighten with a clip, rather than navigating a tricky bayonet system. Get hands on with the B10X Plus and see the zenith of creative lighting.
AT YOUR COMMAND Profoto has kept it simple when it comes to controls and layout, so handling is extremely impressive
profoto.com/uk
Issue 96 | Photography News 13
photographynews.co.uk
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