May 06, 2020
Profoto has a well-deserved reputation for professional-grade lighting solutions. Until recently, they were studio-only but with the introduction of the Profoto A1 (and C1) they now have a solution that goes from iPhone to on-camera flash to high-end studio lighting. Like with Godox, this is one reason I am attracted to them since I would like a single soultion across the board and Nikon does not provide this, restricting you to their speelights for everything. However, unlike Godox which provides a way to mix Nikon and Godox flashes, Profoto is more of a pure-play with no way to integrate Nikon speedlights into their (radio wireless) enviroment
I’m also fairly committed to Bowens mounts for light modifiers and, like Godox, Profoto has a range of adapters for their flashes so that I can easily mount and un-mount my light modifiers. Here are the range of products I have:
I previously did a series of tests on the Godox equipment and was generally OK with using them, with some reservations. I’m looking forward to a better experience with Profoto. We shall see.
First, on firmware upgrades. My experience with Godox was horrible. Let’s see what it’s like with Profoto. With Profoto, if you have registered your products (highly recommended), you can login and get a list of your products and also a list of firmware upgrades. From there it is a simple process to download the upgrade.
Ai AirTTL-N Ver C7 (no upgrade needed)
Air Remote TTL-N Upgrade to C1 (major issues upgrading, see below)
B2 250 AitTTL Unit VerA9 (no upgrade needed)
The good:
1. Can update on a Mac
2. Profoto keeps a record of registered products and provided direct links to the upgrade software
The bad:
1. The downloaded upgrade app requires keystroke access (system preferences -> Security & privacy -> Input Monitoring). I initially denied this and now the app won’t allow me to upgrade, even if I re-download the app. I needed to go to my laptop and do it all over again, enabling access. Things weren’t helped by the fact that I kept inputting the wrong password to Profoto and eventually got locked out. I understand security but this is ridiculous!
OK, not a great experience but better than Godox.
General Usage:
I set up a lighting arrangement, similar to Godox, with a beauty dish to the right and above the subject (me) (Group A) as well as a softbox behind the camera pointed straight at the subject (Group B). Both units used the Profoto B2 connected to the 250 location kit. I also experimented with an A1 (group C) for extra fill. Here is what the set-up looked like:
For images, look for the folder 2020_0508_Portrait Lighting - Profoto
Observations (using the Air Remote TTL-N):
There are three groups - A,B,C, each can be directky accessed via dedicated buttons.
Groups can be turned on and off by selecting them and toggling the “head” button on the Air Remote
There are only two modes - TTL and Manual. These are global settings for all groups
Adjustments to flash power are in f-stops (or fractions thereof). This is different to the Nikon CLS or Godox system where power is adjusted in fractions of power.
There is a “sticky” relationship between TTL and Manual where settings are preserved going from one to the other. This suggests a recommended usage paradigm where everything is set up roughly in TTL, then switched to manual where things can be tweeked.
Overall flash compensation is done in-camera. Again, this is different from Godox and Nikon where power adjustments can be made independent of the camera setting.
These differences seemed confusing at first but I quickly got used to them.
Observations:
1. The system operated flawlessly - units sync up correctly, exposure seems OK +/-. Overall the system seems more “robust” than Godox
2. The UI to change relative flash power is weird at first but you quickly get used to it.
3. The B2’s clearly have limited power (relative to the AD400 pro from Godox). I think I could easily max them out. Even in this cramped setting, the flash power required (on a scale of 0-10) was approx. 6.5 - 7.7.
4. I like the external battery pack, gives me confidence I have plenty of energy to deal with. On the other hand, it’s an extra unit and I kept tripping over the connecting wires. Sort of negates the purpose of wireless. The cables are also quite short and are likely to need extensions when used in the real World. The external battery keeps a lot of weight out of the head which improves physical stability