Photography News issue 18

Advertisement feature Power on themove Profoto has unveiled its spectacular new B2 lighting systemwhich, like its B1 sibling, is designed to take the concept of powerful, professional off-camera flash to a whole new level PROFOTO B2

ability to easily change the mood and style of light when the pressure is on. Made from the same high-quality materials as the Profoto Umbrella Deep Silver and each at around a third of the weight of its RFi equivalent, the company has introduced four new softboxes. All have captive (sewn in) front diffusers and a removable inner diffuser. For every softbox, there is also an optional 50º softgrid available, which is a bottle-top design that slips over the front edges. The new softboxes have been created specifically for the B1 and B2 lights, and they use a dedicated, newly designed OCF Speedring. In addition, Profoto has produced an OCF Snoot, which reduces light spread to create a crisp light with almost no spill; a beautifully engineered barn door kit that allows the user to attach gels and control light spread; and a grid kit comprising 10º, 20º and 30º grids. The grids can be used in combination with the snoot and barn door. All in all, it’s a fantastic system, which now caters for an even wider range of photographers. For those who have been sitting on the fence wondering whether OCF is for them: take a look at what it could do for your photography and take control of your location lighting!

TTL flash control, it really can be that simple. If you want to retain full control of the unit, that’s not a problem either: a single button-push will switch the system over to full manual control. The professional user looking for a truly flexible system that can be finely adjusted to suit the circumstances of any particular job won’t be disappointed. Power can be independently adjusted in 1/10th stop increments across the unit’s nine-stop range on either of the two outlets. Freeze mode is also available, allowing short-duration flash down to 1/15,000sec. At full power, the unit recycles in 1.35 seconds, while at lower power settings the user can enjoy a blisteringly quick refresh rate of 0.03 seconds. There are two main buying configurations for the B2. The B2 To-Go kit, costing £1412, consists of the B2 Off Camera Flash pack, a B2 head, one battery and one mains charger packed in its carrying bag and location shoulder bag. For the more ambitious the B2 Location Kit, costing jsut £1915, comes with all of the above, plus a second head and a second battery. Light-shaping tools What is truly exciting about the launch of the Profoto B2 is that it’s part of an overall strategy that has clearly been extremely well thought through. The B1 and B2 products are not at all intended to be mutually exclusive: in fact, many photographers will mix and match both products, choosing the heads that best suit the job they’re working on. The B2 is the more portable product of the two, while the B1, with its 500W output, is the more powerful. Cleverly, Profoto has designed the accessories for its expanding OCF system to be fully interchangeable, and alongside its launch of the B2 it’s also introduced a new range of products that will benefit those using the B1 as well. These OCF light-shaping tools are designed to be lightweight and extremely fast to set up, offering the photographer the

Lighting has come a long way over the past few years, and in the wake of more powerful and flexible solutions for those working on location, the whole concept of off-camera flash has finally come of age. No longer does the professional photographer have to rely on available light, because the introduction of powerful new products such as the Profoto B1 has made the whole business of taking complete control of lighting outside so much easier. Now the Profoto line-up has been enhanced still further with the introduction of a smaller and lighter sibling, the B2, and with the company’s OCF family further strengthened with the introduction of a new selection of softboxes and accessories, there’s now an extensive and flexible system in place. It could change the entire approach to pro location shoots in the future: suddenly all the advantages of the studio can now be fully realised outside. But let’s take a more detailed look at the new B2. A 250W/s fully asymmetric pack and head system, the B2 builds on the legendary build quality, innovative design and ease of use of the B1, a product that won a TIPA award for best lighting product in 2014. How powerful is it? Well, in simple terms it puts the power of five average speedlights in a lightweight package that’s capable of shooting in bursts of up to 20 frames per second and delivering 215 full-power 250 Joule flashes from a single charge. Despite its awesome power, the B2 is approximately the same weight as a standard speedlight, making it extremely versatile. In addition to handheld and stand-mounted use, the B2 fits on to a bracket attached to the camera and is discreet enough not to get in the way when shooting. Working with the B2 The B2 has been designed to be lightweight, portable and extremely easy to set up and use. All you need to do is attach the pack to a head, an Air TTL to the camera, switch them both on and start shooting. Because you can work with

π To find out more, www.profoto.com/uk/offcameraflash.

Photography News | Issue 18