Profoto has done it again. A little over a year since the release of the revolutionary B1, the company is expanding its Off-Camera Flash System with the B2 250 AirTTL, a portable battery-powered pack with TTL operation for both on- and off-camera use. It has two fully asymmetrical outputs for connecting one or two of the extremely lightweight heads that can be easily mounted on a bracket with your camera, a monopod, or a stand for setting up the lights exactly as you see fit.
I was fortunate enough to try out the B2 Location Kit, and I can report that the performance of these lights created a level of excitement in me I had not experienced for quite some time. The 250 Ws rating puts it at approximately 5x the power of your average speed light, and the built-in reflector produces a wide, even spread of light. Perhaps the largest advantages over shoe-mounted flashes are the inclusion of an LED modeling light and the ability to accept more than 150 modifiers from Profoto’s line of light-shaping tools. This made it incredibly easy to hook up a softbox, grid, snoot, or umbrella, as opposed to the specialized brackets and fasteners I need for my speed lights.
Of note is the new OCF Speedring, which makes setting up a softbox or octa-box much simpler for a one-man crew. It allows users to easily slide in each of the color-coded rods (green for octa, blue for rectangle/square, and white for strip) and then pull up to snap them into place. Also, the new OCF softboxes have a fixed front diffuser that means you aren’t fumbling with extra fabric during quick on-location setups.
Photographs by Tom Kirkman and Shawn C. Steiner
Getting back to the light, the B2 offers nine stops of power adjustment from 1-250 Ws, and it can be set in tenth-stop increments. The recycle time of these units is incredibly fast, with a speed of 0.03 to 1.35 seconds. I didn’t have to stand there wondering or waiting for the lights to be ready, and the B2 has dimming and beeping options, as well. The rechargeable Li-ion battery can produce up to 215 full-power flashes on a single charge and it can be fully charged in about 45 minutes. Another element of note is the B2’s 3000K LED modeling light, which has a 50W equivalent output, can run for about 90 minutes on one charge, and can be used for video production, along with any of the modifiers to create a beautiful constant light source.
Besides the quality of the light, the most important test is handling and operation. The B2’s bright LCD screen displays all information clearly, along with soft buttons for changing settings, and two dials for independently controlling the power output of each head. Where the light really shines is in its wireless operation with Profoto’s AirTTL system, which also enables High-Speed Sync. I used the Air Remote TTL-C with my Canon EOS 6D and almost immediately after sliding it into the camera’s hot shoe, I was ready to go.
The system is very accurate when it comes to TTL metering, and the ability to quickly adjust flash compensation in-camera meant I didn’t need to constantly make slight adjustments to the power settings as I was shooting. And, incredibly, for slight changes I didn’t even need to look away from the viewfinder. The most useful feature was the retention of the previous settings when switching from TTL to Manual Mode. This Hybrid Mode allowed me to quickly acquire a close power setting and then dial-in the exact power needed with a couple of presses of the remote.
Profoto also produces the Air Remote TTL-N for working with Nikon cameras, as well as an all-manual Air Remote Transceiver, which will work with many other camera brands, including Sony’s Multi Interface Shoe (I tested this with my Sony a7S). In terms of pure specs for the Air System, the radios are rated to a range of 330' with TTL, and up to 1,000' in manual mode. Also, the heads and modeling lights can be turned on and off from the remote and the power can be adjusted in tenth- or full-stop increments.
I used the lights in my apartment (thankfully they take up much less space than your standard monolights) for a couple of food setups and some headshots. I found the lights’ portability and wireless functionality to be near perfect while I worked with them. Also, the selection of modifiers was outstanding—the grids slide right onto the front of the light, the softboxes felt secure, and the ratcheting stand mount felt sturdy and was perfectly functional. I even used the B2 with my Profoto RFi 2 x 3' Softbox, with which it performed admirably.
Using a flash meter from 5' away, I measured the B2 Flash Head at full power, and received a reading of f/13 at ISO 100, an impressive reading from such a tiny unit. Also, the B2 is capable of 20 flashes per second and it has a fast flash duration from 1/15,000- to 1/1,000-second, which will help when trying to freeze motion. Additionally, there is a Freeze Mode that will fire the lights with the fastest possible flash duration with the current power setting.
During my food setups, the modeling lights were invaluable. Also, the battery can be plugged into the AC charger during use, and it will charge faster than you can fire it, meaning I never had to worry about running out of juice during the shoot. This makes the B2 effectively an AC-powered kit for cramped spaces or for simpler shots when pulling out a larger setup and attaching modifiers isn’t worth the time.
