Photography News issue 20

20

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PROFOTO B1 &B2

A truly flexible flash family

Photographers who are serious about the quality of their work invariably look at using supplementary light, perhaps to boost the available light that’s already there or to even out the contrast within a scene. The problem until fairly recently was that you either had to take bulky and unwieldy battery operated kit out into the field or you needed to work with speedlights, with all the attendant issues of lack of power and limited access to modifiers. While many persevered regardless, and often achieved amazing results with off-camera flash, it was a challenge for the professional to work in this way and to guarantee the high-quality images their clients demanded. The whole market fundamentally changed, however, with the launch of Profoto’s game-changing B1 lights towards the end of 2013. Suddenly here was a location light that coupled the ease and much of the portability of a speedlight with the kind of power that you might expect from a studio unit. Furthermore it was compatible with the full range of Profoto lighting modifiers, giving the user a wide range of options and opening the door to a whole new way of working. The B1 was joined earlier this year by the B2, plus a further range of dedicated OCF light shaping tools, including four new softboxes – a square 1’3”x1’3”, a 1x3ft strip, a Recta 2x3ft and an Octa 2ft – and the family was complete. Still powerful – far outstripping the performance of even the most well-specified of speedlights – but even more compact than the B1, the new model is designed to use as a light in its own right or, as so many professionals are already doing, as a partner to its sibling, enabling a well- rounded kit to be pieced together that’s light to carry and can be used to tackle pretty much any location job that might be in the offing. The latest B2 system is a more compact sibling for the B1, and together they are the ideal companions for photographers working inside or out on location

Thewhole market fundamentally changed, however, with the launch of Profoto’s game- changing B1

LEFT The B1 and B2 OCF system offers lightweight, but powerful lighting.

ABOVE One of the first to pre-order the B1, J Dhillon now packs this and his B2 for his destination wedding shoots, packing everything securely into his hand luggage.

Photography News | Issue 20

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