For the headshots, the asymmetrical power settings came in handy, allowing me to light the background and the subject with heads at two drastically different power settings. While shooting the plate of spaghetti, I was working handheld, and being able to make adjustments with the remote made shooting much easier since I could maintain my shooting position and angle for maintaining the composition. These lights let me work much faster than I could with speed lights or other strobes and monolights and achieve the look I desired.
I focused mainly on setup shots with the lights on stands as I worked with the B2 heads, but my fellow photographer, Tom Kirkman, took them for a night out on the town, specifically to a kitchen and food shoot. For this, we used the ProMediaGear Boomerang Bracket to mount a B2 head on his Nikon D700. And, while it did weigh the camera down a little more than a speed light, it was still very manageable.
The size of the two-light kit and a couple of modifiers, including softboxes and a stand, was compact and lightweight enough that transporting them through the New York City subway system was no problem. Also, once we got to the location, a quite small venue, we were able to stow the gear out of the way easily. Setup was just as easy, since we simply had to plug everything in and we were good to go.
The B2 brought a whole new level of performance to portable on-camera lighting. Also, for the staged portraits, moving the lights around was incredibly easy, allowing us to get photos of the chef in two locations before he needed to get back down to the kitchen. This included having a second light placed on a stand and attaching the 2' Octa. Kirkman's ability to quickly change power on the lights meant very little back and forth, adjusting the pack. This turned out to be a lifesaver in the tight spaces.
Being able to supply studio-quality lighting in such a small, mobile package is a game changer, and the modifiers now available for the system demonstrate the same level of care and simplicity of the lights themselves, making Profoto's Off-Camera Flash System an amazing new tool for photographers. Additionally, the B1 is completely compatible with the B2, ensuring the same simple integration when using both B1s and B2s during a single shoot.
These flashes will be available from B&H in two kits, as well as individual pieces. The B2 250 AirTTL To-Go Kit comes with the B2 250 AirTTL, a B2 Head, one battery, a battery charger, and the B2 Carrying Bag, which is all packed into the B2 Location Bag. The B2 250 AirTTL Location Kit comes with the B2 250 AirTTL, two B2 Heads, two batteries, a battery charger, and the B2 Carrying Bag, which is also all packed into the B2 Location Bag. Available individually are the B2 250 AirTTL Off-Camera Flash, the B2 Flash Head, the Battery Charger 2.8A, extra Li-Ion Batteries, and a 9.8’ Head Extension Cable.
Alongside the B2 250 AirTTL is a new OCF series of Light Shaping Tools with modifiers designed for portability and speed. This includes the new OCF Speedring mentioned earlier, the four-leaf OCF Barndoor, the OCF Grid Kit with 10°, 20°, and 30° grids, and the OCF Snoot. Also available are the 1.3 x 1.3’, 2 x 3’, and 1 x 3’ OCF Softboxes as well as a 2’ Octa. Optional 50° OCF Softgrids are available for each Softbox (1.3 x 1.3’, 2 x 3’, 1 x 3’, 2’ Octa) and easily slide over the outside edge of the box, for an incredibly fast setup. All of these are compatible with the B1, though most will not be compatible with the D1 due to the use of a halogen modeling light that can damage some of the OCF accessories.
Profoto is building up an incredibly versatile lighting system with the release of the B2 Off-Camera Flash and introduction of the OCF Light-Shaping Tools. Their portability, simplicity, and quality, along with TTL functionality and built-in Air System, should make everyone excited for what could possibly come next.
6 Comments
thanks for this review
question: why do you suggest a B2 then a B1 instead of just buying a second B2 kit? seems would be easier to transport and same battery to charge or buy as backup
Hi Mary,
We would recommend both the B1 and B2 depending on the purpose, but the huge advantage to the system is that it is all compatible with each other via the same wireless Air system. The B1 is more powerful and a more traditional monolight design, so if you needed to light up a large area with a lot of power it might work as a second light to a B2 system you have on your body. The B1's also don't have any cables if you needed to leave it in a corner of a venue and didn't want to have any cables lying around. The B2 is light and relatively powerful. As a mobile and on-camera option for the Profoto Air system it can't be beat. Hopefully this helps explain situations where you may want both instead of all B2s.
I agree with Joe Assistant, the lighting setup shown with the small octa and a cable going to the photographer's hip is wack.
I own the 2-head B2 system as well as three B1s. For my work in on-location model shoots, environmental portraits, real estate interiors, and weddings, they have been great. The availability of full TTL in the B1/B2 family is extremely useful. Most photographers were trained to shoot strobes on manual settings. Balancing power with multiple lights is then an acquired skill and takes a few minutes on location. A nice workflow with the B1/B2s is to shoot one TTL shot (meaning that the Profoto TTL electronics get the flash power on each unit relatively close to balanced) and then transfer those TTL values for manual presets with a single button push. It's faster than using a flash meter; your light is pretty good on the first shot (controlled by the Profoto TTL) and perfect on the 2nd shot (after you've switched to manual and tweaked the settings that the Profoto TTL calculated). Using TTL also works great in rapidly changing situations.
I've also been very happy with the color stability of the Profoto B1/B2 from shot to shot. This is sometimes an issue with other brands I have used. You don't want a situation where random shots are a tiny bit magenta.
It helps to think of the B2 as a more powerful alternative to Speedlites and one that permits easy use of more professional modifiers and gaffing as well as the wonderful Profoto radio trigger system, albeit at higher cost and the need for a cable to a separate base unit. The B2 works best with only one head, not two (due to the cable length and splitting the 250ws across both heads). You mount the very light B2 head on your light stand with its modifier, and let the B2 base dangle on the base of your light stand to provide some weight. If you're running two B2s off one base, the 6' cable on each is fairly limiting (remember you need to go down to the ground, over to the generator, and up to the other head, so 12' total cable length between the heads is not that much). Profoto sells an extension cable, but if you need more separation or more power then the B1 is the better answer. I regularly mix my B1s and B2s for location lighting and am very pleased with the flexibility that gives. For me, buying the 2nd B2 head was simply a cheaper way to get an extra head. Thinking over the past year or so since I bought the B2, I rarely operate with two B2 heads and one base as my only lighting. You can also easily mix B1/B2 strobes with other flashes or Speedlites by using optical triggering, but then you'll lose the TTL functionality and be running full manual on everything. In other words, your Profoto lights will play nice with others.
The three advantages the B2 has over the B1 are (1) smaller size, in that you can carry two B2 heads and the base in a bag about the size of one B1 bag; (2) the separation of the head from the base in the B2 design makes it easier to boom a B2 than a B1 and you can use a small stand like the Manfrotto Nano if your modifier isn't too heavy (you need more sturdy stands when using the B1 or heavy modifiers); and (3) the B2 can be plugged into mains during use, so that it never runs out of charge. I keep an extra battery handy for each of my B1s but don't need to do that for the B2 because the B2 can be plugged into mains during use and thus maintains charge and is ready for unplugged use when needed. The B1s cannot be plugged into mains during use so having an extra B1 battery on all-day shoots is prudent. I typically exhaust a B1 battery on all-day shoots after 1000 or so shots at power level 7, which is just a little less than the Profoto design spec. If you're using your B1s only for shoots that last an hour or two, you'll be fine. The advantages the B1 offers over the B2 are (1) twice the power; (2) everything is combined in the head, with no cable going to a separate base unit/generator.
A reasonable strategy for a starting photographer would be to first buy the B2 kit with one head (along with the Profoto Air radio trigger to mount on your hotshoe), then next buy a B1 as your second purchase, then eventually buy another B1 or a 2nd B2 head as your third light as budget permits.
YIKES! That last shot where the octa has the cord attached to the hip, no sandbag, and on a manfrotto nano stand? That's a disaster waiting to happen..... Plus, why not bounce the head on the ceiling instead of xeroxing the chef? Kinda crappy looking light if you ask me. The light on the wings and spaghetti looks perfect though!
We used these on a job yesterday, two heads especailly with just 6' cables is not awesome. With two heads plugged in, 125ws/head is SB-800 territory, and now you're also arguing with short cabling. However, one head with an assistant following you on a monopod is amazing. The head weighs very little, and the OCF modifiers are very quick to set up. Saved my back, and we got great results!
The OCF 2' Octa/OCF Speedring also worked great on my AcuteB 600 kit that day too. Just don't turn on the halogen modeling lamp, I can imagine it burning through the materials.
Excited to see where the OCF system goes in the future. Ever since Profoto left Mac Group, they've been making killer product!
WoW i am convinced. This is really the perfect set for me. Thanks.
Nice, the James Beard House! I hope you got to try some of the food, too.